Me: "Do you know who got married today?"
Jake: "Yeah"
Me: "Who?"
Jake: "Buddy!"
Me: "No, not Buddy"
Jake: "Maybe... Santa?"
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Top Ten Tuesday: Moments This Week
My Top Ten Moments This Past Week
1. Spending Easter with my family
2. Watching Jacob find his Easter eggs
3. Jacob running down the sidewalk to greet me when the boys picked me up from work on Saturday
4. Spending Friday with just Jordan -- being able to really play with him and make him laugh
5. Having clues to find our Easter baskets at my parents house (so much fun! Thanks Mom & Dad)
6. Snuggling with Jordan asleep on my chest
7. Participating in The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2011
8. Eating sherbet and watching Fringe with Matt. It's becoming our new "thing"
9. Jacob singing Justin Bieber's "Baby" as "Mommy Baby Oh"
10. Putting together the boys' Easter baskets. I think they turned out pretty cute.
Monday, April 25, 2011
My {Little} Obsession Monday 4/25
I am totally and completely in love with all things ooga booga.
Here is an example of some ooga baby wipes made by ittybittybums
Friday, April 22, 2011
Adventures in Eating
Shortly after Jordan turned six months we began him on solid foods. It's been about two weeks now and he is absolutely loving it. By now you've probably conjured up an image in your head of my baby strapped into his high chair while I shovel spoonfuls of pureed food into his mouth, wipe his chin after every bite and shovel it right back in. Something along the lines of this:
or this:
or this:
Okay, that last one was a bit dramatic :-) All the above pictures are of Jacob's first adventures with foods.
This time, however, we've decided to do things a little differently. That's what happens with a second child -- you are much more confident ignoring the advice of your pediatrician! It's a beautiful thing. Long before we were ever ready to begin solids with Jordan, I began researching what is known as baby-led weaning
{though, to be honest, I despise that name since I don't like to think of Jordan "weaning," per se, just yet}. To those unfamiliar with this, it basically means allowing your baby to decide WHEN they are ready to begin solids and WHAT they want to eat. It is about trusting your baby and allowing them to explore. It allows THEM to be in control over feedings, the way they are used to when they are breastfed, and the way it should be. After all, would YOU want someone not only telling you what you were going to eat but also force feeding it to you? And, would you want all of your foods to be the same exact texture and consistency? Yeah, I didn't think so! Baby-Led Weaning {or BLW for short} is about giving your baby real foods. It's about sharing family meals with them.
So, when I said above that we began feeding Jordan solid foods, what I meant was, we began offering him solid foods. On April 6th we offered him half a banana while we ate dinner. He took to it like a champ.
On April 8th, he was offered a carrot stick and apple slice. He enjoyed gnawing on the carrot but I should have steamed it slightly so it was a little easier for him to explore. The apple he didn't seem to care one way or the other about.
April 9th we had dinner out and Jordan shared some of my {unsweetened} sweet potato fries and some steamed broccoli. This is when the real fun began! The boy loved sweet potatoes. And despite the fact that most babies can't really move food to the back of their mouths and swallow it until around 9 months, I definitely found some sweet potato in his diaper the next day. He just could not get enough of it!
here he is munching on some steamed broccoli. you can see the remains of sweet potato on his hands and bib
On April 12th we offered him a strawberry. This was another hit. He played with it and played with it. When it appeared he was finished, I took one of the less mangled pieces from his tray and plopped it in my mouth. Oops. Jordan started crying!!
April 13th was another sweet potato day. This time, Jordan was no longer content to sit next to me in his high chair. He wanted in on the action. He sat on my lap and helped himself to the sweet potato straight from my plate. We both ended up covered in goo and had to head straight to the shower following dinner. But it was worth it. We both had a lot of fun in the process!
The following day, on April14th, we had spaghetti casserole for dinner. That may seem like an odd meal to feed a 6 month old but Jordan happily sampled spaghetti, followed by some cantaloupe for dessert.
as you can see from this picture, he has a lot of fun
On April 16th we had dinner at my parents' house with my my mom's side of the family joining us. Jordan was offered a strawberry, some hamburger, and tomato but he wasn't too interested in eating that night. And that was okay! That's the beauty of BLW- it's totally stress free. If he doesn't want to eat that day, no problem. After all, the ONLY thing babies need for the first year of life is breastmilk. The rest is just for fun and learning. And the following day we experienced just that. I knew that at some point Jordan would no longer be interested in eating along side of us and would want to eat with us. I knew that someday he would recognize the difference between what we were eating and what we were offering him. I just didn't know it would be so soon. {stinker!} Enter minestrone night. My husband made a delicious minestrone soup-- Olive Garden's recipe! Jordan watched us eating for a minute and then whined from his chair until I set a bowl down in front of him. The very same bowl that Jacob had just rejected saying "Me no like soup" I wanted to be hesitant because, after all, how can a baby eat soup? But I remembered to just trust him. To let him learn and explore and just have fun. He did exactly that! It was one of the most joyous moments of my life watching him devour that soup. What a mess he made!
digging right in ......................... even got a little creative
We've also allowed Jordan to try lots of other foods and I certainly don't need to write a paragraph about each of them. After two weeks of solids with Jacob, he had tried two or maybe three purees. But Jordan has had such a variety of textures, consistencies, and tastes in such a short time that I almost feel guilty with how much Jacob missed out on.
