Today the little man and I went to Whole Foods. We did some shopping and that was great. He was super behaved in the cart and didn't whine or fight to get out or grab a glass bottle and toss it onto the floor. He looked around and took it all in.
Then we had lunch with his Nana, my mom, who works nearby. That was a treat! I got a sampling of a bunch of things from their salad and food bar and put a bunch into a bowl for him. He'd reach in and grab things and look at them, if they looked interesting he'd put it into his mouth. Some things, like the grilled eggplant, he would chew for a bit and then hand to me. I guess he liked the taste but not the texture. Other things like the raisins he just didn't seem to like the look or feel of and didn't taste them at all. The mushrooms he kept trying but would spit out after only a chew or two - they're bland. But he LOVED the cranberry compote and the shredded beef and tomato. Sweet potato chips and sage bread were also big hits as we drove around the store and hit the sample stands.
He is really crazy in love with tomato, which I find funny because his dad and I really don't like tomato. He seems to be already rebelling against his parents.
He ate a good share of food, trying a variety of foods and veggies and the taste test experiment was really fun.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Mom Freakout
Ever since I found out I was pregnant I've had moments where it really hits me that I'm responsible for a fragile little life. Sometimes it hits HARD!
A couple of weeks ago my sister told me a co-worker of hers was about 3 weeks from the due date of her baby and he died. That really hit me - how fragile life can be and how lucky I was to deliver a healthy baby and even though he had to spend a week in the NICU he was strong.
My mom's cousin was riding a bike years and years ago with her two boys, and one was hit and killed by a car. That was always a sad story but now when I think - OMG what if that happened to ME I literally get tears in my eyes.
I'll think let's go out somewhere and sometimes I think "what if we get into an accident!"
I'll think let's go for a walk. We live in a larger city so there are busier streets and then I think "what if he runs into the street at the wrong moment!"
Last night I thought it would be nice to go to State Fair next year - then I thought "what if Hudson doesn't want to be in the stroller and we let him out and then he gets caught up in a crowd and we loose him!"
I now understand why my mom was so protective of me. I always called it overprotective. She wouldn't let me ride a bike, I didn't get to play baseball, I spent most of the winter in first grade inside for recess while the other kids played... So I was pretty sheltered. I don't want to be that way with Hudson, but I sometimes find myself thinking in that same frame of mind.
Am I crazy? How do mom's do it? We have this little human we have to keep safe. At Hudson's age he has no concept of what is safe and isn't, no grasp of danger. As a parent I have to protect him, it's the job I was given since he was conceived! But goodness it's hard to balance protection and freedom! Do mom's sometimes hold their breath and fight tears and say OK Go? Am I totally neurotic? I just want him to grow up to a healthy happy boy and then adult, yet the concept of it can make me cry.
A couple of weeks ago my sister told me a co-worker of hers was about 3 weeks from the due date of her baby and he died. That really hit me - how fragile life can be and how lucky I was to deliver a healthy baby and even though he had to spend a week in the NICU he was strong.
My mom's cousin was riding a bike years and years ago with her two boys, and one was hit and killed by a car. That was always a sad story but now when I think - OMG what if that happened to ME I literally get tears in my eyes.
I'll think let's go out somewhere and sometimes I think "what if we get into an accident!"
I'll think let's go for a walk. We live in a larger city so there are busier streets and then I think "what if he runs into the street at the wrong moment!"
Last night I thought it would be nice to go to State Fair next year - then I thought "what if Hudson doesn't want to be in the stroller and we let him out and then he gets caught up in a crowd and we loose him!"
I now understand why my mom was so protective of me. I always called it overprotective. She wouldn't let me ride a bike, I didn't get to play baseball, I spent most of the winter in first grade inside for recess while the other kids played... So I was pretty sheltered. I don't want to be that way with Hudson, but I sometimes find myself thinking in that same frame of mind.
Am I crazy? How do mom's do it? We have this little human we have to keep safe. At Hudson's age he has no concept of what is safe and isn't, no grasp of danger. As a parent I have to protect him, it's the job I was given since he was conceived! But goodness it's hard to balance protection and freedom! Do mom's sometimes hold their breath and fight tears and say OK Go? Am I totally neurotic? I just want him to grow up to a healthy happy boy and then adult, yet the concept of it can make me cry.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Leftovers
We had a jar of leftover baby food. Hudson is WAY past eating baby food mash. He has no patience for others feeding him and while he does love to use the flatware and feed himself he's extremely messy with it.
So, what to do with that jar of baby food? It's over $1 and still perfectly good. Well, I also had some left over mashed potato and an idea was born.
I took the baby food and put it into a bowl and mixed in a bunch of the mashed potato and added some curry and parsley and leftover shredded cheese and put some into a hot fry pan. Well this turned out only OK - the pancake didn't hold together too well. So into the batter I added some pancake mix and a bit of milk. This time it was better, but now a little too thick and still not holding together as well as I wanted. So then I added an egg yolk and a bit more milk. This time my pancake turned out great. It was still a bit soft but I figure once they cool off they'll be good. I tasted it a few times and it was quite good. Now he'll get some protein and other veg in addition to the potato and it's different. I just hope he likes them!
