Mall Walker

Now that Ella has started to really cruise, she loves to "walk" whenever possible. She is still a bit away from walking independently,  but it is definitely cute watching her practice. It is crazy how fast they go from cute cuddly balls of baby to crazy, constantly on the go, little spitfires. 

Pushing her stroller at the mall

Holding Mommy's hand and exploring the play area

Definitely need to figure out how to get onto this...

Walking is good for getting out of baby jail.

Life is non-stop fun with Ella. She definitely has a BIG personality packed into her little body. I have a feeling that once she starts walking, we will never get a moments peace again. This one is going to be a bit of trouble :)

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Adventures in Baby-Led Weaning

Before Ella, I had never heard of baby-led weaning. I always assumed that babies had to eat pureed fruits, veggies, and meats. Walking through the grocery store or the baby aisle at Target, it would never have crossed my mind to simply feed Ella soft-cooked foods or even the foods that my husband and I have for dinner.

I stumbled across the concept of Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) while browsing for baby food recipes on wholesomebabyfood.com (great website for information on infant nutrition, feeding, and recipes for purees and baby-led weaning). I hadn't started Ella on solid foods yet, so I didn't pay it much mind. Everyone did pureed baby food, so I figured we would too.

At 5.5 months, when Ella suddenly started waking more at night, a pediatrician recommended starting her on rice cereal before bed. It was an hysterical endeavor. By the end of the first meal, Ella was covered in sticky rice cereal, but she did have a smile on her face.

Feeding Ella has been a blessing. I have heard of babies who refuse any green foods or who hate vegetables from day 1 of solid foods. Ella eats EVERYTHING. She puts me to shame when it comes to trying new foods and enjoying them. We introduced Ella to vegetables at 6 months and started with Avacado and Sweet Potato. As a somewhat laid back mom, I allowed Ella to try many new fruits and veggies in the first 2 months of solids (at 7.5 months I think she had tried over a dozen different veggies and fruits).

Our decision to let Ella self-feed was somewhat unplanned. By 6 months she was a stable sitter and was using her thumb and finger to pick up puffs and cheerios. She loved feeding herself! It was getting to the point where I couldn't spoon feed her without a battle over who controlled the spoon. And giving Ella her own spoon wasn't enough; she wanted the spoon with the food on it!

At 7 months we decided to started to introduce self-feeding. We started by giving Ella bits of bananas, french toast, scrambled eggs, avocados, and sweet potatoes. Over the next 2 weeks, I slowly stopped feeding Ella pureed foods. By this time, Ella and I were planning on taking a trip back east to visit my family. It seemed easiest to have her self-feeding during our vacation. I wouldn't have to worry about buying or packing baby food and Ella would be happy to be included in family meals.

Self-feeding was an easy transition for Ella. At first Ella was getting less solid intake than when I was feeding her, but after a month of feeding herself she was able to eat a full meal on her own. Now Ella shuts her mouth and turns her head if I try to offer her food with my hand or on a spoon. She has become a fiercely independent eater!

The following list is the rules that I try to follow with BLW:

1. Ella gets at least 1 serving a day of fruit, veggies, and protein. Usually 2 of veggies and fruits.
2. I soft cook Ella's food so that I am able to mush it between my fingers. I do this for pasta, vegetables, and fruit.
3. I feed Ella what we eat for dinner unless it is too spicy (I would, but spicy foods seem to upset Ella's stomach). 
4. I don't salt Ella's portions (we do use seasonings).
5. I don't add sugar (she has had sugar though). 
6. I started Ella on small pieces of food and graduated up to bigger chunks (she seems to prefer small pieces that she can pick up with her fingers. A lot of what I read recommends introducing fry shaped pieces so that little one's can grasp it and bite off pieces)
7. Relax about messes. It's bound to happen.
8. I give Ella a bowl and spoon when it is appropriate as with oatmeal or pasta. Although the contents usually end up on the tray and the spoon on the floor. She has slowly figured out how to use a spoon (although she rarely does!).
9. If she doesn't seem interested in a food, I try (try,try,try, try) it again and sometimes using a different cooking method or piece size (ex. baked instead of steamed or fry shaped instead of cubed). This has worked with Ella really well. 
10. Have fun! Try new foods and be creative. 

