Community Supported Agriculture

I make Aidan's food, and in doing so, I picked up organic vegetables and fruits, especially those that were on the dirty dozen list for pesticide use and exposure.  While in the midst of searching for the next food to try, I came across a facebook group that was supporting a local farm.  I bought a few baskets here and there in order to get fruits and vegetables for Aidan.  However, there is no way Aidan can eat a half basket of these goodies, so I had to pick what I liked and committed to eating it.  Waste means money down the drain, and there's no way I was going to let that happen.

I was never a big fan of kiwi, but after having fresh picked kiwi, I am in love.  I also love the sweetness the fresh oranges and strawberries contain.  Not only am I getting pesticide free foods, but they taste great.

Did you know carrots have to be bleached prior to being sold in grocery stores? Crazy!  But not from the local farm.  Did you know that apples have the highest pesticide use?  Or that wax is added to the skin of a cucumber?

Not only does the farm provide fresh fruits and vegetables, but it also provides butter, cheese, eggs, and pork.  I have had all of these items, and I am hooked.  I love the fresh cheese, which contains mostly goat's milk. 

Prior to going to the farm, Aidan turned away from sweet potato, but now that I receive fresh sweet potato, he gobbles the food up!  He actually screeches if you take too long to feed it to him.

So far, I have made a lot of fresh salads, tried egg plant Parmesan and beer battered asparagus, and fell in love with new fruits. 

From the farm, Aidan has tried and liked! carrots, squash, sweet potato, apples, green beans and a melon hybrid fruit.  He has also tried the goat's cheese through baby led weaning techniques.

Additionally, the farm has live chickens, ducks, and rabbits.  Aidan actually touched a baby chicken and baby duck very gently.  He LOVED looking around and hearing all of the sounds. 

Overall, I am not sure if what I bought locally has cost more, but I do not that the experience and the taste of the produce is well worth the cost.  The farmers also give me free produce from time to time.   Well, they give it to me because they know I make Aidan's baby food, and they want him to try something new!

Happy Easter

I can only imagine showing off these pictures when Aidan is a teenager. Oh well, I will enjoy dresssing him up while I can.  He receives lots of compliments, so I don't understand why he wouldn't like his adorable baby pictures!

By the way, if you ever like the knitted hats or sandals that you see Aidan wearing, I buy them from a friend.  Her facebook page is Lark and Juniper

Baby Talk

Aidan putting his Steeplechase winnings
in his Clemson Bank.

What is it about babies that cause people to talk funny and make up words or using silly phrases?  For instance, when Aidan is obviously tired, I ask him if he wants to take a nappy nap.  Why not just a nap?  I don't take nappy naps, nor does AJ, but Aidan does.  I seem to be guilty of using the word twice and typically adding a 'y'.  Nappy nap, dipey dipe, andYum yum (to be fair, I have said the same thing to my dogs for 7 years), plus several more.  I try to stop myself because there's no reason to make up words and phrases, but something about a baby brings it out.  I do realize that changing the pitch of my voice makes Aidan giggle, and of course, I will say and do something repeatedly to hear him laugh, but it's a conscious effort, not like the phrases I make up which seem to take me by surprise...

Since Aidan has begun to roll, he has always decided to roll left, even screaming when he gets stuck and does not roll right.  However, this week, he decided that he wanted to roll right.  He also decided that playing on his stomach isn't so bad, and I fear that learning to crawl is on the horizon.  We're not ready!  The house needs baby proofing and keeping up with a roller is already a tall task.  Aidan is also learning to soothe himself to sleep.  He cries less and falls asleep sooner...most nights.  He still wakes several times a night, but he doesn't need much to fall asleep.

I have introduced Aidan to apples and squash, which were bought fresh from a local farm that doesn't use pesticides, which is great for apples since they are the worst for pesticides.  Additionally, I reintroduced Aidan to sweet potatoes and he loved them.  I have also given him some whole pieces of fresh banana, avocado, and steamed sweet potato to gum on (or is it gummy gum?), and he enjoyed it.  So I plan to give him less purees and more "solid" type food.

Aidan has kept busy playing with lots of toys, swinging, playing in his pool, and going out to events such as the Aiken Steeplechase.  He was not interested in the horse racing, though he was greatly fascinated by the fence and the badge that we wear into the event.  I guess it's the small things that are entertaining. 

