Random Thought

How freaking weird is it that I have a baby?!



I love him.

Halloweenie Baby & Plans

I cannot believe it's the end of October. Ryan will be HALF A YEAR old in 11 days. I can't believe how fast he's growing! My little boy is currently in his walker in our kitchen talking to his reflection in the dishwasher. We have our 6 month photo session next weekend! My, how he's grown!

Here's Ryan in his giraffe costume and me dressed like a pediatric surgeon (yes I am that specific) at my work's Fall Festival. I work for a large arts & crafts retailer, from now on known as Large Arts and Crafts Retailer since I'm pretty sure it's against our policy to specifically name the company. Anyways, they're good at festivals and such.


Ryan looks tired and annoyed because he was woken up from a nap and was ready for a bottle. Plus, all the loud music, people gawking and touching him was a bit overwhelming. Even though time is flying by, I am very much looking forward to the next couple of months.

In about three weeks, we're taking a road trip to Chicago to visit our family and friends. While I'm a little nervous about the prospect of taking a 6.5 month old on such a long trip, we plan on stopping in Memphis and I'm excited since I've never been. Plus I know once we get there, we'll have a great time and I miss Chicago. We will get home 2 days after Thanksgiving which means that we can break out the Christmas decorations!

Oddly, on my busiest year to date (what with having a baby and all), I am already 95% DONE Christmas shopping! I have two more gifts to buy and then Paul and I will shop for each other. It was pretty easy since I am a genius and started deferring some of my paycheck to a separate checking account. So I've been having a lot of fun being able to shop and not feel like I'm draining our account. It also made it a whole lot stressful this year. The only two people I have left to buy for are Paul's dad and Paul's sister's boyfriend (probably soon to be fiancee). Next, we get to decorate and bake cookies and enjoy our growing boy through the holidays! I'm doubtful that we'll do Christmas cards this year. With stamps being nearly 50 cents a pop plus the cost of cards, it just seems like a waste. For the record, I love Christmas cards and enjoy receiving them. I just don't enjoy paying $20 for cards and then shelling out another $20 in stamps. We'll see.

Coming up: My Day in the Life Project. I've been working on this for my internet group of friends and it's taking forever. I've gotten to see the life of a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, a stay at home mom to 5 (FIVE!!) boys, a first time mom in Michigan and several others. It's so fun to see how different we all are, yet have so much in common. I intend to post mine here as well, so be on the lookout for that hopefully sometime in the next week!

Adventures in Babysitting....I mean Baby Food Making

As promised, here are the results of my latest attempt to make Ryan organic, homemade baby food. I had previously made apples (delicious) and sweet potatoes (not delicious to mommy, but Ryan loved them). So I was pretty confident about making more sweet potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash.

I started with the carrots. My husband helped me peel them. I got a gigantic bag at Sprouts since you can't get them at the farmer's market this time of the year. I spent $4.99 for a 5 lb bag of organic carrots. There were tons of carrots. We stupidly tried to put the peels down the garbage disposal, which worked for awhile until it got clogged. And then we spent the next two days trying to fix it. Anyways, we took turns peeling and slicing. We ended up with two tupperware containers full of little carrot medalions.


I made Paul run out to the store and get me a steamer. I didn't have one and this one was $20 and does the trick just fine. I couldn't fit all of the carrots in at once to cook evenly (there were A LOT), so I had to do two sessions of about 40 minutes each. Here they are just cooking away:


Anyways, they were easy to puree. I have a stick blender, also known as an immersion blender. I think I may have mentioned it before. I swear it's as old as I am, but works like a dream. I'll spare you the picture of the pureed carrots because it looks like bright orange poo, but here is a picture after all is said and done and they're frozen blocks of food waiting to be eaten:


Ryan tried them and was iffy. He's been spoiled by bananas, apples, peaches, pears, raspberries, etc, and likes sweets. Which I think is why he loves sweet potatoes so much. Those are easy peasy to make. I did the same thing as last time. Washed 'em, forked 'em, wrapped 'em, baked 'em, and pureed 'em. Here, it actually looks halfway appetizing (I hate sweet potatoes):


