More on Baby Food

There's something about making baby food that just delights me. I still don't know why. There's little to no skill involved (at least in the simple purees that I have done so far), yet I just absolutely love it. I am really looking forward to experimenting with the next phase of foods for my baby girl (finger foods, etc.)

I am in love with www.wholesomebabyfood.com  They are a phenomenal resource for everything to do with making your own baby food.  They have tons of recipes and cooking tips, as well as quite a lot of other helpful information to help you know what your baby is ready for.  They also have a Facebook fan page where other moms post questions and comments that can be very helpful.



One of my favorite pieces of information that they have posted is the food chart.  It is categorized by food group, and for each item, it lists at what age it is most appropriate to introduce that food.  As soon as I get around to replacing my printer ink, this chart is going on my fridge!

I have also purchased a book that I really love called Super Foods for Babies and Children by Annabel Karmel.  This is a neat book because for each main ingredient of a recipe, it has a note in the margin of the page telling you about the key nutrients that this particular ingredient provides.  It's really eye opening, and there are some really fun recipes in there.  I also really appreciate that the recipes for older kids are more like family-friendly recipes, rather than encouraging the idea of cooking something completely separate for your kid than what you are eating.

That's all for now.  Happy cooking.  and eating.

Time Flies

Since Aubrey was born, time has begun to move faster and faster. At first, there was a long period of time where, while our baby was definitely changing bit by bit, it seemed that she was not able to do much by her own choosing. Then, we turned a corner. Since the new year began, I feel like so much has changed in such a short time. At the first of the year, she was barely able to roll over, and even so, only from back to tummy (where she would get stuck, and consequently angry). Sitting up had not yet happened, either. And now, all of a sudden (or so it seems), she is able to do so much more. She is beginning to stay sitting up pretty well when she is put in that position. She is a rolling expert. And most recently, she has decided she will get in a position where crawling is just around the corner. The first six months, while new and exciting, were relatively uneventful compared to the past month-and-a-half. I am becoming more and more aware that this is only the beginning of how fast time will fly by from now on. It's so exciting, but it is also a bit sad to see my baby speeding out of the baby stage. C'est la vie.

crawling position

Our Other Baby

Before our little girl came along, we acquired a 7-year-old little boy named Boss--our now-nine-year-old Rat Terrier. Boss came to us well trained. He slept without complaint in his crate, he knew by the tone of your voice if he needed to stay off the carpet, and he was generally just a well-behaved dog. Over time, we slacked off on a few of his restrictions. The first to go was him sleeping in a crate, mostly due to his aging hips. But from there, it was a downward slope. We managed to get him quite spoiled. All things considered, however, he was still pretty well behaved. Until another little being entered our house. From the time Aubrey arrived, Boss' behavior has lacked significantly. It is so obvious that he is jealous of the attention she gets from us. He is fine while we are all together in the same room: the downstairs part of our house is pretty much all open so as long as we are downstairs, he is good. A bit needy, but still good. When we go upstairs, either to take care of Aubrey or at night, that's when it all falls apart. "Accidents" have become routine. It's as though he thinks we won't bother to come take care of him even if he lets us know he needs something, so he just doesn't even let us know. I'm unbelievably fed up with it. But we are good people, and so because we are his second family already, he will continue to reside at the Stone house. But if any of you happen to be a dog whisperer on the side, please contact us. That is all.