Baby Food

Soon after Hank turned 4 months old, I started him on rice cereal.  (I blogged about this a few weeks ago.)  He seemed to like it and tolerate it well.  So last week, after a few weeks of only cereal and learning to eat from a spoon, we started Hank on baby food.  Before I made the transition, I found out about a series of classes at Central Baptist called "First Spoonfuls" that teaches you about adding solid food to your baby's diet.  One of my friends, who is a registered dietician, teaches the class.  I knew that we would see demonstrations of how to make your own baby food, but I thought that there was NO WAY that I was going to do that.  I'm not that domestic.  I mean, I don't like to cook for myself, much less go to the extra work of making my own baby food!  But once I got to the class, the instructor made it look so easy that I figured I should "give it a go."  And so far, it has been pretty easy, but I have started out very simple.  The first food that I gave Hank was bananas because all I had to do was mash a banana up with a fork and add breast milk.  Since then I have made apples, pears, carrots, and mangoes.  The apples, pears, and carrots took a little more effort because I had to peel, chop, and cook them prior to putting them through the food processor.  I got some little containers from Babies R' Us and some ice cube trays from the grocery so that I can freeze and store my homemade baby food.  I haven't spent a whole lot of money so far on storage since I'm not sure how long this phase of making my own baby food will last.  But it does make me feel good that I know exactly what Hank is eating and that it doesn't have any preservatives in it.  Frozen, homemade baby food can stay in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

I also got a book from Barnes and Noble called "Top 100 Baby Purees" by Annabel Karmel.  It has some good ideas and recipes in it.  I never thought about adding ingredients like cinnamon, parsley, onion, or garlic to baby food, but I bet that it makes it taste a lot better.  In fact, some of the recipes sound so good, I think that I might even eat them myself!  The other night, Russ was going to make us some mango smoothies.  I told him to let me look in my baby food puree book and see what tastes good mixed with mango.  The book suggested that strawberries combined well with mango so Russ added some strawberries in the blender with the mango.  And let me tell you, a mango/strawberry smoothie is delicious!  So if this homemade baby food thing doesn't work out, at least I got a good smoothie recipe out of it!  

By the way, if you live in the Lexington area and are interested in taking the classes at Central Baptist, here is the link to the website:

http://www.centralbap.com/Left+Navigation/Community+Classes/First+Spoonfuls

The classes are free!  You can't beat that deal!

And here are some pictures of the foods that I have made so far along with a picture of the book that I bought:



Little Boy in Blue

Over three years ago, when my sister found out that she was pregnant with her second child, she was sure that she was having another boy.  I happened to be in the Dollar Store shortly after she told me that she was pregnant again and I came across this cute little outfit for six dollars.  I loved the turquoise color!  (I think that babies look so cute in bright colors.)  Well, come to find out, my sister was expecting a little girl!  My niece, Sallie Kate, is a doll and I am so glad that she is part of our lives, but I was left with this little blue outfit hanging in my closet.  I guess that I was too embarrassed to give it away to anyone other than family since it came from the Dollar Store.  Little did I know when I bought this outfit that over three and a half years later, I would be putting it on my own son.  I'm glad that I saved it because it looks good on him if I do say so myself!  Here are some pictures of my cutie pie wearing my Dollar Store find:

Of course, Scout always has to get in on the action.  She loves to give Hank kisses.  I guess that there is something about a baby's scent that dogs love, too!

Kicking Like Crazy

Hank always has a great time kicking and splashing in the bathtub.  He kicked a little too aggressively one night and managed to kick his left leg completely out of the tub.  He wasn't so sure what to do once he got himself into this situation.  Luckily, daddy was nearby and able to rescue him quickly.

Stand Up, Stand Up Little Hank

Hank loves to practice standing up.  He has been trying to stand since he was only a couple months old.  Russ makes it a game and says, "One...Two...Three...Stand Up!"  Hank holds on tight to Russ' fingers as he helps him to stand.  Hank always gets this look of anticipation/excitement on his face as Russ starts to count.