These bake up beautifully in about an hour. I let them cool, unwrap them and roughly break them apart like so:


Again, sparing you the view of pureed sweet potatoes. Ryan loves them. I took the leftovers from last time to my mom's even though they're in no danger of expiring. These things can stay frozen for 2 to 3 months. I now have a gallon sized freezer bag full of carrots, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the butternut squash. I really should have, as it was the most interesting of the three to make. I got two at the Farmer's Market. They were a bit pricier at $4 for one squash, so I spent $8. I learned a valuable lesson: the squash really needs to be ripe for it to taste good. One squash was perfect. Beautiful buttery orange color after cooked...even tasted pretty yummy. I cut them in half lengthwise and sprinkled cinnamon on them. Then I placed them face down in a couple of inches of water and baked for about an hour. One squash was awesome. The other.....well, it wasn't quite ripe. I pureed it anyways and let Ryan try it. I'm not sure he was a fan. He likes butternut squash from the jar, but I think mine was a bit tart for him. I plan to mix it with some apples, which he should like.

So that's my latest venture in baby food. This one was a bit pricey, but I have a ton of food that should last a really long time. The only thing is that it's all orange and I can't feed it to him everyday, lest he turn orange. I don't think I'll ever be the mom that feeds her baby homemade food exclusively, much like I never exclusively gave him breastmilk, but every little bit helps and mine is much chunkier than the jarred stuff, so he's getting some texture too.

Now off to make my dinner! And it certainly won't be pureed!

Feeling Sorry (for myself)

I have a gigantor blog post in the works about baby food. As you all know, I've been making my own baby food since Ryan started eating it. Anyways, I spent the entire weekend cooking up a storm...sweet potatoes, carrots, and butternut squash (and also managed to attend a party and do 6 loads of laundry) and have plenty of pictures to show for it. I'll work on that tonight.

But for now....I'm feeling sorry for myself. Poor me.

A few weeks ago, my right big toe looked infected. I had been having significant pain in my toe for a few months that I had been ignoring. I finally sucked it up and went to the doctor only for them to give me a prescription for an antibiotic and send me to a podiatrist. The podiatrist (who billed my insurance $700, of which $364 I am responsible for) performed surgery and the pain is gone. It was a badly ingrown toenail. However, despite following his instructions and having been on antibiotics as well as putting an antibiotic ointment on my toe, my toe appears to be infected.

Also, another fun issue: my left toe now hurts like my right one did. I am terrified I need surgery on it as well. It hurts to walk. I tried digging the ingrown toenail out last night, but that only resulted in me waking up at 4 AM to a throbbing toe. I don't want surgery for a couple of reasons: 1. It's surgery and not fun. 2. It fucking hurts to get a shot in your toe. 3. The aftermath is gross. 4. I am not made of money.

Really, it's the money. The way our insurance works is that we have a family fund of $600 that my company pays for. Everything comes out of that. Preventive care is free, so pap smears, flu shots, Ryan's well visits, all free and don't affect the $600. However, since Ryan had a few issues early on and we went to the ped, we've exhausted our $600. After we exhaust that, we pay the contracted rate out of pocket (hence, my $364 mentioned above) until we reach our individual deductible (which is like $1000) and then we pay the traditional 80/20%. So we've exhausted our $600 already and I know I owe Dr. Drunk (did I mention the podiatrist seemed wasted every time I saw him?) all that money. Thankfully, we have $1200 in FSA dollars, but we've already used $400 plus Paul needs new glasses PLUS it has to last until May. Fuck.

Anyways, I just read a post on Lammytown about a 15 day old baby having heart surgery. My toe problems are so insignificant.

Tis the season....for pie

I never liked Thanksgiving as a kid. My parents were divorced and I never spent Thanksgiving with my dad. Which I suppose was fair since I spent Christmas with him until I was about 15 and then with both of my parents again. Anyways, I always thought Thanksgiving was a stupid holiday. Since I spent it with my mom, we would have Thanksgiving at her house and then we'd go visit her extended family and she'd try and force me to wear a dress using peer pressure and trying to convince me that my cousin Stephanie aaaaaalways wore a dress. Until the year she didn't.

