We started SOLIDS!

i started solids with Mikkel sometime during month 6 and so far, she's not loving it! I don't really remember how it was like with Max or what I fed him but with #2, I'm not going to freak about it because eventually she'll eat. Before I know it, i'll be grumbling about the kids not eating an adequate amount of dinner but ask for a snack one after another, after another, for the rest of the night every.15.minutes- like Max does now! I know i'm not alone here!

Currently, i'm making all of Mikkel's food because it's more cost effective, easy, and actually really fun to do.  She's also been eating bits and pieces of our dinner- especially nice if we have left overs because I just chop it up and freeze it for her in the cubes. if the dinner is extra saucy, I wash the sauce off or save some plain veggies for her on the side before it goes in the actual meal. I contemplated on baby led weaning but since I do everything around here, I didn't want to add cleaning up the floor to my repertoire. Besides, I feel like I'm bonding with her every time she opens up her mouth for a bite...it's just so small and cute! love this girl!

my current faves:

1. OXO Ice Cube Tray When I first started making food, I wanted to buy at least 2 of these ice trays because I was planning to go all Julia Child with the baby food making. Thankfully, I talked myself out of it and bought only 1 as i realized you can only introduce so much to the baby at a time anyways, and food freezes pretty fast. I like these ice cube trays because the food is covered as it freezes and doesn't get freezer burned (in my opinion). Also, so easy to take the food out with a slight running of water at the back, no major cracking of the tray needed to release the blocks.
2. Vegetable Steamer. I got a silicone vegetable steamer so my pans won't be scratched up and because the metal one I had rusted. as with the concept of all steamer, it preserves the nutrients better than boiling and throwing all the vitamins down the drain. 
3. Hand Blender. First it's versatile- from DIY soups to pureed baby food! You can choose your colour, does the job, easy to clean.

1. OXO baby spoons. These are my favourite baby spoons because of its ergonomic design. My hand doesn't feel awkward or cramp up when I feed her, and the spoon fits perfect in her mouth. I'm also a sucker for someone who can choose a colour! I wish though that these, in their set of two, came with an on the go case. I think the singles do though, but as kids drop spoons so often, nice to have a backup in lunch bag.
2. Fisher Price Deluxe Quick Clean Portable Booster. Apartment size, grows with her (high chair to booster), space saver, easy to clean, portable, and was on sale at the right now. Can't ask for more, it was meant to be.
3. Bib with a food catcher. i'm not particular to any brand, as long as it has a catcher/tray it's good. The most logical invention in the baby product world!

1. SKIP HOP lunch bag. Litterless lunch, super cute, insulated, currently holds some food basics for two kids. again, i'm a sucker for when you can choose a colour or animal or design etc. We've had ours since Max was born!
2. First Years Take and Toss Straw Cup. once baby is slightly older, maybe 10+ months, these are the best cups. Easy to clean (trust me, all the others grow MOULD), well priced, and you can have 1 for water, 1 for smoothies, 1 for dairy, 1 for whatever. We still use a cup in the bedroom for Max in case he is thirsty overnight, if he spills it...no shattered glass!
3. Glasslock Tempered Glass Containers. My mom bought a whole bunch from Costco, came with a size perfect for the amount a baby, a toddler, a grownup would eat...plus more for random leftover storage of daily meal life. Even though they're not the lightest packaging of baby food you can buy, at least you can reheat glass, no staining, no leeching of chemicals into baby's system. check Costco!

So excited for this milestone in Mikkel's life! 

Here's MAX eating at 6 months and his food journey 6 months after.

Life Lately

• We spent mother's day stuffing our faces at Olive + Anchor at Horseshoe Bay. Have you been? Aside from the calamari and clubhouse which Gene raves about, I personally came for the Oysters Rockefeller- they were the best I have ever eaten. something about cheese, spinach, butter, bacon, and an oyster's texture that is so right. As expected i had hot flashes all day from the richness of this dish