Getting ready to practice standing

"One...Two...Three..."

"I did it, Mommy!"

"He we go again.  I can't wait!"

Holding tight to daddy's thumbs

I had to include this picture because his little booty looks so cute in these pajamas that grandmama bought him.  He is starting to look more like a little boy and less like a baby.  I didn't think that would happen until he was at least one! He is growing up too fast!

Bucking Bronco

I don't know why I thought that it was a good idea to give my almost 5-month old a ride on my shoulders....especially since he has really been practicing grasping things lately!  It may have been a better idea for Russ to try this instead since he is bald.  Russ says that Hank's expressions make it look like he is riding a bucking bronco. (The third picture down really shows this the best.)  These are terrible pictures of me, but they are so funny of Hank that I had to forgo my vanity and post them anyway.  Enjoy!

Hank is proud that he held on longer than 8 seconds!

Swimming in the Pool - Take 2

After Hank's first experience with the pool, I wasn't sure how it was going to go for the rest of the summer.  However, after the water warmed up, Hank has been enjoying the pool with mom and dad.  He can usually only take about 30 minutes at a time and it completely wears him out!  He immediately goes down for a 1-2 hour nap after we get him out of the pool and dried off.  I have included a ton of pictures because it was hard to pick my favorites and I want to remember all of his little facial expressions.

Dog Gone Cute!

Aunt Allie got this outfit for Hank soon after we found out that we were having a boy.  When Hank was born, he was so tiny that I thought it would take forever for him to fit into some of the cute summer clothes that he had gotten.  I thought that he looked so cute today so I had to take his picture.  This outfit lasted about half of the day until Hank had the biggest diaper blowout known to man!  I took pictures of that, too, but I figured that I would spare you and also let Hank keep a little of his dignity!

Rice Cereal

We have started Hank on rice cereal. He seems to like it so far, but hasn't quite mastered eating from a spoon. I think more cereal ends up on his face and bib than in his mouth! I am only giving him about a tablespoon of cereal each day and he gets a little better at swallowing from a spoon with each try. Here are some of my favorite pictures from his feeding on Monday:

"I'm ready for another bite."

Mommy's little bird

"This cereal is pretty tasty! Why haven't I tried it before now?"

"Oh. The cereal is supposed to stay IN your mouth. Gotcha."

"I think my eyes are bigger than my stomach!"

"Maybe if I suck on my fingers while mommy feeds me then the cereal will go down easier."

One last bite.....



"Now that I have a full belly, I think that I'm ready for a nap."

First Dip in the Big Pool

After trying out his baby pool, Hank took his first dip in the big pool with Daddy's help.  I think that the water was a little cool for Hank's taste.  I had to post these pictures because his facial expressions are priceless!  He didn't cry even though he didn't care for the cooler water.  He's a tough little guy! It looks like he has enough fat on him to insulate him pretty well.  Hopefully, as the water warms up throughout the summer, Hank will tolerate more time in the big pool.

Pre-dip in the big pool

"This water is cold. What is daddy doing to me?"

"Get me out of this cold water, Daddy!"

"Thank goodness I survived! Mommy, get my warm towel ready."

Baby Pool

Hank loves bath time so I was sure that he would love relaxing in the pool. I found this cute baby pool at Wal-Mart this past weekend. It looked perfect for our little guy so we blew it up, filled it with warm water, and added a rolled up towel for neck support. Hank wasn't as thrilled with it as I thought he would be, but I have included a few of my favorite pictures anyway.

Daddy and Hank chatting in their respective swimming pools.

My boys

Trying to get comfortable

Hank seemed to like being wrapped up in the warm towel.

Sitting up with a little help from dad.

I had to include a picture of the warning on the side of the baby pool because I thought that it was so funny. I must first note that the pool only holds 2-4 inches of water. My two favorite warnings are: 1) NO diving and 2) Pool fencing laws may affect this product, please contact your local council for further information.

I can't imagine going to Home Depot to buy fencing materials for this little pool!  Good thing that our backyard is already fenced in! Ha! Ha!