Anyways, I didn't start really enjoying Thanksgiving until I was a teenager and my parents' relationship changed. As an adult, I like it a lot. It marks the beginning of the holiday season. And more importantly, the season of pie. I love making pies. They are easy and I have had more success making pies than cake. Every year, I try to make 3 or 4 pies for Thanksgiving. This year, since we'll be in Chicago for Thanksgiving, I won't be making pies. I did, however, get to make one for a little get together we went to this weekend.

Paul's friend from work, Frank, had a 25 lb turkey. I'm not sure WHY he had the turkey, but he did. He wanted to smoke it. I don't know that I've ever had a smoked turkey until yesterday. It was delicious, by the way. Since we were invited, I whipped up a pie. It was basically an early Thanksgiving dinner and was delicious. Here is my standard go to pie for many occasions. It was given to me by someone at work whose mother has been making this pie for years. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and could be eaten right away, although I prefer to refrigerate it for a few hours.

Banana Split Pie

1 (8oz) cream cheese (softened}

1 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 prepared graham cracker crust

1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple (drained)

2 medium bananas (sliced)

1 (8oz) tub of Cool Whip

12 Maraschino cherries (halved)

Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spoon into crust.

Layer pineapple, then bananas. Top with Cool Whip and cherries. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

And here are some pictures of the pie assembly.
Cream cheese layer:

Pineapple layer:

Banana layer:

cool whip layer:

Final product:

Let me know if you try the pie!

Babywearing

I think I mentioned awhile back that I had rented some carriers from Pax Baby. I am not really a crunchy mama but have always been interested in babywearing. I actually bought a ring sling before Ryan was born but never figured out how to get the stupid thing on, despite watching countless videos on youtube. For me, it seemed like a structured carrier was so much easier. The problem with structured carriers is that you can't buy a decent one anywhere except online. You can buy a Baby Bjorn or Snugli or an Infantino carrier, but according to babywearin' mamas everywhere, those are "crotch danglers" and aren't good for the baby.

So...if you want to babywear and use something other than a sling, you need to be prepared to shell out anywhere from $85 to $150 for a good one that will last forever.

Anyways, I got the Boba Organic in the mail a couple of weeks ago. Pax Baby lets you rent a carrier for two weeks for $9. A great option if you're new to babywearing and want to try one out before committing. It's brown and comes with stirrups for taller babies to rest their little legs and a hood incase it's raining.

Things I liked:

• It's organic and made from Texas cotton and made in the good ol' US of A.
• It's extremely comfortable.
• Easy to put on - snaps around your waist and across your back or chest depending on if you're wearing the baby in the front or back.
• Designed so that baby isn't dangling
• Able to be used by multiple people of varying sizes without a lot of work

Things I didn't like:

• While the Boba is designed for babies 15 lbs and up, it's still a very big carrier. Ryan weighs nearly 20 lbs so I didn't think it would be a problem. Unless you have a very tall baby, 15 lbs is still too small for this carrier, in my opinion.
• Probably due to the above, Ryan's head did not come all the way out, his mouth was in line with the top of the carrier.
• Ryan just plain didn't like it. I tried it with him in front and in back and he cried both times.
• You can't forward face with the Boba.

Overall, it's a great carrier. Just not great for MY family. Ryan hated not being able to see (facing in and on my back or facing in and on my front) and I also think he might have been a little bit hot. Coupled with the fact that he's a bit small for it, I don't think it's the one for us.

You can read about the Boba here. We should be receiving the Beco Gemini any day now and I have high hopes for it. Looking forward to reviewing it after we get to try it out!

Fall

I love fall. It's pretty much my favorite time of the year. Maybe because I grew up in Texas and reaching September 1st was like reaching the end of a finish line, marking the end of summer and 100+ temperatures. Or maybe it's the crisp air and leaves changing. Maybe it's the back to school feeling I still get even though I'm 26. I just love fall. I got married in the fall. In fact, Paul and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary on the 12th.

