Lilypie First Birthday tickers

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Lilypie Second Birthday tickers

Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers

Lilypie Fourth Birthday tickers

Monday, September 27, 2010

Let the Feeding Commence!

Our little princess is just that, little. She is being passed up by all her friends in size. But she has hit all of her developmental markers for her age, so she is just on the petite side. At 5 months old she is 23 1/2 inches tall and a whooping 11 lbs 8 oz!!!




She is a great eater and really who wouldn't be if you were eating when and where ever you want, but her pediatrician recommended that we start her on some baby food. We had just started it anyway so it was good to hear we were headed in the right direction. 

Now when Marty started eating he only had to try it once and then it was off to the races. No gagging or spitting it back out. He basically sat there with his mouth open whining if you didn't shovel it in fast enough.

As a means of saving money and making sure he started out with healthy foods, I started making our own baby food with him and have continued it with Michaela. 


It is super easy and give you an excuse to go and get a new kitchen gadget, a Food Processor!! If you don't have one you can use a blender or food mill. I had a little one and loved it but the big one also shreds and slices!! I love me some kitchen tools.


There are also some great resources out there, I love Wholesome Homemade Baby Food, their website is full of great recipes, meal plans and tips. They have organized their site by food type and/or age groups for quick and easy reference to see where your little one is at. 

The nice thing about baby food is once you learn the basics you can make pretty much anything. So far Michaela has 4 food plus rice cereal. 

Applesauce
Butternut Squash
Avocado
Yams

For all the above food minus the Avocado (they can eat it raw through a mesh bag) the cooking process is simple. Peel, chop, steam/boil/bake, puree! That is it! 
Each one may require a bit of water or cooking liquid to make a smooth puree but that is basically it.   

So what do you do now with our homemade baby food?

The easiest way I have found is to use ice cube trays and freeze it. 
Once they have frozen overnight just store them in a Ziplock labeled with the date and what it is. 
They last frozen for about a month or a week in  the fridge.

Because Michaela has to set herself aside from her brother she is not taking to food as quickly as Marty. This leads to a lot of food on her, the chair and her bib. 
For her baby shower we got a hand full of cute little bibs. As adorable as they are they are just too small. So in order to keep her clothes clean and not have to undress her, I used a few bibs that my mom made Marty as a template to make some for her. 


Not only are these bibs big enough to cover her they are made from reclaimed jeans. The same jeans in fact that I used to make the skirt for her as a newborn. These super durable bibs are great for little ones all the way up though toddlers Marty still rocks his from time to time. 

The Hot Pink and Green Bib is fashionable and function with its daisy applique. Keeping your princess prefect for meal time and later. 


Your Rock Star will chow down and rock out with black flames and gray skulls. 



Sunday, September 19, 2010

Thankful

Everyday I am thankful for the family I have and people I get to meet. 

This past week the kids and I got to come down to Moreno Valley and spend some much welcomed time with the grandparents. Actually Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa Great-Grandma, Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. And all the Uncles and Aunts and Great Uncles and Aunts. 

This makes me thankful.

I have had the opportunity to create and bounce ideas off my mom. She started my education in crafting and has nurtured my interest. I love getting to share what I am doing and see what she has going on. Being 5 hours away normally we Skype all we can but it is not the same. 

This makes me thankful.

This week a friend of my mother-in-laws found out that her granddaughter, Micaela has leukemia. She is almost two and it was a total surprise. This makes me hug my babies and thank God they are healthy. 

This makes me thankful. 

Because they have started Chemo, Micaela will starting loosing her hair. Her Grandma asked me to if I could make her a hat since it is getting cold. It was an honor to be asked and my pleasure to provide some comfort to a brave little girl and take part in her experience. 

This makes me thankful. 

Here is a few shots of Micaela's hat and leg warmers. Purple Polar Fleece with a few clips to change out depending on her style mood for the day. When designing this hat I wanted to make it possible for her to use the clips after she is finished with Chemo and her hair comes back in.



 


I have had the pattern sitting in my craft room and it was fun to get to work on it with my mom and can't wait to see little Micaela in it.

We will keep her in our prayers and are thankful for each day.