the best picture of father and son that day

• i had the tiniest of canker sores near my lower gum line, and of course the smaller they are the more painful they are. ive been optimizing the healing environment of my mouth because of this stupid thing and guess what happens last night? during Max's rumbling and tumbling sleep gymnastics, he drops his head on my face/mouth while i was sleeping and i just about screamed in pain. i held it in. it was more painful than childbirth
• husband is away for the next 3 days doing some seasonal work and Max and I are alone together for the entire 72 hours. Today was day 1 and i was already feeling my patience nearly boil over at 1030am (we woke up at 730am). im pretty sure it's just me, because Gene says he's a baby when im around but totally different when im not around. Max just wants to be picked up and carried all.the.time and you know what? he's freakin' only 23lbs but feels like 30lbs. Dense. Solid. im hurting
• i went out with some company who think my way of doing things is wrong and i make my kid uncomfortable. if they were other people, id tell them to fck off, but alas no...because i CANT. unsolicited, critical, nagging "advice" or "recommendations" especially from people who dont, by and large, spend more time with MY CHILD during the hard times really should be more of a pillar of support
• my cat is humping this fleece blanket on top of my couch. he's neutered...what's up with him? 
• i had a great laugh with my friend Sarah about our changed menstrual cycles post baby. It was NEVER like this pre-baby. New moms beware!
• Max despises the stroller, every time he's in it...it's a CIO session until i pick him up. I dont bother bringing this anymore. Life right now is so much more easier when im not using it. But, damn when he's heavier, i hope he chooses to walk more than me carry him on the carrier. Or at least hold my hand when crossing the street or how about not dart close to the boulevard when he sees big rigs pass by on the street. is that too much to ask? 
• i can't cook food, prepare food, or wash dishes if im the only parent in the house. Max seems to hate it when i do this. I can't help but think maybe he doesnt want me to do this...which paves the way for him to be trained earlier to do it for me? haha

• We recently had, what i think was our first post rainstorm outing. i was totally unprepared for Max's curiosity and i dressed him in runners, jeans, light jacket- and he of course runs straight for the biggest puddle out there and falls in. Awesome! I learned my lesson the next day (after another rainy day) and let him run free in appropriate gear

oh is that piece of dirt for me Max? Thanks, you shouldn't have! 

• we upped this little man's bedtime to routine starting at 830pm and down by 9pm. he is still crying 2-5 hours after this but he's waking up sometime between 730-9am. who would've thought that sleeping in is defined as 9am? oh parenthood
• Max's bedtime breastfeed session feels more like snack suckling rather than the i-want-breastmilk type of gulping sounds im used to. he's weaning me off!! 
• we went to the Brentwood Mall 'playground' the other day- why does it always smell like dirty diapers there? maybe i just have a sensitive nose? or maybe it's the parents/guardians who DONT PAY ATTENTION to their children and gab away to their friends instead. pardon me if i have to gently push your too-big-and-or-too-rowdy children away so they don't hurt my child 
• i found myself reflecting on how i judged parents pushing their McDonald's eating young child in the stroller- as i sat with Max at McDonalds giving him fries (no salt and flat pressed in napkins to soak up the oil of course ;-p)

im back to work soon, have a great week!

Eating

Less than a month ago, I wrote an update on Max's current eating habits. Since then, a new milestone has us totally oooo'ing, ahhhh'ing, and cheering at mealtimes- he's feeding himself using utensils! the first day we used this OXO tot Spoon and Fork set, he knew what to do with them right away. i'm just astounded by his dexterity at such a young age!

most of the time he can pierce and pickup the food himself with the fork!

the spoon is taking a bit longer to learn (read food falls off easier). sometimes 

i help him by scooping up some of the food and leave it to the side for him to pick up

Filipino style: spoon and fork working together! (you don't often see knives on a Filipino's placemat)

quinoa, roasted veg, and tender beef? yes, please!

Food Journey 6 months In!

Max and I's food journey has been a roller coaster (naturally) since the day we started. As with anything else in life, it can be better (ie. he eats something new every single day) but it also certainly can be worse (ie. not eating at all and health is affected by it).  i'm happy, Max is happy, Max is eating and thriving (22lbs 9oz and 74cm), what more can one ask for? 

