Ah, feeding toddlers. This is the stuff legends are made of....
Caleb has always been a super easy eater. You simply stuck it in his mouth and he ate. No problemo. He wasn't too fond of fruit but everything else he loved. We transitioned into table food without issue and on most days he eats as much as I do. He's getting a little pickier as he gets older though and I'm wondering how long it'll be before the battle of wills begins.
His new favorite things are Ritz crackers, grapes and sharp cheddar cheese. He also loves oranges, asparagus, all kinds of beans and carrots. Veggies are a no brainer - the only one he won't touch is potatoes. Not mashed or baked - no potato. Period. He also doesn't like meat. If you put it on his tray he'll immediately drop whatever he's eating and pick up the meat and fling it overboard. And then growl as if to say "You KNOW I don't like that Mah"! Despite this Mah keeps trying. Although he does like bacon quite a bit. Unfortunately for him it's not on the menu that often. I figure that maybe he'll be an Angelica vegetarian. :) I'm ok with that.
I've been putting peanut butter on his Ritz crackers to try and sneak some protein in there. It works as long as it's not a big glob. If there's a lot on his cracker he wipes it off with his finger and then smears it on the tray, his hair, me or anything else within reach.
We've tried eggs, nuts, fish and strawberries now without issue. Hooray for no food allergies. That's a nice thing to not have to worry about.
A few of his old favorites aren't so favorite anymore. He loved sweet potatoes as a baby but I made sweet potato fries a few weeks ago and he totally balked. He's also been sending green beans over the side of the tray recently and those were one of his tried and true favorites as well.
In the area of foods-I-swore-I'd-NEVER-give-my-kids he's had Reese's peanut butter cups (he BEGS for them) and Frito's. Not a lot, just a little but he gobbled both up. I'm proud to say we made it over a year without any french fries or Coke. I did give him a tiny sip of orange soda last weekend just to see him make a face. It was well worth it.
The teeth are still coming in. His bottom 1yr molar is about half in and we now have three bottom teeth. The next top two teeth should break through any day now. The Roseola is gone and we're treating his snotty nose and goopy ear with drops. We see the ENT next week for a checkup.
Be sure to check out the latest video of Caleb playing with Juan. It's quite cute!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The Week In Review
What a week! Caleb got sent home from school at the end of last week b/c of fever. We took him in and were told that it was mostly likely Roseola. Sure enough, the fever broke on Sunday and the rash started. Not pretty. By Wednesday he was back to normal and we were all much happier. I think we have a rash picture somewhere - if so, I'll post it.
Caleb had his 12m well check yesterday. He's actually lost weight since his 9m checkup in December. Yesterday he weighed 23 lbs even (he was 23lb 1oz in Dec). I guess an ounce probably isn't consider losing weight but it was still a surprise to us. He's 29.75" and his head was something large. I never remember the head measurement.
Dr Ramirez assured us that the weight thing wasn't a concern and said that now that he's running around everywhere and off of high calorie formula his weight should slow down. He said to make sure he's eating well (no problem there) and we'd just watch it going forward. He's still between 50-75% in weight and height so it's not like we're in danger of falling off the charts anytime soon.
I think Juan added some pictures to the last album - you might want to check and see.
Caleb had his 12m well check yesterday. He's actually lost weight since his 9m checkup in December. Yesterday he weighed 23 lbs even (he was 23lb 1oz in Dec). I guess an ounce probably isn't consider losing weight but it was still a surprise to us. He's 29.75" and his head was something large. I never remember the head measurement.
Dr Ramirez assured us that the weight thing wasn't a concern and said that now that he's running around everywhere and off of high calorie formula his weight should slow down. He said to make sure he's eating well (no problem there) and we'd just watch it going forward. He's still between 50-75% in weight and height so it's not like we're in danger of falling off the charts anytime soon.
I think Juan added some pictures to the last album - you might want to check and see.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
And Then The Rest Of Thursday Happened...
I should have known better than to post something about how wonderful my Thursday was and how good my baby had been. He woke up from his nap in a bad mood. A very, very bad mood. That turned into a bad afternoon and a night from hell. Juan spent from midnight to 2am on the couch with him and I spent from 2am to 6am on the floor in the nursery. We were all really tired this morning and I was threatening to run away to Botswana. My husband seemed unfazed. We somehow manage to get dressed and off to school and work respectively. I stumbled into work feeling rather sorry for myself. And then I read this.
I love my pasture, teething and all.
I love my pasture, teething and all.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Happy Thursday
Today has been a really good day! Want to know why?
- Caleb slept until 6am this morning. Yesterday he slept until 6:15am. This is HUGE. He also took a super 2 hour nap yesterday. I'm really hoping that this new schedule lasts...
- My jungle pants from Costa Rica fit perfectly. It's been a long time since I could say that! Hooray!
- Caleb and I went to the park this morning and he was so fun to watch walking around everywhere and checking out the playscape. I love my little guy!
