Solids

This post may be a little overdue but I know some of my readers are mommies as well and would probably appreciate me sharing my experience of starting Al on solid food.  So here goes! Al's paediatrician gave us the go ahead to start rice cereal (pablum for you oldies hehe) at 4 months and said to have him on solids by 6 months. Our visit with Dr. Peirse was followed up by a visit to the public health nurse for immunizations where she proceeded to berate me for even thinking about putting Alexander on rice cereal before he was 6 months old. Without making this story too long, I managed to piece together that "recent research shows babies do not have the proper digest enzymes to handle anything other than milk or formula until 6 months of age". Ok so now what? My doctor says one thing and a health nurse says another. First time moms, I know you would struggle with this too. There's no manual to reference when you encounter such problems so what do you do. Well this is what I did. I listened to Alexander. When he was ready he let me know. 


On Christmas eve I started him on rice cereal. We started with once a day, breakfast, to make sure he had no allergic reaction or tummy aches over night. He took to it really well and after a week we added one more meal a day: dinner. This helped to fill his tummy a bit more. It decreased how often he was eating and allowed him to go back to sleeping through the night. We continued with the rice cereal twice a day for one month until he reached the magic age of six months. 


At this point it got a bit more complicated. How do you know what to feed them? So many more options now, and a little scary to think they will be eating...food! So for us we started by making our own baby food. I highly recommend, as you save so much money, you know exactly what your baby is eating and it is super easy! I followed recipes in the baby bullet recipe book and I followed their guidelines for introducing food. We started with one food out of 8 options and introduced it for 4 consecutive days, watching for any adverse reactions. Our first choice was sweet potato. I gave Alexander sweet potato for breakfast for four days in a row and then moved on to our next food. The babybullet recommends that you only do one food at a time to watch for allergies and to introduce them in the morning so that any reactions would show up during the day and not overnight. From there we tried peas (the only food he doesn't like), avocado, zucchini  and banana. When we came to banana I found out that four straight days of banana is NOT good! Banana causes constipation, especially four straight days of it. So easy on the banana, unless you intend to firm up some runny bum. Anyway at this point we had to visit Dr. Peirse again for an unrelated issue where he advised me that Alexander could and should be eating all foods that mommy and daddy are except for two things: honey and cows milk. Otherwise all food was fair game, even foods made of cows milk just not straight cows milk! He also kiboshed the four day introduction schedule and said to give him whatever we are eating for dinner, pureed or blended. He also told me to boost his solid intake to three meals a day.


So we did. We started feeding him solids three times a day, breakfast lunch and dinner, and for the most part Al eats exactly what we do. At dinner we load a small plate, dump it into the baby bullet and blend it up. I don't introduce anything slowly anymore, we just simply give him all kinds of food. Fruits, vegetables, meats, beans and more. Around 7 months I started to give him non-pureed foods such as soggy cheerios, baby cookies and small bits of watermelon or other soft foods. We have also started using a cup. No lid or straw just a cup. Practicing taking sips of water. He is really starting to get the hang of it. 


Some of the foods Alexander has enjoyed:
Sweet Potato
Yam
Peas
Carrots
Squash
Zucchini
Avocado
Asparagus


Yogurt
Apple
Banana
Pear
Watermelon
Mango




Rice Cereal
Oat Cereal
Mixed Grain Cereal


Ground Chicken
Ground Turkey
Ground Beef
Kidney Beans
Lima Beans
Pinto Beans


Not to mention all of the flavours he's enjoyed in the pureed versions of our dinners.


Anyway it has been a fun journey so far and I hope that my sharing can help some mama's out there with this exciting and slightly scary transition in their babes lives! I know everyones approach and experiences will be different but if my experience can help in anyway I hope it does! Good luck and happy eating babies! If you want any babyhood recipes or advice on food and feeding just send me an email or leave me a comment. 

