Squishy Food

Ahah! Your little one is probably sitting up with some support and holding his little head high when he's carried around...well I know my man is! Once they are a 'supported sitter' its OK to try out some new foods! Easiest is bananas and apples. For bananas just puree them with some almond milk until they are runny. Don't expect your baby to gobble it up or be all that interested at first there may be disgusted faces or it might come out a few times before staying in but thats all fine. DONT replace breastmilk with food yet. Your baby still needs all the nutrients and antibodies in the milk you're makin'. The other I've made but he hasn't tried yet is apple sauce. It's super easy take some sweet apples, core them and bake them in a covered pan at 400 for about half an hour. they'll bubble up and get smooshy. Use a fork to pick out the skins and then puree in the blender or (my favorite) the magic bullet. (its as easy as 1-2-3...haha)

Baby spoons are so cute too!

Don't force the food it may not be time yet! The suggested thing to do is feed your baby an ounce of milk then try a spoonful of food.

But making your own foods has tons of advantages, especially for such a new body. You can feed them foods you grow in your own garden like carrots and peas, you can buy organic fruits and vegetables, you can buy local, it's way cheaper than buying baby food and you can make a bunch and freeze it in ice cube trays (see my "Boob Cube" blog entry) And lastly it's more fun =] They even make baby cook books.

Love

PlusPeace

Easy Kitchen Classics

Now cooking is not my thing, I'm getting better at it (for really good recipes go to my sisters blog Junk by KelseyJeanne ) but for the time being I have stuck to really easy recipes, ones that work well for the tired mom and thought I'd share.

Quiche and Italian Quesadillas are my favorite ones so far so we'll start there.

Quiche!

For crust:

-2 tbs rosemary

-1 tsp salt

-1 cup flour

-1/3 cup shortening

-5 tbs water

mix all rosemary, salt and flour in a bowl. Using a fork add in shortening and water. Use hands to finish mixing. When it seems pretty well mixed sprinkle flour on a flat surface and roll the dough until its about 12 inches wide (circle) Place in your pie pan and then cover with tinfoil. Bake for 5 minutes at 450 and then remove tinfoil and bake until golden brown (about another 5 minutes) and remove from oven. Turn heat down to 350

For filling you will need:

-1 cup of any leftover veggies you have in the fridge (last night I used peppers, onions and garlic because they were on the verge of going bad)

-5 strips of crispy cooked bacon or ham

-2 eggs

-1 cup milk

-1 tbs flour

Sate veggies in a skillet with 2 tbs olive oil then put in a bowl. Add meat, eggs, milk and flour. Mix well and pour into pie crust. Put in over, uncovered for 35 minutes. take out and enjoy! Makes 8 slices and you can use leftovers. It's pretty easy and fairly fast.

Italian Quesadillas!

You will need:

1/4 onion

1/2 red pepper

2 tbs chopped garlic

fresh basil (i buy the tube of basil they have in produce section)

cherry tomatoes (halved)

olive oil

perdu pre-cooked roast chicken strips

Italian shredded cheese blend

tortillas

Preheat oven to 350. In a pan sate onions, peppers, garlic until golden brown, add tomatoes and chicken and remove from heat. if you bought the tube of basil spread thin over on of the tortillas if you bought fresh mix with sate veggies. Add veggies to torilla evenly and coat with cheese. Put another tortilla on top and bake in oven for 12 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Yeah those are both fairly quick and the veggies can be whatever is in the fridge, same with the meat on both. So if you don't wanna shot and dont want to cook a whole big meal both of these have meat, dairy, vegetable and grain and work for lunch too.

Love,

PlusPeace

Important Things Now for Later

So I am a first time mom but I have developed theories on things I can do now to better the relationship with my son later. Who knows if these will really work, but it's worth a shot right? Plus there is no RIGHT way to do any of this nor do these little kiddos come with manuals. So I shall share...

Bonding.

I think it's hard for some people to know what to do to bond with their children, especially today in a world filled with TV's, video games, computers, iphones, nannycams, etc...you get the point. It's so easy to use precious bonding time doing other things. Some ways I like to bond with my my son

-While feeding. I admit sometimes I slip and I start texting or blogging while feeding him BUT I have been trying not to. Instead of plopping myself in front of the tv I've been going in my bedroom to nurse or dimming the lights in the nursery or room im on. I try to make eye contact with him and hold him close. He needs to learn now that later on feeding time is not play time. If I am bottle feeding this is especially important, I want him to know that even though I'm not nursing, I'm still there taking care of him.

-Play time. Some babies hate play time, they barely stop crying to enjoy a moment with mom (thank god) Bear is not one of those babies. My heart goes out to mothers with constantly cranky little ones. Instead of putting your baby on a playmat and calling it good, lay down next to him. Name the objects around and point. Bear loves watching me do the dishes, I tell him what I'm washing as I put it away and he just looks up all smiley. Make faces any chance you get (suck in your cheeks and make a fish face or smile so all your teeth show)

Talk to your Baby!

Talking to your baby is so so important. Not just so he learns to speak and socialize but the more they hear your voice the more they know WHO to listen to. I am sure you all agree you want your kids listening to you not Ben10 or Hannah Monatana! Familiar voices will tell them who they can trust and turn to. Never yell at your baby, they are learning and it's all about trust in my book. If they trust you, it will stick (at least until they are teens)

Hygiene!

Developing good hygiene now will help get a routine going for when your baby is old enough to catch on that being clean is a good thing. If you set aside time asap then setting time aside later will be no biggy. Change your baby as soon as he's dirty, bathe your baby daily or every other day and most of all smile and talk in an upbeat way when doing all these things, that way they are not interpreted as a hastle but more something fun and exciting. I think clean is fun!