I am sure there are more things that I do, but I just go with the flow a lot. These are some of my go to BLW meals:

1. Turkey/Chicken and cheese sandwiches (I buy low sodium deli-meat). Give the bread on the side with ripped up pieces of meat and shredded or cubed cheese.
2. Cottage cheese w/fresh fruit (this one is MESSY, but Ella loves it)
3. Peanut butter, cream cheese, jam, or any other topping on toast fingers
4. Oatmeal bars (recipe below)
5. Cheerios (duh)
6. Baked Sweet Potatoes
7. Beans
8. Cheese Quesadillas (I will add meat sometimes)
9. Baby smoothies (whole milk yogurt and any fruits/veggies that I desire)

Some benefits of BLW:

1. Teaches fine motor skills (pincer grasp)
2. Some studies suggest it teaches better portion control since baby decides when he or she is done eating.
3. Due to the better portion control, some studies suggest it lowers the risk of childhood obesity.
4. Wider variety than what is available in jarred foods.
5. Baby feeding self = less work for mom. It sounds selfish, but this has been key for me. I am now able to enjoy a meal and Ella is now able to eat alongside of us. Yay for family meal time!
6. Wide variety of tastes and textures for baby to explore. 

An important note: Although I do BLW with Ella, I understand that this is not for every mom. As with any parenting choice, what you feed and how you feed your baby is entirely up to you and dad. Some babies need the extra caloric value that solid foods provide, but are unable to self-feed due to texture preference, gag reflux, or any other number of reasons. Parenting is an adventure and there is not one right way to do things. 

Delicious Oatmeal Bars for Baby (my personal adjustments in bold)

(http://blog.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/delicious-oat-bars-for-baby-sugar-free-and-full-of-whole-grain-goodness/)

I got this recipe courtesy of Homemade Baby Food Recipes

6 oz (1 1/2 cups) rolled oats*
6 oz (approx 3/4 cup) dried cranberries (or substitute with another dried fruit your baby enjoys) I used frozen blueberries instead of dried fruit and plan to use baked apples next time.
2 tbsp wheat germ (a nutritious addition, but not essential)
1 tsp cinnamon I used more cinnamon as Ella loves cinnamon
10 fl oz (1 1/4 cup) milk (I used whole milk, but you can use reduced fat milk for older children and adults) I added a little extra milk to make them softer for easier eating
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

As these are not very sweet, I would consider adding applesauce next time that I make them. For babies over 1, I would add honey.

*If you use quick cooking oats in this recipe, you will need less milk (probably just under 8 fl oz / 1 cup) and a shorter cooking time (30 to 40 mins or so).

Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (180 deg C).
Put the oats, wheat germ, dried fruit and cinnamon into a bowl and mix thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, mix the milk with the beaten egg and vanilla.
Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients until thoroughly combined.
Grease a small baking tin, pour in the mixture and flatten on top. I tripled the recipe and poured the mixture into a jelly roll pan. It made the bars the perfect thickness and allowed me to freeze a lot of extra bars for easy breakfasts

Bake for 40 to 50 mins until firm.

Cut into bars (or whatever shape you like) whilst still warm – and they’re particularly tasty served warm, too.

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9 months old!

It is hard to believe that Ella's first year is 3/4 of the way over. Ella has proven to be one of the greatest gifts from God. She has taught me and Tim a lot about ourselves as individuals, as parents, as marriage partners, and as children of God. Being a mom has taught me patience, compassion, discipline, grace, and the overwhelming depth of God's strength and mercy.

