Whew!

The laundry is drying, the baby is sleeping, the dishes are in the dishwasher, the hubby is out running an errand, my first ever brisket is cooking in the oven... and I can finally sit down and write a blog! 

This week was actually a big week for baby- lots to document, both good and bad.  A lot of milestones were made, so I guess I will just list them out.

• Tuesday 2/22- first kisses for daddy
• Wednesday 2/23- stayed standing unsupported for 10 seconds and cut his first tooth!!
• Saturday 2/26- first bo-bo that required a band aid (took some skin off the index finger on his left hand) and first kisses for mommy!!

Baby and I have started walking around the neighborhood in the afternoon.  When I am not up for that, we have been sitting in the front yard on a blanket.  Since the temperature has been in the 70s, all of the neighbors have been out and about as well.  Ricky and I met another mommy and her 4 month old son who lives a street over.  We still haven't met the baby girl who was born less than a month ago that lives right across the street.  There are so many older boys in the neighborhood- I am already worrying that they will be a bad influence on my lil man.  I can protect my sweetheart forever, right??

Rickybear looks like he wants to stand up on his own, but just isn't there yet.  He will get up like a bear on his hands and feet and sway there a bit, but then he always sits back down.

Rickybear also has another stuffy nose.  We are using Vicks rub and the Vicks vaporizer, as well as the humidifier.  Good grief, that child screams like I am torturing him when I try to suction his nose out!  And I expect him to understand me when I tell him that it's for his own good (ha!).

I think that's it for now- Rickybear turned 9 months on Friday and I have to get started on his 9 month post!

My child, the impatient diner

Banana boy

Little boy loves eating finger foods now.  Granted, he has only eaten Mum Mums and Gerber puffs up until this weekend.  Twice now he has eaten bananas pieces (I broke them up way smaller after the picture was taken) and he LOVED them.  It’s such a small thing, but I am so proud that he can do it by himself.  He is so sticky and gross afterwards that he needs a full-body wipedown, though.  He also knows how to tip the bottle back when he wants to drink.  He is unbalanced and doesn’t hold it there for long, but it’s still progress.

I think I am going to steam some yellow squash tonight and see if he can eat them as finger foods.  I peel the skin off so it shouldn’t be hard for him to digest.  I don’t know how well I can store diced veggies in the fridge with the tupperware I have.  I will have to experiment and see how that goes…

Mischief

Uh oh, time to move the mobiles.  On Sunday I had Rickybear in the Pack 'n Play in our room and I heard him grunting and then I hear a pop.  I look over and he is on his butt, all proud of himself because he had succeeded in toppling the mobile over and it was laying next to him on the mattress.  Thanks, son.  Luckily, he didn't break it, but now that I know he can grab it, it's packed away for another day.

By the way, the concoction from yesterday (chicken, sweet potato and apple mix) turned out wonderfully.  Rickybear had a slightly elevated temp yesterday and also didn't have much of an appetite, but he did seem to really like what he ate of it.  I sent some of that with him to eat today, along with some YoBaby 3-in-1 meal yogurt and mashed acorn squash.  We are so fortunate that he is such a good eater!

Yummy baby food

Today I am making chicken and sausage jambalaya for dinner.  Since I was cooking chicken, I decided to bite the bullet and prepare some chicken for the baby.  This will be the first time he has had any meat!  Now that I am cooking it, it's not nearly as oogie as I thought it would be.  The recipe called for one apple, one sweet potato and two chicken tender strips.  I chopped everything up and let it simmer in two cups of water for twenty minutes.  I have it cooling now, and I must admit, it smells delicious!  I might add a pinch of basil in there too, during the pureeing process.  I am pretty excited for Rickybear to try it!



Last one from V-Day, I promise!

Valentine's Day fun

Taken today on a stroller ride with Nana... he passed out a few minutes later!

After a little prodding (ok, maybe I mean nagging…), daddy finally installed the toddler swing under our carport.  We still need to go get the little foam mats to put under it in case the baby turns into Houdini and wiggles out of it, but so far, it’s a hit.  His little face just LIGHTS UP when he is in the swing.  It’s a fun way to spend a little time with him and an easy way to calm him when he is upset.  Daddy just loves that special time with him.

