Rice Rice Baby

I am happy to report that Captain Blueberry Pants is now among the food eaters of this world.  He skillfully mastered eating rice cereal and has thus moved on to homemade pears.*  This weekend we are going to try some sweet potatoes.  HE LIKES IT!

So, baby product that I love: the Beaba Multiportion Freezer Tray – basically a glorified ice cube tray – but it allows you to freeze food in the perfect portion and then pop them out when needed.

*Recipe for Homemade Pears (Bake in Oven):  Buy two Bartlett pears and cut them in half.  Remove seeds and put face down in a baking dish with about one inch of water.  Bake for 30 minutes (or until soft) at 400 degrees.  Once out of the oven, remove the skins and blend with a hand mixer until a puree consistency.  I use breast milk to thin, but formula will also do. 

Oats and Beans and Barley Grow

Since becoming a momma five and half months ago, I find myself very nostalgic.  Nostalgic for the old songs and movies and books and toys that made my childhood rich.   I am in constant pursuit of my adolescent obsessions, which in turn has inadvertently closed the door on the new songs and movies and books and toys that have been developed since I was a wee thing.   And while I agree it is a parent’s due diligence to guide their fledglings based on their experiences, I do think one must be open minded to what's new for their own growth. If I continue down this path of everything nostalgic, poor Benji will show up to his first day of Kindergarten looking like its 1983.  And we dont want that (ok, maybe I sorta do...)

In any event, this is why I am so grateful for Raffi Radio via Pandora Radio – a sweet collection of everything old and new. I am able to listen to all the old favorites, but am also exposed to new talents such as Elizabeth Mitchell and Laurie Berkner:

First Christmas

After overcoming some barriers (i.e., an infant head cold, a sick nephew, an unexpected family death and a blizzard), Benji’s first Christmas was as wonderful and memorable and special as I had hoped for.  

We Do It All For the Nookie

When I was pregnant, I was *that* mommy-to-be  that said “my kid wont need a pacifier”.   I thought with enough love and cuddles and support that I could soothe any fuss.  But as with many other things, I was quickly jolted to reality when I realized how that binkie / nookie / life-support-plug quickly revolutionized my son’s emotions.  In those first critical weeks of his life, we would sanitize and wash that pacifier anytime it left his lips.  Should it fall on the floor, we would act as if it fell into a pile of hot, steaming dog poop and quickly perform the sterilization process (i.e., boil the pacifier, remove it with tongs, ensure that it doesn’t touch ANYTHING until his next use).  Fast forward five months later, when that pacifier falls on the floor, as it does a hundred times a day, I find intense satisfaction when I look down to find it sitting “nookie plug up”.  Sometimes I cheer quietly to myself.  Small victories. 

Captain Blueberry Himself

My creative inspiration.  Benji 4 months old.