Making Baby Food: Pears

Ava's pediatrician told me that there was no exact science to feeding a baby.  She said that most people make it more complicated than it really needs to be and to approach it however I wanted, but to feed her one thing at a time and wait 3-4 days before we tried something new.  So I decided that I was going to feed her a vegetable, then a fruit. And repeat until she had tried everything.  The first baby food that I made was sweet potatoes.  After a few days Ava really started to love them.  So now we are moving onto pears...

1. Buy pears.  I bought four organic pears from Whole Foods.

2. Cut the pears in half with a knife.

3. Peel pears using a vegetable peeler.  I read that the skin is actually okay to leave on when you puree it and that babies are able to digest the skin easily, but I felt like it would be more gentle if I removed the skin.

4. Cut pears in half again and remove the core using a knife.

5. Cut pears into cubes with a knife.

6. Rinse pears with water.

7. Place pears in a food steamer. And set for 15 minutes. 

8. After pears are done steaming, place them in a food processor for a few minutes.  Pears are pretty water dense, so adding water to the food processor is not necessary.      

9. Pour pureed pears into a bowl. Using a cookie dough scoop, scoop the puree into ice cube trays.  I found that using the cookie scoop worked best with little mess, especially for thicker purees like sweet potatoes.

10.  After all the puree has been scooped into the trays, wrap the trays with plastic wrap.

11.  Place trays in freezer and wait 24 hours.

12.  Dump the cubes into a labeled and dated freezer bag.  I have to use a knife to wedge the cubes out.  Put back in freezer immediately, so they don't start to melt.  Pears are good in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Depending on how much your baby eats, you will know whether you need 1 cube or 2.  Each cube is about 1 ounce of baby food. About an hour before Ava eats, I put a cube in a bowl, so it can defrost.

Simple. Easy. Nutritious!

Ava eating Pears for the first time.
(I put the pears in a leftover container of prunes, I swear!)

Making Baby Food

So when I was pregnant I had decided that I was going to make as much of Ava's food as possible.  My reasoning? Well I thought it would be fun.... Will I make every pureed meal that will ever hit her lips?  Probably not.  I know I will buy a few jars here and there for convenience and/or lack of time.  Here's where it all began....

Ava was still on TM and a daily bowl of cereal when she became a little backed up.  I called the doctor and the doctor told me to mix some prunes with oatmeal cereal.  So off to Target I went.  I saw an aisle devoted to baby food...I have had no reason to explore this aisle because I have been making her food for the past 6 months....Needless to say it was kinda overwhelming.  Who knew that such a tiny thing could have so many meal choices. 

Anyways, so I picked up the package and read the back of the prunes.  The ingredients listed were: Prune Puree (Dried Prunes, Water) Simple enough, right? 

So I read the package of the Organic Prunes.  This is what the label read: ORGANIC PRUNE PUREE (DRIED ORGANIC PRUNES, WATER), TUNA OIL (SOURCE OF DHA), GELATIN, CHOLINE BITARTRATE, ALPHA TOCOPHERYL ACETATE (VITAMIN E).

My First Thought: Why are there so many preservatives and other crap in the jar of "Organic" baby food?

My Second Thought: What is in the "Regular" baby food that they (Gerber) don't have to list?

My feelings: Concern, wonderment, and just plain Scared.  I want the things that go into my child's body to be the best for her.  I want her diet to be pure.  I want her to have the healthiest options.

So I started making Ava's baby food.  So far I've made sweet potatoes and pears.  I'll post more on that later.... As for now... Ava's up from her nap!

Ribbon Lamp

I have spent hours looking for a lamp for Ava's room.  Gone to several stores, looked online, went back to stores and nothing.  I didn't want to spend the money on a thematic lamp.  Then one day it hit me...I'll make her lamp.  Not the base, I'm not that good, but the shade I could handle.