The jumparoo required a height adjustment, and Aidan finally had enough of the infant car seat altogether.  AJ had to change out his infant base for the big convertible seat.  Bringing Aidan home from daycare is easier since I do not have to lift the heavy seat with the 20+ pound baby, however, when he falls asleep, I typically wake him when removing him from the seat.  He never falls back asleep, so I don't have a break to unload the truck and put stuff away, unless I carry Aidan the entire time.  I do have great arms, thanks to Aidan. :)

In other news, I thought I had avoided the hair loss, but lately, I have noticed hair balls in my laundry, a lot of hair in the sink and shower, and my hair brush having to be cleaned more often.  Ugh, I liked my thick, glowy hair...why must it fall out?! I am still taking prenantals, and I thought this would prolong the loss, but I guess all good things must come to an end.

It’s hard to be a gym junkie when the weather is gorgeous, and my favorite season appears to be upon us.  Welcome Spring, I missed you, please stay as long as possible.  With the warm weather, it will be nice to take Aidan to the park, play in a pool, and go for walks in the stroller.

No big developments with Aidan – he’s rolling to the left, sitting up, and trying new foods.  He is not a big fan of his antibiotic, which is unflavored, mom will know better next time.  Some nights go well when he is in the crib, other nights it is a scream fest, and he ends up back in the bed with us.  One day at a time…

So it has been 6 months since I gave birth to the little guy, and while I feel normal for the most part, there are symptoms I still experience.  Warning TMI to follow, skip to the bold below if you want to skip the TMI.  Now that the warm weather is back, and the air conditioning is running, I experience night sweats, again.  My wallets says I can’t put the temperature down to 62 degrees Fahrenheit, so I suffer through the craziness, which isn’t every night.  The linea nigra is almost gone, but my abs are still weird looking, even after crunches, planks, and sit ups.  And the worst symptom that has not disappeared is the hemorrhoid; it is not bothersome, but the presence is irritating because I wonder if it will ever go away.  The fortunate side effect of breastfeeding (and pregnancy) is no Aunt Flo.  She has not returned, and I hope she stays away until after I wean from breastfeeding, which I hope is at least one year.

Life as a Mom

This past weekend, I met up with some awesome ladies who happen to have babies around the same age as Aidan.  Okay, we know each other because we all happen to have babies at the same age, but we met up for some girl time.  I wouldn’t call it a play date…it was more gabbing, enjoying a drink, and throwing back pizza while babies roll, scream, and enjoy someone else's toys.   I had a great time and look forward to doing it again, though I don’t want the other babies teaching Aidan how to crawl or showing off their teeth – I am NOT ready for him to do/have these things.

Time goes by quicker as a mom.  Gone are the days where I can come home and sit on the couch to watch tv or read a book.  No, I have to hurry home to unpack the daycare bag, start laundry, fill bottles with breastmilk, put the dirty bottles in the sink to be washed, and hopefully find or make something to eat.  If Aidan naps on the way home, I can accomplish a lot, otherwise, my arms hurt from holding him while trying to accomplish these tasks.  Then it’s time to feed Aidan – nursing and a solid, but not too close together…After eating, it’s time to play and practice the new skills he has developed.  Finally, it will be time for a bath, followed by nursing and a wonderful game of go to sleep! Hopefully, the game won’t last long because mom needs her sleep, all 6 hours if she’s lucky.

Dear Aidan,

I amazed everyday by what you learn.  One day, you refuse to roll over, and the next you won't stop rolling over.  I never know what you will do when we get home to play, and I look forward to these special moments.

At 6 months, we have found how much you love eating solids - oatmeal, avocado, sweet peas, and zucchini.  You make faces and turn away when I offer sweet potatoes.  I love feeding you solids; you get so excited that you squeal with delight and cry if I take too long.  Your hands are constantly grabbing at the spoon or moving around, making a fist and opening back up.  You open your mouth wide and smack your lips.  When you blew your first raspberry with a mouthful of food, I loved it, made me smile - too cute. I cannot wait until we can eat the same food, and you can be a Guinea pig for my new recipes.  But don't grow up too quickly, I love enjoying your infant stage and it seems the first six months have gone by faster than expected.  Baby boy, you melt my heart everyday.  You take a bad day at work and turn it into the best evening possible. Who knew baby laughter was so wonderful.

