Watch Me Grow - Week Forty Five

We started off week 45 with a bit of a rash. Kaitlin had tomato sauce for the first time and seemed to have a bit of a reaction to it around her mouth where the sauce was. It seemed to get a little better at night but worse during the day, and then I noticed that it spread to her arm. That was enough for me to call the pediatrician just to make sure it wasn't anything worse. Turns out she has a little bit of baby eczema! Luckily we were able to treat it very easily with some cortisone and heavy duty cream - it was all cleared up in two days!

I don't want to jinx anything, but it seems our little food strike might be...well, on strike. Kaitlin has been eating lots of food again and isn't as picky as she has been recently. She tried a couple new foods like watermelon, peas, acorn squash (Grandpa Miller will be so proud) and (accidentally) jalepeno! Apart from the jalepeno they all went over great :)

We also started music class last week, and so far Kaitlin really likes it! It is a song play class at our local church. We sit around in a circle and sing songs that involve the children a lot - clapping, stomping feet and singing their names in different songs. There is no pressure to have the babies sit still and participate during the whole class - they are free to crawl and walk around as they want. But parents are encouraged to sit and participate in all the songs as your baby will keep looking to you, and eventually they will make their way back to you! And Kaitlin did just that! She was keeping everyone entertained by crawling around in the middle of the circle. She was also shaking her head "no" while she was crawling which made her a little dizzy and she ended up falling over herself a bit and then laughed when she got up. She's turning into a little ham!

It took me three tries to get a photo of Kaitlin laying down this week, and I was really lucky to get that shot above. Approximately .098593749 seconds later she flipped over and sat up and was shaking her little bear rattle and waving both of her arms furiously. For like, five minutes. Who gave her coffee without offering me some?!

Watch Me Grow - Week Forty Four (and a half)

I can't believe how late I am with this weeks post. I didn't even have a chance to take a photo until yesterday. Yikes! So, this weeks update is more like 44.5 weeks considering she will be 45 weeks old on Saturday (in three days).

Week 44 was a bit challenging in terms of eating solid foods. It appears that Kaitlin is on somewhat of a food strike. There are a few things here and there that she will eat (thank god for oat cakes), but for the most part she just throws everything on the floor. She will usually eat carbs (oat cake, toast, cheerios) and protein (yogurt, turkey meatballs, hamburger, etc) but that's about it. She won't even eat her favorite super ripe bananas. I've had to give her pureed fruits and vegetables at almost every meal, but she doesn't really like eating them from a spoon. I know the whole throwing-everything-on-the-ground is her learning and exploring and pushing boundaries but it's hard not to get frustrated. Especially when I have taken the time to make and cook whole, organic foods for her - and then they end up all over the floor and walls! But every now and again she will surprise me and wolf down everything that I've put on her plate and she is still drinking a ton of formula, so I know she is still getting nutrition.

Also during week forty four Kaitlin had a visitor! Our friend Heather from NY came to visit and Kaitlin - as usual - loved the extra attention. She was a little unsure of her at first, but after a while warmed right up to her. She even let her babysit without any tears! Well, until we got back home - then she was all tears! I don't know if she was crying because she missed us or because we were home...

Notes on Baby Led Weaning (BLW)

Now that we have been doing "real solids" (aka baby led weaning or BLW) for a few months there are a lot of things I have learned. And, in my usual Tracy fashion, of course I have to share with you all (some might say I am a chronic over-sharer). Also, I have had a lot of questions from family and friends about baby led weaning, and I hope these thoughts/tips might help someone else some day.

First off I just want to clarify - baby led weaning is really nothing special. I think its a pretty fancy name for just giving babies table foods instead of purees. Most doctors recommend starting table foods with babies around nine months, so we just got a bit of a head start. So for anyone that has a baby who is 9+ months you are probably learning very similar things. Ok, with that out of the way, here we go...

1. Trust your kid - giving Kaitlin mostly solid foods has taught me, in many ways, to trust her. Trust her? She's not even a year old! What is there to trust her about? Well, it turns out quite a bit. My little squirrel puts A LOT of food in her mouth. C'mon, you've seen her cheeks, she can fit a lot in there. At first I was super concerned about how much she was putting in there. I would try and fish some of the food out, which only made matters worse - she would cough and gag and the food would end up being pushed further back in her mouth. Also, babies choke and cough A LOT. Their gag reflex is super far forward in their mouth/throat, especially compared to an adults. It's like that for a reason, so that they don't choke. Every cough does not mean that they are choking. At first every time she coughed I would tense up and hover right over her asking if she was ok. Again, it didn't make things any better. After much practice, I have learned to trust her and the food she puts in her mouth. I realized that she was actually using the excessive amount of food in her mouth to help break it down (she mashes it together with her tongue and cheeks and the next thing I know she's swallowed it). And all that coughing? Sometimes she's coughing to get a reaction out of me - surprise! To a seven month old making a coughing noise is REALLY exciting and fun. What a hoot. I still watch over her like a hawk and don't leave her alone with food just in case something does happen, but I have learned to relax and trust her more when she's eating.