Another reason I love fall: playoff baseball. And this year is really exciting. It's the first time ever that the Texas Rangers have made it past the first round of the playoffs. They're actually leading the series against the Yankees in the ALCS 3-1 (soon to be 3-2, unfortunately). I was never a big baseball fan before moving to Chicago. I thought it was boring, long, hot, and a form of punishment. Now that I've been watching for the last 6 years or so, I appreciate it and love going to games as well as just watching it at home. I haven't updated in awhile because that's pretty much all I've been doing: watching baseball. I'm watching it now. And now for Game 6 on Friday. Come on, Rangers!

Anyways, I'm reading Valley of the Dolls. Again. I just really like the story and I wish that there was a sequel. I know it isn't the classiest of books to read, but it's a guilty pleasure. It's my mom's book, actually. I like having something of her's with me.

Halloween is just around the corner and I'm excited! I was finally able to get Ryan's costume from my dear friend Amy. It is so cute! It's a giraffe from TCP and I don't think they sell it anymore. I haven't seen too many people saying they're kid is dressing up as a giraffe anywhere online, so he will be unique. It's a great costume and is excellent quality. It's fur and has a little giraffe hood and giraffe booties. I absolutely cannot WAIT to take his picture in it. I can't believe October is already over halfway gone. November is coming fast.

November, for us, brings:

• Ryan will be 6 months old! Half a year! How is that possible?!
• Ryan's 6 month photo session with Heather King, photographer extraordinaire.
• Ryan's 6 month pediatrician visit and vaccinations.
• Our road trip to Chicago via Memphis. I am excited about this because I've never been to Arkansas or Tennessee, so it'll be a new experience. Also, Ryan's first road trip. Should be interesting!
• Finally, Thanksgiving and the beginning of the holiday season

In other news, the beginning of the holiday season marks the beginning of "Peak" at work for my department. It's my first time at the rodeo, and I'm both excited and scared. I know it'll be fine, but I also know that there are several late nights ahead of me and that December through March will be a blur. It seems impossible right now that 4 months of my life will fly by without me noticing, but I know that's what I should expect.

Anyways, I am losing control of my house and should probably do something about the dishes in the sink, laundry piles in our bedroom and laundry room, and toys in the living room. But I'll probably just watch tv or read instead. I make grown up choices!

New Places, New Faces

One of the hard parts about being a mom is finding other mom friends. Because it you're like me, you only have one friend in real life who has a baby and said friend lives kind of far away. And you don't want to become THAT friend who can only talk to her other babyless friends about her kid.

That's where the internet comes in! I had the pleasure of meeting some of my online friends today at a park in Coppell. All of these women have babies that are close to Ryan's age. Ryan is the oldest baby, but not by much. Although we don't have a ton in common otherwise, there were a few things. We were kind of split down the middle. Two SAHMs, two working moms. Two boys and two girls. Two FTMs and two moms with older kids who were the same age. It was fun and the park was nice. October in Texas is pleasant. Here's a picture of all the babies.


This weekend has been a busy one. Before my Lammytown park meetup, I went to visit a friend (Lindsay) from work and her 11 day old baby, Isabella. I'd forgotten what it's like to have a baby that small. Ryan was that small once and it just doesn't seem possible that he was ever that tiny! We had a nice talk and I am very much looking forward to when she returns to work.

So Ryan and I were gone a lot today and he did great! He slept on the way to Lindsay's and then on the way home and continued to nap in his crib while I ran out for gas and ate a sandwich. Then he was just quiet and happy on the way to the park. On the way home from the park, however, it was bad. Oh, was it bad. I've NEVER heard him make those kinds of sounds, so I had to pull over about a mile from our house and sit in the front seat with him and calm him down. I'm bad mommy...the sun was in his eyes the whole way home and he was hungry. I stupidly only packed one bottle. So we got home and Paul took over. My S.I. joint is screaming in protest because I held Ryan for much of the day. So I'm relaxing on the couch watching the Rangers post game with Paul now. Ryan's sacked out from all the excitement today and I'm hoping will not wake up playing at 5 AM.

We ordered Alfredo's for dinner and it just got here, so I'm going to enjoy my lasagna and watch the Phillies game. I'm cheering for the Giants.

