...has been going around our house! Week before last, I had a stomach bug but thankfully managed to keep it to myself. Last week, Bennett had his first "sinus infection," which was heartbreaking for mommy. This week I have "strep throat." (I'm using "these" because they were not positive diagnoses, just something to have a reason to give antibiotics for.) Here's to hoping that next week Daddy won't come down with something!
So, needless to say - no pictures in this post!
But, Bennett was 17 lbs when we went to see Dr. Craig - a full pound up in two weeks. I say the boy is growing fine!
The baby food making endeavor is coming along splendidly. I batch made a month's worth of food this weekend and it took just a few hours. Kirk helped, which made it fun. We also got a Cuisinart Super Blender - a cheaper option to the Beaba, and it also makes smoothies (a thumbs-up from Dad). I really enjoy it! :)
We've done bananas, sweet potatoes, pears, carrots, and we're trying avocado in a day or so! It's pretty fun to see what faces Bennett will make to different foods. He's done really well with carrots. They have such a different texture than his other foods. Most everything else has been sorta creamy, carrots are grainy - but he's great! I'm so glad he's finally catching on to this whole eating thing. Now to master the sippy cup! :)
Bennett
Anniversary
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Superbowl Sunday!
Well, Bennett's team won. He was seriously concerned there for a bit, but always knew his Packers would pull through! In all seriousness, he LOVES watching football. It's right up there with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Sid the Science Kid. He had no problem keeping happy at our party tonight!
Earlier today we tried bananas. They were a much bigger hit than either rice cereal or oatmeal. Not that he was stellar at eating them either, but a big step up.
This weekend we found an awesome deal on big boy car seats (52% off a discontinued pattern of Britax at Babies R Us. I was beside myself because this was actually the brand/pattern I'd wanted but I couldn't bring myself to pay $350 for one car seat). Aaaaand we installed one in Daddy's car. It was a pretty big hit in the daytime because now Bennett can see out the window and look at all the cars passing by. I hope he doesn't have the carsickness gene from his mommy! (Also note his Packer's fan outfit! :) )
Earlier today we tried bananas. They were a much bigger hit than either rice cereal or oatmeal. Not that he was stellar at eating them either, but a big step up.
This weekend we found an awesome deal on big boy car seats (52% off a discontinued pattern of Britax at Babies R Us. I was beside myself because this was actually the brand/pattern I'd wanted but I couldn't bring myself to pay $350 for one car seat). Aaaaand we installed one in Daddy's car. It was a pretty big hit in the daytime because now Bennett can see out the window and look at all the cars passing by. I hope he doesn't have the carsickness gene from his mommy! (Also note his Packer's fan outfit! :) )
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Late Nite Randomness
Kirk is on nights all this week - which means I don't sleep much. So, I'm on the internet a lot. I need to be doing taxes, but I'm pretty sure I couldn't concentrate on the numbers. I think they like that stuff to be pretty accurate.
I have very little Bennett news today, other than he still hates rice cereal and he's really seeming to want to try bananas (yes, that packaged baby food is organic and for use in a pinch) :)
Today I was told that I am special.
No, it was not in meaning I ride the short bus. :) It was referring to my nursing abilities and demeanor. It was nice to hear.
It's been a huge struggle for numberous reasons for me to swap to hospice. It's been a bigger struggle to leave my baby everyday. I'm grateful to be provided a job with flexibility and short hours with full time pay. But, I feel like I'm wandering around absolutely clueless about everything I'm doing now, and I don't like that feeling one bit. It was nice to hear that at least one person thought I was where I was called to be.
I have very little Bennett news today, other than he still hates rice cereal and he's really seeming to want to try bananas (yes, that packaged baby food is organic and for use in a pinch) :)
Today I was told that I am special.
No, it was not in meaning I ride the short bus. :) It was referring to my nursing abilities and demeanor. It was nice to hear.
It's been a huge struggle for numberous reasons for me to swap to hospice. It's been a bigger struggle to leave my baby everyday. I'm grateful to be provided a job with flexibility and short hours with full time pay. But, I feel like I'm wandering around absolutely clueless about everything I'm doing now, and I don't like that feeling one bit. It was nice to hear that at least one person thought I was where I was called to be.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Seriously? Seriously. and Baby Food.
I promised myself I was going to be so good about blogging - not because I wanted people to read and leave me comments (even though I like that A LOT. ;)), but because I wanted to document Bennett's progress in life! I'm going to try harder - Here I go.