Materials Needed:

• Lamp Base
• White Lamp Shade
• Assorted Ribbon
• Scissors
• Hot Glue Gun
• Tape (not pictured)

First I cut short lengths of ribbon and taped them to the shade, so I could decide how I wanted the ribbon arranged.  The options are endless.

After choosing the order I wanted, I put one little drop of glue on the seam of the shade.  Lay the ribbon and wrap around the shade.  Cut off the excess ribbon and add another drop of glue to glue the end of the ribbon to the shade.

First

Repeat previous step, until you finish the shade with desired amount of ribbon.

Second

Third

Now I have a custom lamp shade that matches Ava's nursery perfectly.  Cheap too.  The shade was $12 from Target.  Ribbon was purchased at Hobby Lobby 50% off, so I paid $4 for all of it and now I have left overs for other projects!  Base of lamp was free!  My sister gave it to me when her son grew out of his nursery.

I'll post a picture of the lamp in her nursery later!

And I Rocked and Prayed

Today is my birthday.  I'm 24 years old as of 10:40 am.  To be honest though, the day could have come and gone.  About a week ago I was writing something on my calendar and I noticed, in my sister's handwriting, "Colleen's 24th Birthday!" marked on the calendar.  And I thought, "Oh Wow!  My birthday is coming up."  They say that you forget your birthday as you get older.  I think that you forget your birthday when you have a child.  It doesn't matter if you get a cake and candles and few phone calls on your birthday.  What does matter is the day your child came into the world.  You think about her cake and candles and the phone calls she will get on her day, not yours.

This morning I woke up early.  Really early. Like 5:30 in the morning.   My Love gave me a few morning birthday kisses and brought me coffee.  And as I laid in bed sipping my coffee, I watched my baby sleep.  She was sprawled out.  Hands stretched out from her sides.  Legs crossed at her ankles.  Oh, she was beautiful!  

Then I got the urge to rock her.  I wanted to hold her close and rock her.  So I gently picked her up and went to her room.  It was still dark out.  With dogs on the floor by my feet and the moon beginning to drift to sleep, I rocked my baby.  I rocked her in the still of the morning.  Before people rush to their jobs, before the morning paper hits the front step, before the day begins, I rocked my baby.  

Then I began to pray.  I prayed for God to watch over my baby.  For Him to guide her.  Spare her from pain and heartache.  I prayed that she would never experience sadness and loss.  I prayed for her safety.  I prayed that she would never experience misfortune.  I prayed for myself.  I prayed for the Lord to guide me and help me guide Ava on the right path.  I prayed for the strength to be a good mother.  I prayed for the strength that I would need when I watch my sweet baby experience pain and heartache and sadness and loss and misfortune.  I prayed that He would give her strength when she experiences pain and heartache and sadness, and loss and misfortune.  I rocked and prayed, rocked and prayed, rocked and prayed. 

6 Months!

Where do I begin?  Has it really been 6 months?  6 whole months?  Somebody please pinch me!  I feel like it was just yesterday that I brought my sweet Ava Rose home from the hospital.  Shoot- I feel like it was just yesterday that I took that pregnancy test that said, in big capitalized words, "PREGNANT!"  These past 6 months have flown by.  I have been blessed to have witnessed my baby grow and develop.  It is truly amazing to watch your child grow right before your eyes.  And I know it is only going to get harder and harder to watch her grow up.

Ava- You are my joy.  The apple of my eye.  I will never be able to explain the feeling I get when I see you, think about you, smell you, touch you.  I love you more than words can say.  One day, when you have your own baby(which will be a very long time), you will understand that mother's love that I have never understood until you came into my life.  Daddy and I love you so, so, very much.  You have made our life complete.

