Goodbye 2010!

2 1/2 hours until 2010 ends…..another decade wrapped up and what a decade it’s been! In such a short frame of time I managed to: graduate from high school & start college, gain some amazing sisters in Alpha Chi Omega, graduate from TTU with my BS in Human Sciences, graduate from TTUHSC with my BS in Nursing, meet my amazing husband & get married, move from TX to CA to Chicago, pass my nursing boards and get my dream job in the NICU, travel all around the US and Europe, buy my first home, and become a mommy to the most amazing little girl!

WOW!

Each year has held something special….though the most special was this year. 2010 will be hard to beat. This time last year I had just entered my 2nd trimester and was busy debating baby names with Dan. We were also stressed to the limit since we had both lost our jobs (and health insurance!!) and were watching our emergency fund drift lower and lower. Thankfully Dan found an amazing job in March & we could take a deep breath while waiting for our little bundle.

In high school New Years Eve was one of my favorite nights of the year. My friends and I would always have slumber parties and would spend the night hanging out with our boyfriends, setting off fireworks, and attempting to sneak a bottle of champagne away from the adults (shhhh….) 😉   In college the parties didn’t change much (except that we didn’t have to sneak the bottle in) and the past years were spent at bars or with the “ring of fire” at the Revoir house (good times…good times!).

My how times have changed! Tonight I am sitting at home while my husband works, cuddling my baby girl (who is sick), eating pizza and sipping on an individual size bottle of champagne. I will kiss my daughter at midnight and welcome her into a new year…a new decade. It is amazing to think of what this decade will hold for her.

Gone is the crazy loud party with the inevitable hangover (the day after the “ring of fire” will live in infamy as the worst hangover day EVER!)…..but I am so happy. I used to think it would suck to be stuck at home with a husband and baby on New Years….I mean it is THE night to party…but I don’t want to be anywhere but here. There will be more parties in the future!

Like most people I’ve made my resolutions and I have already started working hard at them! To keep my accountable here they are:

1. Get HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) out of our house! It is unhealthy and found in almost EVERYTHING (bread, applesauce….). I’ve been diligently reading food labels this past month and passing up anything with HFCS in it. We started making our own bread (yummy!) and do our best to stick to the outer part of the grocery store. I’ve managed to get rid of almost all “processed” foods in our pantry and feel great! For the few things that we really love (mac & cheese!) I’ve managed to find a more natural brand at Whole Foods that doesn’t have HFCS in it. The first few shopping trips took forever…but now I’ve gotten pretty good and know what to grab & what to stay away from.

2. Go organic! We switched to organic milk (tastes sooo much better!) and buy most of our produce organic (definately the “dirty dozen”). We have also started buying natural free range meat. The meat is crazy expensive so we have changed from eating meat every day to only 2-3X a week. Meat is more of a luxury in our diet now (like it should be!). My husband resisted a little at first, but it has been really easy to find yummy recipes that don’t use meat. He is now 100% on board!

3. Get my butt back into the gym! (the oldest resolution in the book!) Thanks to breastfeeding I am about 7lbs lower than I was when I got pregnant….but everything is much softer than it used to be! We hope to start trying for Thurow baby #2 sometime in 2011 and I need to get my body back in shape before putting it through the hardships of pregnancy again! I can’t join a gym in Chicago since we will be moving soon so I will pull out my old workout DVDs and countdown the days until I can get a yoga membership in San Antonio!

4. Take more pictures! I love photos and was gifted a new lens for Christmas that I LOVE….but I find myself constantly forgetting to pull it out! I get so wrapped up in everything and don’t realize that I haven’t taken a single picture until we get home 😦

5. Learn to knit! I bought the supplies and have watched some youtube videos and played around….but now I need to get serious about it! I think I need someone to go through it with me (I can cast on like a champ and knit one row…then I lose it!). My goal is to make Harper a cute animal beanie for next winter!

I am a little sad to say goodbye to 2010. It started rough and full of stress….but it turned out to be the most amazing year ever. I know though that 2011 is going to be just as amazing. With my husband and baby girl at  my side how can it not be?!

Happy New Years everyone….I hope you spent it surrounded by those you love. To Harper – welcome to another year baby girl. We love you more than you will ever know and are thankful for every day with you!

It’s food time!

Something big is coming Harper’s way on Christmas Eve…and I’m not talking about Santa (though the fat man has been very generous!). I’m talking about FOOD!