Good Weekend

It seems like Friday night was yesterday. The weekend went by so fast!

Friday night, I stayed up until 10:30!!! Which is late for me. It was awesome. I vegged out in my bed and watched dvr'd Grey's, 90210, and Project Runway. And I still have dvr'd House and The Event and another 90210 to watch!

Saturday, I blissfully woke up at 7:30 and realized Paul was awake too. I love it when we wake up at the same time and spend a few minutes just snuggling without talking. We got up around 7:40 and went to breakfast. I had french toast with scrambled eggs and bacon and coffee. It was awesome. After breakfast, we had intended to go to the Coppell Farmer's Market like we usually do. We swung by CVS to pick up my 'scrip and came home. Once we got back home, we didn't want to leave again, so we hung out at home doing whatever. I took a nice long nap.

We made plans to meet up with Kim and Doug at Buffalo Wild Wings to drink beer and catch the Rangers game (sadly, they lost). Kim is my internet friend from Lammytown and I was very anxious to meet her. Her daughter, Avery, is slightly younger than Ryan and so we have lots to talk about. We had a great time. We got there at about 3:30 and sat in the bar. Kim and Doug came in around 3:40 and we all drank and ate and had a great time. Before we knew it, 5 hours had passed and it was 8:30. Kim's husband bought a few rounds of shots, so we were pretty tipsy. I had to quit drinking because I know my limits and Paul didn't want to be rude and refuse the shots, so I had to make sure I could drive. We had a great time and I'm glad we've made new friends. They live so far away, though! I'm looking forward to hanging out more often.

Anyways, I drove us home and felt awful. I don't do well with alcohol. It's all fun and games at first, but then it almost always takes a turn for the worse after I get home. So we got home and my head was pounding. I washed my face and took some ibuprofen for my headache and tried to lay down, but the room was spinning. So I laid on my side in agony and made my husband stay by my side. I always know when I'm gonna puke, so I went ahead and got up and went into the bathroom. It was quick and although I threw up my entire dinner and beer, I felt sooooo much better afterwards. So I took a little nap from about 10 to 12:30 and then got up and ate a bowl of cereal and internetted for awhile before going back to bed.

Today, Paul and I again both woke up at the same time, around 7:30. We didn't have any creamer for the coffee, so Paul made a Starbucks run while I made us eggs, sausage, and toast. We ate breakfast together and then Paul went to the grocery store while I did the dishes and laundry. I managed to get that baby food I made out of the ice cube trays, so Ryan has yams and apples to chow down on whenever. We decided to go shopping, so we got dressed and headed to World Market and Macy's. I got several Christmas presents and a birthday present for my mom. Now we're hanging out watching the Rangers game.

I am picking up Ryan in about 20 minutes and I can't wait! I haven't seen him in nearly 48 hours and I miss him so much! So we'll spend the afternoon playing and then before I know it, it'll be bedtime and the start of a new work week.

We had a wonderful weekend together. And to top it off, today is Ryan's 5 month birthday!

Baby's Weekend Out

Ryan is gone for the weekend. He's spending the weekend with my mom and Diane a couple of hours away at Rainbow Ranch. They have a nice camper they keep there and he'll stay with them tonight, tomorrow, and will return home Sunday.

I was elated when my mom said they were leaving tonight instead of tomorrow morning. I thought of all the things I wanted to do this weekend that were easier to do sans baby. Like sleep past 6 AM. Which is the real reason I was so excited my mom was taking him tonight. It prevented the inevitable "Who has to get up early with him" discussion between my husband and I.

But now that he's gone, I have a little lump in my throat and I'm sad that he's not just in the other room snoozing. I know he is safe. I know he will not be unhappy. I know he will be well cared for. But I miss him. I spent 10 extra minutes rocking him after he had fallen asleep last night just because I wanted to SEE him. I only get a couple hours a day with him before he goes to bed and I miss him. I insisted on rocking him again tonight because I knew it would be the last time for a couple of days. It will be less than 48 hours that I won't see him, which isn't THAT long, and I still rocked him long after he was asleep. I miss him. I love him. I wish I got more time with him.