Over the past month Ella has grown and learned a lot. She is becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby. She has become a fast crawler, perfected the ability to pull up and cruise, has fed herself complete meals (we have done baby-led weaning where she has eaten non-pureed foods since 7 months), has said "momma," "daddy," and something that sounds a lot like "Ella," and is speaking a lot of gibberish. I love having little "conversations" with her and cannot wait for her to start talking more.

We are beginning to push baby sign language. Ella's strong personality results in a lot of yelling and frustration and we want to teach her correct communication instead of listening to whining and yelling. So far she has mimicked me in signing "all done" at the end of a meal. It is exciting to see concepts connect in her brain.

Ella's personality has blossomed even more into a social butterfly. While she does get attached to mommy when she is tired or upset, she typcially loves to be around other people and kids. She screams with joy when we pass by the kids play area in the mall and loves to follow bigger kids around when we go on our weekly trip to the library.

Ella's favorite foods at 9 months old are cheese, beans, cheerios, and she has grown to really love beets.
Her favorite toys are her cars, blocks, books, and baby doll.
She never sits still and I think we are both going to be slimming down playing chase Ella!



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American Mommy Wars

It has been a couple of month's since Time Magazines notorious breastfeeding cover first caused an uproar. But, the impression that it has made on me is still strong. It has made me realize the tremendous pull of the American mommy wars. It seems like everyone has a widely different and tightly held opinion about how to parent children the "right" way. Raising Ella has taught me to see that every mommy does things differently. Some read baby books and follow them to a T, while others never pick up a book to begin with. Some breastfeed past 1 year, while some formula feed from day one. Baby's co-sleep and sleep in their own cribs. Some cry themselves to sleep while others are nursed or rocked. One way isn't the "right" way. One way isn't the "godly" way. Outside of the moral and biblical training of a child, I have found that the practical do's and don'ts of child raising are extremely flexible. Looking at a class of fifth grade children, I am pretty sure I would not be able to tell who breastfed or drank formula, who ate organic only produce and who was exposed to countless pesticides, or who wore cloth diapers and who wore disposables. These little things just don't matter that much in the end result.

I have seen a couple other blogging moms post a list of the things that they do as moms that they are sure they have messed up their babies according to someone's standards. It is a neat idea and I have decided to follow their example.

These are the ways that we have raised Ella and I am sure someone out there would disagree with us:

Although I was planning to try natural childbirth, I had an epidural and LOVED it.

Ella got a pacifier while in the hospital.

I let Ella have A LOT of independent play. She can play in the living room and her bedroom alone (within reason).

Ella slept in bed by my side 75% of the time until she moved to her own crib at 3.5 months.

I've nursed Ella from birth and don't have a set end date.

We let Ella cry it out for naps and bed.

Ella still nurses at night (mainly because my resolve to let her cry it out at night as opposed to getting back to sleep quickly with nursing is very low at 2am)

We bought jarred baby food and made our own.

We stopped feeding Ella jarred baby food at 7 months and let her self-feed.

Ella has had peanuts, eggs, and dairy products.

I am crazy inconsistent at baby sign language.

Ella loves playing with grass and I wouldn't be surprised if she has eaten some.

We cloth diaper, but I do resort to disposables when doing diaper laundry, traveling, and church. 

I love baby wearing and don't know where I would be without my Moby Wrap and Ergo.

We listen to all different kinds of music around Ella (including Eminem and Mozart)

Ella has watched TV.

When Ella escapes from a diaper change and starts crawling around butt naked I laugh and grab the camera.

I am somewhat lost in regards to the tantrums of a 9 month old and how to discourage those.

I am sure there is more. But the beautiful thing about motherhood is that your kids love you regardless of whether or not you fed them organic or not. I am pretty sure that I will never get thanked for putting Ella in cloth or scolded for getting an epidural. What truly matters is that you show your kids the love of Christ and the power of the gospel. That they are healthy, loved, and guided in truth. 

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