75 Weeks Together

Posted on March 3, 2015 by playinghousewi

As of last week Wednesday, my sweet girl and I have been together for 75 weeks… 43 as an inside baby and 32 in this wonderful world.

In the scheme of my life, 75 weeks isn’t that significant of a timeframe, but in the scheme of my heart and life, it’s everything.

Being a mommy to my sweet Charlotte over the past 75 weeks has been the most magical and beautiful experience of my life. It’s hard to imagine a time when she wasn’t in my life. My life definitely went from black and white to color. I didn’t know the richness I would add to my life with such a tiny little love.

In just one week, there has been such joy and change. She’s a professional crawler, she waves, she talks nonstop, she has these crazy episodes of excitement that are just absurd (I’ll post a video soon), she grabs onto me like a koala, she’s getting way better with strangers and non- mommy/daddy folk… She’s just amazing.

Baby Snacks

Posted on March 3, 2015 by playinghousewi

Our streak of good eating has continued. Charlotte is doing SO well! This past weekend, I made her red lentils and brown rice “soup” (it’s pretty thick) and I made lamb.

Before I share the recipes, I’ll preface by saying that I’ve been looking for food-based sources of iron for C to ensure she’s getting enough, as she has not been eating any sort of iron-enriched cereal.

I did a lot of research and decided I didn’t want to give her the iron drops and instead would make sure to incorporate a good amount of iron into her diet. With all of her crazy food/poop drama, she was tested at 6 months for anemia… The results came back totally normal, which leaves me with little concern.

Anyway, I haven’t been ready to introduce beef because of her many other allergies, so after the chicken success, I decided to give lamb a try. It’s another great iron source.

I’ve literally never cooked lamb in my life, but was ready for the challenge. Thankfully, hubs suggested cooking it in the slow cooker so it’d be nice and soft, which worked perfectly.

I didn’t have a recipe, but here’s what I did…

1 big container of low sodium organic vegetable broth
.5 sweet potato chopped
1 onion slices
1 stalk celery sliced
.5-.7 lbs free range lamb shoulder (bone-in)

I literally just tossed everything in the crock pot and cooked it on low for 5 hours. It was perfect.

I pulled out the meat, got rid of the bones, shredded the meat into small pieces and saved the meat and sweet potatoes in some gravy for C and used the broth and other veggies for soup For Mark and I.

The meat is great on its own – Charlie loves it – but it’s also been mixing perfectly with the red lentil and brown rice soup I made. I just mix the two together and she goes wild.

The soup recipe is from my baby and toddler cook book.

Here is the recipe… FYI, I added about 1/2 cup of water once done cooking and the froze it in tiny portions. As I’ve been reheating, I add a little more water or broth from the lamb. It’s tasty!

C has also been loving millet cinnamon raisin toast, apples (of course), sweet potato puffs, and just about anything and everything.

Guess who else has been living Charlotte’s new diet??

Nipple Biter

Posted on February 24, 2015 by playinghousewi

I’ve heard stories of babies biting their mommas’ nips while nursing. I’ve read about moms who sternly tell their baby “No!” and remind them to be gentle. I’ve read about babies who break down in tears at this reprimand and mommies who feel terrible for making their baby cry.

That was not my experience.

I put Charlotte down for her nap and after about a half hour, she was still fussing and complaining. I decided to go back in her “nursery” (aka the conference room at work) to feed her a bit more. Typically when it takes her this long to sleep, she’s either pooped in her dipe or didn’t get enough milk.

Anyway, I went in and fed her. I could tell she was in a punchy mood. She was all over the place. Pulling on my necklace, hanging on the spindles of the rocking chair, being a goof.

So, I’m feeding her and everything is fine until… CHOMP!

I instantly pulled her back from my body and very sternly said “NO! That hurts. You have to be gentle with mommy.” She looked at me as if she was really taking in my words, and then got the biggest stinker of a grin on her face and started chuckling.

I repeated myself, “Charlotte, that’s not funny. You hurt mommy when you bite her. You have to be gentle.”

She then reached out and grabbed my nipple, which sent her roaring once again.

Needless to say, mealtime was over.

I fear for my nipples.

Solid Food Success

Posted on February 24, 2015 by playinghousewi

We have had our first streak of positive solid food experiences since we initially started. The streak has only been a couple of days, but Charlotte is doing so well.

Yesterday I let her try my wheat- and dairy-free, rice and millet cinnamon raisin toast. She LOVED it and ate almost an entire slice.

