Mostly About Baby Food

(Wednesday night........)

I'm blogging for the second time tonight.  You can thank Pinot Noir for that.

My most favorite red wine.

I just started to think about certain non-important topics and how I'd like to talk about them.  I was afraid that if I didn't, I'd forget.  Due to my ever-lasting mommy brain.  And maybe also the wine.

P.S.  I'm not drunk, I swear.  And my baby is long asleep for the night.  So is Lucas, for that matter.  And I have alcohol test strips to utilize if for any reason I think I may need to pump 'n dump.  But I definitely don't anticipate needing to go that far.

Yes, I own these.  Thanks to Jessica.  :)

P.P.S.  I think Snooki may be a better mom than I am when it comes to "alcohol awareness".  She had TWO glasses of white wine on her first night out as a mom, pumped THREE FULL bottles of breastmilk between that night and the next morning, tested them all, they all came back negative, but yet she dumped them ALL because she didn't trust the test strip results.  In my mind, she just dumped about 18 oz of liquid gold down the drain for NO REASON.  But then the other side of my brain thought - holy crap, she's just being a super cautious mom!  Way more cautious and paranoid than myself!!  For the record, I trust the test strips.  If they give me a negative reading, I believe them.  Especially because they claim to be super sensitive, even picking up alcohol components in the air.  I've seen them turn a nasty color of black when I've had a bit too much (which is easy when you don't drink like you used to).  I AM paranoid enough to test my milk.  But you will NOT see me dumping breastmilk that has a negative test strip!!  But still, Snooki wins Mom of the Year on the pumping and dumping.

P.P.P.S.  I'm fully aware that I just admitted to watching Snooki's show.  I'll even kick it up a notch.....I watch it On Demand!!  I'm not ashamed.  It's all about her baby, and I'm currently all about babies.  I enjoy watching the lives of parents and babies from a different perspective.  I still even enjoy A Baby Story on TLC. 

Snooki's baby, Lorenzo.  He's pretty UH-DORBS.

So I wanted to talk about baby food.  I make all of my baby food, at least for now (having only one chitlin).  I have the Beaba Babycook unit, which I love.  I found it at a consignment sale last spring for $40.  I wasn't sure if that was a good deal or not, so I held it in my hands so no one else could take it while Lucas googled it to find out how much it usually costs.  When we discovered it sells for about $110 on Amazon, we scooped it up!  Now I love my Babycook, but I can't see paying $110 for it.  It steams and it blends....is that really worth $110??  A person could steam in their microwave (or on the stove) and blend in their blender or food processor....so $110 just seems steep to me.  I'm glad I didn't pay that.  I WOULDN'T have paid that!  But it IS quite convenient to have a contraption that both steams and blends.  I wouldn't trade my Babycook for anything right now!

Love it.

That being said, Delano didn't start his solids with foods from the Babycook.  He actually started with things like sweet potato, avocado and banana.  Yes, you have to cook a sweet potato before giving it to a baby (or an adult, for that matter), but with avocado and banana, all you have to do is mash it up.  No cooking involved.  And if it's too thick (which it will be), add some water or breastmilk (or formula) to it.  I have actually stood over the counter with my boob out squeezing breastmilk into a food bowl.  Which would be disturbing if I wasn't a brestfeeding mom.  And is definitely not sexy.  And falso falls under the category of "TMI".  But it is what it is.  You can actually freeze avocado for future use (I haven't tried freezing banana.  But I did try refrigerating it, and that was a no-go).  You can even pop avocado and banana the microwave for a few seconds to soften it for mashing.  Just make sure you stir it fully and touch it to your lips to make sure there aren't any hot spots before feeding your chitlin.  If it's too hot, stick the entire bowl in the freezer for a minute or two to cool it down.  Really ripe fruit is also good for "no Babycook needed".  Ripe pears are fantastic for mashing.  You don't even need to add any water/milk to them because they're so juicy.  Strawberries are too, even though they're not recommended for the wee ones because they might cause some nasty diaper rash due to the acidity that ends up in their poop (especially those prone to allergies).  Lucas and I don't have a history of food allergies in our families, so I introduced Delano to things like acidic fruit a little early.  We were good to go.  Of course, any baby who sits in his poop for a little while could break out in a little rash, regardless of what he/she ate.  Wouldn't you?