Share the Road

Spring has arrived and that means it is time to share the road again. I will be the first to admit that the cyclists that emerge as the snow melts often annoy me. But since taking up running I have found that a nice outdoor run can make a 16 km trek feel a lot better than 60 some laps around a track at millennium place. That being said it is a little hard to make a 16km path through my 3 km subdivision and I have been forced to take to the range roads. We don't have the luxury of sidewalks or bike/running paths out in the country so I resort to the shoulders of said range roads. What I have also realized about running outside is that 10, 12 or even 20 km is a lot farther than you would think. The route you have to map out to accomplish these distances are a lot longer than you would think and I now can see why some cyclists are forced to take to the roads in order to get routes in that accommodate their distance requirements. So here I am faced with a dilemma. For once I actually feel sorry for the cyclists who are stuck, having to bike on roads with little sympathy or consideration from drivers. Especially outside the city where our options are very limited. So I suggest the following compromise: Cyclists and runners, single file and stick to roads with as wide of shoulders as possible (this eliminates baseline road east of sherwood park). Take to the ditch when necessary and respect that you are on a road. Drivers, respect that we are exhausting all options by running or biking on the road. We don't want to be on these shoulders anymore than you want us there. But, give us a little courtesy and slow down or go around us when possible (no oncoming traffic) it makes a huge difference for us, the sideliner. And lets face it, if we crash, you will be fine, we will probably not make it. So that being said lets share the road, safely. I never thought I would be an advocate for the road bikers/runners but now that I have had my own eye opening experience I can see both sides a little more clearly and openly. 

Happy Spring

Manners

We live in a world of technology far different from the world our parents grew up in. So many social etiquettes and manners seem to have fallen by the way side in this new generation of cellphones, evites, and tweets. But I am here to say they have not been lost with me, nor will they be with my children. 


RSVP
Let me first start out by saying RSVP is french for "répondez, s'il vows plaît", which translates to "please reply", or in other words "let the person know if you are coming or not dipshit" it'll take you two second to press NO on the evite, or check off NO and remail the wedding invitation (that is already addressed and stamped for you) or to text them and say sorry can't make it. But no, instead people ignore the invitation and either show up or don't. THIS IS RUDE. How will the host prepare enough food if they don't know how many people are attending. Even if its a low-key social event, don't be an asshole, just let the host or event planner know if you are coming. It's a social etiquette that should not be tossed in the recycle bin.


THANK YOU CARDS
I can't even tell you how many weddings I have attended and not received a thank you card. So I will start with etiquette rule numero uno when it comes to weddings. YES you HAVE to send a thank you card. Second it needs to be within three months of the wedding and third it should be the old fashioned hand written on paper and mailed (or hand delivered) to the person. Not an email, not a text ect. Im not going to pick this one apart too bad because there are all kinds of rules when it comes to wedding thank-yous but I think you are pretty much safe if you write down "thank you" for whatever they got you and send it to them. Hard? No! If each guest took the time to pick out an outfit come to your wedding, listen to your vows, toast you 400 times at dinner and then stay and dance with you and on top of it all stick 100$ in a card for you (or even go out and pick something off your registry, purchase it and wrap it) then the least you can do is formally say thank you. Even if you have already verbally thanked them, it never hurts to say thank you too many times! I think that is my rant about thank you's. You should even consider the art of the thank you card for showers (baby and wedding) and any event where attendance and a gift was required. But hey thats just me being strict about being polite.


CELLPHONE ETIQUETTE
Now this is a new one! I don't think google has a hard and fast set of rules on this one but I'll tell you our rules. No cellphone at the table. Period. Turn your cellphone on silent at bedtime. Do not text or use your cellphone while engaging in a conversation with other people. NEVER use your cellphone at your part-time job (like at a cash register, or serving someone food ect) No cellphone use while driving. No cellphone use where it will disturb others ( movie theatre, funeral, doctors office...) This one isn't hard for those with common sense but I can see it is going to be a challenge with the next generations of our world. If it is a time or activity where your full attention and concentration is required, NO CELLPHONE. 


CHIVALRY 
Ok maybe this term doesn't quite fit what I intend it mean but here I am talking about men treating women right. Im not talking about flowers and paying on a date I just mean the simple courtesy of holding a door for a woman or pulling out a chair. I think it is important to treat women in your life with respect (mothers, sisters, wives, daughters) and to demonstrate this in your actions. You would not believe the amount of men who let a door close on me at 8 months pregnant and not even think twice. All I am saying here is to be kind to one another (women included). 


Ok I think that concludes my rant. I just wanted to get those things out there, as they are important to me! Lets all remember our roots and try to be a little more polite to one another (and if your roots taught you nothing maybe google a think or two). Technology is not a replacement for our manners. 