A Little Bit About Ava:


Length: 26 1/2 inches
Weight: 15 pounds, 3.1 ounces
Hair Color: Dark Blonde
Eye Color: Dark Blue

A Look at Your Daily Routine

8:00 am- We sing the Good Morning Song, change your diaper, and put clothes on.  You play in your activity Exersaucer while Mommy makes her coffee, unloads the dishwaher, and starts laundry.
 9:30 am- Mid-Morning Breakfast.  You like the TM!
10-11:00 am- Morning nap.
11 am -12 pm- Diaper change, outfit change, play time on floor with Mommy
Noon- Lunch time!  More TM!
12:30-2:00 pm- Afternoon Nap
2:00-5:00 pm- Various play time between the floor, Exersaucer, play gym, and Mommy.  Theres's an afternnon snack somewhere in there too! Gotta  love that TM!
5-6:00 pm- Wait for Daddy to get home, then we go on a walk.
6- 7:00- Various play between Mommy and Daddy
7:30 pm- Oatmeal or Rice cereal
7:45-8:15 pm- Bath Time and Infant Massage
Bedtime: You are starting to sleep for longer stretches in the night.  We put you to bed between 8:00-8:30.  You nurse to sleep.  Around midnight you want some more boobie, then more boobie between 5-6 am.  You wake up at 7:30.  Sometimes you sleep in, but you are out of bed no later than 8:30 am.


Feeding: You are all about the TM (Titty Milk)!  I started giving you rice cereal at 4 months, but you just weren't ready, so after 2 weeks we stopped.  We tried again on February 17th and that went well.  We still have our ups and downs with the cereal. On March 8th you tried oatmeal mixed with prunes for the first time.  You were a little backed up, so the doctor suggested oatmeal and prunes.

Diapers: Pampers Swaddlers. Size 2.

Clothes Size: 3-6 Months.  I think we'll get a few more weeks use out of them too.

Favorite Toy:  You love your ExsaSaucer!  You also are all about this Raspberry teething thing.  It looks like a pacifier, but the nipple part looks like a raspberry.  You love chewing on the bumpy texture.

Other Things You Do: You love being on your tummy.  You can move around and make a full circle.  You roll several times too.  Our next big purchase is a baby gate for the stairs, which will be happening this next weekend when we go to your Daddy's favorite store, Babies 'R Us! Yay!!!  You don't like to look at a camera or smile for the camera.  Boo!  That better change Missy!

Sweet Things You Do:  You give us lots and lots of smiles.  Oh how I love seeing your smile!  When I am feeding you, I love it when you reach up to touch my face.  My heart melts.  You like to make out with your Mommy.  Gross, right?  When I am kissing your sweet little cheeks, you always turn your head with your mouth wide open and rub your slobbery lips all over Mommy's mouth.  I love it though!  

Funniest Moment: 2 Moments. First One: February 28th- Mommy and you were sitting on the floor playing. Jackson walks up with a squeaky toy and lays down by us and starts squeaking the toy.  You were staring at him and you busted out laughing. Like really laughing!  Then Jackson moved the toy closer to you.  You grabbed the toy and y'all started playing tug of war. So sweet!  Second Moment- Not sure of the day...March 8th or 9th- Mommy was sitting on the ground with you.  You were waving a toy around, having a grand ole time.  Cooing and smiling when all of sudden you whacked yourself in the face with the toy.  Then the pouty lip came on.  Talk about a dramatic moment. Love you!

Milestones and Other Events:

February 13, 2011- Mommy and Daddy left you for the first time with Auntie Amy and Uncle Joe-Joe.  Mommy and Daddy went out to eat, went to the bookstore, and went to a random open house.  We were gone for a whole 3 1/2 hours!  Longest time I've been away from Ava!
February 15, 2011- Ava found her toes!
February 16-23, 2011- Ava's first trip to Auntie Pammie's house in College Station!  We cleaned and cleaned.  Daddy missed you like crazy.
February 17, 2011- Ava ate rice cereal for real!  You actually ate it.  Not just spit it out!
February 24, 2011- Ava found her voice.  The screeching has begun!  Love that noise and all the other noises you make!
March 2, 2011- First time to cut Ava's toenails!
March 6, 2011- Ava's Baptism!
March 8, 2011- First time to eat oatmeal and prunes.
March 9, 2011- First time that Mommy had to use an enema on Ava. :(
March 9, 2011- First time to receive Ashes on Ash Wednesday!