Personally, I have struggling with my motivation lately.  I feel so tired when I get home from work and I just want to snuggle up with or play with my child.  I don’t want to go grocery shopping, I don’t want to clean the bathroom, I don’t want to unload the dishwasher and tackle the mountain or dishes, and don’t even mention the even taller mountain of laundry.  If I decided that I want to take the baby for a walk/jog in the stroller, then that just eats into my time to get other tasks accomplished.  And then, oh wait- dinner needs to be cooked and the baby needs to be dressed for bed. 

I know these are the same feelings that every mommy experiences, whether she be a stay at home or working mommy.  It’s just that now that this little baby is mobile, I have to be on my toes at all times.  So you know what happens?  I feel overwhelmed and resentful and pretty much none of what needs to be accomplished gets done.  Even if I do work in the kitchen for an hour, I feel like it looks the same as it did before I started on it.

I had gotten very organized in my chores and mapping out my afternoons after work, but again- having a mobile baby now means I have to keep stopping what I am doing to make sure he is safe and also to just play with him and let him know that mommy is present.  I also just want ME time.  I never really wanted to nap before, but now that I do, I can’t.  I suppose I need to eat better and just make getting exercise a priority because I know simply doing those two things will improve my mood and give me more energy, thereby making me a better wife and mommy.  Perhaps with the passing of winter it will be easier.  I know that soon it will be light for longer than an hour after I get home.  The temperature is more favorable and I can get out more.

Rickybear and I sat outside in the [dead] grass the other afternoon.  In the past I would set him on a blanket and it was like he was on an island- he wouldn’t venture off the blanket at all.  This time I just plopped his little butt directly on the grass and he didn’t even want to touch it, lol!  But I grabbed his hands and brushed them back and forth across the grass and he finally got excited.  He was crawling and feeling the ground and eating the grass and getting super angry when mom yanked the leaves out of his mouth.  Those types of activities make it all worth while.

Baby, Be Mine

No words needed- these pictures should say it all...

Thanks for the help, son!

Why I make my own baby food

I was asked why I decided to make my own baby food.  I didn’t give it much thought, actually.  I just knew I wanted to do it, like I wanted to breastfeed and co-sleep.  Once I made the decision, I reached out to find other mommies who believed in the same things I did to give me guidance.  My greatest resource is http://wholesomebabyfood.com.  I used the information I found there to type up my own manual, which includes recipes and the recommended age of introduction for virtually every fruit and veggie out there.  I recommend this site to anyone who has an interest in making their own food.  It even has sippy cups tips and suggestions for how to deal with picky eaters!  Love it!

With no further ado, here are my top ten reasons for making my own baby food:

1.      It makes me feel like I am a good mom and that I am providing my child the best nutrition possible.
2.    I know exactly what goes into food I feed him.  No salt, sugar, fillers, or preservatives.
3.      Most of the fruit/veggies are organic, which is better for everyone.
4.     I can easier make the purees smoother, thicker, or chunkier with ease.
5.     I can easily mix and match the foods he eats.  I can take a cube of green beans and mix it with squash, or I can hide a cube of peas by mixing it with three cubes of pears.
6.      There is very little waste.  I take out exactly how many cubes of food he will eat for each meal. 
7.   It takes minimal effort.  I can spend one full afternoon cooking and pureeing and make enough food to feed my child for a month.  I freeze the food in ice cube trays and then throw the cubes into a freezer bag.  They can store that way for three months.
8.      The way I prepare the food preserves as many vitamins and nutrients as possible.
9.   It tastes better than jarred baby food.
10.   It costs so much less than buying jarred baby food!

Ricky did not eat any solids until after he made six month- I feel very strongly about that.  I do not make my own yogurt.  Ricky eats YoBaby Organic Yogurt.  For finger foods, he eats Mum Mums and Gerber Puffs.  Again, the puffs are far more nutritious than any similar snack I could make.  Aside from that, he drinks Similac, which he will until he hits age 1. 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me!

