Baby Food

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was making a lot of Buddy's baby food. As I am sure you know, a lot of people do this now because it is not that hard, it tastes better, is healthier, and is a lot cheaper than buying baby food.

I have been using the book "Super Foods for Babies and Children" by Annabel Karmel for a guide.

Because I have made a lot of Buddy's food he doesn't like jarred vegetables or meat very much. When I try to give it to him he usually spits it out. (It's actually kind of funny). But he will eat jarred fruit. So I try to find some coupons or sales each week and get several few jars of fruit. I mix some of it in his oatmeal in the morning and feed him some of it separate for a meal. But the rest of it I make. And he likes everything I have made. (Including all the green vegetables.) Most of the baby food I make is very simple (just steaming or cooking and blending or using a baby food mill).

But there is one recipe in "Super Foods" that was more complicated but very yummy! I made a bunch of it so I could freeze it and use it for several meals.

It was a special recipe to introduce him to beef. The root vegetables give the beef a texture and flavor that babies like. And meat is a good way for babies to get the iron they need after 6 months. Here it is:

Braised Beef with Carrot, Parsnip, and Sweet Potato

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 1/2 ounces lean beef, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small parsnip peeled and sliced
1 medium sweet potato peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan or small casserole. Saute the onion and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Toss the pieces of beef in the flour and saute until sealed. Add the carrots, parsnip, sweet potato, bay leaf, and parsley to the pan and pour into the stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 1 hour 45 minutes or until the meat is tender. Blend adding as much of the cooking liquid as necessary.

He loved it. So far he has been a very good eater. I hope this will continue.

Hello Blogger Friends

Moms at Risk for Internet Addiction

I read this interesting article last week called "Why moms are at risk for internet addiction." It does bring up some interesting ideas. And it goes to prove once again how using anything too much can be a potential problem in our lives and can cause us to neglect things that are most important.

Busy Weekend

Hope and I did the sale together.

Whew. The weekend was a whirlwind. But it turned out well. Buddy had a great time at my parent's house but he was exhausted when he got home. Apparently he thinks a "Pack n Play" means that you have to PLAY in it. He had a hard time taking his naps there because he couldn't wait to see the next adventure his grandparents had for him. He would just coo, play, and laugh while he was supposed to be taking a nap. :) My mom got him to sleep at night by putting him in his car seat to sleep. But he had a lot of fun and got lots of attention. I mean that is what the grandparent's house is for right?

The garage sale went ok. We didn't have as much traffic as we thought but I did sell some things and made some money. And some of the stuff I didn't sell Goodwill is picking up and so at least I will have it out of my home.

Sunday we had church, then I took Buddy to see his other grandparents that afternoon. (So much love in one weekend!) Then that night we went to see Shep and Paula's new baby boy, Jude. So sweet. It is fun to see that Buddy is no longer the "little baby".

Buddy's First Overnight

Buddy is spending the night at my parent's house tonight. I am having a garage sale with a friend early in the morning and Stephen needs to work tomorrow. My mom is so excited.

Stephen and I used tonight to get away for a date night and spend some time together. And Buddy is in good hands with Gran and PaPa. The pictures above were taken with my cell phone. The first was Buddy before we left him at their house and the other is us on our date. I hope my first garage sale goes well tomorrow. I will let you know.

His First Job

I had mentioned in an earlier post that Buddy and I have been going to sit with a friend's mother for 4 hours a day while she is at work. We are now going to do this until she done teaching in June. She said that Buddy coming everyday has made such a difference in her mother. She gets so excited about him coming and has something to look forward to each day. She says she talks about him all weekend. She likes to show him pictures of her Granddaughter. :)

So this is Buddy's first job. To bring joy and happiness to a sweet lady each day!

Baby Advice

When you are pregnant you get a lot of baby advice. Some you want and some you may not want.:)

But I actually asked a lot of people who had just had a newborn baby what they would recommend buying. That was really helpful. One tip my friend Anna gave me was to layer the crib sheets with a matress size waterproof pad in between. That way if your baby wets through his diaper in the middle of the night you don't have to change the sheets but just pull off the top layer and the pad and lay him down on the clean sheet. This saved me a huge headache two nights ago at 4:30am.

What was some of the best advice you got when you had a baby? Or the worst?

Easter

**Spoiler Alert. There is a spoiler at the end of this post for last nights episode of 24**

I hope everyone had a great Easter. We did! We went to church with my family (my youngest sister and parents) and then went to eat at Stephen's parent's house.

