Homemade peas, please!

Today I rushed home with Ian and got right down to the business of making peas. It was just about as easy as popping open a jar of Gerber. Here's how I did it:


1. Buy fresh or frozen peas.


2. Steam the little suckers for about 10 minutes on a low boil.


3. Puree with a cup or so of distilled water. You can also use the pea water from the pan; it's loaded with vitamins!


4. Work the puree through a sieve, if you please. This is optional and honestly not worth the time.


5. Feed fresh to baby.


6. Then freeze the rest. This bag made enough for two trays full - that's about 18 jars of the factory stuff. And it took less than 20 minutes. Easy peasy!

Swimmy Swim Swim

Ian went on his first road trip this past weekend. We hit I-35 and headed down to my old 'hood of Austin, TX. He did fabulousy. Seriously, he is such a great kid. No muss, no fuss, and he slept well in the house we were staying in. Here are some pics of our first swim together. So much fun! Thank you La Quinta for letting us crash your pool party...



And here's a short video:

When It Comes Time

Today was a stressful day. In short, a coworker came to work after his 3 daughters were diagnosed with type A influenza, likely the swine flu. He stayed at work ALL DAY LONG. I was a nervous ball of doody all day, afraid to store my milks in the communal fridge, scared to leave my office, afraid to kiss Ian hello this afternoon when I saw him.

So where do I turn when I need support? The La Leche League Mother-to-Mother forums. They are the best resource for any nursing mother to vent, get advice, and help out others in need. We all share similar philosophies about various topics: breastfeeding, diapering, co-sleeping, and discipline.

Now everyone's got an opinion or two (or three) about corporal punishment. Mine can be summed up in four simple words: "Absolutely not, no, never."

That said, it's nice to come across a quote from an expert in parenting that backs your philosophy. This one by psychologist Penelope Leach stopped me dead in my tracks:

"Children are the only people in this society anybody is allowed to hit. All the rest of us are legally protected."

When it comes time to punish Ian, I hope for the courage and patience never to raise a hand to him. Teach him, model good behavior, withhold things, insist on high standards? Absolutely. But physical pain? Never, no, and absolutely not.

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Moment of Truth, Part I: Once, I was so frustrated with Ian and soooooo tired. He was wailing and I could not calm him down. I placed him roughly onto the couch to take a breather and it freaked him out. His head banged up against a notebook corner. I don't think he was hurt physically, but he was scared. He turned beet red and could not even catch his breath to cry. I was devasted. This is as close to hurting my child as I ever want to get. It's embarassing to even remember it.

Moment of Truth, Part II: When I get upset with Ian and raise my voice, he thinks it's hilarious. I say angrily, "Stop it Ian!" and he just looks at me and smiles real big. That's my boy. What a diplomat, just like his dad.

Evolution of the Avocado Baby

Okay, let's try this out.

Huh. I don't think so.

Again?

Nooooo.

Ewwww, please!

Fine, I'll try it one more time.

Whoo hoo! I love avocado.

Poop-tastic

I am lovin' Ian's poops right now. Sure, they are stinky. And yes, they are poopy. But they are solid little smushed turds that are so easy to clean up! They look like refried black beans and smell like avocados. (And suddenly I'm hungry for Gloria's...)

He's been digging his solid food regimen more and more. He gets such a variety now that we feel confident we are growing a healthy eater. I've even vowed to eat as well as he does. Let's see how long that lasts!

Lately he's been nursing like crazy, so he's likely hitting a growth spurt. He has been lifting up quite a bit with his arms (like he's doing push ups) and scoot-scoot-scoots across the floor. He also is doing his tripods (sitting up with one arm on the ground to steady himself). Crawling is just around the corner. Lord help us all.

Charlie Brown

That Charlie Brown. He's a clown! More HERE.

Avocado Baby

I got this email from my mom this morning about feeding Ian avocado for the first time:

"I had two plates ready, one with his cereal and the other with the mashed aguacate. I started with the cereal, and he was eating it like there is no tomorrow, when... pow, I switched to the aguacate. At the beginning he was not too sure what had happened, then he started making the funniest faces in the world, several times like he was going to throw up in a minute. But, in general, I think he liked it."


He did the same thing with the sweet potatoes a couple weeks ago. It was like we were feeding him poo. But he never really rejected it. He slurped it up and made head motions like a baby bird straining to reach the worm mama was feeding him. Too funny!

Another new development: He's starting to leeeeeeean forward in his swing. It's like he's doing a slow motion head dive onto the floor below. Yesterday, before realizing this was his new "thing," I left him in his swing sans buckle and he slipped right out and toppled to the floor. Luckily, the drop was about 2 inches onto a carpeted rug, so no biggie. But it scared me for a second. Bad mom! Bad mom!

Parenting, Interrupted

So I'm totally guilt trippin' over the lack of time I have with Ian during the work week. I love my job and "having a career," but am seriously not enjoying being away from him. It feels unnatural, as if my parenting experience were being arrested, or at the very least - interrupted.

With this guilt I thee spend. On a very short lunch break, I hit the aisles of Toys R Us and bought my little guy some toys, including this classic:


He's in the early stages of teething, so I also picked up a few things for him to salivate all over and gnaw on to his heart's content.

To add to this parenting misery, Jason and I have agreed to put him to sleep a little earlier. Instead of cereal at 8ish (then a warm bath and final nursing), we are going to start the routine closer to 7:30. He is showing signs of sleep deprivation and does not nap well during the day. This means less time with him after work.

*insert very sad face here*

A Series of Series

Here are some of my favorite photos of Ian.