Luca's Birth Story, Dad's POV

I have attempted to write a bit about Luca's birth time and again, but I can't really improve on what his dad has already created.  A few paragraphs could never encompass everything that is experienced in a birth, but Jo has summed up our experience pretty well.
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Rocking baby to sleep

I just spent an HOUR rocking my baby to sleep. I started off a little annoyed that she was just staring into space and didn't seem that sleepy...but then as I was rocking in the dark I started thinking about when I'm old and I thought about how much I would ACHE for this moment..and how very very lucky I am to be able to rock this sweet baby girl to sleep. I rocked her until she was deeply asleep and then I placed her in her crib and it was so special, so precious, and it will all be over before I know it. I don't want her to grow up...I wish it could all go in slow motion.

Fantastic Foods!

So, my little one is in the thick of his love affair with solid foods! I started him on avocado and sweet potato around 5 months because he just seemed so interested in it. We've been going strong ever since. Here are a few of my favorite foods that are a must for young eaters. Remember, babies have more taste buds now then they'll ever have in their life. So, expose them to as much as possible and get those little palates going.

6 months:
Coconut Yogurt: This is a great choice if you're not a fan of dairy or your little one is allergic. Also, coconut is high in fiber and essential fatty acids, the ones your little one needs to develop muscle tissues and maintain cell health. You might think coconut is related to tree nuts, but being that it's a fruit, it's actually closer to a peach, so it's totally safe to try.

7 months:
Tofu: This is a fun food for kids to play with. You can try silken or regular, either way your giving your babe some amazing vegetable protein. Blend it with other veggies, or add it to yogurt to boost up the nutritional value.

8 months: Here are a few choices of proteins that can be added to baby's cereal or yogurt
Sunflower Seed Butter: A ton of protein, calcium & iron, which is essential as baby's iron reserves are running out around this time.
Tahini: Also known as sesame seed paste; full of protein, calcium & iron
Flaxseed: Great source of omega 3's, fiber and protein. Also aids in digestive health
Kelp Powder: Excellent source of iodine which is needed for growth and development
Brewer's Yeast or Nutritional Yeast: Great source of B vitamins and amino acids
Hemp Milk: A great mother's milk alternative. Hemp is actually quite a super food and is packed with the hard to find omega 3's and 6's. Vastly superior to cow's milk.

9 months:
Lentils: 13 g of protein per 1/4 C; lentils are just about the highest veggie protein out there. Also chocked full of iron and fiber. Easy to turn into patties with added veggies.

10 & 11 months:
Ground Sprouts: Sprouts are micro plants that are actually living foods. They are one of the best ways to get essential vitamins and nutrients. Be sure get them from a trusted source as they can carry bacteria.

12 months: A free for all; berries, citrus, egg whites; feed your baby whatever you're eating!

Get creative and have fun! If you love sharing food with your baby, your baby will love eating food with you!

FOOD SAFETY

My good friend Jenny passed this useful link along to me the other day and I feel like I should pass it along to you. http://foodsafety.gov/ Is a website where you can find all the recent food recalls. Don't think because you only shop organic at Whole Foods you're safe from food recalls...keep the kiddos safe!
P.S. My dad almost died in the 2006 spinach contamination. It was from a package of Organic Earthbound Farms 'pre-washed' spinach. He was in the hospital for 2 weeks, and ended up with blood poisoning, it was very serious. A 2 year old boy died from the same spinach contamination when his grandmother put some spinach in his morning smoothie....wash your greens!

Aylas food ventures

So I thought I'd share things I've been going through with Ayla after reading our recent posts:
Ayla has started to reject the spoon...she wants to feed herself or at the very least be finger fed by us. Unless it's covered in yogurt, or she's cutting a tooth she only wants to put fistfulls of food in her mouth.
So I've been left steaming fruit or squash-like veggies that I cut into chunks she can put in her mouth or rolling pureed foods with a grain so it forms into finger food. The other morning she wouldn't even eat her oatmeal for breakfast (which has been our morning staple) so I ended up putting some joe's O's in her bowl and then covering them with breastmilk. She LOOOOVED it! I've also been experimenting with how much chunkiness she can handle. She loves cherries and toast and is starting to really get into mushing hard things with her gums and tongue. I'm in shock because this has been something that has happened over night. I still offer her pureed foods, and I'll get a few spoonfuls in, but it is hard. The only thing I've been trying to do is always have a different protein offered. So yogurt one meal and then tofu or beans the next. We also have embarked on fish and the other day she went crazy on my meatball sub from Bay City Deli...but I was going crazy on that too...Best Meatball Sub I've EVER had!!

I also think she's weaning herself, which seems pretty natural, given how she's been eating. It's made my nipples sore...I never knew that was possible, and now...you know it's possible too!!

Hide Your Veggies in the Beans

In response to Sarah's post: I try to cook all of Miles' food too and I worry about all the same things, am I feeding him the right amount of vitamins and fiber and protein and bla bla bla. But my challenges are a little different because although Miles will eat pretty much anything, most things make him constipated. So getting him to eat fibers and drink enough liquids is what I'm constantly obsessing with!

But for your problem, lets see. You said Luca likes beans, right? Well, Miles eats just about every kinds of beans (he is half Latino after all) and to make them more tasty, I cook his beans the same way I cook ours, except I don't add salt and pepper.

And you can hide all kinds of good for you veggies in beans! I make a lot of black beans, lentils, black eyed peas, green beans, chick peas, pinto beans, etc. I cook them with celery, carrots, onions, kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, turmeric, cumin, oregano, etc etc. You can really mix them with just about anything and they're very tasty.

I also cook pots of just veggies, like cauliflower, broccoli or chard, with some veggie stock, onions and all kinds of spices. That makes them tasty and fragrant and he'll eat them with quinoa or brown rice. Or you can mix them with sweet potato or whatever else he really likes. I feel like the key is has to cook with the herbs and spices which make the food yummier. And certain spices, like turmeric and cumin, are also good for digestion. I even add nice Turkish curries sometimes and he gobbles it up!

Now, if anyone has advice on some fiber rich foods that might help my little man, I'll take it! The only things he doesn't seem to enjoy eating are tart fruits (plums, peaches, berries...anything tart) and yogurt. He'll eat all of it if he's really hungry, but he can get picky at times!

Hope that helped a little.
L

Puffs and Olives

I am so impressed with Sarah's food for Luca. Some days Birdie will eat everything I offer (the beans, the spinach, the tofu)and other days refuses it all...including her favorites. Last week she had two dinners where she refused to eat anything except olives and puffs..they were the green kind but still. I'll spend an hour during her nap looking through cook books thinking up the perfect meal, then I'll sit her down and she will turn her face away. I would love to try Luca's breakfast of champions..is there a recipe?