Together, we have successfully nursed and pumped for six months, which was my original goal, and baby boy, we have another six to go.  I love nursing you, the connection is beautiful and one I know I will miss when we wean, but that's months to come.  I fear teeth, but I know it's all part of growing up and becoming a big boy, I can only hope that it doesn't interfere with nursing.  I love your happy smiles and giggling when your nurse, even when you spill milk down the side of me.  I know these moments won't last forever, so I will cherish them, despite the messes you make.

I know bedsharing can become a bad habit, and while it's only been approximately three months, I know we have to seperate.  The doctor said so, though I don't want to.  I love to wake up and see you lying there beside me.  I love to kiss you good morning and good bye, even though you're sleeping peacefully.  I am glad you don't want to be up at 3 am like mom has to be.  On weekends, we nurse in bed, then play.  You giggle and jabber; you are a morning person already, and I love talking to you when you're so happy and playful.  However, our moments have to come to an end soon.  It's going to be hard, the doctor even said to let you cry some, so please forgive me.  Mom doesn't like to see you cry, but some things are for the best...at least that's what I am telling myself.  The doctor also said we need to cut out the 4 am feeding....it's all the doctor, baby boy. But we will do what's best for us, and if you need me or you need to nurse, you know I will give in.  Those salty drops running down your face win me over every time.

As we take these next few months one day at a time, please have patience with me as I will do the same.  I expect some teething woes, some self soothing sleeping fussiness, and some stern "no's" in your future.  But I also foresee you sitting up more by yourself, playing with new toys, enjoying new foods, practicing swimming, and possibly crawling.  I bet the dogs can't wait!  So bear with me as we get through some tough times because those tough days will be filled with plenty of love, kisses, and hugs.

I love you baby boy, you are my whole world.

Love,

Mom

The Evil Baby Apparatus

Aidan hates it…probably with a passion.  I bring it out, and he swats it away.  He cries, he squirms, and he turns red.  But I use it for his own good, and afterwards, he’s happy.  But the interim period is hell and my heart aches for the poor guy.  This won’t be the last time I do something for his own good that hurts him. The it is a snot sucker.  Sounds gross, of course, snot sucking sounds gross!  But let me introduce you to the fine contraption invented by the Swedish – NoseFrida!  No, you do not get snot in your mouth – there’s a sponge that allows the suction air to pass through, but would prevent snot from filtering through.  In addition, once you use this fine contraption, you will understand that it takes a lot of suction to move the snot up far enough to even threaten to penetrate the sponge.  Saline solution + NoseFrida = snotless kid, well besides the attitude. J Believe me, kiddo, I would rather be sleeping at midnight than sucking snot out of your nose.  This isn't fun for either one of us.

  

In other news, Aidan is beginning to sit up by himself more, though if he falls to his side, he is down! If he falls forward, he can catch himself.  Of course, the dogs want to lick and sniff him, and he turns his attention to them – then falls over.  He’ll learn, more each day.  It’s amazing to watch the world through his eyes.

And of course, this isn't always about Aidan...mom and dad are busy adjusting to his routine and his new capabilities.  I feel like we are finally settling into a routine.  I can cook dinner and go to the gym through out the week without feeling overwhelmed or rushed for time.  Occasionally, I pick Aidan up from day care, and we go to the grocery store.  I carry my buddy as I call him, around the grocery store on my arm and talk to him as I pick out groceries.  He loves to look around, and for small trips, it works out well.  Yesterday, he helped me pick out the avocado and zucchini he wanted to eat. 

I continue to experiment with recipes I find on Pinterest.  I think I have only come across 3 not so great recipes, but with a few modifications, I think they will be repeats on the menu.  If you follow me on Pinterest, it would appear I have an obsession with chicken - I do.  I love chicken, and if I can find good to great recipes for chicken, I will repeat them and pin the heck out of them.  

Chewy, gooey brownie in a cupcake with  milk chocolate frosting.