Bennett went for his 4 month checkup and shots today. He's now 16 lbs 4 oz and 25 1/4 inches. He's trying to sit up, rolling over, playing with his feet, putting everything possible in his mouth. I can't believe he's already to this point, and I know time isn't going to slow down! His shot experience was less than optimal. Last time he whined, this time he screamed and turned a very purple for awhile. I had to go to work after this ("Sorry" goes out to his nanny), but he was one fussy child to deal with tonight.
The 4 month checkup also brought the news that we can start "solid" foods. I've been preparing for this for the past few weeks. There are so many options out there to purchase for baby food and I really didn't feel comfortable with any of them. I'd rather buy organic if I have to buy something, but that's typically about $.85 per 2.5 oz. jar - which is ridiculously expensive! (I'm certainly not saying it's not nice to have some bought stuff (organic) on hand for emergency situations.)
I'd heard about this book called "Super Baby Food" a while back and as I was reading this month's Parenting magazine, Kourtney Kardashian reminded me of it. (She supposedly makes her own baby food...or at least has someone else make it.) Purchased it Saturday, read all currently relevant chapters Saturday night and have been rescanning it. I highly reccommend it - it's helpful just for starting your child's "real food" eating habits. So, as you might have guessed by this point - I'm making Bennett's baby food. I'd been playing with the idea for a long time. The cheapness of it was certainly a huge deciding factor!
(Disclaimer: In making these next statements, please do not feel like I'm judging people. Bluntly, I'm not. I don't care if you feed you child formula, Beech Nut, or if your mush up whatever the rest of the family is having for dinner and feeding it to your 5 month old. I know your baby won't die from most of this, but they also aren't getting the optimal nutritional benefit! I also understand every situation is different. Again, this is only my thoughts and I'm not "downing" any other options.)
Let me start at the beginning. I knew I wanted my children to have breastmilk, but I wasn't real sure about the nursing thing. It turns out I've loved every minute of nursing and hate that weaning is coming up real soon. I pump my breastmilk and will continue to until we switch to whole milk around 9 months. (Yes, we will be using the organic, DHA supplemented, $4 for half-gallon milk. Thanks for asking. And No, I don't like paying that much but I'm willing to because it's better for my child.) Pumping is a horrendous task, especially with working a full-time job. But, to me, it's worth it to give my child the perfect God-given nutrition. (A side note: It's hard to me to understand why some people don't even try it. You have to fight against your body to NOT breastfeed. How natural is that?) I very much enjoy that I have completely sustained my child's existence since conception. I like that I can give him a part of me. And I feel like I need to continue giving myself even in his new nutritional needs.
I feel like Gerber/BeechNut is comparatively McDonalds. I don't want my child starting out on Double Cheeseburgers. To me, there is one huge factor between store bought and homemade baby food. Store bought is good for MONTHS. You can only keep homemade for a few DAYS. The jar ingredients may only say "Carrots, Water" but what else is really in there that will make it last almost 75% longer?! There's a lot of stuff I could go on about here, because I've been doing a ton of research - AAP, WHO, MD recommendations, internet sites, and numerous other initials. The general recommendation is that you don't even start solids (not even rice cereal) until 6 months, but society has pushed that back to 4 months. And heaven forbid your child not do something at the same time as your friend's babies! (When discussing rice cereal, I'm meaning mixed in a bowl and fed with a spoon. The only reason cereal should EVER go in a bottle is to help with severe reflux issues. You're just starting bad eating habits and slow metabolism if you do it for any other reason - this is from a seasoned NICU nurse.) I'm rambling on - and that's all to be said here for now, unless you just really want to know more. (I'm also well-versed in stroller/travel systems if you'd like to discuss those. :))
I'm not one of those tree hugger, home school, organic groupie types - I don't have long braids or wear flowy skirts! I'm a lot more right-winged than that. I work a full time job as an RN, run a part time photography business, assist a husband that's in med school (a.k.a. single mom), and take care of a needy extended family. I also do the finances, shopping, and enjoy a occasional craft project. (I don't clean much - I'm very thankful my Nanny is slightly OCD and takes care of my house!) I'm certainly not "stay-at-home mom" material - the idea sounds nice, but I would go insane. My children will most definitely GO to school. In a month or so, I will be setting aside at least one day a month to make batches of baby food - using fresh, organic things. Basically saying if I can do it, so can you! I'm not starting tomorrow - I'm not trying to rush things - I'm excited to see my child grow up, but I most certainly am not pushing it. I want just as much snuggle time in as I can get!
