baby food 101

Who would have thought that feeding a baby would be complicated? It's not as cut and dry as it seems. What with allergy riskes, textures and methods of feeding there's plenty of room for confusion.

My plan was to use the "baby led solids" method. I was going to wait to give solids to Max until he was around 6 months old, unless he showed me that he was ready before then. At 4 months he was stealing food off my plate or pulling my spoon to his mouth and I took that as "feed me now woman!"

We started with green beans and have moved up through the green and orange veggies, fruit, oatmeal, and now he's self feeding chicken. We've learned that peas make him gag, carrots give him a terrible rash and apples are the BEST THING EVER.

Up&Up peach-mango Little Puffs are his favorite finger food and he's mastered getting them in his mouth by the fistfull. I tried letting him self feed cottage cheese as the curds are about the same size as a puff. He remains unconvinced that this is a good idea. The chicken is going well and I will be baking more on our next baby food day.

Right now I purchase, puree and freeze the following every month:
6 Apples
1 Large bunch of bananas
2 Avocados
3 Sweet potatoes
6 White potatoes
3 Pears
3 Peaches
1 Steamfresh bag of green beans
3 Zucchini
2 Yellow squash

Last month he also tried watermelon and I froze quite a bit to last us through the fall. Next month we're up to try cauliflower, cantelope, pineapple and kale! This is my life and what I get excited about now. Crazy!

motivation please

My to-do list for today:

1. Shower
2. Laundry
3. Dishes
4. Run errands
5. Straighten up living room
6. Sweep


Right now I'd rather sit here and eat Wheat Thins and enjoy Max's nap. Of those 6 things, I only see a couple actually getting accomplished, but a girl can dream, right?

ink

Right now they are all just pipe dreams, but this is what I want.

Jesse drew this for my lower back. Yes it's a "tramp stamp" and yes I still want it.

I want this on my wrist

And this on my other wrist.

Jane Austen ruined my life

I give it 4 out of 5 stars. The plot was interesting, but still just a little too predictable in places. I read through it in about 2 days both because it was interesting and absorbing, and also because it was a relatively easy read.

Next up

my current obsession

Books. It's been far too long since I've had the time to read. Between a shift in priorities and just the sheer amount of time and energy it takes to raise a baby I'd all but given up on my first love.

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a day in the life

I'm going to say it again right away. Teething is a bitch.

2:35 AM Wake up, apply Orajel, soothe to sleep
4:28 AM Wake up, apply Orajel, soothe to sleep
5:14 AM Wake up, apply Orajel, feed, soothe to sleep

You get the picture. Somewhere around 8:30 Max woke up singing his "pay attention to me" song. No matter the time, day or night, it's cute and I love it. He's been wide awake since and it's currently 10:45. He needs to go down for his morning nap.

3:28 PM Max is down for nap number two today. His morning nap was a nice long one and Jesse and I were able to shower, have a snack and get laundry started. We also did the dishes.

10:18 PM Max's afternoon nap ended before 4 and he was cranky the rest of the afternoon and evening. I put him to bed at 8 and he's woken up 3 times since. Right now he's talking to himself while I "ignore" him and hope he goes back to sleep on his own.

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays Jesse goes to play with his boyfriends. He really hates it that I call them that, but I really hate that he's not around so it's a trade off. I understand that he needs a break and a hobby, but I get resentful that I don't have that luxury.

Tonight in between pacifying the baby I did get an order put together and I'm very happy with it. The customer ordered a changing pad and wipes case. I also made her a envelope style pouch with the leftover scraps of fabric and PUL. It can be used for snacks or even messy clothes. I'm hoping she'll give me feedback on it and I may add them to my shop.

Max has gotten louder and angrier so I might as well call it a night. I feel like I got quite a bit done and I really wish every day could be this successful!

I think it turned out cute!

blah blah blah

I'm interested to track an "average" day here. Tomorrow we'll see if I can stick to it! Today has been incredibly unproductive and the only excuse I can come up with is "teething." Teething is a bitch.

al fresco

Summer is not my favorite season. In Nebraska it tends to be muggy, hot and just generally unpleasant. Every once in a while there is a rare day that defies the norm. Today was one of those. Jesse was off at 4 today and took Maxwell duty while I ran to the store. We ended up grilling steak for dinner, and by we, I mean Jesse. He did a fabulous job and seems to be getting the hang of the grill. I made cheesy hash browns and a salad. Since it was so gorgeous out we put Max in his bebepod and put him on a chair at the patio table while we ate. Nothing is as wonderful for family bonding as eating a delicious meal outdoors. Will we get to do this again soon? Doubtful. I'm not one for being outside when it's 101 degrees. I put the baby to bed at 8 since he didn't sleep well at all last night and barely napped today and now Jess and I are cuddling on the couch. He's cuddling with the remote as he watches Iron Man 2 and I'm snuggled up to my laptop. It's been a simple kind of evening, exactly the kind we have needed. I am loving the refocus of my life!

life's too short to spend it on the internet

My new attitude surprises me. But it's true. I have many online friendships, but the true ones will still exist whether I am online in groups 24/7 or if I take breaks for whatever reason. I'm taking a break right now because I'm done with explaining myself and arguing in circles when it won't accomplish anything. I truly feel that it shouldn't matter who your friends are, and that just because someone thinks one of your friends isn't important doesn't make it true. It's disturbing to me that I may have had that mindset in the past and I'm working hard to remedy my "me me me" attitude. Taking a week, or two, or four- away to refocus is my plan.