October 2012, he loved these nutrios so much we were going through a box in less than 4 weeks

I followed the path of least resistance and went for the 'best of all worlds' practice from the very early stages - some purees, some lumpy, and some in their natural form. Today, Max continues to be on this path as evidenced by my fridge (fresh) and freezer (frozen) stash of foods. My no-big-deal issues these last few months were:

• Max was more than willing to try new foods, but wont eat an entire meal of this new food (exclusively at dinner). i always have to have his favourite meal (tomato sauce pasta) ready after he's done with the new flavours. it was easier during the day as Max would get fruits and crunchies which he welcomes with open arms
• the best time to get him to love a food was to feed it at his hungriest time- breakfast. reject last night's dinner? Surprise! you're eating it for breakfast!
• Max prefers to try new flavors when i feed him sitting on my lap. he wont eat as much if he tries new foods on his highchair. once it's establlished he likes the food, then he's ok to go back to the high chair
• he wont always eat on the highchair, sometimes i let him play around and he comes back to me like a yoyo when he wants another bite. other times i go to him.
• the introduction of certain foods and when. the current literature states that there's no need to delay certain foods in fear of the baby developing a reaction from the early introduction, but it just seemed more logical to me to be patient and wait instead of rushing to feed everything i possibly can (when he really has his whole life to eat) and then developing a sensitivity or reaction, and it in turn has affected his ability to eat everything he possibly can. we are both pretty cool with staying patient

I wasnt really consistent with the latter idea, i just listened to my gut feeling

- wheat --> early

- citrus --> early

- baked goods with egg whites --> early

- whole milk --> early

- egg whites or entire eggs --> waiting

- strawberries --> waiting

- peanuts and shellfish --> waiting

January 2013, wouldnt it be nice if he fed himself with the spoon? He seems interested in learning!

Max's currently favorite foods include blueberries, mangoes, bananas, macaroni and cheese, open faced broiled cheese toasts, toast in general, white spot french fries, mum mums, nutrios, anything from the Baby Gourmet squeezable pouches, beef stew and my spaghetti sauce. It seems like quite the variety, but really it's not as at times he seems to have the same thing every other day and sometimes everyday. 

Im looking forward to our food journey future as after Max turns 1, more flavors can be added to the menu. Peanut butter and honey sandwiches? Brie and apple sandwiches? Stir fry prawn fried rice seasoned with sesame oil? Pizza with all the trimmings from Sunrise Pizza on the Drive? Yes! i'm already on pinterest pinning all these wonderful looking dishes, now i just need to make them!

My Love is 11 months old!

What's my 11 month old up to these days?

• curious about a lot of things, lots of hand gestures and sometimes pointing towards an object and says "ayyyyy" or "ohhhhh"
• loves the toilet paper roll
• he really enjoys going on his belly and looking for stuff under big furniture (ie. the couch) so i just drop stuff under there and he gets them ...and then he drops it again to see where it goes, watches it come back, and then retrieves it again 
• he's finally noticing (not just looking) things above him and things that surround him like photos, decals, lights
• he's got mild patches of eczema throughout (thanks Winter!), he's been getting daily applications of Aquaphor and so far under control
• footless sleepers! size 12-18months for tops and 6-12 months for bottoms, size 3 Pampers cruisers
• he can turn his walker on his own and even do a full 360
• sleeping from 8pm and waking up sometime between 6-745am (towards the latter part of his 10th month he's been sleeping 8pm-730am with no feeds or wakeups overnight)
• 2 naps a day, first nap 2-2.5hours after waking up and he can go about 4 hours awake until the next nap. Average length 1.25hours
• still naps in my arms, i LOVE our special time together, so though not the best thing for someone who has to go back to work, im not in a panic to change this yet
• he used to enjoy me throwing (in the lightest sense of the word) him up in the air and catching him, now he gets frightened

                        

 