2. Food needs to be really, really soft - Once Kaitlin got the hang of eating solid foods I had a field day. I was giving her everything under the sun. And then I started noticing that she wasn't really eating that much. Sure, she would chew and play with the food, but I found most of it on the floor or in the pocket of her bib. Even tried and true favorites weren't being ingested. At first I thought it was a phase, then I thought it was because she was eating too much formula and wasn't hungry enough. Finally I realized that her food wasn't soft enough. I was so excited that she was eating "adult foods" that I stopped cooking them as long, so they were more firm and harder for her to eat. It wasn't that she didn't want to eat it's just that she couldn't. I was cooking food for my taste rather than hers. Once I started cooking foods to her taste - soft enough for you to mush it between your fingers - her appetite magically returned.

*I know the whole premise of BLW is to feed your babies the same foods that you and your family eat. And that's true, but you have to make sure it is adapted for babies. Making sure foods are soft enough for them to eat also makes sure that they won't choke on anything too firm. And remember - you have a full set of teeth, they don't*

3. Its OK to give them baby food at the same time - Around the same time that Kaitlin stopped eating as much as she usually did (see above) I panicked and started giving her pureed baby food. I wanted to make sure she was still getting some solids in her tummy -  not to mention that she is crawling and climbing like a maniac and burning a lot of calories. At first I actually felt like a failure - sounds extreme but it's true. I guess it's like any parenting "goal" - you start off with the best of intentions and when it doesn't work out perfectly you get disappointed. But as I started giving her pureed baby food I actually found that she started eating even more solids than she used to - which was great. I usually keep a few pureed vegetables on hand in case she isn't eating as much or if a new food is a bust (let's just say it took eight tries to actually get her to eat broccoli rather than throw it on the floor). Back when I was only giving her purees I had such a hard time of it because she always wanted to grab and play with the spoon. But since her hands are already occupied with solid food I can easily swoop in there with a bit of puree and she gobbles it up. And I don't limit it to pureed baby food - now that she can have dairy I also do it with yogurt, which she LOVES, and have even done it with hummus.

4. Try spice - One thing that I keep reading over and over again is that you should offer your baby a wide variety of foods with different tastes, textures and smells, so that they don't become picky eaters. Once I know that Kaitlin likes a certain food (say oatmeal or hummus for example) I like to mix it up and add variation by adding some spice. Now I add cinnamon to her oatmeal, paprika to her hummus and pepper to her chicken - just as a few examples. I'm not adding crazy amounts of chili powder or curry sauce but just enough to kick it up a notch and turn an otherwise boring food into something fun!

5. Don't force it - Let's face it, some days are awesome, some days are not so awesome. As frustrating as it is when I fix a meal for Kaitlin and all she does is throw it around the room and mush it into her highchair, I have stopped trying to "force" her to eat. It's not fun for her and it's not fun for me. I don't want to create a negative connotation with eating either. So if she's having an off meal/day and not wanting to eat that much I try not to force it. I think this is a tip I am going to have to pull out as she gets older and busier and less willing to eat. Gotta love those toddle years, right?

6. Keep it interesting, but keep favorites on hand for difficult days - As I mentioned in #4 there is a big emphasis on feeding your baby new and exciting foods. I try to mix things up for Kaitlin as often as I can. I even buy foods that I would never think to eat myself, such as papaya. One thing I have to keep in mind is that it can take up to ten times for a baby/child to start eating a new food. She isn't going to like and eat every new thing that I put on her plate, even if it's as simple as pasta. I like to keep some of her tried and true favorites on hand for days when the new food on the block doesn't make the cut. I always make sure to have ripe bananas at the ready and a big tub of oatmeal in the cupboard.

