Smoothies, smoothies, the miracle food!
Feeding Baby Boy had turned into a gigantic pain in the ass.
All those gorgeous purees of fruits and vegetables that I lovingly made and froze? He now hates them. He never really loved them, but he at least used to tolerate them.
I was getting worried about his health, because the only things he would willingly eat were Cheerios, baby cereal, MumMum cookies, and those puff things. Although, really, who are we kidding? He’s my son — of course he’s a carb/snack freak!
I cut out the cookies and puffs entirely, thinking that would make him hungry enough to stop screaming at the idea of a bite of sweet potatoes, green beans or applesauce. It didn’t work. Again, he’s my son — stubborn.
So the other day I remembered that Amalah had turned all her purees into smoothies when her boys stopped wanting them. I went out, bought a set of plastic cups with straws, and came home to dig out the blender. I dumped in five or six cubes of different fruit purees (apples, bananas, mangoes and pears), added some apple juice (and a few ounces of breast milk that I had in the fridge), and made a batch of baby smoothies.
Baby Boy LOVED it! He struggled with the straw at first, but got the hang of it when he tasted the deliciousness that was The Smoothie Made By Mommy. He drank half the batch in his first cup, and so I gave him the other half and he drank almost all of that, too. I suck at math, but even I figured out that this equaled five or six purees getting into his body. When normally only a few bites of one puree would get into his body. Miracle.
My next step? Sneaking some veggie purees into the smoothies. I have officially become my mother.*
*She used to sneak eggs into almost everything Little Sis ate as a child, because the kid refused to eat protein (or much of anything). I hope Baby Boy doesn’t get his trait from his auntie.
What a sin! Day 7
It’s the final post of the Seven Deadly Sins project, and it’s a steamy one! Well … sort of. Today’s theme is “Lust,” and the game calls for seven love secrets. Might be a little too X-rated for this family blog, so how about seven loving things Darling Husband and I do for each other? …
- He gets up with Baby Boy so I can sleep in. Because Darling Husband works two jobs, this doesn’t get to happen very often. But when it does, it’s a HUGE treat.
- I go along when he wants to drive around car lots. Yes, car lots — this is an actual activity, even when you have no funds for buying another car. I even comment on the cars/trucks I like (things like “I like those shiny silver pipes!” and “That’s a pretty grill”), and sit patiently when he hops out to read the stickers in the windows.
- He goes on aimless outings with me. Darling Husband knows I don’t get out much, and knows how hard I find that sometimes. So whenever he’s off, he’s always willing to take me to the mall or to a store so I can push the stroller and “look at stuff.”
- I help him stay organized. I keep his clothes and uniform pieces clean and in the proper drawers. I put his (labeled) lunches and breakfasts in the fridge. I set up the coffee machine the night before. I round up his phone/watch/iPod/security pass/whatever’s gone astray and put it by the door. When he’s in a rush (which is often), he appreciates that it’s easy to grab everything and run.
- We buy each other little treats. Even something as small as a $1 chocolate bar can be a really sweet (pun intended) gesture.
- We help each other out. Darling Husband has a phobia of touching the cotton in pill bottles, so I gallantly remove it for him. I always grate my fingers when I’m supposed to grate cheese, so he does it for me. My arms get sore from cleaning the shower, so that’s his chore. He gets frustrated folding laundry because my clothes and the baby’s clothes are “too damn small,” so that’s my chore.
- We find shared interests. Darling Husband will never love reality shows about weddings, and I’ll never be able to tolerate those annoying announcers on TSN. But we are always looking for things we can appreciate together, like Rummy! And reality shows about cakes!
Our baby in review: His Eighth Month
Baby Boy is EIGHT MONTHS OLD, people! I’m not much for math, but I do know that eight months is 3/4 of the way to twelve months (one yearrrrrr)! He is less than four months away from eating a hunk of birthday cake. My mind is blown.
Vital stats: Baby Boy hasn’t been “professionally” weighed since his six-month appointment (19 lbs). But we weighed him the other day at Mom’s house, and he was a solid 20.2 lbs. He gained weight fast and furious during those first three or four months, and then it really slowed down because his activity level went through the roof. I no longer get those shocked looks when I tell people his age, because I guess he finally looks appropriately-sized! I have to say, I miss those looks — it was fun.
Milestones: He’s still “cruising” (walking hanging onto furniture) like a madman. He’s standing completely unassisted a couple of times a day — seven seconds is his current record. He’s been getting in trouble a lot more, like grabbing things off shelves and trying to climb shelves. He climbs the step to the jacuzzi and then stands on it, peering down into the tub (supervised, natch). All this activity and daredevil behaviour means he’s been falling a LOT — and he has the bumps and bruises to prove it, poor thing.
Teeth: None! Seriously, NONE! Every day, people ask me, so I figured I would add this as a category. Babies younger than Baby Boy have teeth. But he doesn’t. Nope, no teeth. I’m not fixated or anything, though.
Speech: Nothing yet, except for still crying “Mamaaaaaa!” when he’s upset. He babbles a bit, but nothing is distinguishable yet.
