Real food

Sometime within the next few months, E. will be ready to sample her first solid foods. In anticipation of this event, I have been reading and researching what foods should be introduced first. When you think of baby's first food, you (myself included) probably think of rice cereal. However, I have come across a lot of information that suggests that rice cereal actually isn't the best choice for their first food.

(On a side note, I have also heard it suggested to start a baby on rice cereal as early as 3-4 months, in order to "add substance" to breast milk or formula. During my food research, I have also found out it is better to delay starting baby on solids until 6-7 months old. This article gives a good explanation of why it's better for baby to wait.)

My goal is to start E. with homemade fruit and vegetable purees. I figure purchasing the food and making it at home will be a good way to encourage myself to eat more fruits and vegetables, too. I have realized that if I want my child to grow up to be a healthy eater, then I have to lead by example, and start eating healthier myself - as I munch on a double chocolate chip Subway cookie. Oh boy.

Which brings me to... 100 Days of Real Food. My best friend (we'll call her "O") introduced me to this website, about a family who made a pledge to cut out processed foods from their diet for 100 days. How cool, huh? The website also gives tips on how to do "mini pledges" - week-by-week pledges of cutting out different things, such as artificial sweeteners, ingredients you can't pronounce, refined oils, etc. My friend O. is going to try a 30 day pledge with her family, and I've decided to give it a try too! Starting September 1st, my goal is to follow the Real Food Defined "rules" as to what I should and shouldn't eat. It is going to be quite a challenge, because I loooove me some junk food! But I am determined to change my eating habits and be a better role model, for myself and my family.

4 Months

My little girl is not-so-little anymore! This month, E. weighed in at 16 lb, 10 oz (92%) and 26.5 in (95%). She barely fits into 6 month clothes; I have been buying mostly 9-12 month clothes for her!

E. had a few big accomplishments this month. The first being that she started rolling over! She can (and usually does) roll from her back to her belly whenever she is laid on the floor. Once she is on her belly, she tries so hard to inch herself forward -or backwards- usually without much luck. Then she begins to wail. I think she is so happy that she is finally beginning to be mobile, but frustrated that she still can't do what she wants to do - MOVE! She is one determined little peanut, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if she was crawling (or something resembling it) in a month or two.

Her next big accomplishment has been... going to bed without a swaddle! This feels like more of an accomplishment for C. and I, actually - I had begun to think that we would be driving to her dorm room at college to swaddle her every night! I did some searching on the internet and read some forums about other mommas who swaddled their babies, and how long they did it. The majority said their babies "let them know" they were done being swaddled around 5-6 months, so I figured I had a few months to go. However, a few weeks ago E. started fussing when we swaddled her at night (she usually seemed to really like it; she would calm down if she was fussy or agitated), and a few nights in a row she woke up several times with her arms and/or legs out of the swaddle. I decided that E. was telling us that she didn't need to be swaddled anymore, so we tried putting her to bed without it. The first night was a little rough; she woke up almost every two hours, and I had to go into her room, give her a pacifier, and stroke her while saying "Shhhh" for a few minutes before she would calm down. At times I would barely make it out of her room when she would begin to cry again. But as the week went by, she settled into her brand new sleeping freedom, and these days she wakes up once or twice wanting her pacifier and she will go right back to sleep. It's funny how she went from sleeping through the night very early on, to waking up a few times at night. Well, it's not funny, actually. (Though I bet those of you whose babies didn't sleep through the night early on are not feeling sorry for me at all!) Everyone kept saying, "Enjoy that while it lasts, because it's not going to!" Looks like they were right. *Sad face*

E. is cooing, gurgling, shrieking and smiling like crazy these days! I love it! She is also DROOLING like crazy, which I don't love so much. Bibs are now a permanent wardrobe staple. I totally get those people who say their lives now consist of just sitting around, looking at their baby all day. That's me. She is so entertaining, and she makes me laugh every day. I love her so much!

Summer adventures, Part 2

Our next summer adventure was a trip to the State Fair. This has also been a tradition with my family. Every year that I can remember, we spent a whole day walking around the fairgrounds, looking at all the exhibits and animals, eating tons of "fair food", and begging our parents to buy us a toy from one of the many vendors. We would get to pick out a State Fair t-shirt, and I would always look forward to the pony rides. I hope E. enjoys the fair in the years to come as much as I did growing up!

Rockin' the shades (they lasted about two minutes)

Relaxing in the shade with Gpa N

I could never quite get her to look at the camera

And I think I have it bad nursing one baby!

Enjoying the live band

On a side note, I have never seen so many "Insert Food Here"- On A Stick. There was: Pie on a Stick, Snickers Bar on a Stick, Chocolate Covered Bacon on a Stick (ew!), Deep Fried Cream Cheese on a Stick, Spaghetti and Meatballs on a Stick (don't even ask me how), to name a few...what will they come up with next?!