Taking on Solid Food

Robby is only 4.5 months old, so this a post that is occurring a lot sooner than I thought it would.  We were planning on following the longer recommendation of 6 months, and still might for the most part, but here is where we stand.

As you all know, Robby is a HUGE tub o' somethin.  So the first requirement of doubling your birth weight was EASILY met.  What are the general recommendations before you even consider solids?

1)  Double your birth-weight

2)  Sit up well on your own (it can be supported, but they need good head control)

3)  Lose the tongue reflex

4)  Show an interest in food

Robby met (or exceeded) all the above requirements, and would practically leap out of your arms any time you were eating something in an effort to get to it.  He also was wanting to eat so much and so frequently that I was losing my mind a bit.  So as of the 4 month appointment, I discussed solids with the pediatrician.  His feelings were that I could go ahead, and he encouraged starting at least rice cereal before hitting 6 months.  He also gave me a schedule of starting with one serving of cereal a day for a week, then two the next week, then veggies, the fruit....fairly typical.  But he ultimately said it was up to me.

Later that week (almost 2 weeks after he turned 4 months), we tried giving him some rice cereal.  Nothin doin.  Robby wanted nothing to do with it.  Thought it was a little strange, but ok, he's not ready, we'll hold off.  Waited a week.

Earlier this week, he was driving me up the wall.  He was wanting to eat hourly, and I couldn't keep up.  I just had nothing left.  So, since I've been making baby food like it's going out of style (post for another day), I decided to pull out a cube of butternut squash.  Better known (at least in this house) as baby crack.  Robby DEVOURED it.  See above picture.  He was grabbing that spoon and pulling it towards him, unable to get it in fast enough.  Guess he takes after his grandpa with his love of squash.  Anyway, we have proven that it is merely that rice cereal tastes like garbage, not that he doesn't want solids.  And yes, Chris tried it, and I might have not gotten out the words, "That's mixed with breast milk" quick enough.  There's some controversy about rice cereal anyway, so we're holding off for now.  Breast fed babies should be getting enough iron, anyway, which is the biggest reason they encourage feeding it.

That is actually IT on the solid food front.  Those 2 times.  Other than the above picture.  We were at Panera and my mom only had eaten 1/2 her apple.  Robby was quite happy to lick the remainder.  Repeatedly.  And thoroughly.  It was pretty funny.  Apparently apples are on the "favorite" list, as well.

So, there ya go.  He's not REALLY eating solids yet, but he's had a couple of forays.  We're going to play it by ear for the time being.

Lactation Cookies

Lactation cookies are a complete misnomer.  Don't get me wrong, I believe they do what they're supposed to, but it isn't like they make husbands produce milk.  If they did, we'd have a leaky Chris over here.  So let's call them what they really are, "OATMEAL CHOCOLATE  CHIP COOKIES".  This is not my recipe, but it is absolutely everywhere on the internet, and I got it from a friend, so I have no idea who to give credit to.  So...here ya go.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons flax seed meal
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350°.

- Mix the flaxseed meal and water and let sit for 5 minutes.

- Beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar.

- Add eggs.

- Add the flaxseed and vanilla, beat.

- Mix together flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt.

- Add dry ingredients.

- Stir in oats and chips.

- Bake for 12 minutes.


Review:

These are FIBER HEAVY COOKIES.  All 3 of us in the house were feeling the effects.  Take that as you may.  Other than that they were delicious, but I'm really not sure how much they did for production.  I did say to Chris a few times that I'm not really sure there's a difference between these and eating a granola bar and drinking a beer, but hey, it's an excuse for cookies.  Enjoy!

 

Our "free" headboard

This past week, while we were taking our nightly dog and stroller walk, we came across a headboard and bed frame on the side of the road labelled "free".  Not one to ever pass up a deal, I sent Chris back with a car to pick it up while I gave lil man his bath.  Chris says I owe him.

It turns out that a neighbor had put the bed frame in front of this house because it had a fire hydrant to lean it on, and the owner of the house came running out to yell at Chris when he stopped to pick it up.  He thought that Chris was LEAVING the bed frame in his yard.  Much confusion ensued...but we got our frame.

It's nothing fancy, fairly unattractive even, and has a crack and some missing screws, but nothing us DIY gurus (ha) can't handle.  Chris re-did some of the pieces by taking them apart, wood-gluing, and tacking them back in, and we ended up with a solid frame.  Then it was my turn.

It was covered in light wood laminate.  Ew.  Alright, not TERRIBLE, but our house is all dark wood, and...ya'll...LAMINATE.  So I decided to get some paint.  After a lovely trip to Sherwin Williams where I had a long chat with their VERY pregnant associate, Amanda, who was due any day, I came home to paint.  Amanda looked startled and relieved when I said I had a four month old.  She sputtered..."A four month old, you look great!"  Ok, major ego boost, and I was glad that she seemed so relieved that it was possible.

