Homemade Baby Food

I decided pretty early on that I wanted to make Gabriel's baby food. The pros outweigh the cons in my opinion. It's fresher, more nutritious, without additives & fillers, and often times cheaper. Ready-made baby foods are heated to very high temperatures in order to withstand a longer shelf life but this destroys many of the natural flavors, aromas and key nutrients (credit: The Best Homemade Baby Food on the Planet). On the down side, it does take more time than swiping jars off the store shelf and it requires more planning to take on-the-go.

After cooking the fruit or vegetable by steaming or baking it, I would let it cool down and puree it using my Ninja Master Prep blender {thanks, Mom & Dad W!}. To get the right consistency for the stage Gabe was at, I would mix in a little water or Bmilk. My Ninja came with 5 different containers and lids. It worked perfectly for making baby food, and I've also used it to make mixed berry sorbet & soups, too!

For freezing, I used OXO Tot Baby Food Freezer Trays {thanks, Mom!}. I also used them for stockpiling my freezer stash of Bmilk in Gabriel's first few months. They come in a set of 2, and each tray holds fourteen (14) 3/4-ounce cubes. Looking back now, my baby food-making probably would have been more efficient with more than two; it's doable, obviously, just slower because I could only freeze a little at a time. I just cooked a few foods at once and refrigerated the purees until I could get them in the freezer trays, one after another.

Once the cubes were frozen, they easily rocked out of the trays to be stored in freezer bags! Initially I swore by Ziploc brand but quickly realized it would be easier to get a good seal with a slide-lock instead of a zipper you have to pinch all together, especially when you have your arms full with a hungry baby! I switched to Hefty One Zip quart & gallon size freezer bags.

When it came time to introduce Gabriel to meat, I made several chicken & beef combinations with fruits and vegetables. I'll be honest, making meats into baby food intimidated me, but I was determined to give him the freshest, yummiest, most natural things to eat!

Halloween: Gabriel the Greaser

I scoured Pinterest for costume ideas for Gabriel's 1st Halloween and ran some by Perry, but nothing struck us. Then Perry suggested a Greaser. I envisioned the 1950's style- think white t-shirt, leather jacket, cuffed jeans- on our baby... Perfect!! It would be relatively easy to put together, too. My Mom always made (sewed) amazing Halloween costumes for me & my brother, but I gave myself a break on the first one for our first kid. It was more for us to enjoy his cuteness than for him, anyway.

*White onesie- already owned
*Wrangler jeans- already owned (but never worn)
*Leather jacket- harder to find in size 12 months than I expected; ordered on eBay for ~$35 (expensive in my opinion but he's worth it!)
*Converse sneakers- ordered on eBay for ~$20
*Hair- slicked back with gel & a comb
*Hot rod- already owned

Seriously? SO CUTE.

Oh-I dressed up too. It was a Mommy & me date! The poodle skirt I wore was made by my Mom for one of my Halloween costumes (maybe around age 12?)!! It didn't still fit, of course; I cut the elastic waist and a slit down the side to fit it over my mommy-hips, secured it with safety pins, and wore a long sweater to hide my lovely "alterations"!

After taking pictures at our house, we headed to a local park for Trick-or-Treat The Trails. Local businesses, organizations and churches set up tables along a walking path to hand out candy (and brochures).

Love this picture of us.

Grandma // Boo & Nonny // everyone on the trail!

These guys have my ♥

And just for fun... there were two things that Gabriel was not sure he wanted to pose with...

2012 NC State Fair

We missed the 2013 Fair with all the craziness of selling our house. Here are pictures from Gabriel's 1st trip to the Fair! I hope he'll grow up loving it as much as I do!

Looking at all the sights

Not enjoying Mommy's sour pickle...

Top left- artistic angle by Perry; top right- family photo while waiting for the park 'n ride bus; bottom- so happy to help hold the umbrella (the skies opened up in a downpour right after we got on the bus!)

Bye Bella

Ever since we adopted Bella, she has tested us. But how can you not love this face? We did!!

But having three dogs was pushing our limits. 