My sweet baby girl is turning 6 months in less than a week and is showing more and more signs of being ready to start table foods. Ugh, just writing that brings a tear to my eye. Up until now she has been exclusively breastfed…thats right she has not had any other sort of food/nutrition other than breastmilk. Starting Christmas Eve she will take the first small step towards weaning. While breastmilk will still be her main source of nutrition until at least a year (and I don’t expect her to really wean until closer to 18 months if things go right)…it is still a small step in that direction. Time is going so fast.

I’ve mentioned Baby-Led Weaning in previous posts and I have had a few people send me messages asking for more information so I decided to sit down and write a post! 🙂  As a quick disclaimer: I know that most families still go a more traditional route and I am in no way bashing that route!! Each family needs to find what works for them & what they are comfortable with…BLW just happens to be what works for us! I hope this post just gives new/soon-to-be parents another perspective to consider!

So what is baby-led weaning? In most basic terms it is a way of introducing solids (and beginning the slow weaning process) by allowing a baby to control their solid food intake by self-feeding from the very beginning of the weaning process. This method eliminates the use of purees and spoon-feeding.

Before Harper was born I had planned on making my own babyfood and did tons of research into recipes, blenders, storage, etc. No nasty smelling Gerber for my baby 😉  At some point I heard some mom’s talking about BLW and having never heard of it I started asking questions and doing a bit of research. The more information I found on BLWing the more interested I became!

The traditional method of introducing babies to solids is to start rice cereal around 3-4 months and add in fruit/veggie purees at 4 months. I’ve always found it odd that pediatricians and parents rush into introducing solids since the AAP recommends waiting until 6 months. There are many arguments for waiting until 6 months to introduce anything other than breastmilk/formula: giving infants digestive systems time to mature (the pancreatic enzyme amylase does not reach adequate levels for digestion of starches until around 6 months, and carbohydrate enzymes such as maltase, isomaltase, and sucrase do not reach adult levels until around 7 months), decreases the risk of food allergies, helps baby from developing obesity later in life (obviously medical obesity..not the KFC kind!), and helps breastfeeding mothers maintain a better milk supply longer. I was very happy when my pedi told me we would not even begin discussing solids until her 6 month appointment! I wish they all were like that!

Solids before the first YEAR of life is 100% about practice and in no way should replace nursing or formula as a source of nutrition. The role of solid foods is to introduce your baby to varying flavors, aromas and textures of food. With that in mind it seemed silly to me to “teach” Harper about foods by feeding her mashed/pureed foods. I don’t eat foods like that, so why should she? It also lets her control how much food she wants…no forcing more bites because she “needs to finish this jar”. Baby-led weaning just sounded like a more interesting way to introduce food to her. Plus if I’m to be  honest BLWing is easier and I love that I don’t have to buy special foods or prepare them certain ways (just call me lazy!). Another bonus is it makes Dan & I think about what we will be eating as a family so fast food runs are being replaced with healthy fresh meals at the dinner table!

While most BLW parents start around the 6 month mark it is important to watch for true signs of readiness. Here is a good guideline:

• Your baby shows interest in food and family meal times.
• Your baby can sit without support. (Very important!)
• Your baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex (pushing solid foods out of the front of the mouth).
• Your baby is ready and willing to chew (though he or she may not have many teeth).
• Your baby has begun to  pick up items with the thumb and forefinger (pincer grasp) as opposed to using the whole hand (palmar grasp).

While some babies might be ready at 5+ months (though we are waiting until at least 6 months for digestive maturity), other kiddos are not ready until 7+ months. As with any other milestone they will reach them when they are ready!

The key to baby-led weaning is to enjoy a relaxed approach – know that your baby will receive adequate nutrition through nursing. Simply prepare real food from wholesome natural ingredients and serve them to your family – baby included.  Let your baby pick up, mash, taste, sample and explore the foods your family would normally eat during regular meal times. At the beginning most babies will simply play with the food (be ready for a mess!) and ingest very little…but over time the amount increases! Make mealtimes a family event since babies learn through observation. Also don’t be afraid to try non-kid foods! I have friends whose 8 month old loves spicy curry, roasted chicken and brussel sprouts! We plan on sticking to simple one ingredient foods for the first few weeks (to watch for any allergy and help her digestive system get used to foods), but after that we plan on giving her exactly what we are eating that night. I figure some foods will be a hit and some will be a miss…but we won’t know until we try! 🙂  For her first meal we plan on giving her broccoli spears, baked sweet potato fries, and cucumber spears. Other fun foods we plan on trying is: baked oatmeal, scrambled eggs, french toast sticks with pureed fruit for dipping, avocado on toast, apple slices, butternut squash chunks, carrots, etc.