Back to the headboard.  Nothing fancy here.  I primed, painted (two coats), and then we assembled it.  We need to add some slats because it isn't supporting the bed particularly well, but it really almost makes it look like we have a decorated bedroom!  See?  Isn't it lovely?  Yes, you are seeing 98% of the room.  It is TINY.  There are two dressers crammed in there that you can't see, but I haven't painted them yet, so they're hiding.  ;)    It's nice to be able to get some projects done now, even if they mostly are accomplished after the Lion goes to sleep at night.  At the expense of my sleep.  Oh well.

(I somehow lost my in-progress photos.  Pretty frustrated about that.)

My Trip to the Chiropractor

On Friday I finally gave in and went to the chiropractor.  As I mentioned in my post-baby body post, my hip has been extremely painful, and I decided it was time.  I was finally willing to pay the money, spend the time, and acknowledge the injury in the hopes of getting some relief.

My hips have been through the ringer.  My freshman year of college, way back in 1999, was the first time they experienced trauma.  My friend Laura and I were at a party, where a drunken guy walked up behind us and picked us each up in one of his arms.  This isn't as impressive as it sounds, as at the time I was all of 110, and was MUCH larger than Laura.  Anyway, he drunkenly stumbled around, and eventually landed...hard...and I was on the bottom of the heap.  All 3 of us had landed on my left hip.  I obviously didn't want to acknowledge that I had been injured by a drunk guy at a party, so I just limped around for a couple weeks and didn't seek treatment.

The summer of 2001, I was working for Enterprise Rental Cars, and managed to total one of their vehicles, as I drove 2 other employees back to our office.  I was in a left turn lane and had a green light, but not the green arrow.  My view was obstructed by a car in the turning lane in the other direction, so as I edged out, trying to see, a van slammed into the side of our little Saturn, lifting it up on end, turning it 180 degrees, and, miraculously, not flipping it.  While my lower back was so injured that I spent much of that summer laying flat on my back whenever I wasn't working, I felt so guilty that, again, I never sought medical attention.  

So, 12 years after the initial injury, and adding the birth of my son into the mix, the pain is finally bad enough that I needed to get it looked at.  I could handle never riding roller coasters, and frequently using heating pads, but now?  Whenever I turn out my right leg, pain shoots down through the entire leg.  And trying to sit Indian style is just laughable.  I can't.  Consequently, running also hasn't been on the top of my list.

When I met the doctor, he ran through a battery of tests, checking to see if things were parallel, my range of motion, and my strength in different areas.  It almost seemed like magic.  As soon as he would press a pressure point, and try and get me to activate muscles surrounding my right hip, it would just collapse, and had absolutely no strength what-so-ever.  He certainly was convinced that something was amiss, but will not treat it until he sees an x-ray of my hip and lower back.  I will be getting that done this week, then returning again on Friday of this week.  Hopefully then we can get the ball rolling.

Oddly enough, he also jumped on the fact that I have been excessively dizzy since delivery.  As in, I have blacked out multiple times.  But proceeded to ask questions like, 

"Are you tired?"  

"Why, yes, I have a 4 month old." 

 

"Do you have trouble sleeping?"  

"Why, yes, I have a 4 month old."  

His line of questioning wasn't working so well.  Anyway, he seems to feel that I might need some sort of supplement.  Eh, wouldn't be shocked.  Kiddos will take a lot out of you.  Anyway, one problem at a time.  Here's to hoping I'll soon be healed!  

Friday 5: Body Changes After Baby

Here is a very scary comparison picture to put up.  I know I stopped doing body-after-baby posts when it started to feel like bragging, but this is more than just weight, it's the details that sometimes fail to get mentioned.  And, I apologize that the angles are just different enough to make it somewhat trippy.  These pictures were taken on September 15, 2010 (5 weeks pregnant, but still the same body), and September 29, 2011 (now, 4 months post-baby).

In the interest of full disclosure, I will be giving numbers, so if you don't want to know, I suggest stopping.

1)  Weight
I am really darn lucky.  I know this.  I had no trouble losing the weight.  I have been a lazy bum that eats a lot of crap, though, so my weight actually did go back up after it had dropped BELOW pre-pregnancy weight.  On the left, I weighed 135 lbs.  On the right I weigh 136.5.  They are the same clothes, but because I took a lot of monthly update pictures in them, they are pretty stretched out now.  Also, I'm not running right now, so there is a distinct difference in muscle tone.

2)  Joint size
I know this sounds strange, but with all the swelling, joints expand.  My feet went from a 7.5 to between an 8/8.5 and I've had to purchase a lot of new shoes.  Now, that's not really a bad thing, other than it's not in the budget.  Also, you may recall that I tried to jam my wedding rings on my fingers 6 weeks post-partum, and had to have them cut off in the emergency room.  My fingers grew MUCH larger.  My rings were previously 3.75, and now are 5.25.  I understand that that still means that I have abnormally skinny fingers, but they are gigantic to me.  Again, this is mostly the joints, and not the part in between.

3)  The Girls
Yes, I'm still nursing.  Therefore, this is likely to change again, but not always.  I went from a 36C pre-pregnancy, up to a 38F during, and down now to a 36DD.  Again, a slightly non-traditional route.  I was terrified that everyone kept telling me that they were going to get bigger once the milk came in.  Thank goodness that was not the case, and they, in fact, went down in size.  I have spoken to many women where this was a permanent change, but I really wouldn't mind going back down.  Who knows.  I have been blessed that nursing has not been problematic at all.