Travel!

If you like to travel then don't fear traveling with baby. Yes sometimes there will be outbreaks of tears in public and car rides full of screams but a portable baby now has a better chance of a portable toddler later. If they are used to grocery stores and public settings I believe they are less likely to throw a fit because they 'want' something in a store later. The grocery store is a GREAT place for a baby, when they can sit up start showing and naming everything you put in the cart. All the colors and shapes can be very fascinating!

Well that touched on a few things. Bed time!

Love,

PlusPeace

Booby Leakage?

Sooo I have this problem of forgetting to buy breast pads. I made some washable ones but lost them in the wash (along with miscellaneous sock)

I had a major crisis at work when I was in the middle of something that had a deadline approaching in one hour and a let down! I know I have 30 seconds before my shirt is pretty much ruined for the day so I think fast, grab scissors out of my desk and a pantiliner from my purse. I race to the bathroom, snip it in half and voila! Worked like a charm.

Sticks much better than a "boob-pad" and doesn't show through my bra. I went to the store after work to check out prices and figured that the average price for a breast pad is 16 cents/piece while the Kotex pantiliners (the ones that come in those uber-tiny packs) are only 3 cents/piece thats about 1/5 of the cost!

AMAZING!

For those of you who can easily keep track of your laundry-to make your own re-usable breast pads buy gerber cloth diapers and before washing (so they are nice and flat) lay them out 5 thick. Take a drinking glass and a pen and trace circles about a half inch apart. You should be able to fit 4 down 6 across (24 pads or 12 sets)

DO NOT CUT THEM OUT! You will need a sewing machine to do this. Keeping your layers flat sew around the circles and then cut them out so each one has a 1/4 inch rim around the stitching. And you made breast pads...yay!

Love,

PlusPeace

Whose Binky is Whose?

Pacifier, Binky, Sucker...whatever you want to call it. My favorite is the Soothie (those big round teal ones that they give in hospitals) But the only problem is so many babies have them!! I was at a friends house recently and we had to remember exactly where I put Bear's sucker and where she put Adrian's sucker. Anyways it got confusing. I wished there was a more attractive way to tell them apart besides sharpie (ick) and while camping this past weekend I had an idea-amazing I know.

GimpyBinky!!! (I am planning on patenting this so don't steal it please) a product by PlusPeace Baby (that's me) It's multi-purpose my other issue with these pacifiers is they only have a little tab to hold onto and they constantly slip out of Bear's mouth and onto the floor. So I took some red and blue Gimp and cut off the little tab and made a lanyard attached to the binky! I love it and Bear loves it.

He can hold onto it, he can put both ends in his mouth, it easily stays in my jeans pocke without having to put the sucking end in (dirty) and it washes the same as before. It will also double...no QHADROUPLE...as a teething toy when he starts to get his teeth in! This thing is fantastic. I'm all about saving money but I will be selling these ($6.00 + shipping) and I found the soothies at target in 3 different colors (pink, blue and green)

It's just so cute and practical-works well for Moby wrap moms if you've also had problems getting a pacifier in there with baby.

Here it is!

Love,

PlusPeace

(if you want one, e-mail me hmpeterson@maine.rr.com)

Boppy for Baby?

Oh, the Boppy pillow. I actually never got one so I'm going by what I've heard from nursing mothers and from what I use instead. From what I've been told they are not all they're cracked up to be. They do have multiple uses but it is intended to be a 'nursing pillow'

I used regular old couch cushions and they worked perfectly. Now that he's bigger he just sits on my lap. I recommend just cheap pillows from anywhere that are on the stiffer side. Another thing I hear works fantastic(ally?) is those really long pillows for day beds because they can be used as baby supports when he's sitting up or for tummy time and eventually will make a good pillow for the toddler bed.

A position that needs no pillow for nursing is laying on your side and having baby face you on his side. LEARN THIS! It makes midnight feedings SO much easier and even better if you co-sleep (another blog)

Love,

PlusPeace

Suggestions would be nice, some days I have no clue what to write... hmpeterson@maine.rr.com

Counting Sheep

Everyone says that finding a routine makes bedtime easier...yes easIER not easy...keep that in mind. I was driving myself mad trying to come up with a way to get Bear to sleep (in his crib not my arms) when I needed him to, so that in the evening I could get things done-AKA sit here and blog. I avoided making a routine because, well let's face it, I didn't want to add more things to my daily to-do.

Here is my 'Sure-to-get-some-Zs' night time routine:

7:15-7:30pm Tummy-Time. Or whatever type of play time you do with your little one, just make sure it's interaction between the two of you.

7:30-7:45pm Bath Time! I bathe him with soap every other day and on the off days I just hold him and let him float in the water and wash his neck with a washcloth (nobody likes neck-cheese)

7:45-8:15pm Snack. I breast feed near his crib and leave only the night light on.

8:15-8:30pm Cuddle Time. I hold him until he's drowsy, if he's having trouble getting drowsy I read or sing to him. Key is leaving the lights dim. I usually play some kind of soft music as well.

8:30-I place him in the crib but stay in the room and slowly walk out so I am sure he's asleep.

On days when he's fussy but not screaming I'll let him fuss in his crib for a moment before going back and holding him. He'll usually just go to sleep since he's dressed in his sleeper and he has a full tummy.

Some babies don't like baths so try listening to soft music together. Bear really loves Native flute music-I don't know why but it makes him sleep almost instantly. Once the lights are out only whisper and keep your voice soft.

If all goes well I can leave the room and get some stuff done! Yippee! Pile of bills, here I come!

Love,

PlusPeace