Starting Solids

Haha...well, I thought I'd be posting at least every other day, but I just can't seem to find the time! Although when I think back to what I do during my few precious moments of free time, I think that I could have definitely snuck in a blog entry.

So Mr. Hank turned 5 months old this past Sunday! OMG! Where has the time gone?! It's kind of sad that he's getting so big, so quickly. Don't get me wrong. I am so grateful that he is doing so well...growing and thriving. But I'm also sad that I'm beginning to forget how he was during the newborn days. His mannerisms. His body language. I've been taking a ton of photos, but I'm beginning to wish I had taken more video so I can see him in motion. Oh well.

I bought an 8-speed Oster blender at Costco a few weeks ago (only $26.99!) in anticipation of preparing homemade baby food. I use it nearly every day to make frozen fruit smoothies and I have to admit I've made a few milkshakes as well. So far I've done peanut butter-banana, blueberry-banana, and strawberry-banana smoothies. Yummy! Anyway, I digress....

Other things I've purchased to get started with solids include:

• Graco Contempo high chair (found a great deal at Babies R Us for only $70!)
• The First Years Take and Toss Infant Spoons
• Pocket bibs (a Babies R Us Dinosaur one and a Bumkins one)
• OXO Baby food freezer trays

I haven't used the blender yet because the first food we decided to introduce to Hank was avocado. I've bookmarked the Wholesome Baby Food website and LOVE it! I got the idea to start with avocado from this website. Avocado? Who knew? I just cut one up and mashed a slice with a spoon. I added some breastmilk to thin it out and served it to Hank.



Hank looks kind of scared


Hmm, what's this?


Ooookaaaaay???


I don't think I love it...


...but I don't think I hate it, either.


Still trying to get the hang of the "swallowing" part


Okay, I'll try more


But only if I get to hold the spoon!

I was going to make all of my own baby food, but ended up buying some Gerber Squash baby food today. I could have sworn my local grocery store carried frozen butternut squash, which I had every intention of purchasing, steaming and pureeing, but I could not find it today! Boo! :( I also wanted to introduce sweet potatoes. My Granpda (the one with the coffee gang) has a bit of a green thumb. I think he grows both sweet potato and Okinawan sweet potato! I will ask him if I can have some for Hank. After that, I'm thinking green beans. My strategy for now is to do veggies first and then fruits.

And as I conclude this post, I think I hear Hank stirring from a nap. Perfect timing. :)

"The Coffee Gang" and Carrots

Yesterday morning, I took Hank to Pearlridge to meet up with his Great-Grandpa and his coffee gang. For those of you who don't know what a "Coffee Gang" is, it's basically a social group of retirees who meet up every morning to share snacks, coffee and conversation. Some of them were friends before this coffee gang began, others were already frequenting the area on their own and just joined the group naturally. I would say this is a true community. No hard and fast rules or membership requirements, yet everyone in the group has an unspoken role. It's pretty interesting. And cute. Most of them get the senior citizen coffee from the nearby McDonald's. I think it's something like $0.50 with free refills. You see all these cups strewn across the row of 9 tables (yes, NINE tables), each with a first initial written on the side. Every so often, one of the gang members (hehe) gathers all the empties on a tray and moseys on over to McDonald's for a mass refill. It was a great visit. Grandpa gave me a $20 to buy myself some breakfast (sausage, egg, and cheese McMuffin with a hashbrown and fruit punch) and I think he was quite proud to show off his very first great-grandson. I realized I didn't take a photo of the entire group. I'll get one next time. I'm thinking of trying to make it over to see Grandpa and the Gang every Wednesday.


Hank enjoyed meeting the Coffee Gang and people-watching at Pearlridge
Next up...teething. I think Hank is teething. He's been drooling buckets and munching on toys and his hands for weeks now, but not a tooth in sight! Sometimes he chews so hard on his hands that it leaves red marks on his fists. Our pediatrician mentioned using a refrigerated carrot to help relieve teething pain and a friend of mine, Celina, reminded me of this tip the other day. So I thought I'd give it a try:



I put the carrot near Hank's mouth and he was initially startled by the temperature of it. He quickly jerked his head away. After a few more attempts, he got used to the cool sensation and grabbed the carrot on his own. It worked for a little while. The he threw the carrot on the floor. :P