Lies they tell you about the solid food transition...

Okay, I'm really frustrated that no one tells you how to go about the whole 'introduction to solid foods' thing. Here are a couple of lies I uncovered about this transition:

1) All the books I read said to mix the cereal with milk to a very runny consistency, to equal about a teaspoon for day 1. Then reduce the milk and increase the cereal daily from then on. Oh this is so not true. Brooklyn's system did not handle the onslaught of anything other than milk. What we learned later is that we should give her cereal for one meal, followed by milk, for one day only. Wait a couple days. Give it to her again for one meal, then milk, for one day. And so on. Then move up to two days in a row. This gives her system time to process this more concentrated form of food. Would this info have been nice to know a week ago????? YES! I could have avoided #2. Read on....

2) AND ANOTHER THING they don't tell you is that rice cereal will bind up the baby's ability to poo, making them seriously uncomfortable and prone to mindless screaming for hours on end. Will you have any idea why this is happening? Of course not. As new parents how would you know this? Again, helpful stuff to know LAST WEEK.

3) They make you think that if your kid isn't on solids by 6 months then you must be some freak trying to hinder your child's development or something. Screw "them" whoever "they" are. We took Brooklyn off the cereal and threw it in the trash. I don't care how old she is right now, or WHO thinks she should be eating solids already. I've never known a 5 year old who is still bottle fed because his parents didn't move him to solids by 6 months of age. We are going to wait a couple more weeks and try again. And maybe not even with cereal. Hence #4...

4) They also make you think that cereal is the first thing a baby should even try. Bull honk! I had a friend tell me she skipped cereal altogether with her first baby and he turned out just great.

I think we'll try avocado with Brooklyn when we give solid food another go. In a few weeks. When we are all darn good & ready. And if she happens to be 7 months old, SO BE IT!

Solids

No, not 'solids' as in someone did you a bunch of favors. I mean 'solids' as in the first non-breast milk thing Brooklyn gets to eat from a spoon. The word solid is very misleading because it isn't solid at all. It's mashed pureed (insert food) and about as un-solid as you can get.

Anyway, we chose the rice cereal as her first spoon-fed item. She wasn't sure about it initially but after a few tastes she did surprisingly well with this new experience. Brooklyn I'm so proud of you!

The part that makes me laugh is how my imagination of what it would be like to feed a baby from a spoon clashed with the reality of feeding a baby from a spoon. I pictured her sitting there very calmly, interested, open-mouthed, while woodland creatures frolicked about and birds sang through an open sunlit window. Reality: wiggly, closed-mouthed baby who's interested in everything BUT the task at hand. There is no way reading a book can prepare you for it.

Wooosh....was that a year that just flew by??

So today is our department holiday gift exchange & luncheon. I can't believe that this time last year I told my coworkers I was expecting a baby. Where has the time gone? It has been a blur.

I really wanted this to be the year MY gift would get passed around the most...the gift that people would brawl over, that lines would be drawn in the sand over, that duels would be initiated over. I wracked my brain for like 3 days trying to come up with the most clever gift these people had ever seen. And failed. My gift (Craftsman BBQ set that looks like a set of screwdrivers) wasn't traded at all and went home with the orginal recipient. Oh well. There's always next time.

You know, I really give props to my boss for doing this for us every Christmas. Especially this year when morale is extremely low for fear of layoffs. Well that's what happens when people elect a president who cancels the shuttle replacement program, leaving us all jobless in a year. Tis the season!

Holiday Happenings

Saturday we took Brooklyn to see Santa. She was so cute in her little white outfit. We thought white would be a good choice since Santa wears red. Well, his big ol' gloves and beard, combined with the baby's dress & porcelain skin, didn't contrast as much as we'd hoped. But she's still a cutie patootie! And she did so good - no crying or fussing. I didn't expect her to...I don't think she gets who is family and who isn't. Right now she just knows familiar faces. Strangers don't seem to bother her at all.



Saturday night was her first Christmas party. John bought this dress for her and she was basically the belle of the ball! Again, she had a great time...even with so many new faces. I was a little afraid she'd be overwelmed at the end of the night so I made sure to take her off to "her room" at Grandma's house and away from all the guests to let her unwind a little bit. It must have worked because she was pleasant and happy all night. Fell right to sleep when we got home. Such a sweet little trooper!