She’s also continued loving apples. Her favorite seems to be when we give her the core to chew on. And before you go crazy about the seeds, we leave about a half inch of Apple meat on all sides and watch her the entire time.

She also enjoys the cooked apples I made for her. All I did was cut the meat off of the apple core and steam it for a good 10 or 20 minutes until it was nice and tender. Then, I scooped the apple meat out of the skin. I saved some apple wedges and made applesauce with the rest.

For the applesauce, I just blended apples with some of the water I used to steam the apples. I’ve been putting the applesauce in a Squooshi (a refillable pouch). It’s working pretty well, although she usually will only eat about a tbsp to two from this.

This morning, Charlotte ate one steamed mini carrot, a quarter of an apple slice and half a piece of toast! Yay!

Not to mention the fact that she had a GREAT poop today! Yeah, I said it. I’m excited about her pastey textured poo that looked a normal color with no mucous or blood!

My mom brought us chicken from her homemade chicken soup today. Maybe we’ll give it a whirl!

Food is fun today.

7 Months of Lovliness

Posted on February 20, 2015 by playinghousewi

My sweetie pie pumpkin is seven months. How is that even possible? All of a sudden this month she has become a real person… Or maybe the more appropriate way to put it is that her personality has really developed.

She’s opinionated and funny and sweet. My absolute favorite moments with her are when she leans in to hold her head against mind. When she’s tired, she’ll just sit there with her cheek smashed against mine or her forehead tucked into mine. It’s the most perfect, smushy love time and I’m obsessed. Mark, too.

It’s funny, we’re like desperate teenagers sometimes, begging her for a little face smoosh. She often senses the desperation and pushes our head away. Sigh.

This month was the official crawling – and as an update, she’s now a legit crawling baby with a magnetic attraction to danger. Got a wire sticking out? She’ll yank it! Outlet nearby? She’ll cross the room to reach for it. She’s a curious little bunny, that’s for sure. Time to baby proof ASAP.

She also went on two more trips… PA for sweet Pop’s funeral and FL for her first trade show.

She fell in love with Minnie.

She became very daddy obsessed.

She can finally chase the kitty and puppy.

Oh! She’s waving now and starting to get the hang of “high five.”

She’s screaming like a scary baby who gives her mom nightmares… And can very quickly switch to a laugh if distracted… Which gives mom even scarier nightmares.

She’s a pretty awesome little lady.

Holy Temper Tantrum

Posted on February 19, 2015 by playinghousewi

This morning, Charlotte lost her… Marbles. She’s been playing with her voice lately and discovering screaming… But this morning, wow. She took her new skill to new levels.

I had given her a little bite of oatmeal and went to grab her sippy cup so she could wash it down with a little water. When I gave her the cup, I realized that I must not have screwed the cap on correctly, because the dang thing started leaking water all over.

I grabbed the cup to fix it and the little one flipped. I’m talking blood curdling screams and tears. It was absolutely terrifying.

I tried to calm her down, but ultimately, I ended up giving her the paci, which quieted her a bit and then taking her out of her seat to breastfeed her.

It’s been haunting me all day.

I hate to be dramatic because this is the first temper tantrum of her tiny life, but is this my future?

Charlotte’s First Introduction to Disney

Posted on February 17, 2015 by playinghousewi

Now, before you start judging us for bringing a 7 month old to Disney, let me clarify… Charlotte joined us for a trip to DOWNTOWN Disney. For those who aren’t familiar, this is a “free” Disney tourist trap designed to get you to buy tons of souveniers and random crap. But, it gives you a tiny smidge of the Disney vibe and for a baby who was napping or in need of a nap pretty much the whole day, that’s all she needed.

What I will say is that they must sprinkle those souvenier character stuffed animals with breast milk or fairy dust or something because MAN did that Minnie doll make her squirm. Through the severe exhaustion, her tiny mouth opened wide, her arms stretched out and her feet wiggled as she giggled away. Being that there were grandparents within a 5 mile radius of this adorable and joyful display, Charlotte was given her first Minnie doll.

Unfortunately, I was most excited to get little Charlie Minnie Mouse ears (with her name embroidered on it), only to find out that they don’t come in baby sizes. BOO, Disney… BOO.

Regardless, we had a nice little trip!

These last few pictures were right before she conked out for a little afternoon napski. Can you tell??

Also… THOSE CHEEKS!! I just love how they hang off her face. I am REALLY going to miss those delicious little cheekies.

The Poop Saga Continues

Posted on February 6, 2015 by playinghousewi

As I mentioned, when Charlotte turned 6 months, we started her on solids. And boy did she LOVE eating… Until all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, she stopped loving it.