I'm switching gears now before I call my mom in a panic and demand that she bring him home right away even though she's only been gone half an hour. Here are the things I am looking forward to this weekend:

• Sleeping past 6 AM - 6 AM is an awesome wake up time during the week. Ryan wakes around 6, eats a bottle, and we're out the door by 6:40. Unfortunately, babies don't recognize the difference between weekdays and weekends. I am dreading daylight savings.
• Drinking alcohol and watching baseball - Now, I could do this (and have done this) with Ryan present, but the Texas Rangers have the potential to sweep the 1st round of the playoffs tomorrow, so I'm drinking a big beer. Maybe two! And I'm making Paul drive us home.
• Meeting my internet friend, Kim. Meeting people from the internet has proved to be a good thing for me. I am excited to meet Kim.
• Shopping - hard to do with a baby. Easy to do with a Christmas checking account full of money!
• Staying up late - I am typically in bed by 9:00. I am excited to stay up and watch as much Netflix as my eyes can handle!

My husband is making me a nice bowl of Kraft macaroni & cheese and we're watching the Phillies game. I'm going to try and not think about my little one and enjoy my quality time with my husband, which is long overdue.

Adventures in Babyfood

So, as I previously mentioned, I made some pureed yams and apples. Here they are in their trays waiting to be frozen:


Now, to get them out of the trays! A friend suggested setting them in some warm water to loosen them, so I plan to try that tonight. Hopefully that goes well because we're almost out of store bought food and Ryan is going away for the weekend with my mom and will need them!

Speaking of...Ryan is going for the entire weekend with my mom and her partner to their campground where they have their Airstream. I'm excited! I've been without him for one night before but this will be the whole weekend! And, Paul and I will be celebrating our 3rd anniversary on Monday, so this weekend is anniversary weekend and it sure will be nice to be baby free! Who knows what we'll do, probably something crazy like sleep in and go grocery shopping!

Here are my two favorite guys just hanging out:



Upcoming information: I got my first baby carrier in the mail, the Boba Organic 2G and will be reviewing it shortly after I get a chance to use it a few times. I am also looking forward to receiving my Beco Gemini to try out, so I'll be reviewing that one as well.

Tired.

I know everyone says weekends are too short, but seriously, they are. How is it that two days on the weekend fly by but Tuesday and Wednesday at work are not equally fast? We had a good weekend. Yesterday, we headed out to the Coppell Farmer's Market and bought lots of goodies. As I mentioned previously, I wanted to try my hand at making my own baby food, which I did Saturday. I baked 3 yams and boiled 3 apples. Ryan got to taste the yams while they were fresh after they had cooled and he loved them. Haven't had a chance to try the apples yet. I love the stick blender my stepmom gave me. She found it in her house, unopened, unused, and circa 1989. Works like a champ! Currently, I'm trying to figure out how to get the frozen cubes to pop out of the ice cube trays. I got one out. One out of 3 trays. Not one tray. One cube. I gave up and put them back in the freezer. Ryan can survive on a few more days of store bought organic fruit and veggies. But, I'm pretty proud of myself. And the juice from the boiled down apples was mighty tasty! Saturday evening, Paul and I cooked a frozen pizza and vegged out.

Today was quite busy. It was my day to sleep in, so I slept until about 7:30 and then got up to join my boys in the living room. Ryan took a short nap and I decided that today was a day to get out of the house. Ryan isn't a homebody. I know it sounds crazy to say that an infant likes to get out, but he does! We all got dressed and headed to my mom's house. We passed Diane's parents' house on the way and dropped by to say hello. They are both elderly and so love to see Ryan. They are from Cuba and while both speak perfect English, there's something about them fawning over Ryan in Spanish that tugs at my heartstrings. We got to my mom's and forced them out of their lazy Sunday plans of doing nothing and all went to the pond. We took all 4 doggies and had a great time. Riley got away from Diane (he's a runner, that one) and my mom got to take a nice sprint to catch him. Other than that, it was uneventful. I am so glad fall is here. We got to bundle little Ryan up and push him while we all watched Baxter and Clyde frolic in the water with the ducks nearby. After we went to the pond, we went back to my mom's and had an impromptu lunch of tomato basil soup and sandwiches with iced tea. My mom and I headed to Walmart after that to pick up the 2nd and 3rd secondary carseats. I wanted to make my very own babylegs, so we got some socks and made them (pictures to follow). I can't wait to try them on Ryan! We all decided we wanted some pizza, so Paul went to Pizza Patron and picked up a couple of pizzas.

