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Monday, October 22, 2012

Let's dig in!

Double peas face!

August and Jude are almost 8 months old.  We started Rice Cereal at 4 1/2 months.  They took to the spoon very well.  Within a few days, they would catch a glimpse of the spoon and were all smiles- these boys knew it was chow time!  We started solids at 5 months.  I decided to introduce all the first veggies first before moving on to fruit.  We did carrots, sweet potato, butternut squash, peas, avocado, zucchini, green beans and pumpkin.  We then moved on to banana, pears, apples, peaches, nectarines and plums.  I decided to get a little exotic and tried mango and papaya and they loved it.  I know Earth's Best makes a 1st prunes.  I gave that to Juliet when she was about 6 months old- she gobbled up the entire jar and was up ALL NIGHT the same night with horrible gas.  Poor baby, I was not repeating the same mistake with the boys.  I keep a jar on standby for constipation emergencies which we happen to have none of.

The only food they both did not enjoy was avocado.  At the advice of a friend, I tossed an avocado and a banana in the blender, mixed with about an ounce of formula and put it in the fridge.  The result is a cool, creamy snack that Jude and August love.  We call it "ice cream" for baby foodies!

Once they had all the "first foods," I started making simple combinations:
Veggie/veggie combos like zucchini/carrot or peas/carrots, and sweet potato/peas.

I mix alot of fruits together and give it to them for breakfast with single grain or multi grain oatmeal:  apple/peach/pear or any combination of three fruits.  They also enjoyed peachy/plum.  I found that if I add half a banana it gives the puree the consistency of a smoothie and is a great "dessert" after lunch or dinner.

Fruit/veggie combo like sweet potato/apple (pear or peach).  Zucchini/apple was a big hit.  These combinations also included some new foods like spinach (mixed with butternut squash) or white potato/corn or green beans/brown rice.  A kind of random but major hit was sweet potato/apple/mango.  I had a small amount of each left over so I steamed them together and the boys really enjoyed the puree!

At our 6 month check up, our pediatrician told us to start giving one protein each day.  I was EXCITED!  Now I could really start getting creative.  We started with organic chicken breast, ground turkey and ground sirloin.  Split peas are a great protein too.  I buy them from Whole Foods in dry bulk and cook them on the stove in boiling water for 30 minutes.  I then puree them with a variety of veggies and there you have it: baby split pea soup!  I usually give them their protein meal for lunch.

Happy lil eaters: August on the left, Jude on the right.





Thursday, October 18, 2012

Hello World!


I've been thinking of starting a blog for a long time. I love to write and share my life. I stopped working to stay home with our now 3 year old, Juliet. I knew I needed to write about something I am passionate about.  


We decided it was time for another baby. I got a positive pregnancy test and on July 26th, 2011 Joel and I went for our first appointment with our OB and got the shock of our lives. Right there on the ultrasound screen were 2 strong heartbeats. Twins. OMG. (Yes, it was an OMG moment!) I was shocked and scared. Now, as I sit here thinking back to that day, I vividly remember that wave of fear. A million questions flooded my mind all at once. What if they come early? Like scary early? What do we need two of? How am I going to handle this? Wow, I'm going to be HUGE. But, most of all, I couldn't stop thinking of Juliet. How would she react to two infants coming home and into our lives? Up until that point it had just been me and Jules- going to classes, school, play dates, the park. It was all going to change and I couldn't control the tears.  It took a few days to absorb the shock and realize how lucky we are- we tried for one baby and got two.  Identical twin boys who I carried to 37 weeks, 3 days.  August Reid and Jude Isaac were born on February 23, 2012.  They were big, healthy and perfect.  Back to my desire to start a blog. Now that I had twins, which is unique, I felt like I was one step closer to establishing a focus to write about. I didn't just want to post my funny stories, blunders and pictures. I wanted to create something where other Moms (or Dads!) could get some guidance....about something.  I love to cook and while I did not make baby food for Juliet, I really wanted to for the boys. The thought of buying all those jars and schlepping them home was daunting. I got a Baby Beaba as a gift and went to work steaming and pureeing once we started solids when the boys turned 5 months.  I realized THIS IS IT! I'm going to write about making baby food for my boys. I'm going to share all the different fun combinations I come up with and how much August and Jude love it- and they LOVE to eat!



Why homemade?  There are many reasons to make your own baby food.  It does keep cost down, especially with twins, but that was not my motive.  I shop at Whole Foods and our local Farmer's Markets and that organic produce is pricey.  I like that I know exactly what Jude and August are eating.  That being said, I did not make any of Juliet's food.  She ate Earth's Best jars and she is absolutely perfect.  I do not believe making your own baby food is the one and only way to provide healthy and nutritious meals for your baby.  Honestly- making baby food is just plain FUN.  It is also relaxing to listen to music while I peel and chop in my kitchen.  I love thinking of flavor pairings and executing them.  The best part is feeding my creations to August and Jude and watching their reactions.  Smiles, screeches and little legs kicking all tell me "Mama this is delish!"  Stay tuned!