Pics from last Saturday's bday party

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A funny anecdote

Happy Friday!  This weekend won’t be quite as full as the last, thank goodness.  I also don’t think we’ll be working any OT.  After reviewing my baby food stock last night, I see that I need to take some time this weekend to replenish the supply.  I just wish there were a better selection of fruits (peaches, mangos, etc) for him to try.  But I will make do with what’s in season and he will love it.  I never did get around to pureeing that chicken for him, but I will buy some strips this weekend and cook them and see how that goes.  *fingers crossed*

And to throw some humor in here for you…  Mommy learned a few good lessons from Rickybear on Wednesday night.  I learned that during the winter it’s not cool to leave your baby happily playing on the kitchen floor when you run outside in your jammies and fuzzy slippers to throw something in the deep freezer outside.  Why?  Because my baby is a shadow and by the time I ran back to the back door, Ricky was sitting on the mat just inside the closed door, giggling and talking, and beating on the door with his little hands.  OMG.  And it’s not like I can just push the door open and scoot him out of the way.  It doesn’t work that way!  So instead, I just stood there in the freezing wind and tried to tell him to scoot back a foot so mommy could come back inside!  Thank goodness for the cat!  Sushi ended up hearing us (I guess??) and walked into the kitchen and as soon as Ricky saw her he bee-lined after her.  Oy!

The weekend summary, a few days late

We had such a full weekend last weekend.  It’s also been a busy week, as evident by the lack of updates on the blog.

Hubby and I both worked Saturday morning (in fact, he worked from 6 am to 5 pm!) and then the little man and I went to a birthday party.  It was our cousin’s first birthday party.  His theme was a Thomas the Train.  There were a few other kids there as well- 2 four year olds, a 7 month old, and of course the one year old (all boys!).  They had set a playpen up in the living room to contain the babies and all the kids seemed to have a good time.  I remember thinking that Rickybear was interacting just fine with the other babies so I still feel really good about not having him in daycare.  As long as he has plenty of interactions and sharing times with other babies, he isn’t lacking much social interaction.  He did try to munch on his cousin’s arm, though.  Maybe I can blame that on teething??

Rickybear had his first experience with BALLOONS at that party.  We had such a kick out of watching him try to play with them.  They had balloons on strings all throughout the living room and kitchen areas.  Such a great idea!  We wouldn’t be able to do that at our house because our kitchen has a peak and I would never be able to get those things down if they went in the peak!

On Sunday we had another birthday party for Ricky’s only girl cousin.  She turned 4 and had a princess theme.  She was so excited about everything.  She was absolutely adorable.  It’s safe to say that he got lots of attention from her and from his aunt and uncle.  He was a lot fussier at this party, but he did get to play with more balloons.  We had to take a time out and go swing outside for a bit and that seemed to calm him down.  Then he watched the Superbowl with his daddy.

Monday was his daddy’s birthday!  We went out to dinner with his parents.  It has become apparent to us that at this age it’s no longer easy for us to just bring the baby to dinner with us.  At eight months old, he is not content to just chill out in his car seat.  He wants to get up and go!  So we either need to get a sitter or do takeout!  We went out to eat twice over the weekend for birthday dinners and it was not peaceful at all. 

On a final note- is it normal for babies to stop sleeping through the night again at eight months???  I don’t think he is teething.  We put him down for bed and he can sleep for an hour or two by himself before he gets restless and starts crying out.  Sometimes he calms down if we bring him in the bed with us, but this past week his just kicked his daddy in the ribs and slapped mommy in the face and still cried.  I have been cranky all week since he has kept me up.  (And I want to have another one??  Am I crazy???)  Last night I stuffed him with bananas and mum mums and a bottle of the nighttime formula.  He was so stuffed!  I also turned on the humidifier and the Vicks vaporizer (he had a stuffy nose) and he slept all night!  It makes such a difference when I can get a good night’s sleep!!  He did whine a bit, but not to the extent that I had to go pick him up.  He was curled up in the corner closest to the vaporizer and he was pretty peaceful.  Let’s hope tonight goes just as well…

I can’t wait for the weekend again!

Better late than never

I added a picture of Boogie's ouchie to a prior post...