Ava's Baptism

On Sunday, March 6, 2011 Ava was Baptized at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Houston.  The entire day was really surreal.  

I Corinthians 4:1

Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Before we left home

A few months ago I attended a Bible class that talked about how we are stewards of God.  Everything that we have has been given to us by Him.  These things are really His, not ours.  Land, wealth, food, health, etc.  Then it hit me.  Ava was given to me as a gift from God.  The most precious gift that I could ever receive.  He gave her to me.  I am a steward to Ava.  As her mother, I must guide her through her life.  She is not mine, she is His.  I am a steward. As a steward for Ava's faith, I feel like the first step in building that foundation was her Baptism.  It is her first step in becoming a part of Christ. 

Ava wore the same gown that I wore when I was Baptized.  As I was dressing her, all I could think was, "Wow, I can't believe I wore this gown 23 years ago.  I was wearing this gown when I accepted Jesus.  Now my daughter is wearing this gown." Choosing Godparents was one of the most difficult decisions that Arnold and I have ever made.  After much thought we chose my good friend Amy to be her Godmother and my brother, Joseph, to be her Godfather.  

Dressing Ava

The Ceremony-

Pouring the Holy Water

First the priest asked us what name we gave our child and our reason for being there.  We answered, "Ava. Baptism."  He then asked us to accept raising Ava in the Church.  We answered, Yes.  He then claimed Ava for Christ and made the sign of the cross on her forehead.  Then we (parents and Godparents) made the sign of the cross on her forehead.  After the scriptural readings and the Homily, the priest anointed Ava with the Oil of Salvation on her chest.  After the renunciation of sin and the profession of faith, the priest then poured Holy water over Ava's head three times.  I was so proud of her because she was the only baby who did not cry or fuss as the water was being poured!  Then the priest anointed her head with the oil of Chrism.  Then, Joseph received the candle, which is a sign of Ava receiving the Light of Christ.  Then we went back to the front of the Altar and said the Lord's prayer.  Before the ceremony concluded, the priest blessed all the children.  


After the Baptism, we went to Ninfa's to enjoy a feast of fajitas with all of our family and friends.  Thankfully, there were plenty of leftovers, which makes me one happy Momma now that I don't have to cook all week!  We are so excited for Ava.  Her Baptism is one of the biggest moments in her life!  

After the Ceremony

Ava and her Godmother

Ava and Mommy

The Privilege of Being a Mother

 I read on article on Yahoo this morning about the opposite of a 'Tiger Mom,' which unfortunately is the abandonment of one's children.  The article listed two women that essentially chose their careers over their children.  I am not talking about dropping kids off at day care at 6 am and a babysitter picking them up at 5 pm, so the mother can work late at the office.  I am talking about these women that moved 3,000 miles from their children and signed custody over to their exes.  One of the mothers said, "I did not have the life a normal 20 year old would have. While I don't regret that, I knew that I now have the opportunity to reconnect with who I might have been then."

So here's my response to that quote:

I do not have the life of a normal 23 year old. I graduated in 2009 from college and while other people were starting their careers, I took a test and you know what, it was positive.  Everything changed in that moment.  I chose motherhood, late night feedings, and constant worrying over a single, partying, carefree lifestyle.  While some people are buying nice handbags, I am searching for the best deal on diapers.  While some people dine out several times a week, I clip coupons so I can put food on my family's table.  While other people are spending money on what I would say is crap, I am saving every penny for a college fund.  The sacrifices I have made, so that I can be a mother have been great.  There are some days that I think if I only had a job we could save money for a house.  Then I look at my daughter.  I sacrificed having a job and a house and a little financial breathing room for staying home with my baby and watching her grow this first year. 