And since then, we've been bumming around at home. Ryan appears to be teething. Crying uncontrollably, red cheeks, drooling so much that his shirt is soaked. We took him for a walk around our neighborhood and didn't hear a peep from him until we came back inside and the screaming commenced. Thankfully, he's in bed sleeping now and mommy can rest.

We are tired tonight.

Breastfeeding

I have a lot of strong opinions on breast feeding. I never for one second thought I would be a formula feeding mama. I figured everything would happen as it should and live would be great. Fast forward to actually HAVING the baby and everything changes.

I think breastfeeding is great. I think it's healthiest for the baby. I think it's a great thing if you want to/are able to do it. I do not like the breastfeeding crazies, though. I read on a babycenter message board recently that a mom has taught her kids to say "yuck" and make yucky faces when they go down the formula/disposable diapers aisle. I think that's just awful. Formula is a good alternative to breastmilk and it's just so sad that women are put down constantly for their need or choice to use formula and not breastfeed.

Also, what's with all the women who are still breastfeeding their 2 year olds? I'm sorry, but that is WEIRD. It's WEIRD that your kid has teeth and can come up to you and pull your shirt down for a quick drink while at the park. It's not a water fountain! I also find it bizarre that many breastfed kids need to nurse to fall asleep. I'm not talking about getting breastmilk from a bottle. I'm talking about kids who are on pure boob, no bottle. And must suck on boob to fall asleep. At what point DON'T they need to nurse to fall asleep? Ryan never gets a bottle at bedtime. His last bottle is anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour before he goes to bed. I mean, at what point should mamas stop nursing? I personally think 1 year is good. Babies can't go on whole milk until 1 year, so obviously it would either be breastmilk or formula along with solids. I just think that once it isn't the main source of nutrition, it's time to quit. Maybe I'm biased because we are a formula feeding family. I don't know that I'll even give breastfeeding a try next time around.

End rant. And yes, I am extremely judgmental.

We took Ryan to the farmer's market this morning. It's finally fall and we all wore long sleeves. We had a great time. I'm so sad that the farmer's market isn't year round. I love going and getting our organic and locally grown produce, breads, pasta, etc. We got a lot of great stuff this time! Chicken tamales, tortilla chips, flour tortillas, summer squash, apples, yams, spicy sausages, block cheese, and greek yogurt. I had a wonderful almond croissant while Paul had pain au chocolate (as he is allergic to almonds). We strolled and browsed and admired our fellow families with babies and dogs.

I am starting my adventure in homemade baby food. Ryan has been eating either Gerber Organic or Earth's Best solids. He's tried carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, peas, and bananas. We picked up some apples, squash, and yams to make him some homemade (and organic, AND locally grown!) baby food. The sweet potatoes are cooling now waiting for me to puree them and the apples are simmering away on the stove with a touch of vanilla extract added. It smells wonderful.

I also wanted to try out babywearing. My mom so graciously made me a faux sleepywrap that I never could figure out how to use and I didn't like the ring sling I had either. I bought an Infantino carrier, and it works okay, but I know it isn't what's best for Ryan and for both of our comfort levels. I found this website, PaxBaby. They have a carrier/sling rental program so you can find what you like before committing to such a large purchase. I rented the Beco Gemini and Boba Baby Carrier 2G to try out. I also thought about the Olives & Applesauce but decided two would be a good start. I really want to have something easy and comfortable for our Thanksgiving trip to Chicago. And something that both Paul and I can wear, as well as my mom, because those suckers aren't cheap! I plan on reviewing them both. Hopefully they'll arrive this week and I can make my decision with enough time to get one in before Thanksgiving.

Well, I'm going to puree those sweet potatoes now. We'll see how it all turns out!