 

Rules of Pinterest

While many people are addicted to and use Pinterest on a daily basis, I think it’s abused more than it’s used.  Let me explain…

Pinterest needs rules.  Pinning things because for the sheer joy of pinning and oogling serves no purpose.  Do you go back to your board and oogle the pins again? Or do they sit at the bottom of the board and feel neglected? Rule No. 1 – Pin useful items.  If you’re crafty, pin away, but try to tackle a pin at least once a month!  If you’re in the mood to try new recipes, TRY THEM.  Yes, the pictures make the food look absolutely delicious, and if the food was in front of me, I would like to believe I would devour it. Therefore, you should make an effort to try a new pinned recipe every week.

Rule No. 2 – Give the pins useful names.  Names such as “Cute!”, “Yummy”, “I can do this”, or nothing are not helpful in determining whether I want to try said item.  If you do not give the pin a proper name, I have to click on the pin, then the link, scroll through a blog, and read about the pin.  More effort than I want to give on a fly-by pinning episode.  So please, if it’s a great new chicken pot pie recipe, make “chicken pot pie” the title and add all your commentary afterwards if you feel it’s necessary.  Though I ask that you PLEASE refrain…there’s a comment section for a reason.

Rule No. 3 – If it’s a food item, please don’t pin just a picture with no recipe.  Oh, here’s something that looks sinfully delicious, but you can’t have the recipe because all I pinned was a jpeg.  You suck. The same goes for crafts.  I am not crafty, I need as detailed instructions (and pictures) as possible.  So please, be kind to your other pinners, and don’t be a tease!

I am sure there are more Pinterest pet peeves and rules that I will think of, but for now, please considering following these 3.

The Blog Lives On...

As Aidan becomes more active, I find it difficult to have time to update the blog.  When he sleeps, I clean up, plan out meals, and shop the circulars for the best deals.  I hardly turn on my computer, unless it’s pinning pinterest things while I am holding Aidan while he eats (and sometimes sleeps).

Since the last post, Aidan has tried bananas, green peas, and sweet potato.  Bananas went over well, though it stains clothes and Shout does not seem to remove the stains.  Green pears – well, he made a face at the peas and slowly ate them, however, after the forth feeding attempt, he gobbled his peas up.  Sweet potatoes – not so good.  He barely finished his first serving, refused the second, and on the third day, I had to mix in oatmeal before he would eat the sweet potatoes.  All of his food is mixed in with breast milk so he has a familiar taste, but apparently, it does not work with sweet potatoes.  He was SO excited to eat, and I think he was utterly disappointed when he tasted sweet potatoes.  Next week, I will reintroduce the foods he liked  - oatmeal and avocado.

Aidan has rolled from his stomach to back, but only on the left side.  He rolls fairly quickly when he is laid on his stomach.  He has also started balancing like a tripod for a few seconds before falling over, so sitting up is next...if he wants to.

I swear he mimics our dogs whining when he fusses sometimes.  It's funny to me, and I know he picks up other sounds around him.

Aidan had his first ear infection - in fact, it was a double ear infection.  Why have one when you can have two???  He loves his medicine, but oh my, it brings back newborn blow outs.  He went through a lot of outfits because neither a disposable or cloth diaper could contain his messes.  Hope you weren't eating your lunch while reading this.

 Short post for a 3 week update, and I wish I had time to discuss some of the recipes I tried on pinterest, but there's a fussy kid in a swing refusing to sleep despite rubbing his eyes. The play something country trick isn't effective today.  He must have figured out my strategy.

What's the Point of Pinterest?

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If you don't have Pinterest, you could count yourself lucky, but secretly wonder if you are being left out of something spectacular.  Pinterest did provide me two good recipes, but also gave me a dud.  I am amazed that I was able to try three recipes in one week in addition to making a diaper cake for a baby shower on Thursday!  Maybe that's why I have limited time to sleep...

The first of the Two Thumbs Up Recipes is Flourless Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here's the link to the original recipe: http://chocolateandcarrots.com/2011/07/flourless-fudge-chocolate-chip-cookies

Original Ingredients:

3 cups powdered sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa powder

1/8 tsp. salt
2 to 4 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups 60% cacao chocolate chips

Instead of using egg whites, I used whole eggs.  I am thinking that the recipe was developed for those with allergies to gluten and/or eggs.  I also decreased the salt to a pinch.  Otherwise, I followed the directions. Thus...