Do I have my regrets? Sure.  I wish I had had a job before I got pregnant.  I wish I had a house. And savings. And a retirement plan.  But if I had all that I would have missed that moment when my precious Ava Rose was conceived.  She is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am so glad that I did not miss. So how can I have regrets when I have this amazing gift.

And do I want to "have the opportunity to reconnect with who I might have been then?" HELL NO!!!    If I reconnected to who I might have been in my twenties as a single, childless woman, I would have to give up my family, my daughter.  No. Not doing it.

Everyone can make their own choices, but you still have to live with the choices you make.  I can not imagine not seeing my daughter's smiling face every day.  I can not imagine having someone other than myself raising my daughter.  Being a mother is a privilege.  It's something you earn.  Motherhood should never be something that a person can pick and choose when they want to be part of their child's life.  It's a privilege and I thank God every day for giving me that baby I call Ava. I thank Him for the path of Motherhood that He has led me on.  And He can keep leading me down that path.  And I will follow Him. 

Breastfeeding 201: Mommy Essentials

After thinking about my last post on Breastfeeding, I decided I needed to dig deeper into the subject of breastfeeding.  Breastfeeding is a complex art.  Everyone is different and everyone's experience is different.  Remember, I am NOT an expert.  I've only been doing it for six months.

Nursing Bra: Definitely a must in the beginning.  When you have a bra on that has underwire in it, it can effect the baby properly latching on.  Your boob needs to be free so baby can properly latch.  I've noticed that the position of my boob is the determining factor of whether or not Ava will properly latch.  Now that I have gotten the hang of breastfeeding, I wear a regular bra or a sports bra.  I just pull the bra up or down to get my boob ready.

Sleep Bra: A wise plastic surgeon once told me that every woman should wear a sleep bra. Doesn't matter if their boobies are big or small, a sleep bra every night.  He turned to me and said, "Especially breastfeeding women." So I own a sleep bra.  I need to get another one, but I am kinda cheap.  I don't wear it every night, because I have to wash it after I wear it.  Shame on me.  Get a sleep bra whether you are breastfeeding or not.  It can help the effects of gravity.

Nursing Cover: When I was pregnant I found a website that offered free nursing covers with a coupon code at checkout.  All you had to do was pay shipping.  I paid the 6 bucks and ordered 4.  When I got them in them in the mail I realized that I could have made them myself.  Nursing covers are essentially a yard of fabric with another strip attached that goes around your neck and is connected to the cover with a belt loop thing (not sure of the proper name).  I love my nursing covers, because blankets can easily fall down when a baby is moving her arms wildly.  I've worn my cover at church, at restaurants, in the park, and when we visit other people in their homes.  At home, I let it all hang out.  I have never had a problem with breastfeeding in public.  I think that if you are covered up it is not a big deal.  I know some people will not breastfeed in public and there's nothing wrong with that either.

 

Burp Cloths: Burp clothes, receiving blankets, paper towels, a sock, whatever, as long as it absorbs liquid.  Put them on the boob that baby is not on.  From my own experience, when I am feeding Ava the other boob starts flowing with TM.  After baby is done eating, wipe her mouth with the cloth, then burp her.

Nursing Pads: In the beginning I bought the disposable nursing pads from Babies R Us.  I tried the Lansinoh ones, but they would fold up and never really worked for me.  I tried the Avent ones. Same thing.  Then I tried the Playtex nursing pads.  These pads had tape over the entire back, so they stayed in place.  Nursing pads are expensive. $8-$10 for a box of 60.  That comes out to 13-16 cents per pad. Or 26-32 cents per use.  Which really adds up.  One of my aunts suggested that I use sanitary pads and cut them in half.  I did the math.  I can buy a package of 36 pads for 50 cents (after being on sale and using coupons).  Each pad is less than 2 cents each. .0138 to be exact.  Oh then you cut the pad in half and each nipple pad is really only .oo694 cents.  Yeah that's pretty cheap.  Don't waste your money on nursing pads. I guess if you wanted to be even cheaper, you could buy fabric remnants and sew your own....maybe I'll do that...