Like I do at home.....without all the sexiness.

We've also given Delano a few things on the food chain not normally thought about for baby food-makin' purposes.  Babies tend to go through phases of not pooping for days on end.  As adults, we instantly think of prunes to help get things moving, whether you've actually ever had a prune or not.  When Delano was going through an "I can't seem to poop" stage, I decided to get him some prunes.  I went to Earth Fare and found him some prunes in their pre-packaged bulk product section.  When I got home, I steamed them.  And because they had already been dried out and seemed too thick for steaming, I steamed them twice.  Then I added some reserved liquid and blended them.  They were still way too thick, so I added some more water and blended again.  I did this about 4 or 5 times until they were the consistency of baby food that I wanted!  Then I figured I shouldn't be feeding him straight prunes (I didn't want to make him poop like he was pooping water), so I steamed and blended some pears and did a half and half blend of prunes and pears.  Delano pooped within about 12 hours.  It was a success.

Another fruit I've steamed (twice) and blended for Delano has been dried dates.  Which he loved.  I've used the dates to flavor cereal as well as sweeten some of the more "plain" vegetables, like white potato and carrots. 

Another "odd" vegetable Delano has had blended into baby food consistency is bell pepper.  A person doesn't usually think of a baby eating bell pepper, but ours has.  I blended with sweet potato, and he liked it.  And there's still some in the freezer waiting for him.

Delano had the yellow bell pepper mixed with sweet potato.

Half prunes, half pears.

I've mashed up, steamed and blended peas, carrots, potatoes, bell peppers, bananas, avocados, prunes, dates, pears, plums, strawberries and apples.....plus a few things I'm sure I'm forgetting about....and all have been a success.  I'm really hoping I end up with a kid who will eat anything. 

I'm no baby-food-making expert by any means.  Those are the people I google for inspiration.....BUT I've had some pretty good luck so far.  So feel free to ask me questions about my food feeding experience if you'd like!  Otherwise I'm sure you can google whatever you'd like to know!

(Thursday night.....)

One thing that's up for debate is baby cereal.

This is the image that came to my mind regarding baby cereal.

This is what I bought for Delano.

I avoided baby cereal for as long as possible.  For one reason, it is actually stated in some studies that cereals are BAD for babies, despite what we all have thought over the years.  There are those who believe we should be holding off on feeding our babies grains just like how we hold off on things like acidic fruits, peanuts, meats, dairy, eggs and honey.  But since Delano is on the small side, I decided to try giving him a little more "substance" in the form of wheat cereal.  I have no issues with him being on the small side.....he's a perfectly healthy little boy....but the doctor wanted to see him gain a teeny bit more weight.  She (of course) suggested rice cereal.  So I attempted to make my own.  It was a giant fail.  I managed to get a LITTLE bit of the rice ground down enough for baby cereal, but most of it was still too large, which made a much-too-thick cereal that when watered down, just became a thin, chunky mess.  I think you really need a spice grinder to get the rice ground down to the desirable powder.  So I went to the store and bought wheat cereal.  YES, wheat contains gluten and YES, I'm aware that gluten is a big allergy to watch for nowadays, but since NONE of our family members are allergic to gluten I wasn't concerned.  And I didn't have any reason to be.....Delano handles it just like anything else he eats.  Which means he likes it.

I'm still not a fan of feeding him cereal.  And I'm not exactly sure why I'm so against it.  Maybe because it seems like unnecessary carbs for a baby.  Maybe because it's what the DOCTOR wants me to do and not what I would choose to do.  I'm happy with my baby's size.  I don't want a GARGANTUAN baby just because the chart says that's acceptable nowadays.  I'm a breastfeeding mom, and those babies tend to be smaller anyways. 