Our girls in the backyard and the bathroom (during a tornado watch)

Peaceful moments

Since Gabriel was born, we have come to realize we can no longer keep Bella... Her energy, her temperament, her shedding! It broke our hearts to lose her as part of our family but we knew it was the right decision for us and for her. Saying goodbye was hard...

Won't. Sit. Still! Best pictures Perry could get of me & her

Take care, sweet blue-eyed Bella!

Gabriel is 9 Months Old!

Stats
Weight: 21 pounds* (54%)
Length: 29.5 inches (82%)
Head circumference: 45.5cm (52%)
*I don't think his weight is correct. The nurse had Perry put Gabriel in the sitting position on the infant scale. The number on the scale kept fluctuating because Gabe does not sit still, and Perry couldn't let go for more than a second or two to make sure he didn't fall! He was 21 lbs when we weighed him at home a month and a half ago!!

On the move!

So he would sit still stay in one place long enough for us to take pictures, we distracted him with a book, shoes (that he wanted to eat), and a hat (that he did not want on his head)!

Likes:
-Riding on Daddy's shoulders
-Playing with my wedding rings on my hand
-His Leap Frog table
-Being outside
-Watching, talking to and touching the dogs
-Everything from his 8-Month post

Dislikes:
-Messing with his mouth (holding his lip back to see his new teeth, giving him medicine, etc)
-Everything from his 8-Month post

New skills:
-Crawling perfected!!
-Cruising- to & from and all around furniture and along walls!!
-Easily getting into just about any position (laying, sitting, standing, and even squatting & kneeling!). He has learned that he can get almost anywhere. If he wants something, he'll get it!
-Standing with his arms stretched out for a few seconds!

Clothes/Diapers:
Gabe has definitely outgrown 6-month clothes and is filling out 9-month stuff, sleep 'n plays especially. He is most comfortable with the length of 12-month sizes. At the end of September I got the storage bin of his 9-12 month fall/winter clothes out of the attic so I could wash everything and reorganize his closet & drawers. He's in cloth diapers about half the time, disposable the other (still size 3).

Eating:
He has tried a few new foods, including meat & dairy. I rinsed, trimmed and boiled a boneless skinless chicken breast, chopped it and ran it through my Ninja with sweet potatoes. He liked it! I try everything that I make for him- the texture was odd but it tasted good. I also did a combination with peas, but he wasn't as enthusiastic about it. He tried his first dairy, cottage cheese blended with banana. He ate 7-8 spoonfuls before deciding he was done with that. I'll continue to offer it, though. At the beginning of October (38 weeks), we gave Gabe carrot-apple juice, diluted with water of course. Now he's a pro at drinking from his sippy cup. Breastfeeding is still going well. He nurses every 4 hours during the day.

Sleeping:
Gabriel is still waking up in the middle of the night, but usually just one time. Most times his diaper is full (if not leaking out!) and he is usually hungry. Teething has disrupted his sleep some- I think the pain wakes him up and can make him grumpy but also wears him out. He continues to take 2 naps a day, one ~2 hours after waking up and a second in the afternoon/early evening. I hope he isn't ready to drop his 2nd nap any time soon. One time on a Daddy Day, he took one long 4-hour nap! "Daddy Days" are most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays whenever I have to work and Gabe gets to spend all day with Daddy! That particular morning, he woke up extra early so he was ready for a nap before I left for work. I laid him down at 9:50am and he slept until 1:45pm. Perry texts me throughout the day; neither of us could believe he was sleeping that long!

Hair & Eyes:
Medium brown, thin hair and precious brown eyes!

Randoms:
-Gabe reached an exciting milestone: first tooth!!! Actually two! His bottom front teeth came in at the same time, starting one week before his 9-month birthday and we could see the outlines of his top 2 teeth under his gums! 
-He had a cold (runny nose, sneezing).
-He rolls and chews on his tongue and learned how to make a "click" sound.

I love life with our happy, cute boy!!!

Pumpkin Picking & Carving

Bottom right: "What are those things behind me?"

Time to carve the big pumpkin!