Baby-proofing: He discovered the doorstops (and the fun sound they make when you grab them), and thanks to my helicopter-parenting I noticed him grab the tip off one (yes, that actually happens, just like the babyproofing websites warn). I snatched it from his chubby little hand, and removed all of the other tips before he knew what was happening.
What he’s been eating: Three meals a day, plus cereal at bedtime. Crazy! It’s a ton of work, getting him in the highchair, fed, and cleaned up FOUR times a day. Exclusive breastfeeding is great and all, but it really makes it hard to adjust to feedings becoming work. New foods this month were prunes, watermelon, oatmeal, scrambled egg yolks, cauliflower, corn, acorn squash and blueberries. New “secret” food tastes were Hickory Sticks, ice cream, and French fries. Shhh, don’t judge.
How we’ve been sleeping: Pretty consistently, Baby Boy was up three times a night during his eighth month. He went to bed at 8 p.m., and was typically up for feedings at 10:30 p.m., 2 a.m., and 5 a.m. He got up for the day between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.
Diapering: I bemoaned last month that the cloth diapers were getting messy. Towards the end of this month, though, they started getting a bit more solid. Thank God! It’s much easier to — excuse the grossness — plop something into the toilet than it is to scrape something into the toilet. Why do I cloth diaper again? Oh right. The savings. And the adorableness.
Playing: I set up two “stations” in the living room (a.k.a. the place Baby Boy and I spend 90% of our lives). One station (“Toy Corner”) has his toy car, his activity table, his toy kitchen and his toy ark (a.k.a. all the loud, battery-powered stuff). The other station (a toy basket) is across the room, and contains his board books, rattles, balls, and stuffed toys. Baby Boy crawls/cruises back and forth between the two stations, and I LOVE to see him grab his board books and then sit on the floor to play with them. I pretend he’s reading them. Because I’m like that.
Things that surprised me: How he really seems to understand me — laugh at jokes, smile like he understands what I’m saying. He’s a person, and it’s like we’re buddies. Whenever I hold him in front of a mirror, and we look at our reflection, I always say, “It’s Mommy and Baby! We’re a perfect pair.” And yes, that is super-sappy, but we are. We’re a perfect pair.
Things that have made me melt: When I tuck him in at night and say prayers, and I realize — every single night — how much meaning is behind the words. When I sit at the kitchen counter eating a meal and chatting with him, and he sits next to me in his highchair (like a real person!). When he gets tired and crawls/cruises over to me and falls into my arms. When I pretend to “chase-crawl” after him, and he beams and pretends to get away, and then slows down so I can catch him. He’s just the best.
What a sin! Day 6
Yup, two more lists to go in this “getting to know the real me” project — then we’ll resume our regularly scheduled programming blogging.
Today’s theme is “Gluttony,” so here are seven of my guilty pleasures …
- Babysitter Club books. Kristy, Claudia, Mary-Anne, Stacey, Dawn, Mallory, Jessi, Abby, Shannon and Logan? Yeah, I kind of live for them. I have almost every single one, and I don’t plan on ever giving them up.
- Teen Burgers. Up until about two months ago, I only EVER ordered burgers with “just ketchup.” I had cheese and bacon on them, too, but that’s it. Now I’m obsessed with A&W Teen Burgers with everything on them, and have a newfound love of pickles and onions. Mustard! Seasoning! Taste! Who knew what I was missing all those years?
- Potato chips. I am one of those people who need to have them in the house at all times. I don’t necessarily eat them daily
(I’m lying)but I need to know they’re there. Waiting for me. - Reality shows. Top faves are America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway, Come Dine With Me, Come Dine With Me Canada, Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List, and The Rachel Zoe Project. I do not watch American Idol or any other talent/singing/dancing-related shows, for some reason.
- Diet Coke. My one and only. Especially straight from the can. Ahhhh.
- Online shopping. I really limit myself (you know, because mat leave = poverty), but I get SUCH a guilty high from buying something online. It’s shopping AND the fun of getting something in the mail. Seriously perfection.
- Potatoes. A broad topic, but a worthwhile one. I’m the French Fry Queen, for one. And remember Cornbrowns? The thing I invented! Frozen hashbrowns and frozen corn cooked together, with a dollop of sour cream on top. Sounds grossy, but it’s DELICIOUS.
What a sin! Day 5
Thanks to Lindsey over at like a hamster on a wheel, I’ve been having a blast with this Seven Deadly Sins bloggy game. Today’s theme is “Greed,” so here are seven of my “worldly material desires” …
- A glorious, shiny, four-wheel-drive SUV
- A sparkly, bling-encrusted Coach handbag
- Princess-cut diamond earrings
- Celebrity-quality highlights
- An iPhone with a pink-jeweled cover
- An iMac
- One of those stainless steel fridges that dispense crushed ice
Read all of my Seven Deadly Sins posts:
Want to play along? Here’s the agenda:
- Day 1 – Pride. Seven great things about yourself.
- Day 2 – Envy. Seven things you lack and covet.
- Day 3 – Wrath. Seven things that piss you off.
- Day 4 – Sloth. Seven things you neglect to do.
- Day 5 – Greed. Seven worldly material desires.
- Day 6 – Gluttony. Seven guilty pleasures.
- Day 7 – Lust. Seven love secrets.
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