Christmas Music Review

All Time Faves & Why:
O Holy Night - Anyone can sing this song and I will love it. Celine, Josh, Christina, Luciano, Mariah, Celtic Woman...doesn't matter. The song itself is just beautiful...."fall on your knees"...what we will all ultimately do in the presence of our Lord. Let's do it now and willingly.

Sleigh Ride by the Boston Pops...first Christmas song I learned when I started playing in the band in middle school. Always loved the clap of the wood blocks as the whip crack. Just so peppy. Though I'm quite sure my middle school band sounded nothing like the Pops.

Carol of the Bells by David Foster...love the base line. Orchestra conductors must love this song. So much going on.

Wizards of Winter by TSO...who DOESN'T love this??? I dig pretty much anything that gets you pumped up. Can you imagine putting ornaments on your tree to this song?? The tree would be a MESS! LOL. But you'd have a great time doing it. =)

All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey...another peppy one.


All Time Not-So-Faves:

Jingle Bell Rock & Rockin Around the Christmas Tree...just stupid.

Mary Did You Know...um, singing this song about 40 times a night for a weekend of Bethlehem Experience performances has forever curdled this song in my heart.

Christmas Shoes...ugh...no words. Just sad and over played. I'm sure lots of people love this song. I'm just not one of them.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town by The Boss...the sax solo by Clarence Clemons is the only redeeming part of this song. When Bruce starts laughing during the chorus I want to choke him.

Any song where TSO sings. The lead guy sounds like a drunken cigar smoker. Someone mute his mic!!!

Yay for Christmas!! (and other stuff)

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday for different reasons throughout the years. As a kid I loved the presents. As a young adult I loved the presents and the parties. In my 20's I loved the presents, the parties, time off from work and the decorations. Now in my 30's I love the time spent showing people how important they are to me. And this year is even better because John and I get to make Christmas special for our little one.

When she is our age and looks back at her life with her family, what traditions will she hold dear? Do we even have any as a little family of three? Well now is the time to make some! =)

So how is Brooklyn doing now, you might ask? At 20 weeks she is a pretty content little baby. Our friends and family say she is very good. We don't have a comparison, but that makes me happy to hear. *I* think she's good too. LOL. She seems to enjoy her world and smiles a ton. Let me tell you, there is little else that will light up your day quite as easily as when a baby smiles at you. I enjoy her very much. It is neat to see her skills and personality develop.

Right now she likes:
~ People
~ When we talk or sing to her
~ Sucking on her clothing or blankets
~ Burping like an adorable little trucker
~ Bath time
~ The lights on the Christmas tree
~ To squeak, squawk & babble
~ Mornings
~ Smiling
~ Pulling herself to a standing position when you hold her little hands
~ Rolling around from side to side
~ Being awesome

Right now she's not so much into:
~ Being over tired (who does?!)
~ Being on her belly, although she's able to hold her top 1/2 up now, so tummy time is getting better.

More than I could have asked for...

When I picked Brooklyn up from Shelby's today I got some really great news. Shelby told me that she spent time praying for Brooklyn and her future spouse...that he would love God's word and have godly parents. I love that and pray that over her myself. Shelby also prayed that Brooklyn would have a strong will. I get this and see that it really is a positive. I was strong willed. For me that meant I didn't feel the need to go with the flow when other kids were running around getting pregnant or in trouble. It meant that if I was given a challenge I was determined to find a solution. These are attributes that pay major dividends in life. And I do want Brooklyn to be confident and determined to make her way in this world. Especially since our way of living is different than the norm. We love and serve God. I want her to shine her light to her peers regardless of what is socially acceptable. I want her to be the peer pressure among her friends. I heard our youth pastor share that during one of his talks and thought "what a fantastic concept!"

I imagine people don't typically get to enjoy the awesomeness that comes with a child care provider who prays over your child. That is why I'm so thrilled with the way all of this has turned out. Shelby cares very much for all aspects of Brooklyn's wellbeing and John and I can rest assured that our baby is in good hands. Thank you God for taking a situation that could have been simply average and making it magnificently more than what I asked for or could think of. Ephesians 3:20 is alive and living in me!