Finish Line

Today I started, and finished, my first race. It was a 10km run which I completed in 1 hour and 1 minute.  I was definitely not first but certainly not last and I am pleased with the time and effort I put in. I think the most important accomplishment of the race is that I started something and finished it. I have only been running since September so for me this is a huge achievement. I was the student in Junior and Senior High that couldn't run a 100 meter dash to save my life. I HATED running. Even as a light jog to warm up. HATED. But strangely enough I got into it because of Alexander and have stuck with it thanks to my friends. We run three times a week and keep each other motivated. Today was all three of our first run and I am so proud that we even took the step to enter, show up (and on time despite daylight savings) pin our bibs to our jackets and manage to stay on our feet the entire run (there was a lot of ice). Time and distance don't matter as much as the physical discipline we have taken on to train ourselves and stick to a plan! Of course it sounds easy coming from my mouth as I am happy with the outcome of my run but in all honesty it doesn't matter if we would have all three walked across the finish line dead last, as long as we finish what we start it is a huge feat! Of course winning things is always nice too but that is not the purpose of what we do in life. We must see the bigger picture and enjoy the journeys we take as much as the destinations we arrive at! I hope that I can teach my son that as he grows up and partakes in his own interests and hobbies. Cross your fingers that I won't fail at a super important step in parenting! Anyway here are some photo's of our race. It is off to bed for this gal, I am achy and pooped and have a babbling baby who refuses to go to sleep because his internal clock is telling him "you still have an hour before bedtime". Thanks a lot daylight savings "spring forward". 

Ready to Run

Some homemade 4-leaf clover gloves! For the St Patricks Run

Post Run with my cheerleaders

It's been a while since I have posted much about Alexander and what he has been up to lately! He is getting very independent, playing with his toys by himself and keeping himself occupied while mommy does things like wash dishes, cook dinner, all the fun stuff. It's nice to have my hands free a bit more, but it comes at the expense of his dependance and cuddles. He doesn't like anyone to have too much control over him so most of the time the affection we get from him is a slap in the face or a push to the chest. We take what we can get. But in all seriousness I have really started to notice how much I am forgetting the hard days and nights of a newborn and am focusing more on missing the snuggles and cuddles. I have been doing a lot of thinking and I think it is safe to say we would like another! Not tomorrow or even next month but I think in the a few more months (just before Alexander has his first birthday) we will start trying for another. It is a huge decision and trying to figure out how to space your kids is a toughy! On top of that I had to consider what time of year (and climate) I would be in my third trimester, and have a newborn. It's a lot to consider but I think we have made the right decision in terms of our hopeful plans. 


Alexander is keeping busy with discovering the world of course. Still no crawling and still no teeth but I am ok with that. I guess he just doesn't have the motivation to move his little self around yet! No rush big man, because once you start you don't get to stop! He is onto a wide variety of foods, often eating the same thing as mom and dad for dinner, just a little more...pureed. He has his food for breakfast lunch and dinner, and we are now full time permanently switched to a bottle. Don't even get me started on that transition, it was harder for me than it was for him! He has a pretty solid nap routine during the day and he sleeps like an angel at night (usually). I have registered us for swimming lessons and a baby song and rhyme class, both starting in April. He is tipping the scales at just about 19 pounds these days (18 lbs 14 oz) and has discovered the words dada and mama. He also loves to shake his head no. We are having quite a few playdates as of late, and he is adjusting pretty well to the socializing aspect. We had a few tears when other babes made noises but we are pushing past the shyness. 


As for me, always keeping busy! I registered for another photography class for 4 weeks in April, a class in July teaching me how to use my Lightroom photo editing program and a 2-day golf class in May (gotta keep up to the McLarens) Still running lots as I am training for races and I am starting to lift weights a bit more (bikini season is coming people). We are anticipating the arrival of our new trailer late this month or early next month and have already booked a campsite for may long weekend. Now to start preparing to stock the trailer. Im also working on The Hunger Games, which is awesome!! I have a hard time putting it down but unfortunately I don't get a lot of spare time to read. I try to get in at least one chapter a night and I am on a bit of a time crunch as the movie comes out right away and I have already committed to seeing it on opening weekend with the girls. Yikes!


Grandpa (Sr.) is home for 5 days from Phoenix so we had a great visit with him tonight! Alexander sure loves his Grandpa. It is so cute to see them together. Despite his cranky disposition this evening, he was certainly all smiles for Grandpa. Amanda is off to Phoenix next week and I wish so badly Al and I could be going with her! We are hoping to take a trip down there next fall with our boys to visit Grandma and Grandpa.


Other things we have been busy with include a long list of DIY projects and new recipes. This week alone I managed to master gourmet mac and cheese, smoky chicken fettucini, muddy buddies, double chocolate banana bread and hassleback potatoes. Some of the DIY projects I've been working on include home made clothing labels, "under a rock" key hiding container and rubberized hangers (to avoid clothes slipping off). I also managed to get all of my fabric for my rice heating pad owls today and will hopefully start on them next week! I just love sewing, crafts and DIY projects. I am really hoping to start working on our master bedroom. Designing, decorating and making it feel super comfy-cozy. Anyway that will have to be it for today, I am off to read some Hunger Games and hit the hay!