Adventures in Eating: Sweet Peas

Oh peas. 
Bananas = hit
Avocados = hit (eventually)
Green beans = big hit
Sweet potatoes = hit

Peas = swing and a miss

I kind of assumed that because she liked green beans so much, peas would be a given.   I think the texture really through Charlee. 

I bought some frozen sweet peas.  I steamed and blended them in the Baby Brezza.  Because the peas still had the skins, it made the texture kind of chunky.
You would have thought that she was eating something just awful and inedible by how she was gagging.  Drama queen.

We tried the pureed peas for another few days, but they just weren't a hit, so we moved on.  

middle of May

 

Adventures in Eating: Sweet Potatoes

Ahh sweet potatoes.  Big favorite!

This was our first introduction into sticks of food a la Baby Led Weaning.

I had originally planned to do purees with the Baby Brezza, but Baby Led Weaning just seemed so easy and that Charlee would really enjoy it.

I peeled one sweet potato and cut it into thick sticks.  Tossed in a little bit of olive oil and roasted at 400 for 30-40 minutes.

Cool and watch baby devour :)

I am in love with this picture and those beautiful eyes

Our trip to MKE Zoo

Ok, so this is about a month late, but I think we've all realized that I'm kind of a slacker when it comes to blogging.

Andrew and I have always loved going to the zoo.  One thing I miss about living in IL is going to the Brookfield Zoo every summer.

Living in Madison we have a wonderful little free zoo.  Which is great for a free zoo, especially when you only want to walk around for 20 minutes and then go home and you didn't have to pay $40+ to park and for tickets.  But it's still lacking, for me.

We decided to drive over to Milwaukee one Sunday to go to the Milwaukee Zoo with Charlee.  Andrew had taken her to the Henry Villas Zoo in Madison before and she loved people watching, so we figured this would be fun.

On Strike

My dearest Charlotte Jean,

I should have known that when the start to our nursing relationship was rough (on me, not you.  You came out eating like a champ), that the end would be just as difficult.

See, you have officially been "on strike" for 9 days.  9 long days of pumping and you absolutely refusing to nurse.  It all started with a bite.  Well, you had been biting for a few weeks, but this bite hurt.  And I yelled, you cried, and then it was over.  Just like that, no more nursing.  I hoped that you would wake up in the middle of the night and completely forget that I had yelled at you, but you didn't.  You didn't forget the next morning or the next day, or the day after that.  And I felt awful.  I sobbed.  I apologized over and over, but it didn't make any difference, you were done with me.

The following day after the incident was the worst.  I have done a lot of things that I'm not proud of in my life, but feeling like I was the cause of you not nursing anymore was the worst.  I felt like a glorified babysitter giving you a bottle throughout the day because you clammed up around or tried to bite me just to see what my reaction would be.

I asked for advice, I called lactation, tried everything: snuggling, feeding you with a spoon, offering a cup, giving you the milk ice cold (you think it's refreshing by the way), etc.  Nothing worked.  I'm heartbroken.

Per the advice of another mama, I didn't put a goal on the length of time I wanted to nurse for.  I figured that we would just see how it went.  The first two weeks were awful.  It hurt, I didn't think I could do it.  But then we figured it out and developed a bond and I looked forward to our time together.  But I still figured that we would just see how it went for the next few months.

I didn't expect our time to end so abruptly or to not be prepared for it at all.  I wasn't prepared for the day at 6.5 months that you would push me away.  But we had 6 great months together.  I was able to nurse you for 6 long months and I will cherish those 6 months every single day.

My dear, sweet baby girl, you are so strong-willed, smart, and stubborn (you get the curly hair and stubbornness from your mama).  You make me laugh and smile every single day.  I love snuggling with you and watching you grow.  I love when you smile at me and give me big kisses.  I am the luckiest person in the world because I get to be your mama.  (And you know I must REALLY love you because I have been pumping every single day and will continue to do so just for you.  And I hate pumping, so that is love).

I love you to the moon and back.

Love,
Your mama

Adventures in Eating: Carrots

Ok, so we've been though bananas, avocados, and green beans.  We decided to add another color into the mix: orange

Carrots were next up on our list.  Since Charlee was still under 6 months, we focused more on purees.

I got some organic carrots from Hyvee (funny how Andrew and I don't care about what we eat, but Charlee has to have only organic, hormone free, etc).  I peeled, chopped, and put them in the Baby Brezza for 25 minutes and then blended until smooth.

And...

Big Hit!

A few weeks later, we bought some rainbow carrots (yellow, orange, purple, red).  I steamed them, kept some orange sticks whole, and pureed the yellow ones.  And NOT a hit.  The orange ones were delicious and she gnawed on the sticks.  But the yellow puree?  Blech

Adventures in Eating: Green Beans

Introduced around 5 months in early May.

I was hesitant with green beans (maybe because I wasn't a fan of them when I was younger).  However, BIG hit in this house!

Andrew started letting Charlee gum cold, barely steamed green beans around 4 months.  I think she loved the cold feeling on her gums.

When I decided to venture into green beans next (they are sweeter so good transition from fruits to veggies), I wanted to puree them since it was still a little early to eat whole foods.
Since I knew she was already a fan of whole green beans, I steamed some fresh ones in our Baby Brezza, and then took a few out and pureed the rest.

Like most new foods, not a hit at first.  I think the texture of the green beans through her.  A little smooth, but still had some chunks in them.
But the whole green beans?  Delish!

(sorry for the lack of pics, I thought I had more!)