• 3 breastfeeds a day, 3 solids a day and sometimes he gets a snack (i think his favorite food are bananas, he can eat the whole thing in one sitting just cut in half)
• he's a good eater but needs to be on my lap and me pretending to eat it if it's a new food item
• he does not like goats milk ...tried it just after 10.5months and he's not into it at all
• loves watching birds fly
• cries when men he doesnt know interact with him, but not so with women 9/10 times
• developed a separation anxiety with husband, but only when we're grocery shopping and he's on the cart. even if im in front of him, he's still wants Gene
• can crawl while holding onto something or pushing his cars
• sometimes walking or cruising with one hand! a few times ive caught him standing on his own without support and then he drops to the ground
• super clingy with me just after waking up, he needs to be carried/held for quite a bit
• if im not making eye contact with him, he pulls on my pant leg and holds on to my leg jumping and escalating until he's picked up
• lots of high pitched squeals and shrieks when happy, excited, and having fun
• shares everything but doesnt always let go of it (he'll offer someone his food, but just let their mouths touch it and then he eats it) 
• shy around new situations and doesnt really interact with other babies in groups. sometimes he's even scared of other babies and will cry
• able to do partial waves but not always on queue (think open your hand and drop finger each down to make a loose fist
• you know that pampers commercial where the baby is moving chairs and other furniture around? yep that's what Max is doing
• about 21.5lbs, 2 upper 2 lower teeth (i can see two more coming in the upper part, but they haven't cut through the gums yet)
• arms up when wants to be picked up or just held 
• i just need to lean in and i get kisses kisses kisses! (ok open mouthed wet kisses)

• he took his first steps on December 17th at approx 6pm! Since then, he's been able to walk 3-4 steps and stand up on his own for like 10 seconds or so. he wont do it on command (naturally) but instead suprises us by either ditching the walker and just going to walk or ditching a toy and coming to us a few steps away!

crappy quality video with even worse lighting!

Current schedule +/- 30 minutes

745am wakeup and feed

10 am nap

1115 am wakeup and breakfast

2pm lunch

245pm breastfeed and 2nd nap

430pm wakeup

530pm dinner

630pm snack

730pm bedtime routine and breastfeed

8pm in bed, lights out, hopefully asleep

Max Has Hit Double Digits! 10 Months Old!

little Max is now 10 months old. I say this every month- where the heck did the time go?

What's a 10 month old Max like these days?

• he says 'mama mama' all the time in long run on sentences, sometimes we get a 'dada dada'
• he's playing with various volumes of his voice
• he's loves sharing/offering his nutrios and pacifier
• sleeping straight from 8pm-7am with only rare wakeups (no night feeds!), ravenous in the morning as expected!
• naps 2 times a day (sometimes 3), in my arms, for about 1.5hrs each time - this is prime time to get up to date with everything happening in the social network
• a really sweaty sleeper when sleeping in my arms, his hair is soaked when he wakes up
• learning to point at things he wants or at people he wants attention from
• offering hand still, but not as often (same gesture)
• can walk by himself using the walker! (watch the video)

• really good appetite, with breakfast being the best. still feeding on lumpy/pureed but good at feeding self whole apples, cheese, nutrios, peas, and carrots
• loves nutrios, rice rusks, cottage cheese, and all apples (i think he would eat these for breakfast lunch and dinner if he had a choice)
• puts arms up when he wants to be picked up. if already up in someones arms, he stretches arms out towards another person he wants to be carried by
• he can crawl while holding onto something with one of his hands
• wants to climb over everything to get through (instead of crawling around the object like, ie. ME!)
• loves giving open mouth wet kisses. i just need to lean forward close to him and his mouth is open to give a wet kiss
• breastfeeding 4x a day

• 4 teeth (2 up, 2 bottom)
• 3-4 poops a day
• still loves and whines for his pacifier
• he really likes watching mike the knight - i think it has something to do with how big the characters are on tv
• he loves the IOGO yogourt commercials! we were playing in the kitchen, he hears the first 4 notes of the commercial, he pauses and then bolts out of the kitchen to watch the commercial. one of those wave-your-hand-in-front-of-their-face-and-no-blinking moments. again, probably has to do with how simple and big the images are
• attaached to me big time (aka major separation anxiety). i cant leave room without him crying, or him looking/finding me. i cant be in the kitchen without him wanting to be carried by me and will escalate to crying if i dont pay attention to him or move around too much

everything goes in his mouth

Max's 10 month old 'schedule,' (times are approximate +/- 30 minutes)

7am: awake, breastfeed

9-1020: nap

1030: breakfast

12pm: breastfeed

130: lunch

230-4pm: nap

4pm: breastfeed

6pm: dinner

730: bath, bed time routine, breastfeed

8pm: asleep

10pm: my bedtime!