7. Water can help - Kaitlin LOVES to drink. Long gone are the days (thank you lord) when I had to struggle to get her to finish her bottle. Especially now that she is so active she loves to have little sips of water in between meals. I started giving her water at meal time to help to her swallow and digest the food. Many babies don't need any additional fluids besides their normal feedings of formula/breast milk. But I find that it helps Kaitlin get down that mouth full of hamburger that she has managed to pack in there. A lot of times her cheeks will be exploding with food and I'll offer her some water. The next thing I know she has drank half of her sippy cup and all of the food is gone and she's ready for more. Without the water she would sit there and struggle to get all the food down for another ten minutes.

8. Food doesn't have to be fresh - Frozen foods might just become your best friend. The reason I like frozen foods for babies is because when they defrost they are usually pretty mushy. Frozen broccoli and butternut squash are favorites of mine because I can quickly heat some up for Kaitlin, without having to prep and cook the entire vegetable. Berries not in season where you are? Defrost some strawberries or blueberries and there you go! Often times these foods are frozen during their peak season so vitamins and minerals are locked in. Nowadays you can get almost any fruit or vegetable in the frozen food section and find an organic version as well - bonus! I can't tell you how many times I have had fruit and veggies go bad waiting for Kaitlin to eat them - remember she only eats a couple of TABLESPOONS at a time. I will also prepare a full recipe of hamburgers, meatballs, pancakes, etc and freeze all the extras. That way I can pull out one or two at a time and quickly reheat them for her meal. The more time I can save while still giving my baby wholesome, nutritional and organic foods, the better.

9. It has encouraged me to eat more healthy and whole foods - There are a lot of foods that I want to feed Kaitlin that would be so easy to just pick up at the store and give to her. Since she can't have salt and I am trying to keep as many chemicals out of her food as I can, I have learned to take the hard route to preparing her food - ie making it myself. I have started making sauces and dips at home. I try and cook dinners without added salt so she can have leftovers the next day. I'm making soups and stews more often. I am buying organic red meat and chicken (as often as I can), as well as fruits and vegetables. I know - it sound expensive, right? Especially when you add in all those organic items. But it in the end I haven't found it THAT much more expensive. Turns out, when you cut out all (ok, ok - most) of the other stuff you end up saving a lot of money. I have even started making my own hummus at home. That way I know exactly what is going into her little, growing body and for once I know exactly what's going into mine.

I tried coming up with a final, tenth tip but just couldn't do it. And besides, this post is long enough already don't you think?!

Do you have any tips for feeding your baby/toddler whole foods? I'd love some new recipes and tips for after Kaitlin's first year!

The Ninth Month

If the eighth month was the month of smiles, I would have to say that the ninth month has been the month of tears. In general Kaitlin is still a happy baby - lots of laughs, smiles and babbling. However this month she has really started showing a broader range of emotions, which include being sad and frustrated. 

She has been perfecting her crawling and can now get anywhere she wants to go very quickly. She loves exploring different rooms of the house and zooms around all the time. She has also started cruising along furniture and standing on her own. The longest she has stood on her own is about 10 seconds, and she managed to sit down without holding onto anything. Just the other day, while Skyping with my parents and grandparents, Kaitlin stood up on her own without holding onto anything or anyone. She knew she had done something exciting because she started smiling and laughing right away.

With all of these amazing developments comes many (many) bumps and bruises as well as frustration. Often times she will practice crawling, walking with a box, and standing up over and over and over again. She always tires herself out but will continue to practice. This is when the most bumps and bruises happen as she tends to fall a lot more. Most times a little song or dance can distract her from the pain, but sometimes the only thing that will do is cuddling with mom or dad and lots of kisses. For a few weeks there she practically had a permanent red mark on her forehead and I imagine she had a headache or two.

We have also seen the development of separation anxiety over the last month. It is wonderful that I am able to stay home with Kaitlin full time. However that means that she hardly ever is cared for by someone other than her dad and I. She is used to having me around all the time. At her nine month checkup at the doctors yesterday she gave me some tips and tricks to help deal with separation anxiety that I can't wait to try. But I do feel bad for the first babysitter that has to watch her during the day without us around ;) Now that I've said that though I'm sure she will be absolutely fine and forget that I even exist!

The doctor gave Kaitlin a great review at her check up on Tuesday, saying she was very advanced in the crawling/cruising development. She measures 28" long and 16lbs 11oz - so still on the tall and skinny side. Her weight put her back down into the lower percentiles but the doctor said she wasn't worried as it was fairly normal for kids to drop a bit at this age and especially since she is SO active. We just have to keep on feeding her lots of food (good thing avocado, salmon and yogurt are some of her favs - very calorie, fat and nutrient dense!) and continue with the formula feedings as normal. And the best thing about yesterdays visit - no shots!!