So I bought Delano some formula the other day, and he has had it ONCE as a test-run.  As much as I don't want him to drink formula, I realized that I needed to have a back-up plan handy in case the milk stash runs out (and it is dangerously low).  If I didn't work at all, this wouldn't be a problem.  But since I do work the occasional bartending shift at the Hunter, and since there are about to be more of them in the next couple of months due to the impending wedding season, I just simply realized I needed a back-up plan.  So I bought this:

I was already angry on the inside that I bought formula.....I was actually embarrassed about buying it.....so I absolutely REFUSED to buy anything other than organic formula.  Call me a breastfeeding snob or a formula snob or whatever else you want to - I don't care.  I'd simply like to limit Delano's exposure to pesticides and hormones and antibiotics and man-made concoctions as much as possible while I have control over it (before he's screaming for the McDonald's Happy Meal alongside his buddies).  Even the fruits and veggies I buy for Delano's baby food are organic.  My plan is that this formula just grows old in my cabinet and he never has to have it.....but at least it's now THERE if it's needed. 

P.S.  I am not knocking the mothers out there who formula-feed their babies and feed them one of the standard commercial-brand formulas.  It's just not for me.  Just the same as breastfeeding is not for you, for whatever reason that may be.  I am just very proud to be a breastfeeding mom, and hate for anything to compromise that out of my control!

P.P.S.  If you can't afford to buy all organic for your baby but want to do as well as you can while you still have control over what your child eats, shoot for the Dirty Dozen/Clean Fifteen standard.  The list varies a teeny bit based on whose version you look at, but it's basically the same overall:

The Dirty Dozen contain the highest amount of pesticides, so go for the organic varieties.  The Clean Fifteen, in commercial farming practices, contain the least amount of pesticides (and none at all if bought organic).

You're still not an evil person if you feed your child "regular" (aka commercial) produce.  I just feel it's a "win" if someone decides to think twice about what they put in their baby's (or their own!) system.  If all you do one day is decide to buy organic strawberries instead of the cheaper commercial ones, you've already decreased the amount of pesticides you're ingesting (or feeding your baby).  And then next time you're at the store maybe you'll buy TWO organic items....or maybe you'll simply switch it up and always buy one thing organic but make it different every time.  Lucas and I are fortunate in the fact that we can buy organic all the time.....our vegetables, fruits and meats are almost always organic and even often local during farmer's market season....but I'm aware that it does get pricey. 

(Saturday morning.....)

It's now Saturday!  Lucas is still in bed while I'm feeding the baby from one boob and pumping the other.  And since Amanda and I had a girls' night out for dinner last night.....and since I didn't pump before I went to bed....I was FULL this morning!

Delano had his re-check at the doctor yesterday.  Ears are crystal clear and he now weighs 15 lbs, 11 oz!  He's still a little guy but the doctor was happy with his weight gain. 

My almost 16 pounder!

Yesterday was a busy day.  I had to drop both Allie and Ollie off at the vet between 7 and 8am, then Delano's appointment was at 9:45.  After that, my mom and I went shopping for a dress for my brother's wedding (since the one I thought I was going to wear doesn't fit) and shoes (to go with my mom's dress).  I also ended up buying a pair of Merrels Barefoot shoes (for only 35!!!) to try out for everyday use since I've been having issues with my feet in all my other tennis shoes.  I really hope they're just what I need.

Can't wait to try these out!

I still need to make my way over to Front Runner in the near future to be fitted for a running shoe.  And I do really need to go to a podiatrist to hear what he thinks I need to do.  Ugh.

My blogs are always so long.  I've thought about making them shorter, but it just never happens.  I ramble in a blog the same way I ramble on a voicemail.  But here's a spice to end it with.....