WOW 

What's in My Bag - baby edition!

Before I had baby, my purse was simple. Check it out HERE!
Now with baby always in tow, i have to be prepared for various situations I may be placed in- hungry baby, poopy baby, sunny days, teething days. Ya know, just another day in the life of a parent!

i think what people carry around can tell a lot about what a person's personality is like, don't you?

the main purse

• briefcase bag from ROOTS with a missing buckle (grrr)
• lipsticks: Cosmo by MAC, and Think Bronze by Clinique
• mini mirror - to always look presentable
• notepad and pen (in light blue case) - documentation and crossword puzzles
• Max's sun hat and sun screen - summer!
• hand sanitizer and sample size of hand lotion
• Sophie the Giraffe for Max
• Bib for those days when Max was drooling like crazy or spat up and i have nothing to wipe with
• 1 zone bus tickets - i don't drive
• pocket sized measuring tape (the red square)
• sunglasses- for sunny and cloudy days. squinting = early wrinkles!
• house, mailbox, and bike keys
• wallet and underwear change purse for coins
• work ID in case i want to park somewhere downtown for 'cheap'
• Max's health passport and care card
• blackberry (missing from photo)

Ok so it doesn't end there! the undercarriage of my stroller is my 2nd purse haha. This is where i hold most of Max's I.C.E (in case of emergency) stuff

the baby bag

• the navy bag holds all this stuff. and when i need to grocery shop, the contents are dumped into the undercarriage only soon to be covered by groceries i can't fit in the navy bag
• black changing pad as public changing tables are NASTY
• my nursing cover
• a moderately sized cosmetic bag (this one is Le Sportsac) that holds everything below:
• kotex pad- for the unexpected period
• nipple shields- for those leaky days
• travel case with wipes
• 4 diapers - current size #3 cruisers
• an extra onesie when/if i have a diaper leakage

Last but not least. There are times when we are eating out and Max wants to join in. His 'lunchbag' is also carried in the undercarriage of the stroller

the punchbag

• dragon lunch bag from old navy (keeps things hot, keeps things cool. has the silver lining)
• Max's straw cup
• monkey bib
• wipes that i feel are ok to touch Max's face with (mr. sensitive skin)
• feeding spoon
• glasslock case filled with food
• pacifier pod with at least 2 pacifiers so i don't end up in THIS situation again (this pod is actually attached to the stroller)
• Winkel toy and links (also attached to stroller)
• my tumbler, also attached to stroller as i ALWAYS need to have water with me

Well that's it! Hope you enjoyed the little 'peep' show and getting to know just a little part of me.

What's in your purse (and stroller?)

Max is 7 months old!

Yay Maximoo is 7 months old! Seriously, wasn't I just blogging about him turning 6 months old? where does the time go?! 

• Max has 2 teeth, lower center. we've had no issues with teething! (knock on wood)
• link #13 on the Jolly Jumper
• he sit himself up from tummy position and stay sitting on his own on the floor, actively use his arms to maintain balance as needed, but loves to roll around all over the floor readjusting himself and practicing his new skills. I no longer need "swiffer" the floor as he does this for me haha
• Lots of baby talk! Husband thinks he's saying "daddy" and "dada" which he kind of is, but i think he's just loving the way it sounds and feels in his mouth. he's not exactly looking at husband and saying you-are-my-dada. or am i in denial? I deserve to have mama be the first word! hehe
• definitely crawling backwards. doing planks. but his left leg seems to be getting stuck right now and is preventing him from really moving! he's lifting up each arm at a time to move, but only to rock back and forth or fall flat on his belly. By the end of this month i think we'll have a crawler
• he's a fast one! one minute he'll be within a visible area from the kitchen, the next 30 seconds later he's rolled off somewhere and got back up in a sitting position
• i love that he sees his pacifier amongst a pile of toys and knows he wants it, picks it up, and puts it in his mouth. Is this a precocious child or what? skills!
• he's able to drink from his straw cup! dont worry though, the water is all for fun. i give him about max 15mls a day to practice the straw technique
• separation and stranger anxiety continues, but more varied than just general crying if im not there
• Max loves looking at older kids and kind of talks to them with his prolonged vowel and consonant sounds. the way he stares at them makes me think he wants to be a big kid too right then and there. endearing little man
• bedtime 830pm. 2-3 wakeup at night to feed. awake anytime from 7am-8am. we aren't co-sleeping as much as it's been hot and i think he's quite content not doing so (awww)