Won’t she choke? That seems to be the most common question we get asked when we try to explain BLWing to others. Actually babies that are BLW have a lower incident of choking since they control what goes in and out of their mouth. When spooning purees into an infants mouth they have no control and often gag/choke more! One thing to remember is that gagging does not equal choking! It is normal for babies to gag when beginning to eat…it is how they learn! The gag reflex is our natural protection against choking.  At 6 months, the gag reflex is further forward in the mouth than it is at 1 year.  That means a 1 year old could get something further back in his mouth before gagging kicks in than a 6 month old.  If gagging happens when the item is still forward in the mouth, it is far less likely to cause choking.    BLW proponents would argue that you’ll have more gagging (and a greater risk of choking) if you delay the introduction of finger foods. Always remember gagging = sound (ok), choking = no sound (not ok). 🙂  It is always recommended for parents to take infant CPR before introducing solids (puree or BLW).

Another thing to note is that with BLWing you do NOT offer small foods! While 6 month olds have learned the pincer grasp they have not learned how to purposely let go of something into their mouth. This means they will be able to pick up the small bite of food…but be unable to “drop” it into their mouth! Instead offer finger shaped chunks that they can hold in their fist and bite off of. Things cut into a chip shape are perfect for little ones since they can grasp it with their palms and naw on either end sticking out! A good rule of thumb is to make the bites about the size/width of your thumb/index finger.

Basic Tips for BLW:

• Do NOT serve small, tiny pieces of food
• Serve large chunks that can be easily grasped
• Make sure baby is capable of sitting upright on their own and is well-supported
• Offer baby the same foods you are eating so baby is included in mealtime
• Know that your baby may not eat any of the food presented. BLW is about exploration and he/she will eventually learn to eat
• Give foods when you are not in a hurry or rush! Baby should be allowed to explore/play/eat food without being rushed
• Offer wholesome natural foods (start a healthy diet lifestyle early!)
• It will be messy, be prepared and go with the flow!
• Steer away from foods that clearly dangerous for young babies (peanuts, popcorn, honey

Though I’m sad to see her grow so fast I do love watching each amazing step. Even the simplest thing (like food!) becomes so much more fun with her! 🙂

Happy Holidays!

It’s already been a week since Thanksgiving (oops!) so I won’t bore you with the “things I’m thankful for” list. Pretty sure you can guess the biggest part of it 😉

Thanksgiving went off without too many glitches. The turkey was fantastic but the dressing was a let-down (much too soggy). Everything was ready at the right time without too much stress….so all in all I call it a success! Harper was in a great mood for most of the day and we had such a good time celebrating her first Thanksgiving! I made her a onsie for the day using her handprint to make a turkey…..getting the handprint from a 5 month old is anything but easy! We made a slight mess….and I’m still finding paint in her hair a week later but it was cute!

Now that Turkey day is over we are in full Christmas swing! We drove upstate the other day to a Christmas tree farm and found the perfect tree to chop down. I have always wanted to chop down a Christmas tree, and we planned on doing it last year but my morning sickness got in the way! The only issue we found with chopping down your own tree is that they look really small when in a huge field….not so small in your living room! Haha! We drove around forever looking for the perfect tree (I might be slightly picky!) and eventually settled on one. It wasn’t as big as I was looking for, thank GOODNESS! 🙂  It is huge! The height is perfect but the width is insane! We had to remove our buffet to make some room. The entire corner of the room is gone…and I love it! 🙂 We have it decorated and Harper seems fascinated with the balls and lights. Every trip we take we bring home a ornament so each year our tree gets more and more special. Presents are arriving at the door every day (thank you amazon mom!) and Santa has been very generous 😉  We didn’t do presents last year due to losing our jobs and having a million baby items we needed to buy so I’m making up for it this year! “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”

The next few weeks will be busy with family pictures, doctor appointments, and travels home. Harper and I will be making the long 960 mile drive home to TX to visit family and do a quick Christmas while Dan works before doing the long drive back for Christmas Eve in Chicago! I’m hoping if I leave around 5pm I can do the majority of the drive with Harper asleep! Luckily I am a night owl (thank you night-shift) and I’m looking forward to some quiet time with coffee and a book on tape! Now just prayers that the weather cooperates. The snow has begun :*(