- We gave Caleb peanuts and pecans and he had no reaction. Not that I was expecting him to, but it's still nice to know that we don't have to worry about a nut allergy.
- The laundry is done, house is clean enough and I have nap time all to myself.
Happy Thursday!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Birthday Pictures!
Caleb's birthday was lots of fun. We played, ate and celebrated one super fun year of baby, parenthood and family. Party pictures in the slideshow. I'll post again with more details soon...
Friday, March 13, 2009
My Cupcakes Overfloweth
It's the eve of my first born's first birthday. I could write some sappy post about how having a child has changed me or how I now truly understand how deeply a parent loves their child etc etc.
I'm not though. Instead, I'm going to whine about cupcakes.
In all fairness to Betty Crocker and the universe, I should have known better. I've never actually made cupcakes before and the night before Caleb's birthday party probably wasn't the time to start. I've had twelve months to prepare for this but I assumed that if I was a.) capable of reading and following instructions and b.) somewhat knowledgeable about cooking that making cupcakes couldn't be that hard.
Apparently, I was wrong.
My first batch (chocolate) turned out fine. I just didn't realize that a box mix made 24 instead of 12. I only own one muffin pan. Annoying. I then decided to make Caleb's cake and unfortunately his cakes were coming out of the oven at the exact time my second batch of cupcakes were whirling away in the mixer. The result was that the cupcake batter got slightly over mixed and gave stiff peak new meaning. They spilled over quite a bit and my yellow cupcakes resembled portabella mushrooms by the time they emerged from the oven. My sweet father-in-law assured me they were fine and taught me how to say "mushroom cloud" in Spanish.
I decided to do the only logical thing (no, not eat all 12 by myself before anyone saw them - although I did consider it) and perform a round of cupcake plastic surgery. My husband came home to a super stressed wife standing over the kitchen sink with a dull steak knife and a dozen sheared mushroom cloud cupcakes. He backed away slowly.
Adriana was gracious enough to help me frost them and I have to say that the end result wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared. The rest of the yellow cupcakes came out nicely, mostly because the mix had time to settle while the first set were in the oven.
So, happy birthday eve to my little man. I'm a hell of a lot more comfortable tonight than I was a year ago. And perhaps next year a HEB cake might not seem like such a bad idea...
I'm not though. Instead, I'm going to whine about cupcakes.
In all fairness to Betty Crocker and the universe, I should have known better. I've never actually made cupcakes before and the night before Caleb's birthday party probably wasn't the time to start. I've had twelve months to prepare for this but I assumed that if I was a.) capable of reading and following instructions and b.) somewhat knowledgeable about cooking that making cupcakes couldn't be that hard.
Apparently, I was wrong.
My first batch (chocolate) turned out fine. I just didn't realize that a box mix made 24 instead of 12. I only own one muffin pan. Annoying. I then decided to make Caleb's cake and unfortunately his cakes were coming out of the oven at the exact time my second batch of cupcakes were whirling away in the mixer. The result was that the cupcake batter got slightly over mixed and gave stiff peak new meaning. They spilled over quite a bit and my yellow cupcakes resembled portabella mushrooms by the time they emerged from the oven. My sweet father-in-law assured me they were fine and taught me how to say "mushroom cloud" in Spanish.
I decided to do the only logical thing (no, not eat all 12 by myself before anyone saw them - although I did consider it) and perform a round of cupcake plastic surgery. My husband came home to a super stressed wife standing over the kitchen sink with a dull steak knife and a dozen sheared mushroom cloud cupcakes. He backed away slowly.
Adriana was gracious enough to help me frost them and I have to say that the end result wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared. The rest of the yellow cupcakes came out nicely, mostly because the mix had time to settle while the first set were in the oven.
So, happy birthday eve to my little man. I'm a hell of a lot more comfortable tonight than I was a year ago. And perhaps next year a HEB cake might not seem like such a bad idea...
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Recovery
Thank goodness for lunch! How else is a boy to survive a morning like this! Ignore the fact that he has a Christmas bib on. It's been a rough day people.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Moooooooooooooo
We made the switch to whole milk! I gave him some yesterday morning with breakfast as a test. He drank it (or at least as much as he will ever drink from a sippy) and didn't even blink. He had a little more with lunch and dinner. Caleb still prefers water and I'm ok with that. We've tried diluted juice a few times and he just spits it out and glares at me. Before bedtime last night we gave him what will probably be his last bottle ever (sniff!). We've got a tiny bit of formula left and from here on out it's milk and sippys all the way. He did ok this morning - drank about 2oz of milk before tottering off to find more interesting things. I'm a little concerned about his overall fluid intake though. His morning and night bottles were about 80% of his daily fluid intake and by replacing those with the sippy we'll need to watch and make sure he's getting enough to drink during the day. He still thinks sippy are more for throwing than for drinking. Hopefully once he realizes that he has no other option that will change.
