Is it really considered eating if he feeds himself a few bites thenproceeds to feed our dogs?

The road to eating solids has been slow going in our household. At almost 15 months old, GQ is still a primarily breastfed toddler with only a few "solids" for breakfast, lunch, dinner & snacktime and that's quite alright. We introduced baby led weaning (BLW) around month 8 with the notion that "food before one is just for fun"...BUT food has simply remained fun. I mean, is it really considered eating if he feeds himself a few bites then proceeds to feed our dogs? *face palm*

For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of baby led weaning, it means for your little one to feed themselves from the beginning, but it is a bit of a misnomer. The term "wean" is meant in the Brit sense, not the American. In the UK, ‘weaning’ means ‘adding complementary foods’, whereas in the States it means ‘giving up breastfeeding’. I personally refer to it as "baby led solids"and in a perfect world it would be called what it is "baby self feeding" (there would be far less confusion.) BLW skips the jars of baby food, rice cereal, purées, mush, etc...therefore allowing your little ones to eat what you eat - minus foods with excess salt & spicy items of course!! This mean no bowls or spoons, but be prepared for quite a few messes ; ) 

We started off with steamed veggies & legumes: sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, black beans & cannellini beans. Then eventually added: avocado, pickles, honeydew melon, bananas, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries & peaches. Some days were better than others, but he seemed to like just about anything I put in front of him...in small quantities.

As for snacks, he loves apple slices, thin pretzels, carrot sticks & Happy Family organic snacks: yogurt melts & fruit/veggie puffs. I love their products because they're certified organic and travel well. 

http://happyfamilybrands.com

Around his first birthday, I started giving him more proteins: grilled chicken, turkey meatloaf, ground turkey spaghetti, baked salmon & veggie burgers. All of these items were straight from my plate...but I always allowed them to cool before giving him any. 

It is my hope to raise a little foodie & it appears that we are heading in that direction...fingers crossed this continues, because at this point GQ at least tries everything we offer him.   

**NOTE: It is important to breastfed (or bottle feed) before a "meal" as to ensure your little one is getting the proper nutrition they need & make sure all food items are bite sized = never thicker or longer than one of your little ones fingers. 

Here are a few healthy family recipes that also happen to be toddler friendly!!! Remember: spices are alright, but SPICY is not!!

Quinoa & White Bean Veggie Burger

http://thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2013/08/quinoa-white-bean-veggie-burgers.html?m=1

*Toddler portion: single patty, broken into small pieces

**Substitution: peas for corn

Turkey Veggie Meatloaf Cups

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/216688/turkey-veggie-meatloaf-cups

*Toddler portion: cut in 4ths

** Substitution: tomato sauce for BBQ

White Chili with Ground Turkey

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/17023/white-chili-with-ground-turkey

* Toddler portion: remove a few chunks of ground turkey and desired amount of beans (5-10 to start) - GQ usually eats 20

ALSO...there are quite a few resources out there to help you in your BLW journey, if that's what young choose to do...but here's a few sites to get you started:

www.babyledweaning.com

http://www.rapleyweaning.com

http://www.borstvoeding.com/voedselintroductie/blw/engels.html

"No...he doesn't want any cake, thank you."

Whelp...it's official...I'm the mom who won't let her son have birthday cake at a party. Luckily GQ is only 1 and doesn't realize that he's the only one not consuming it, but I know these days are numbered. I didn't even do a "smash cake" photo shoot for his 1st birthday because of my disdain. I planned on making a gluten-free applesauce cake for him to enjoy, but he's still not a huge fan of solids, so I didn't and luckily for me, his idea of making a wish on a cupcake was to toss a handful of frosting at his great-grandfather. Whew! 

In my defense, it's for good reason...today's foods and their contents  scare the shit out of me!!! In all honestly, it is because of four major components: food coloring, sugar, gluten & of course GMOs. Birthday (cup)cakes never stood a chance.

GQ attended his first big boy birthday party last weekend; complete with cake. Pizza, soda and juice were also on the menu (and those are all resounding NOs as well) but cake was the major no-no for the day. I hadn't really played out this scenario in my mind beforehand, but when the time came, the words "no...he doesn't want any cake, thank you" flowed effortlessly from my lips. I don't ever want GQ to feel like he's missing out on something, but as long as I am the one advocating his food choices (and I plan on being that person as long as possible,) I want to make the best possible choices that I can and KNOW to be right.

It deeply saddens me when I see toddlers/children consuming candy, juice, soda, fast food, etc... (pick your poison) but I quickly remind myself that not all parents/grandparents are aware of the legitimate dangers lurking inside food. I came across an article this evening that summarized a lot of the information I have gleaned over the past few years. It discussed the correlation of ADHD diagnoses versus hypersensitivity to food. And although it is not necessary for me to have validation for my stance, it is reassuring to know there are others out there that understand and are enlightened to the dark side of today's battle against food.

Tonight's article:

http://www.livebeaming.com/2013/04/food-intolerance-adhd/

My 2014 begins...NOW!

Welcome to 2014! I am utterly amazed at how quickly the past year of my life has flown by...especially the past two weeks. It's a total cliché, but time truly does seem to move faster once you have a child. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of my Winter Break, but I am both excited and saddened that it has come to an end. On one hand, we celebrated GQ's first Chirstmas and Birthday, visited with family and friends from near and far, watched football and movies to our hearts' content, slept in and ate like gods...but on the other hand, I still have another closet to organize. Spring cleaning happened early this year, but I didn't quite get everything completed. One more closet is all that stands between me & accomplishing all of my holiday goals. Meh...there's always next weekend. 