Her mushy baby food just was not cutting it. I had started with sweet potatoes, and then avocado next. She seemed to really love the avocado, but broke out in a crazy rash all over her tummy, arms and back, so we said goodbye to avocado.

We then went back to sweet potatoes. It went really well at first, and then with the wind, she refused to eat more than a bite. Next, we tried peas. Same story. She’d take a few forced bites and that was it.

Urgh!

So, I decided to give “baby led weaning” a try. The gist is that you give your babe big pieces of food for them to feed themselves.

The whole concept gave (and still gives) me severe anxiety. Hello, choking hazard.

The first day, I gave Charlotte a few green beans from my homemade (minimal salt) vegetable soup. She loved it!

We also gave her some small pieces of carrot. It was all great until the dang thing made her gag and she barfed all over. Mmmm.

Anyway, the next day, I gave her more green beans and a slice of apple. For the apple, I warmed it in the microwave and mushed it a bit. She loved it!

Now, the bad part… While Charlie’s taste buds seem to be loving the new foods, her tummy seems less than amused.

I should preface this by saying that when we were in Philadelphia for Mark’s grandfather’s funeral, I VERY STUPIDLY ate a bunch of crap I shouldn’t have. What the heck was I thinking? The GI made it seem like it wasn’t the biggest deal and I was feeling weak. Ugh. Whatever the excuse, I messed up and am currently in a world of regret.

Which takes me back to my sweet girl. This poor baby has had blood in her stool almost every day… Sometimes all the poops for the day, sometimes only one or two. She also is literally pooping FULL green beans. Like, when I opened her dirty diaper to change her, there was a literal green bean stuck on her butt.

Needless to say, I have put a pause on all solid food. I’m not sure if the blood is still a reaction to my indiscretions or is a reaction to the solids or some combo. So, it’s a pause on solids and back to very strict eating for me.

I feel so frustrated. Frustrated in myself… I mean, what was I thinking? I’ve been eating perfectly for over 2 months. Ugh.

I’m frustrated with her allergies… She loves to eat, but her poor tummy. I want her to be able to enjoy food without hurting her poor tummy.

And just frustrated that I have no idea what she’s allergic to.

Excuse me while I go bang my head against the wall…

FYI, info on baby led weaning.

This face…

Posted on February 3, 2015 by playinghousewi

I know I’ve been MIA for awhile. A lot has been going on, which I’ll post about soon. For now, enjoy this tiny face…

Introducing Solids to Our Big 6 Month Old

Posted on January 19, 2015 by playinghousewi

Everything I’ve heard from doctors and lactation consultants – confirmed by everything I was reading online – led me to wait until Charlie’s 6-month birthday to introduce solids.

So, with Friday being the big day, I figured when better than on a Saturday at home with the hubs?

I didn’t want to start with rice cereal because from what I’ve heard, it’s not really necessary. Being that I’ve spent the past month or so chowing down sweet potatoes, I figured that would be a great first food for my girl. So, I looked in a baby cookbook and scoured the Internet for a sweet potato babyfood recipe… What I found was pretty dang basic…

Sweet Potato Babyfood

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2) Pierce sweet potato with a fork (all over the potato)

3) Wrap potato in tin foil and bake for 45-60 minutes (it took my oven about 55 minutes)

4) Peel the skin off of the sweet potato (you might want to let it cool a bit because that puppy’s HOT)

5) Once cooled, chop up the peeled sweet potato and put in the food processor (we use our Ninja Kitchen System)

6) Before you blend, add breastmilk or formula. I used a pretty big potato (see photo below) and needed nearly 15 ounces of breastmilk to get it nice and liquidy.

10 ounces!

7) Blend and then disperse into the freezer tray of your choice. I used this one from Mumi & Bubi.

Blending everything up!

This recipe filled up the entire tray (27 (1) ounce cubes) plus two additional feedings. Charlotte is currently only eating a Tablespoon of food per feeding per day, meaning this one recipe will yield 56 (1) TBSP feedings.

So, how’d she like it? Well, you can see for yourself…

OR just trust me when I say that she loves to eat. She reaches for the spoon, opens wide and eats her full TBSP. She’s also drinking water out of her sippy cup. They say babes should only have a couple ounces per day, so we just give it to her with her meal. We’ve only fed her twice, but so far so good! She seems to really enjoy it and loves being in her high chair. All in all, so successful and really cute. Another special thing to share with our girl.