There is something so satisfying about looking in the rear-view mirror and seeing your baby boy tapping his feet along with his favorite Disney songs. Seriously warmed my heart.

And on that note, here's another fun sleeping baby picture!

Eat some corn!

I steamed some corn yesterday and it was so yummy that I thought my lil man would enjoy some, too!

He isn't old enough to eat corn, even ground up, so I just gave him the cob after the corn was off.  Even without butter or salt it was super tasty and he gnawed on it for ten minutes.  As daddy pointed out, it probably felt great on his teething gums.

For dinner last night I grilled some chicken on the George Foreman grill and served it with some red pepper alfredo sauce over pasta.  Delicious!  I am a little leery of pureeing meat, but I guess I need to try and see if he wants it.  I saved some chicken breast to boil with some basil today and once it's cold, I will puree it and add it to some carrot or squash puree. 

To any mommys who make their own baby food- how do you prepare meats?

Tunnels of fun

We are off of work today due to the weather, so I got to spend an extra day at home with my baby boy.  I had great intentions, but I am mainly piddling around.  Rickybear and I went next door to visit the neighbors and so he could play.  He did really well!  They have a tunnel that he actually crawled through.  It was beyond cute.  Well, I am off to clean and Rickybear is going to keep playing... stay warm, everyone!!

And baby goes bump...

I know it’s been awhile since I have given an update, but we are just enjoying our slobbery little monster, working on the house, and … just working.  I feel like I can work on the house every day and it’s still going to be a mess.  The floor always needs to be mopped, laundry always needs to be done, the fish/cat/baby/husband always need to be fed.  When the weekend gets here, I have the best intentions to get a lot accomplished, but I am honestly just beat and want to just CHILL and sit on the couch and play with the baby.

Last Wednesday we had a completely horrifying experience.  I only just now feel comfortable writing it.  But why have a blog if I can’t document everything that happens, good or bad?  I was home alone with the baby, playing on the living room floor, when it came to my attention that he needed a diaper change.  I took him into the nursery and started changing him on the day bed.  If you were unaware, changing an 8 month old is just as difficult and if you were trying to diaper a cat.  He kicks and flips and claws and speed crawls away.  That being said, I had given him a toy and he was actually pretty chill at the moment.  I had his diaper off and I reached over to get the A&D ointment and in that split second the baby had rolled a full turn, sat up, and plunged forward off the bed.  Directly onto his head.  I was RIGHT THERE but I couldn’t catch him.

I don’t think I could even breathe in those first few seconds.  He didn’t move or make a sound at first, but then his face turned blood red and he started howling.  This if the absolute worst feeling I have had since becoming a mom.  I didn’t even think, I scooped him up, threw on a new diaper, and literally ran to the car.  I was terrified that he had broken something or that he had a concussion.  That was a frightening 15 minute car ride to the ER, especially since I couldn’t see the baby since he is rear-facing in the backseat.  By the time I made it there, both of my parents were already waiting at the entrance.  I was still in tears, but honestly, once we got to intake, Rickybear was already flirting with the nurses.  Yes, flirting.  Giggling, talking, hiding his face with the blankie and then coming back up with a huge grin… good grief, child!

My FIL came soon after that.  By the time Rickybear and I were called to the back I was pretty sure that there was no permanent damage.  The PA checked him out and she was so great with him.  He stole her stethoscope and showed off his new skills (pulling up, speed crawling, etc.).  He checked out perfectly!  Not even a bump.  And his ear infection was also completely gone.  After we left there we went to go meet daddy so he could see for himself that his baby boy was fine. Such a relief.

I am so glad I took him to the doctor, even though if I had waited 15 minutes I might have known he was ok and not had to worry the entire family.  On the other hand, if I had waited and he had brain swelling and I didn’t know it, then time is a huge factor in the outcome.  I would much rather be safe than sorry.

Since then I have been trying to appreciate the family that I have.  It’s easy to let the little things bother you and blow themselves out of proportion, but the bottom line is that we are all in this for the long haul and we need to make sure that we are the happiest and healthiest that we can be.  It’s going to be a lifelong struggle and will take a lot of hard work to be the best that we can be.