Jordan has now come to expect to share meals with us. He takes no interest in breakfast or lunch {yet!} but come dinnertime, he is no longer content to sit in his highchair next to the table and play with his toys while we eat. He wants to be a part of what we are doing. He wants to experience the same things we are. And he is definitely not shy about letting you know this. It's an amazing transition. I know BLW is not for everyone but I am completely content that we have decided to go this route this time around. And I know Jordan is, too.
Five Question Friday 4/22
1. What is your favorite Easter tradition?
I'm not sure that we have an Easter tradition really. Lots of years we go to brunch with my parents and that is always nice (and delicious) but I wouldn't really call it a tradition. Maybe we need to start some now that the boys can appreciate it. Hmmm... any ideas??
2. Are you a "shower" or a "long, hot bath" kind of person?
Definitely a shower. Baths can be decent but kind of creep me out to be sitting in your own filth. Yuck. I always have to take a shower immediately after a bath if I take one.
3. Can you parallel park and if so when is the last time you did it?
Actually, yes. Or at least I could. It's been a long time since I've done it!
4. What is your favorite Easter candy?
Mmmmm. Cadbury Mini Eggs.
These bad boys. Super yummy!! And of course, Easter M&M's :-)
5. Easter: do you go all out with the Easter Bunny or focus on the religious part of the holiday?
This is the first year that Jake will really be old enough to "get it" but we plan to do a mixture of both.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Raisins, WOW! And other recent Jake-isms
It's been awhile since I've written about some of the fun things Jake is saying these days.
Last week Jake asked for raisins and of course we didn't have any so I told him I'd get some next time we went to the store. So yesterday I asked him if he wanted some at lunch time. He did. When I put a handful on his plate he responded:
"Raisins, WOW!! Wow, Mommy, raisins. WOW!!!"
Another new thing he started saying is "Ohhhhh, that's why!" to everything we say.
Such a goofy kid! Love him!!!!
Top Ten Tuesday: Breastfeeding
Top Ten Reasons I Breastfeed:
(in no particular order)
1. It's so much more convenient whip out a boob than mix a bottle, especially at night
2. Breastmilk provides all of the nutrients my baby needs for his particular point in development
3. Breastmilk offers my baby the opportunity to sample different flavors before he starts solid foods
4. It's an easy way to loose some extra weight
5. There's no better bonding than watching your baby nurse (thank you hormones!)
6. My baby has less of a chance of developing allergies, asthma, and diabetes, among other health benefits
7. I am less likely to get breast cancer
8. Baby's spit up doesn't stain clothes and his poop isn't that bad :-) (my husband would disagree with the second part of this)
9. It's always available - no matter where we are or what we are doing. We can never go out and forget to bring Baby's food.
10. It is the most natural thing I could do. And it allows my body to do what it was designed to do!
Monday, April 18, 2011
My {Little} Obsession Monday (MLOM)
I'm going to try to do this every Monday. But at least every week that I remember I'll now be posting My {Little} Obsession Monday where I will feature some new thing that I love that week.
Here's my little obsession for this week.
Edy's Fruit Bars: Antioxidant acai blueberry
On first taste they don't have much flavor. Then, they are beyond delicious. And I can totally justify the 16 g of sugar (:-() because of all the antioxidants that I'm getting :-)
Here's the link to information about them: Edy's Fruit Bars
In fact, I think I'll go share one with Jacob right now. Yumm!!
Subscribe to These Precious Moments by Email
Friday, April 15, 2011
Five Question Friday 4.15.11
1. What is your favorite sign of spring?
Warm weather. Flowers. Green everywhere. Waking up to birds singing outside my window. Windows open. Baby animals. EVERYTHING!!! (well, except allergies)
2. What was your best birthday ever?
My 24th birthday. It was my golden birthday, Matt & I had a lot of fun together and he surprised me with a Wii which I had been wanting soooo badly (and now never play lol) He went all out with gold everything, it was so much fun. Plus, I became a mom when I was 24 so that just adds to it being the best year ever.
3. What is your favorite dessert?
I'm not sure it's possible to pick ONE dessert. I love ice cream though.
4. What is the best excuse you've ever used to get out of a ticket?
I've never had to use one
5. Do you wake up before your alarm, with your alarm, or after hitting snooze several times?
Before. Then again with.