Nursing classes start back up tomorrow and I am launching into a 15 hours per week term for the next 11 weeks and 2 days...but who's counting? It will be nice to be back to a routine, but I am not looking forward to spending 5 hours a day away from my little human. I feel blessed knowing that he will be with his Daddy & his Gigi, but it still tugs on my heart strings.

Enjoying my final hours of vacation watching the Star Wars marathon and snuggling with my family...but bedtime has arrived and the alarm is set for the morning. Sweet dreams. My 2014 begins...NOW!

(NYE 2014)

And on 366th day...breastmilk is just as beneficial.

365 days & still going strong...without an end in sight. 

As I sit here and nurse my now toddler on his 1st birthday, I can't help but think back to the first time he latched on (just moments after his birth) and smile. 

I am so proud of us! 

We reached my initial goal of one year without incident and are now embarking on a new journey. I consider us both to be extremely lucky to have the loving support of family and friends and I can only hope that the rest of our nursing story is as pleasant and successful as the first year has been. To all the mommies out there "old" and new...nurse on!! 

xo ~ Jme & GQ

That reminds me...

As I am rapidly approaching the end of my first term, my calendar is starting to look quite hectic and as much as I have attempted to slow the clock down...the holiday season is in full swing and I have no choice but to be prepared...right? Hanukkah fell on Thanksgiving this year and yesterday was nothing short of spectacular. 

A wonderful day filled with family, friends and traditions (both old and new)...but now it's right back to my flashcards and study guides. I have an exam on Monday...but somehow all I keep thinking about is recipes for the holidays, getting our Christmas decorations out, party planning a first birthday extravaganza, our Holiday cards still need addressing, figuring out what to get my parents for their anniversary, how to celebrate our engagement and finalizing details for our nuptials...that reminds me...I still have 400 origami cranes to fold for the wedding. 

Deep breath.

Focus. 

The holidays and milestones are going to keep coming...All that matters is that my family is healthy & I keep getting good grades...everything else are mere details.

 

"My baby ate my homework."

It's official...being a full-time student, GQ's mommy, a doting fiancé, a loving daughter & a conscientious friend is time consuming...AND I LOVE IT. It's taken me a few weeks to get settled into my new routine, but now that I know I can get everything accomplished I feel relieved. I've always had a knack for time management, but balancing life as an adult is totally different than balancing life as a teen or 20-something. Reviewing flashcards in between naps or loads of laundry is my new favorite pastime. Studying for an exam or taking a practice test while breastfeeding is an experience that I am embracing as my new normal. It's also very empowering to know that I have an amazing support system in place. My fiancé has been amazing...even more than usual...by changing his schedule to accommodate my early class schedule & allowing for one-on-one time w/GQ. They love sleeping in & daddy/son playtime...& I love that they're bonding. My mom has also opened her schedule and watches our little human on my other two class days. I'm not blind to the fact that she LOVES spending all this time with him, but it's a commitment that I will forever be grateful to her for. Bottom line...I'm confident I got this whole school thing down & it's because I'm not doing it alone. 

"My baby ate my homework." 

Babywearing for the win.

In honor of International Babywearing Week I would like to share why I love babywearing. The reasons are plentiful, so I'll limit it to 4:

1. Proximity. I love having my favorite lil'human as close as possible. Whether in our Ergo or wrapped up in the Ellaroo, he's close enough to kiss, nuzzle, whisper to, makes faces at, hug, dance around with...in short - enjoy life. Even when he's in a back carry, he can see what's going on and be included in whatever I'm doing. 

2. Hands-free. I honesty don't know what I'd do without babywearing for this reason alone. I can breastfeed, cook, pickup around the house, fold laundry & now do homework all thanks to babywearing. GQ is super content and so am I. Nevermind the fact that I usually just bounce and sway while talking to him. 

3. Meals on heels. Breastfeeding while wearing GQ has become second nature and normalizing breastfeeding is just a silent bonus. Without speaking a word...we're making a statement. We've mastered the art of nursing in public and even though I don't mind if we're covered or not, babywearing has made our nursing journey a very discrete experience. Whether shopping at the grocery store or outside for a walk, GQ can nurse and no one is the wiser. It brings me great joy knowing that my son is full-bellied & smiley all because his next meal is only a simple "tug of my shirt" away. 

4. 100% stroller-free. (When we want to be.) I love that we hardly ever have to worry about including this piece of baby equipment. In the 9+ months since GQ has arrived, I've brought his stroller with us a total of 0 (yes ZERO) times. In fact, it sat unused in our garage until last week when I brought it to my parent's house.  They plan on taking GQ on "walking adventures" while I'm at school and I think that's an excellent reason to use a stroller. Our jogging stroller on the other hand, gets used almost daily. Whether on a brisk walk or jog, GQ loves rolling along in his Schwinn. *Babywearing is NOT suggested for jogging because the bouncing motion causes unwanted stress to a babies joints, neck & back. 

Like I said, the reasons I love babywearing are plentiful...but those are just a few for now. I'm looking forward to all the babywearing adventures the future has in store for us. Just like our breastfeeding journey, I don't see an end in sight and for that I say "Babywearing for the win!"