As part of our food adventures, i took Max to the Trout Lake Farmer's Market yesterday. I didn't want to forgo freshness and buy a bunch of stuff and freeze it for him. so, i just showed him around, felt some veggies, and got a feel for the ambiance. Besides the carrots in the pic, I was surprised to learn that there is a large number of veggies and fruits aren't really made to be "first foods" so we had to settle for some sweet potato and butternut squash (nasty).

I didn't leave empty handed! We picnic'd at the grassy area and watched a local baseball game (or rather friends large enough to create 2 teams to play baseball). While Max rolled around, i tried to NOT devour the entire loaf  serving of Whole Wheat Pumpkin (and chocolate chips) Loaf that we just bought from Small Pleasures (a yummy baker at the farmers market).  These flavours come together so naturally! 

Food Time!

Since about the 20th of July, i've been on the eating bandwagon. I've got all this baby food making 'stuff', my fellow online January momma's group are doing it, a mom and baby group at the Lee CHC was doing a solids talk- it was all a sign to start I tell you!

Our initial food was barley cereal which i made into a light puree (well, i added water to a desired consistency).  as expected, he wasn't too happy about this texture in his mouth. He never really spat it out, but he just had a look of disgust on his face and kind of let the food fall from his mouth hahaa

end of first week of barley cereal

I've also been reading a lot about how food is not only about learning how to eat but is also about learning social skills. Because of the open concept layout of our living/dining, prior to Max, husband and I would just eat wherever (bad habit), but now I'm making a conscious effort to eat as a family at the table. If not for all meals, then at least dinner. Thanks to my friend Sarah who gave me her space saver high chair, Max has now joined us at the table! He gets his own dish and spoon to play with and get used to, but seeing as how I'm a bit of a neat freak (not necessarily clean freak) and witnessing how he throws the spoon and plate around (yikes), I haven't put food on his plate yet to help him help himself.

max with dish and spoon, not too happy! 

if there was food on that plate, id be freaking (internally)

I was getting really worried until YESTERDAY because Max totally was hating the high chair. I really didn't want negative associations with eating because of this high chair so thank the Lawd that I saw Sarah yesterday who suggested that I tilt the chair. the result? AMAZING! no freak outs (knock on wood) within a few minutes of being on the chair.

initial week

happy camper when angle isn't so rigidly upright

As of late, Max has tried the barley cereal, bananas, and avocado. I wanted to use my 'stuff' so i made a small batch of green beans, carrots, and sweet potato of various textures and which are in the freezer as we speak. 

As for feeding practices, i use the mush texture for the barley cereal as i have no other choice really. I cut up bananas and avocados in small chunks and feed it to him via spoon, but on other days i've also mashed up bananas and mashed up avocados (not together), put it on his spoon and let him feed himself. The common denominator is that spoon! When i can get my head around on the concept of the inevitable mess (yes, giving him his own spoon with puree on it is about all the mess i can handle right now), we'll try the baby led feeding technique where he feeds himself. No pincer grasp here just yet though.

big boy feeding himself

Im trying all sorts of ways to get food into Max, but i'm not desperate for him to eat as I know breast milk is #1 for him. However, there are days that I'm feeling discouraged that he's not eating enough food and i hate throwing away food (like an avocado that has turned brown as we don't feel like eating it either). i also do have to remind myself to be patient, and that all of this is just for fun right now for him and myself. 

Tonight, Max was actually opening his mouth for his cereal and banana mix! Wow, I know! He also likes it when i make airplane noises and then stop short as his mouth multiple times before going in with the food. He still doesn't LOVE the high chair, and I find I can get more into him when we're both sitting on the ground.

I can't wait for the day he gobbles all this food up and becomes even chunkier!! 

Food Journey Begins!