On a very exciting note, he's now signing "done" and "more". That will help with the drinking b/c it's easier to know when he wants it. He's made the "milk" sign a couple of times but it's not nearly as consistent as the others. He'll sign "more" when he wants more food at meals and yesterday made the "more" sign when he and Juan were playing peek-a-boo. Juan stopped and Caleb wanted to keep on playing! For the things he can't sign his method of communication is clapping. When I do something he likes he'll clap for me. When he doesn't like it he screams. Very effective. I feel a bit like a trained monkey working for claps but it's worth knowing that I can communicate with the child. At least to some degree.
Birthday party preparations are in full swing. Abuelita and Abuelito arrive on Thursday followed by Tia Adriana and Tia Lil on Friday. Nana and Poppy will come in on either Friday night or Saturday morning. Our little guy is growing up so fast and I'm excited to celebrate this huge milestone with our family and friends. There's one last major 1 yr accomplishment to look forward to and it's the one I'm most excited about (although not paying for formula is a close second). We can turn the car seat around! Finally! Caleb hit the 20 lb mark way back at 6m but we have to keep him rear-facing until his birthday. I can't wait to be able to SEE him and get him in and out easier - and with significantly fewer bumps to my head and his on the door frame.
We have an exciting week in store with the tubes, family and party. Stay tuned!
On a very exciting note, he's now signing "done" and "more". That will help with the drinking b/c it's easier to know when he wants it. He's made the "milk" sign a couple of times but it's not nearly as consistent as the others. He'll sign "more" when he wants more food at meals and yesterday made the "more" sign when he and Juan were playing peek-a-boo. Juan stopped and Caleb wanted to keep on playing! For the things he can't sign his method of communication is clapping. When I do something he likes he'll clap for me. When he doesn't like it he screams. Very effective. I feel a bit like a trained monkey working for claps but it's worth knowing that I can communicate with the child. At least to some degree.
Birthday party preparations are in full swing. Abuelita and Abuelito arrive on Thursday followed by Tia Adriana and Tia Lil on Friday. Nana and Poppy will come in on either Friday night or Saturday morning. Our little guy is growing up so fast and I'm excited to celebrate this huge milestone with our family and friends. There's one last major 1 yr accomplishment to look forward to and it's the one I'm most excited about (although not paying for formula is a close second). We can turn the car seat around! Finally! Caleb hit the 20 lb mark way back at 6m but we have to keep him rear-facing until his birthday. I can't wait to be able to SEE him and get him in and out easier - and with significantly fewer bumps to my head and his on the door frame.
We have an exciting week in store with the tubes, family and party. Stay tuned!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thursday
I had to bribe Caleb with graham crackers so he'd stay still while I wrote this post. He's a fast eater so I'll make this quick!
The tubes are scheduled for next Tuesday (3/11) in the morning. We won't know the exact time until the day before. They schedule based on age so we're bound to be one of the first ones. I'll be sure and post something once we're home and let everyone know he's ok.
Caleb is walking everywhere these days! Here's a fun video Juan took yesterday afternoon. He seems to have mostly recovered from this last ear infection. He's still snotty and a bit melodramatic but he slept all night last night and that is a HUGE improvement. Thank goodness for good sleep!
Graham crackers are gone. Basset is moving in for the crumbs. Posting time is over!
The tubes are scheduled for next Tuesday (3/11) in the morning. We won't know the exact time until the day before. They schedule based on age so we're bound to be one of the first ones. I'll be sure and post something once we're home and let everyone know he's ok.
Caleb is walking everywhere these days! Here's a fun video Juan took yesterday afternoon. He seems to have mostly recovered from this last ear infection. He's still snotty and a bit melodramatic but he slept all night last night and that is a HUGE improvement. Thank goodness for good sleep!
Graham crackers are gone. Basset is moving in for the crumbs. Posting time is over!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
What Caleb's Getting For His Birthday
Ear tubes. Seriously. We went in yesterday and have a big ole ear infection in his right ear. This was after a rough Friday night and a cranky Saturday morning. Thank goodness Nana and Poppy are here to lend a hand! I'm going to call the ENT on Monday morning and see about getting him in this week. I'll be sure to let everyone know when they schedule the tubes and how things go. Intellectually, I'm totally ok with it. We need to end this ear infection hell and get him well. Emotionally, it's harder because my baby hurts and I don't like the idea of people sticking things is his ears and feel like it's my job as Mommy to avoid things like this from happening. What could I have done better or differently or sooner or later or whatever to not get us to this place. I know that this isn't my fault but it still stinks. But, he's gotten more than his fair share of attention this weekend I think he'll survive. This is his real birthday present in case anyone was wondering:
He's all over button and switches these days so I think he'll like it. His new favorite thing is to get to push the button on the garage door opener to make it go up or down. He pushes it and then turns around and squeals and claps and the big door goes down. It's the highlight of coming home in the afternoons. He's still walking well and his balance has definitely improved. He looks a lot less drunk these days! :)
I'll post pictures this afternoon...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