Bennett went for his 4 month checkup and shots today. He's now 16 lbs 4 oz and 25 1/4 inches. He's trying to sit up, rolling over, playing with his feet, putting everything possible in his mouth. I can't believe he's already to this point, and I know time isn't going to slow down! His shot experience was less than optimal. Last time he whined, this time he screamed and turned a very purple for awhile. I had to go to work after this ("Sorry" goes out to his nanny), but he was one fussy child to deal with tonight.
The 4 month checkup also brought the news that we can start "solid" foods. I've been preparing for this for the past few weeks. There are so many options out there to purchase for baby food and I really didn't feel comfortable with any of them. I'd rather buy organic if I have to buy something, but that's typically about $.85 per 2.5 oz. jar - which is ridiculously expensive! (I'm certainly not saying it's not nice to have some bought stuff (organic) on hand for emergency situations.)
I'd heard about this book called "Super Baby Food" a while back and as I was reading this month's Parenting magazine, Kourtney Kardashian reminded me of it. (She supposedly makes her own baby food...or at least has someone else make it.) Purchased it Saturday, read all currently relevant chapters Saturday night and have been rescanning it. I highly reccommend it - it's helpful just for starting your child's "real food" eating habits. So, as you might have guessed by this point - I'm making Bennett's baby food. I'd been playing with the idea for a long time. The cheapness of it was certainly a huge deciding factor!
(Disclaimer: In making these next statements, please do not feel like I'm judging people. Bluntly, I'm not. I don't care if you feed you child formula, Beech Nut, or if your mush up whatever the rest of the family is having for dinner and feeding it to your 5 month old. I know your baby won't die from most of this, but they also aren't getting the optimal nutritional benefit! I also understand every situation is different. Again, this is only my thoughts and I'm not "downing" any other options.)
Let me start at the beginning. I knew I wanted my children to have breastmilk, but I wasn't real sure about the nursing thing. It turns out I've loved every minute of nursing and hate that weaning is coming up real soon. I pump my breastmilk and will continue to until we switch to whole milk around 9 months. (Yes, we will be using the organic, DHA supplemented, $4 for half-gallon milk. Thanks for asking. And No, I don't like paying that much but I'm willing to because it's better for my child.) Pumping is a horrendous task, especially with working a full-time job. But, to me, it's worth it to give my child the perfect God-given nutrition. (A side note: It's hard to me to understand why some people don't even try it. You have to fight against your body to NOT breastfeed. How natural is that?) I very much enjoy that I have completely sustained my child's existence since conception. I like that I can give him a part of me. And I feel like I need to continue giving myself even in his new nutritional needs.
I feel like Gerber/BeechNut is comparatively McDonalds. I don't want my child starting out on Double Cheeseburgers. To me, there is one huge factor between store bought and homemade baby food. Store bought is good for MONTHS. You can only keep homemade for a few DAYS. The jar ingredients may only say "Carrots, Water" but what else is really in there that will make it last almost 75% longer?! There's a lot of stuff I could go on about here, because I've been doing a ton of research - AAP, WHO, MD recommendations, internet sites, and numerous other initials. The general recommendation is that you don't even start solids (not even rice cereal) until 6 months, but society has pushed that back to 4 months. And heaven forbid your child not do something at the same time as your friend's babies! (When discussing rice cereal, I'm meaning mixed in a bowl and fed with a spoon. The only reason cereal should EVER go in a bottle is to help with severe reflux issues. You're just starting bad eating habits and slow metabolism if you do it for any other reason - this is from a seasoned NICU nurse.) I'm rambling on - and that's all to be said here for now, unless you just really want to know more. (I'm also well-versed in stroller/travel systems if you'd like to discuss those. :))
I'm not one of those tree hugger, home school, organic groupie types - I don't have long braids or wear flowy skirts! I'm a lot more right-winged than that. I work a full time job as an RN, run a part time photography business, assist a husband that's in med school (a.k.a. single mom), and take care of a needy extended family. I also do the finances, shopping, and enjoy a occasional craft project. (I don't clean much - I'm very thankful my Nanny is slightly OCD and takes care of my house!) I'm certainly not "stay-at-home mom" material - the idea sounds nice, but I would go insane. My children will most definitely GO to school. In a month or so, I will be setting aside at least one day a month to make batches of baby food - using fresh, organic things. Basically saying if I can do it, so can you! I'm not starting tomorrow - I'm not trying to rush things - I'm excited to see my child grow up, but I most certainly am not pushing it. I want just as much snuggle time in as I can get!
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