Bottom left: My attempt at a picture of all 3 of us. Hah!

An owl, like Gabriel's nursery!

Silly boys!

Gabriel is 8 Months Old!

He is getting so BIG, so fast. Too fast! 

Stats
Weight: 21 pounds according to our home scale
Length: 28 inches according to our {best} measurement

Likes:
-Exploring more & more and looking at objects from all angles
-Pressing switches to turn "lights on" & "lights off"
-Listening to us read books {although his attention span is short} and holding/chewing on them
-Sitting or standing, no more laying or holding him on his back {unless he's really sleepy, of course}
-Everything from his 6-Month and 7-Month posts

Dislikes:
-Mommy or Daddy leaving the room... separation anxiety is starting
-Being told "no"
-Being confined in the ExerSaucer/jumper/walker for too long {he would much rather be out & moving!}

New skills:
-Crawling!! {He's not efficient yet, but has started moving on his hands & knees!}
-Pulling up!! This makes him seem so grown.
-Flipping from the sitting position to crawling on his belly AND pushing up from crawling to sitting!
-Drinking water from a beginner sippy cup
-Giving a hi-five to Daddy!
-Sucking his thumb
-Sort of waving
-Babbling a lot

Clothes/Diapers:
For the first time ever (at 31 weeks old), I had to change Gabe's crib sheet in the middle of the night. His diaper leaked through his jammies twice, once his whole side was soaked from armpit to knee, then once just a small amount... He was peeing so much more than usual! No change from size 3 diapers. We can still squeeze him into some 6-month clothes (bottoms) but he's wearing mostly 9- or 12-month tops/onesies and sleep 'n plays.

Eating:
He is nursing about every 4 hours now. He has tried a few new pureed foods: avocado, apples, yellow squash. He liked them all, but his facial expressions with the avocado were entertaining :) I didn't mash it up smooth so the little chunks ended up being pushed out on his lips. At 34 weeks we let him eat a "cracker"! Last month we tried it but got scared when a piece broke off in his mouth because he was not yet showing signs of chewing. Now, he is able to eat small pieces as they quickly start to dissolve while he's figuring out what to do with his gums & tongue! A few days before & after his 8-month birthday he did not want to eat solids. We never could determine a reason, but weren't overly concerned because he was nursing fine. No teeth yet.

Sleeping:
Gabe's sleep schedule isn't consistent, but he continues to be ready for a morning nap ~2 hours (3 max) after waking up. I like that at least that is predictable! He naps for 1-2 1/2 hours twice a day. Sometimes he'll be up at 6:00am then go right back to sleep until 10:00am, other times he'll wake up for the day before 8:00am, usually after nursing around 3:00 or 4:00am. He is still waking up 1-3 times in the middle of the night. Most times he nurses well and goes back to sleep, but I think some of the times he just wants comforting from being held and barely nurses. I will probably start seeing if he can get himself back to sleep... Perry lowered his crib to the lowest setting on his 8-Month birthday. He is very good at pulling up to stand on anything he can reach, and we don't want him tumbling over the side of his crib! We also chose to put the bumpers back in- he is able to move well enough now that the risk of suffocation has decreased and he hits his head a lot!

Hair & Eyes:
This month I am convinced his eyes will be brown. His hair color hasn't changed much, still a medium brown color & fine. Perry gave him another trim (his 3rd).

Randoms:
-He was sick for the first time on Labor Day weekend. More on that scary time to be posted...
-His eczema is almost all gone! I only notice faint, small patches on his thighs after I bathe him. At its worst, I changed soap and lotion (from a fragrant, bedtime set to the basic, gentle Johnson's head-to-toe baby wash); that may have helped, but I think he just outgrew it. Yay!
-He says "Mama" a LOT! Be still, my heart ♥ He is working hard at saying the "d" sound for "Da da"
-Our coffee table is now in the attic for an undetermined length of time. It was glass. And dangerous. I rearranged the living room a little so the padded storage ottoman is now in front of the couch.
-This boy is ticklish! In the same spots as me, according to Perry.
-He gives the sweetest, drooly open-mouth kisses.