Already it's been therapeutic to close the laptop, reset the phone's home page and use my time elsewhere. The last few days I spent preparing for and hosting guests, and yesterday was out of commission with a migraine and a fussy baby. It's almost 12:30 and I've already washed diapers and another load of laundry, cleaned the kitchen and gave the baby a bath before playing one on one with him and putting him down for his nap. I'm starting to realize that I would probably be a better housekeeper and mother without the distraction of the Internet. I can't quit it entirely. There's no way I ever would. The 21st century has www._____.com ingrained firmly into it, making life easier and more complicated all at once.

So. It's off the blog and on to some lunch and sewing that's been neglected for far too long.

How long are the limbs on this family tree?

A few months ago my mother paid for a year's membership on ancestry.com to research our family. We are mainly interested in the Irish part of the family; myself even more so since visiting Ireland in October of 2009 for my honeymoon. Yesterday mom gave me the login information so I could help research. I reached several dead ends and was a bit discouraged until researching my great grandmother's paternal line. With the help of other established family trees I traced the line back to 16th century Germany. The last name is very French sounding so we are sure that there's more to the story. I plan on pursuing it further at a later time.
While working on this my husband wanted me to look into his family. Leigh is traditionally a Welsh last name, so we expected to see English immigrants on his tree. I found so much more than that. His great-great grandfather, Osmer Cornelius Leigh's family originally came to America in 1621. Along the way it produced veterans of every war our country has been involved in. From the solider in the Revolution to Grandpa Johnnie in WW2 and even more recent conflicts. But our information didn't stop there. I can safely estimate that I've spent at least 12 solid hours uncovering the aristocracy Jesse comes from. There are Viking kings, Scottish princesses, and even a saint. As I take a break to write this blog my other window contains information on Hugh II "Le Mefiant" Count of Tours. Born 756 in Orléans, Loiret, Centre, France, and died 836 Lot-et-Garonne, Aquitaine, France. This is all very fascinating, especially since nobility is well documented, making it simpler to research the family lines. Intermarrying between royal houses was very common and very apparent in his history. My plan is to follow each line back as far as possible before moving on to the next. I had hoped to have a respectable history to give to the family when we visit them next week, but I somehow don't think I'll be done uncovering it by then! I can't wait to see their reaction when I give them the highlights of their history.

Settlers Rock

Jesse's ancestor John Rathbun is memorialized here. He arrived with his wife Margaret Acres in 1621

Superior Vaginas

You may not realize this, but there's a chance that if you've given birth, you have a superior vagina. I am not the owner of one of these. I didn't even know they existed until I was pregnant. A typical owner of a superior vagina tends to, but not always be, "crunchy"- a term I'd also never heard until pregnant. Crunchies are earth mamas. Into saving the planet, wearing their babies, eating organic, breastfeeding, cloth diapering and (here's the big one) Natural Child Birth. (Yes that is supposed to be capitalized. It's kind of a big deal.) Some even go so far as to have a Natural Unassisted Child Birth. Those who have accomplished this feat are the proud bearers of superior vaginas. Most like to brag about how their vagina is better than one which through the evil power of modern medicine skipped the pain of shoving a baby out. I do not have a superior vagina. I very nearly, and unwillingly did. It was much too nearly for my taste. In fact I didn't announce that I needed to push until the anesthesiologist was through with placing the intrathecal. Damn my fast labor.

This is very much a "to each her own" thing. I have nothing against NCB. However, it's absolutely not something I would choose for myself. The argument I've often heard is that women have been having children without medication for years. Yes, and amputations were performed without medication as well. I personally don't see the point in putting yourself in any more pain than is necessary. Believe me, the recovery is painful either way. If you're a glutton for punishment skip the Motrin or the ever wonderful Percocet. I really wonder if  some of these anti medication mothers would refuse drugs for an appendectomy, or a kidney stone? Why is it any different? I'll never understand the inner workings of other minds.

As far as being crunchy, as I write this blog I'll show that I could be classified somewhat so myself. It's not a title I take. Yes, I breastfed for four months, I babywear often, I cloth diaper and make my own baby food. I do however love food that is terrible for me, push my baby away from me in a stroller, use disposable diapers when convenient, and think that global warming and the green movement is a load of crap.

To each her own. Just don't try to convince me that you are better because of your life choices.

The tales I could tell on you...

Back on April 1st I had the foresight to join babycenter.com and subsequently the December 2010 birth club. I had a positive pregnancy test on March 30th and ended up delivering my son on December 19th. I strongly urge anyone who has just found out that they are pregnant to join their due month birth club. There's no end of entertainment to be had. I was an infrequent visitor the first few months of my pregnancy due to working a demanding full time job. Once that ended in June I became active. By sheer dumb luck I was in the right place at the right time and fell in with a great group of fellow bitches. There's a "Life Cycle of a Birth Board" floating around. No one seems to know the origin, but it rings startlingly true. Private groups were made, sides were chosen, and feuding took place. After Johnson & Johnson stepped into to "host" our board the more outspoken members found their accounts to be deleted. A move over to Facebook secret groups effectively ended any need to visit Baby Center unless you were truly bored and wanted to peruse the posts and wonder who the hell these newbies were. In the "safer" environment of a Facebook secret group people opened up about their personal lives even more. Many of the details about sex lives, babydaddy drama, abusing government assistance, and poor parenting choices in general caused unease in the ranks. Cue rifts, group splits etc. Becoming emotionally invested in a group has it's risks and benefits, but be aware, what you tell someone in an online forum automatically becomes the property of their memory, to be used how they wish. If you can't handle the heat, stay out of the fire.