So, what to do with that jar of baby food? It's over $1 and still perfectly good. Well, I also had some left over mashed potato and an idea was born.
I took the baby food and put it into a bowl and mixed in a bunch of the mashed potato and added some curry and parsley and leftover shredded cheese and put some into a hot fry pan. Well this turned out only OK - the pancake didn't hold together too well. So into the batter I added some pancake mix and a bit of milk. This time it was better, but now a little too thick and still not holding together as well as I wanted. So then I added an egg yolk and a bit more milk. This time my pancake turned out great. It was still a bit soft but I figure once they cool off they'll be good. I tasted it a few times and it was quite good. Now he'll get some protein and other veg in addition to the potato and it's different. I just hope he likes them!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
First Words
I write this hoping that a year from now I can look back on it and say I was worried about nothing.
My son, even though he was born 4 weeks early, has been developing ahead of schedule physically. He was rolling from tummy to back by 6 weeks old and full rolls by 3 months. He crawled right about on time but only did that briefly. He was walking alone for a few steps and around the house with assistance by 8 months. Just after 10 months he was a completely independent walker. Now he runs and climbs, dances and twirls.
One thing he hasn't developed are words. He babbles but most of his communication is done via gestures and grunts. He understands a lot - we can tell him to do a lot of things and he completely understands and does them. We ask him if he wants something and he'll nod his head enthusiastically when he does want it. He makes a loud grunt like a bark when referring to our dog or his stuffed dog or a picture of a dog. He points to trucks and says "ugk." He used to say something that sounded like "dad" but has stopped that. Now he is on a "mom" kick but it often doesn't seem to refer to me. Today we thought he said something sounding a lot like "milk" when we asked him if he wanted some.
My sister has a boy just about a year older than my son, and she seems shocked that my son isn't saying more words. I keep trying to remember her son at Christmas time, was he saying words or not? I can't remember--I was preoccupied with my new baby at the time and just don't remember much other than changing diapers and finding a place to breast feed him.
The parenting emails I receive do seem to indicate that he should have a vocabulary though, and I just don't think he does have much of one. Maybe a couple of sounds that are close to words, but that's it.
His grandparents watched a lot of TV when he was over there, they still do but have cut back. I have read several articles on how that can have a huge negative impact on the development of speech in children in my son's age group. He also walks around a lot with his tong sticking out and I wonder if it's too big for his mouth-Craig had that problem. He also pulls and rubs his ears a lot and had a lot of congestion that first year, so I wonder if something isn't right with his hearing. He's young and it could be any of these or something different or he just doesn't want to talk yet.
Plenty of people say not to worry. He isn't exhibiting any other signs that could indicate autism, so we should be ok there. Some children just don't say much and then one day you can't shut them up, or so I've been told. But I can't help but wonder why he's been so good at physical development but slow at verbal.
My son, even though he was born 4 weeks early, has been developing ahead of schedule physically. He was rolling from tummy to back by 6 weeks old and full rolls by 3 months. He crawled right about on time but only did that briefly. He was walking alone for a few steps and around the house with assistance by 8 months. Just after 10 months he was a completely independent walker. Now he runs and climbs, dances and twirls.
One thing he hasn't developed are words. He babbles but most of his communication is done via gestures and grunts. He understands a lot - we can tell him to do a lot of things and he completely understands and does them. We ask him if he wants something and he'll nod his head enthusiastically when he does want it. He makes a loud grunt like a bark when referring to our dog or his stuffed dog or a picture of a dog. He points to trucks and says "ugk." He used to say something that sounded like "dad" but has stopped that. Now he is on a "mom" kick but it often doesn't seem to refer to me. Today we thought he said something sounding a lot like "milk" when we asked him if he wanted some.
My sister has a boy just about a year older than my son, and she seems shocked that my son isn't saying more words. I keep trying to remember her son at Christmas time, was he saying words or not? I can't remember--I was preoccupied with my new baby at the time and just don't remember much other than changing diapers and finding a place to breast feed him.
The parenting emails I receive do seem to indicate that he should have a vocabulary though, and I just don't think he does have much of one. Maybe a couple of sounds that are close to words, but that's it.
His grandparents watched a lot of TV when he was over there, they still do but have cut back. I have read several articles on how that can have a huge negative impact on the development of speech in children in my son's age group. He also walks around a lot with his tong sticking out and I wonder if it's too big for his mouth-Craig had that problem. He also pulls and rubs his ears a lot and had a lot of congestion that first year, so I wonder if something isn't right with his hearing. He's young and it could be any of these or something different or he just doesn't want to talk yet.
Plenty of people say not to worry. He isn't exhibiting any other signs that could indicate autism, so we should be ok there. Some children just don't say much and then one day you can't shut them up, or so I've been told. But I can't help but wonder why he's been so good at physical development but slow at verbal.
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