This month wasn't all about tears though - we also had a lot of fun! Kaitlin got to meet one of my closest friends and they became life long pals. She learned how to climb up the stairs and went on her first bike ride! She also said her first word - Dada! At first she said it without any meaning, but now we are starting to think that she knows who Dada really is. Sometimes when Brian goes over to her to play she will say, "DADA!" But then she also rambles on and on all day long with, "dadadadadadadadada" Soooo....who knows :) I'm still working on "mama" but so far no luck. When the weather is nice we are usually at the playground. Kaitlin loves to go on the swing and has even started exploring the jungle gym. We have to get in as much outdoor time as we can before the crazy hot summer is here!

A couple things I have learned...

You can baby proof your home little by little...

Did you happen to watch this years Valentine's Day episode of Modern Family? Gloria and Jay's new baby boy is barely six weeks old and they were already having the house completely baby proofed. Sure, it was all part of the story line to hinder Jay and Gloria's return to...sexual relations...but it got me thinking - you really don't need to do it all at once, and certainly not when the baby is so little!

Sure, you can even baby proof your whole house the minute your little one starts rocking on her hands and knees in preparation to crawl. But it really isn't necessary. As soon as we got back to Texas from our holiday in New York we went out an bought a handful of baby gates. We didn't end up putting them up for almost a month. The truth is it takes babies a while to get the hang of these big milestones like crawling and walking. The first items you'll probably need to baby proof are electrical outlets and the stairs/off limits rooms in your house. So yes, baby gates and outlet plugs wil probably be the first thing you buy when baby proofing the house. But all of these "baby proof" items tend to be pretty "adult proof" as well, and they can be a pain in the tush. Of course I want our daughter to be as safe as possible so I am going to do everything in my power to do so, but if I can save myself a few weeks of frustration I'm going to do it. Even now - a month after Kaitlin started crawling - we only have one baby gate up as she never really left the family room where all of her toys are. Now that she is comfortable crawling away from us and into other rooms by herself it is finally time to put a few more gates up so that she stays safe. I have also refrained from putting little locks and guards on our kitchen cabinets and bathroom doors. She isn't strong enough to open them yet and I don't even know if she realizes that they open and there are fun "toys" in there. Sure, that day will come soon enough, but in the mean time I'm giving our bank account and my to-do list a little break by only buying and installing what we need at the moment.

*one thing that is very important - but many people might not think of it - to do as soon as your baby can pull themselves up to standing is to anchor any and all bookshelves, dressers and large pieces of furniture to the wall so that they don't accidentally tip it over on top of them. Anchor kits are minimal in price and can save your child's life*

A call (or visit) to your pediatrician can do wonders for your sanity...

I cannot stress enough how important it is to find a doctor that you like and trust. They should, and will, become your go-to person whenever there is something wrong with your baby. When Kaitlin was really little I used to go in every couple of weeks then couple of months (in between our scheduled well check ups) and get her weight checked. Part of the visit was for the actual weight check but I also always had a million questions for the doctor and she could help answer them for me. I walked out of her office after a ten or fifteen minute visit and often felt a hundred times better than I did when I walked in there. Likewise, if you don't want to schlep down to your doctors office, most times they have a nurse on call that you can speak to. When Kaitlin started rolling over in her crib but she was still in her swaddle I didn't know what to do. I didn't think it warranted an office visit but I still wanted to talk to our pediatrician and get her advice. I spoke to one of the nurses, she checked with the doctor and then called me back with her recommendations. Voile - finally I could sleep at night (and so could Kaitlin).

Most recently I was very concerned about how much formula and solid food Kaitlin should be eating. I had read in a couple of places that there was a certain number of ounces that a baby should be eating at her age, and she was eating WAY more than that. I was concerned that she was eating way too much formula and not enough solid foods. (Now, our situation will solid foods is a little different because of the Baby Led Weaning. It is sometimes hard for me to tell how much she is actually ingesting, versus how much gets on the floor/in her bib/hair etc) It had been bothering me for a few weeks and during Kaitlins 9 month check up I spoke to the doctor for a while about formula and solid foods. She made me feel SO much better and realize that I have nothing to worry about. (And it turns out the amount Kaitlin is eating is just fine considering she's such a busy little girl. The doctor advised that as long as she is still eating solids and is interested in eating them then keep on feeding her as much formula as she needs). The thing is that my doctor might say something different than my friends doctor, who might say something different from your doctor - and while this would normally confuse the heck out of me I have decided to trust my doctor completely with the health and safety of our baby girl, so I will always follow her advise. And that helps me sleep at night :)