3 cups powdered sugar

2/3 cup unsweetened Hershey’s dark chocolate cocoa powder

Pinch of salt

2 large eggs

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups 60% cacao chocolate chips

  

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with cocoa powder and salt.
3. Beat in the vanilla and eggs until the batter is moistened.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips. (Next time, trying semi or milk chocolate)
5. Scoop the batter by the tablespoon full onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave enough space between each cookie for them to spread.
6. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the tops are glossy and lightly cracked.
7. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
8. My one addition...add vanilla frosting to the top of the cookie and enjoy!  I love sweets, so while the fudgey cookie was delicious, I needed a little more oomph of sugar.

Chicken and Rice Slow Cooker Casserole

Here's the link to the original recipe: http://www.southernplate.com/2010/09/slow-cooker-cheesy-chicken-and-rice-the-downside-of-being-a-swan-princess.html

• 4 bonless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 10 oz yellow rice
• 2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1 - 10.5 ounce can cream of chicken soup (regular or fat free)
• 1 -15 ounce bag of frozen corn, drained

I had pulled chicken from the freezer to thaw out for this recipe, but it wasn't completely dethawed before I attempted to make this recipe, but I tried it anyway with great results.  So this recipe can have partially frozen chicken breasts and still turn out great!

I place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crock pot, topped with the cream of chicken, and diced the onion and threw it in the pot.  I set the crock pot on low for 8 and walked away.  I came back around dinner time, cooked the rice and corn, threw these two items in the pot, then added 2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese.  After the cheese melted, I stirred everything together and served with garlic bread.  Very good dinner and so easy.  I should add that I did use a knife to cut the chicken breasts into 8 pieces and then stirred the mixture - the chicken fell apart really well.

I'll save the dud recipe for another day when there's more time, but I will say I was disappointed in the Buffalo Chicken Rolls, but I think it's due to the shell.  I do love blue cheese, hot sauce, and chicken, so I am going to rip open the shells and eat the mixture with cheddar cheese and whole wheat dipping chips!

Where Has January Gone?

So my attempt to update weekly and provide more quality posts has failed on the first week.  Oh well, such is life with active baby who needs a lot of attention and love.  So we have weeks 20 and 21 to update, though no huge development separates the two weeks, so maybe it's time for biweekly updates instead of weekly.  I seem to be able to manage an update every other week.

After doing more research, we decided it was time to let Aidan start practicing to eat.  This did not mean put cereal in a bottle in attempt to hold him over, but to let he learn how to eat off a spoon, not thrust out his tongue, and to swallow.  Since oatmeal cereal has the benefit of iron, I bought an organic oatmeal cereal to begin the process.  I mixed the cereal with an ounce of breast milk so it had a familiar taste and provide the liquid consistency the food needed.  We gave him oatmeal once almost every day for a week to ensure no allergic reaction.  Oatmeal is least likely to cause a reaction, however, to follow the precautions suggested by AAP, we are not introducing a new food until we have tried the previous one for 4 consecutive days without reaction.

Aidan trying avocado!

The second food we gave Aidan was fresh avocado and breast milk.  He loved it!  He grabs the spoon from us and cries when we take too  long to give him more.  We'll try this for an entire week before moving on to a banana.  Making the avocado food for Aidan was pretty simple - cut open an avocado, scrape out the meat, blend it in a food processor (or nut chopper) until creamy, and then scoop out a serving size and dilute it with breast milk.  The rest I either refrigerated or made individual servings to freeze.  Avocado turns grey quickly, so it needs to be refrigerated or frozen for preservation.  We'll see how it goes...

Daycare, well one person there, would prefer I give cereal in his bottle to help hold him over longer.  However, when someone else watches him, he eats 6 ounces every 3 hours, so I feel like they are giving in too soon or he is comfort feeding.  Either way, daycare makes it hard to keep up with what they are feeding.  Thank goodness for 4 day weekends every other week, otherwise, I would be pulling from the freezer stash.  I highly doubt they want to feed him solids as messy as it is right now, but if the lady brings it up again, I'll offer to let her feed him solids, not cereal in his milk.

Aidan loves to sleep on his stomach, though he doesn't tolerate much tummy time.  This week, he took his first nap in the crib on his stomach - 2 hours!  When he woke up, he lifted his head up and began crying...guess he didn't like being on his stomach anymore!  Oh well.  He still seems to have no interest in rolling over - he gets as far as his side and then rolls to the other side.  He'll do it when he's ready, no rush.