Subscribe to These Precious Moments by Email
Jacob Michael: 28 Months
My computer is broken so my two options are to use my husband's (too small) computer or the one hooked up to the TV (too big) Aren't I picky? In any case, I felt like I needed to update about the Jakester so here goes... (and sorry this is going to be shorter than usual -- not much changes month to month for him anymore)
Jacob turned 28 months old on April 5th. He now weighs between 34 and 35 lbs depending on the day (he weighs himself often) We did not take his height this time.
Jake pretty much says EVERYTHING now. He repeats everything we say and do as well so we really have to watch ourselves. Some of his more common phrases right now are "Look at/Look at me," "Me no want you/that," "What's that?," and "Me do it/Me do all by self"
His alphabet now comes out as: "A B C D F G H I M N O P Q X Y Z Now sing me"
He can count 1-10 and counts everything he can find. If we say 11 after 10 he can say 12 and 13 as well but he doesn't come up with those numbers on his own. If we say nothing and he needs to count beyond ten, every number is ten. What I mean is "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 10 10 10" So funny
His favorite things to play with this month are still blocks and cars/trucks. He also loves to read books and pretends to read them himself. And he enjoys watching movies. It may have started before (in fact I'm pretty sure that it did) but we've noticed that he's started biting his nails. Yuck!
He's been doing really well with potty training, especially pooping on the potty. He still goes in his diaper every day, especially peeing, but he goes on the potty at least once a day. We received a pampers potty training packet in the mail that included a sticker chart. He gets a sticker every day he goes and that seems to be a good motivation to him. He usually asks to go first thing every morning instead of pooping in his diaper now. What a big boy!!
I'm sure there's plenty more to say but that's all I can remember at this point. No pictures until my computer is fixed :-(
Monday, April 4, 2011
Jordan Matthew: Six Months
Sometimes it seems like only yesterday. Sometimes it seems like forever ago. But half a year ago I awkwardly climbed into my husband's car in between contractions with the help of my anxious mother-in-law, who was urging us to call an ambulance instead. I had no idea how much my life was going to change. Nor did I know that by the time I exited that car, a new little someone to love would have already entered the world. How can Jordan possibly be six months old already?
Jordan turned six months old on March 30th. He weighed in at 17.2 lbs and was 26.5 inches long. His head circumference was 43 cm. He is starting to get some more hair and it is a light reddish blond color. His eyes are still blue. He wears mostly 6 month clothes. Some 3-6 outfits still fit him as well.
I am proud to say that Jordan is still 100% breastfed. We reached our goal -- and the AAP recommendation -- of exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months of life. He continues to be completely satisfied with milk so we are in no hurry to offer him "solids" at this point. I am looking into baby-led weaning/baby-led solids right now and will potentially start that with him. If I don't end up going that route, I plan to mostly make our own purees this time around. I do have a small stash of baby food jars in the basement as well for backup! He now prefers the Nuk pacifiers to the Soothies. He likes the ones with the small nipple best.
Jordan is sleeping in his crib in our bedroom most of the time. He occasionally still sleeps in bed with us, especially if he nurses in the middle of the night and I don't feel like getting out of bed. He mostly sleeps on his left side or on his stomach, which I don't much care for! It's near impossible to get him to sleep on his back anymore. Some nights he sleeps through the night. Others he wakes to nurse. It seems when he wakes, it's either midnight or 3 am but that could just be my imagination. He likes to snuggle.
STINKER!
Jordan is trying to sit up but just can't yet. He can sit up if he is leaning against something -- like a toy bin. Otherwise he still topples right over.
He's also getting pretty interested in crawling. He gets up on his arms and kicks his feet but can't quite figure out how to get them underneath himself. Other times, he'll have his legs underneath him but then can't get his arms up. It's a hoot to watch him try to figure it all out. He still rolls from his back to his belly but doesn't want to roll back the other way anymore. It's very rare that he'll roll belly to back. He reaches for objects and when he loses them he will try to find them again. He can rotate himself around in a circle on his belly to get to something he lost or finds interesting. He also discovered his feet.
This past month Jordan went swimming for the first time! I know, swimming in March in Michigan sounds odd. Matt's grandma got a hotel room for her birthday and we all went over there for pizza and pool time. Jordan liked being in the water. He started kicking his feet right away. He ended up getting pretty cold after awhile though so Grandma took him out.
Jordan also went in his Johnny-Jump-Up for the first time. He knew what to do right away. We also got out our farm activity center. He likes sitting in that and playing. Jacob is also enjoying playing with it again so double bonus!
Jordan also got his first real injury this month. He was laying on the floor of the toy room. Jake's dinosaurs were on his table and he pushed them off and one landed on Jordan's head. He got a nice gash on the top of his head, near his hair line, and another scrape down the side of his forehead. Poor little guy!
I will leave with a few more random pictures from this month. Enjoy!
getting so strong
six month old baby feet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
LinkWithin