We went to the Greenville NewSpring Campus. That is where my sister goes to church (she normally goes to the main campus in Anderson where she goes to college) and so we all decided to go with her. The service really was an awesome presentation of the Gospel and of the person and work of Jesus.

After we went ate at Stephen's parent's house my mom, mother-in-law, Buddy, and I went to walk around the lake at Furman. The weather was awesome and Buddy had a great First Easter. He got lots of attention from both sets of Grandparents and Aunt Jennifer. He really is a cut up. He loves attention and will do all kinds of cute things to get it. This is fun now. It may not be so good when he is older but we will see how it goes:)

This week Buddy and I have been going over to my friend Jane's house to sit with her 93 year old mother for 4 hours a day. She has cancer and can't be by herself all day while her daughter is at work. Buddy has been bringing her a lot of joy and company each day. She loves to hold hold him, talk to him, and sing to him and he of course likes the attention!:) He will smile really big for her almost everytime she says something to him. "NaNa" is also my friend Jeni's grandmother. So it is special to be able to talk about her and her little girl EB. Jeni is serving the Lord with her Husband in Central Asia. We miss her a lot and wish Buddy and EB could play together.

Finally, do any of you watch 24? What was up with the episode last night? I mean it was a great episode until the end. Tony is working with the terrorists? What??

Thursday Thankfulness

1. The Lord refreshing me yesterday.

2. A God who answers prayer and is in control of all things.

3. My husband working so hard for us.

4. His business picking up several new jobs this week.

5. 60 % hit in our fund raising goal and some good connections being made.

6. Good friends.

7. Spring is here!

8. Healthy Baby.

9. The pile of diapers I have stockpiled for months to come. :)

10. I found a Babys R Us gift certificate yesterday that I lost months ago!

These are just a few of the things I am thankful for today.

What about you?

A Great Day

Sunday I had an unexpected great day. I was just now was thinking about it and I realized that it was just one of those days that seems normal but when you look back there is a lot of joy. Sunday had perfect weather here in Greenville. We went to church and ate lunch together when we got home. Then while my husband took a nap then did other things inside, I went outside with a book and our little Buddy. We sat on our long glider rocker together. He just sat there beside me for hours and played, ate, took a nap, got up and sat by me some more. (I told you that he likes being outside!). It was so sweet how he just sat there right beside me and I got hours on end to jump into a great mystery novel and drinking a great cup (or 2!) of coffee. It was the most relaxing day I have had in a long time. But it also was just a sweet memory that I will always have of my Buddy Stephen. There may not be too many more days when he will be content to sit and snuggle next to mom for hours on end!

It is good to sit back and thank God for the unexpected blessings he gives us along the way. Now I will try and focus on that tonight and not the fact that my husband just went to start my car and discovered something isn't working right in my engine. (Sigh).

Happy 6 month Birthday Stephen!

Our little buddy is 6 months old today! Wow! Half a year! For me it has gone by pretty fast but I have tried to savor all of the little moments with him and enjoy it. So even though I am letting go of my little baby I am looking forward knowing the little boy he is becoming.

He had a doctor's appointment today. He is 14 lbs 14 oz, and 26.5 inches. He is only in the 15% for wieght but the 60% for height. (It looks like he is going to be tall and skinny like his daddy.) His head was 41 cm. All his vitals and motor skills checked out great and I am very thankful for a good report.

Stephen shows more personality everyday. He is a pretty laid back and sweet little boy. He loves to smile (as you can see in the pictures). He likes to sit up now, and lay on his tummy and kick his legs. He likes to play with toys, and eat all of his baby food. His favorite story is "Baby Hears" that talks about all the things a baby hears throughout the day. Everytime I read it or quote it from memory he smiles really big and gets excited. I have no idea why he likes this particular book so much. Maybe because of the way the rhymes sound. What is funny is that the baby in the story looks a lot like him!

But his favorite thing is to be outside. He LOVES it. Even if he is just sitting outside he is happy. But he loves to ride in the stroller and ride the baby swing in the park.

I know the next 6 months will bring a lot of changes. Especially when he becomes mobile. I am savoring the last few weeks of him not getting into everything:) But it will be fun in 6 more months to be able to look back and see all of the new changes he has made.

Becoming a mom these past 6 months has been a joy. I am thankful that God allowed me to be a mother. I love you Buddy! Thanks for 6 great months!