Ok so i've decided that i'll be doing a mix of baby-lead weaning and pureed foods. I can't help it! No one but myself is rushing to feed him, I am just so excited to enter this new endeavour!

The last few weeks, i've been doing a once a week frozen banana in his Baby Safe Feeder. He was NOT impressed with it (latest pic on my "Life Lately" post)! Not sure if it was the banana or the texture of the baby safe feeder mesh coming in-between him and the banana. I haven't given up on the feeder though, I'm sure it'll come in handy once he's really REALLY into eating and i can expand his menu. I also gave him a small morsel of a beautiful watermelon, he spat that out as if i gave him Vegemite (nasty) or something.

Max was meeting not only the calendar age for feeding, but the milestones that excited me for the next chapter as stated on the Kellymom website Is My Baby Ready for Solid Foods? on KellyMom.com. My impatience got the better of me and I started Max on mush rather than waiting for the pincer grasp that would indicate baby-led weaning as the initial solids route. again, I was excited for this foods thing, like a new bike on my birthday when i was 8 yrs old, excited!

Furthermore, I was worried about this whole iron-supplementation thing, again, as stated on Kellymom, is Iron-Supplementation Necessary? Had to deal with heme, and non-heme sources...sweet potatoes, meats, etc. So, I covered the i-want-to-feed craving as well as the iron-top-up-maybe/maybe-not issue by buying Max barley cereal.

Healthy Times Barley Cereal

It's from Whole Foods. Gave him 1/2 a table spoon yesterday in water, and 1 tablespoon today. He ate 3/4 of it. It was so fun and exciting (for ME!). I also bought some baby spoons for him. They were so cute and I love using them! (I'm such a products freak i know)

OXO Tot Feeding Spoons

Ok, now that I have that out of the way, now I can think clearly and approach the food world clearly with excitement (and caution). 

what the....

2 challenges are facing us this week

1) Max is super super distracted while breastfeeding. Even the daylight distracts him.

I have to go into a darkened room that's nearly noise free to BF. nursing covers (in a public setting) do nothing to help except make both of us sweaty. im not sure if he's getting enough calories hence why he's waking at night

2) Max has learned to roll from his back to his tummy. He does it non stop, even at night. AND, he gets stuck, yes, at night.

He's usually fed before any sleep, so he goes to bed awake...rolls onto his belly...spits up from the pressure on his belly...face on the spit up...I hear an SOS cry...I walk in to a baby covered in puke.

Lol poor baby

2 accomplishments this week

1) we spent 1 hour at the passport office and no meltdowns!

2) we went to church for the first time and again, no meltdowns!

awesome!

2 things I'm wondering about

1) baby led weaning vs traditional puréed first foods

2) what's the big deal with rice cereal? I think I'll just go for avocados...hmmm

Making Your Own Baby Food

Photo Credit

For those who are going to make their own baby food (like myself), an awesome book that Sarah gave me is called: "Better Baby Food." I'm sure it can be found at Chapters!

ok so I haven't read through it all word by word, but i've read through the recipes.  I think an important aspect is that you don't always need to make separate food for the baby, the baby should eat what you're eating as they get older (maybe minus the excess salt and sugar that we love to consume). most of the recipes in this book give you that option!

I also love the first part of this book that talks about breastfeeding, breastmilk, formula feeding, and generally stages of whats should/can expect. It's not just a recipe and how to book...it's a nice book that transitions the little babe nicely while settling some anxieties of mamma. Thanks Sarah!!

For the more internet-savvy, there's a great website as well called "Wholesome Home Baby Food"

Click http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/ to go to this momtastic website!

It gives you ideas on tools in making and storing baby food for the little bugger, as well as other info you need to make this foodmaking business not so daunting! And no, you don't NEED the babybullet!

i'm still thinking about how to store all this food im apparently planning on making! hahaha!  i'm currently thinking

• BPA free ice cube trays- freeze and pop out
• store the little cubes in large freezer ziploc bags
• or, store in ready made cubes and heat up when needed.
• i've bought some glasslock 5oz cubes at Homesense, $10 for 3. You can't go wrong with glass, but that stuff is HEAVY for when you want to lug it around a diaper  bag or stroller for those food-on-the go days!