Nipple Cream: I used to apply this stuff religiously in the beginning.  Now I don't. My nipples are like nipples of steel.  Like I've said before, I have never experienced any nipple pain or soreness.  So I don't use the stuff.  I may use it when Miss Ava starts getting teeth.  I don't know yet, because we aren't to that point yet.

Nipple Wipes:  I used these religiously in the beginning, but they are kind of expensive considering you have to feed your baby so often.  When I am at home I use a wet wash cloth or paper towel to wipe down everything before Ava eats.  When I am on the go I use the handy nipple wipes.  

Boppy Pillow/ Other Pillows:  Like I've said before, the boppy pillow never worked for me.  I know some moms that have to have it in order to breastfeed.  When I was in the hospital, I used pillows to prop my arms and baby, which made it more comfortable.  During the first few weeks at home I used pillows for support.  After Ava got a little bit older and stronger and both of us got the breastfeeding thing down I quit using them. 

I almost forgot one last Mommy Essential....

Insulated Cup:  I have an insulated Starbucks cup that has a lid and straw that I keep filled with ice water.  I leave it on my kitchen counter or on my nightstand and I drink from it all day long.  Breastfeeding Momma's need their fluids!  Keeping my cup filled and where I can see it ensures that I will take a quick sip on my way to change a diaper or that I have a drink handy when I am nursing.

These items are things that I have found helpful, useful, and essential for me to breastfeed. 

Breasfeeding 101

One of the most common questions I have been asked since becoming a mommy is, "How is breastfeeding going?"

I always say that it is going great, which is the honest truth.  I have often marveled at how lucky Ava and myself are to be so natural at the whole thing.   On the day we brought Ava home from the hospital my lovely Aunt Sandy brought us some food (Thank goodness.  We wouldn't have eaten that first week if it weren't for her.  And I know she was looking for any reason to see our brand new baby girl!) and she asked me how it was going.  I casually said, "Oh you know, I've never breastfed anyone before and Ava, well she's never been breastfed before, so we are just figuring it out together."

So Ava and I figured it out together.  It did take a week or two to really get the hang of it.   But here we are almost 6 months into it and I can proudly say that I am exclusively breastfeeding!  There's some unexplainable sense of gratification that I receive in knowing that I am the only person that can give my daughter the nutrition that she needs.  But I've been lucky.  I never experienced any pain (So not looking forward to teething). I've never had a low milk supply.  I've never had problems with Ava latching properly.  I've never forgotten which side Ava last nursed (At least I don't think so!). No problems.  Nada.  

As I said before, we figured it out together.  The following list is my experience with breastfeeding.

• Using a boppy pillow never worked for me.  I could never quite get the pillow and Ava in the right position.
• Ava and I prefer the lying position.  Nice for me.
• I have to have a cloth, receiving blanket, tissue, anything that will absorb liquid, because my milk just comes out from both sides when Ava's nursing.  I have seriously considered using my hand breast pump during nursing so I don't waste a precious drop of titty milk.
• When we are in public, we refer to breast milk as "TM." Code word for titty milk.
• I have not needed a machine breast pump.  Ava will not take a bottle.  She prefers the boob.  I do have a manual hand breast pump that has come in handy when I have been engorged.  I used to freeze the milk, but it would go to waste because Ava is a titty baby.  Now that we are trying rice cereal, I use the TM instead of water or formula.  But I only pump when I need to.  It's a lot of work to pump!  
• If I am stressed, Ava will have a more difficult time latching on.  Sometimes I need to take a deep breath and calm down before I nurse.  

I am not an expert.  I've been doing this for 6 months.  I know that in the next 6 months I will face obstacles with breastfeeding.  But I'm committed to it.  As for Ava.....she's all about the TM.