4)  My Hips
OHHHHH my hips.  Now, I know some of you are looking at the picture trying to figure out what I'm talking about.  No, I'm not talking about size, or appearing any different.  They are PAINFUL.  This is part of my excuse for not running right now.  I always had bad hips.  A drunk guy fell on me when I was 18, and I was in a car accident at 20, so they've always hurt.  Even before I gave birth Chris tried to get me to go see his chiropractor.  I never did.  After giving birth?  Multiple times a day I will turn, and a stabbing pain will shoot through my hip.  I feel it in my knees and ankles, as well, as the whole alignment is off.  I can barely walk sometimes, and going down the stairs in the middle of the night to get the baby is my own version of hell.  I have finally given in and scheduled a chiropractor appointment for this afternoon.  I'll let you know how it goes.  I'm really hoping that I can get some relief!

SCARY PICTURE #2.  PERHAPS MORE SCARY THAN #1!!!

This, folks, is my stomach.  Which, ok, really isn't too scary, again, lucky.

5)  My Stomach

Yes, I know people are looking at that hating me.  There are no stretch marks.  None.  How?  God was kind.  I have a lot of spider veins on my legs, but that's it.  The linea negra has not totally disappeared, and I'm not sure when it will.  Obviously, I had been wearing a different bra and pants, and those are the marks.  Try and ignore those.  

The excess skin.  It bothers me, but I continue to hope it will shrink over time.  Everyone tells me it will.  You can still see that bulge, and it is easy to grab handfuls.  Sorry for the graphic imagery.  All I can tell you is that as of 4 months?  Still there.  

You may notice that my stomach is broken out, which may seem odd.  It is.  Certain babies (hmm hmm LION, talking to you!) dribble a lot of milk while they're eating.  I try and clean it off, but it never seems to be good enough.  So I have teenage skin...on my stomach.  Joy.  

Bonus #6 - A quick run-down of other changes, or lack there-of

- Hair: Lost a bunch, but it seems to have stopped, and hasn't really been an issue, other than disgusting the husband who cleans the drains.  It's as curly as ever.

- Skin: It was much better while I was pregnant.  Back to breaking out.

- Internally: Digestion is back to being problematic.  Lactose intolerance has returned.

- Smell: I'm back to being unable to smell anything.

***UPDATE as of 10 months HERE***

Are there other changes people have dealt with?  Or are there things you thought you would face and didn't?

My Attempted Baby Photo Shoot

I am not a photographer.  I do not pretend to be a photographer.  I have a pretty good camera, that I have no idea how to use.  I'd love to take the time to learn, but it hasn't really happened.  However, I am also cheap.  Therefore, we have no portraits of the Lion.  Hopefully, we'll get some once he can sit up, since I think that would be fun.  At this rate, he'll also be crawling.  Which...may prove problematic.  Anyway, here are some of my favorites.  My biggest problem?  I don't have a backdrop, or any solid-color walls.  So, I tried to make do with some blankets that just never seemed big enough.  Feel free to tell me how I should just give up and pay someone.

 All the bears we had sitting around.  Confession:  I owned them all pre-baby, except for the blue one (Mr. Bear)

His best friend.  Mr. Bear.  Thanks to my brother's in-laws.

My happy boy.

He likes sucking on his lips right now.  Which is a little odd...but cute.

Admittedly?  This is a nursing shot.  I never thought I'd ever want a photo with him nursing, but since you can see absolutely nothing?  I'm kind of in love with this.

I swear I chose the lighting that looked best for the individual photo when I was editing.  But...this one looks really weird after the dark ones, I know.

And...at the very end I let Harper back in so she could participate.  

There were some pretty bad outtakes, since Robby wasn't so into this whole idea.  I'll just give you 2.  Didn't edit them at all.

Just THOROUGHLY licked.  You can see the dripping slobber.

Daddy's tie on the baby?  Cute in theory, not in practice.

Growing into gifts

I find myself frequently thinking of my son as one of those gel capsules that you put into water and it just explodes into some sponge shape.  Ya'll have to have played with those at some point in your childhood.  He just has grown so QUICKLY.  This has led me to really appreciate larger-sized gifts that I received at my baby showers.  Some of the ones that seemed huge at the time are starting to fit.  Take for example this adorable dinosaur hat from Raquel and Jeff:

Oh, wait, hiding from the picture.

Nope, don't want to be sitting.

Yay!  Mom's finally letting me stand up!  (Hence, the complete obscuring of the hat.  Ah well.)

Also, he's finally starting to use the most adorable gift I received, and had raved about previously from Matt & Michelle (Who are providing their own lil playmate for the buddy soon!  So excited!).  This bag of farm animals is so very cute, but also a great toy for both now, and when he starts imagining.  Right now the horse is his favorite because it has a tail that's easy to hold on to.

And, is also, delicious.

So, my decision has been made.  I'm going to be trying to get gifts that seem huge and/or advanced from now on.  Because they all grow into them (entirely too soon!).

Thanks everyone!!!