Making baby food

I've been pretty excited about how making Dash's food is going! (Especially since I hardly ever cook.) We're hardly using the jar stuff that we bought anymore—it's like emergency food now. I've been making big batches of food on the weekend, then freezing it and portioning it out during the week. I made a "chicken casserole" for him yesterday that he loved. I also made a pear and prune puree for his breakfast. There's a sweet potato/broccoli/carrot medley that I'm going to try next and maybe some beef, too.

These are the purees I've made so far:

1. butternut squash and pear (gone)
2. fish and veggies (gone)
3. potatoes and spinach
4. red lentils
5. chicken and veggies
6. pear and prune

Again, with the cuteness

Rosie has been roughhousing with Dash a little more than usual, but it seems to be more about her wanting him to interact with her. Like, he might be playing with a toy by himself and she wants him to play with her, so she'll knock the toy out of his hands and yank him around into the position she wants him to be in. He's usually not too happy about it. She will also playfully knock him on his back and push on him to try to roll him (singing "rolly-poly!"), and I get upset if she's pushing directly on his belly, but that's fairly benign. I'll be keeping my eye out for anything more aggressive.

Many times, though, Rosie will be doing her own thing, walking around, and sweet little Dash will just follow her! She goes into her room, he's crawling along behind her. It's awfully cute. This past weekend, we had to break out the gate for the bottom of the stairs—Rosie taught Dash how to climb! He was as usual following her around and she started up the stairs, saying, "c'mon Dash!" And as we were watching he made it up two steps! Before then, he was only pulling up on the bottom stair. Our little guy is getting into everything—his other favorite thing now is opening and closing doors and cabinets.

Valentine's Day didn't go as expected...

It was Valentine's Day and I took the day off work with reservations at a spa for a full Day Of Beauty. I had the whole day, so I scheduled a massage, a MUCH-needed haircut, manicure, and pedicure at a trendy Mazza Gallery salon I hadn't been to since before Rosie was born. Just as I was leaving the house, trying to figure out the best route to take from Alexandria to Upper NW DC, I got a phone call from daycare that Dash, has blood in his stool. YIKES!?! I cancelled everything, breathlessly sped to him at 80mph. His freaked-out teachers had saved the diaper for me to take to his doctor; it really didn't look like blood to me—it was reddish-purple—but they insisted that I take him.

We get an appointment about 2 hours later (the ped's office was closed for lunch) and I was informed that it was not blood; the purple BM resulted from Omnicef, a strawberry-flavored anibiotic, that he was taking for an ear infection. AAAAAAGGGGGHHHH. I got a note, whisked him back to daycare and wasn't able to salvage the ruin of my day off. I really needed that haircut! But, I was thankful that my son was healthy (clenching teeth).

Standing unsupported

AJS was videotaping Dash while he was crawling on top of him yesterday (his videos are usually very close-up, complete with little hands grabbing at the lens), and told me that Dash let go of him and stood unsupported for about 15 seconds on tape! Of course, when he tried to show me the footage, he couldn't find it, but WOW!!

I haven't seen him standing, but know that Dash has been very busy with pulling up on everything and cruising around the coffee table and the couches. He also pushes a wheeled toy around while walking behind it very well (if it starts to move too fast away from him, he stops and pulls it back in using his arm/upper-body strength). The daycare teachers tell us that he is pushing the cribs around in the nursery along with the big kids.

I got that baby-tether back from Kelly over the weekend. We may need it any day now!

Chinatown Plushies

We saw the Chinese New Year parade this weekend. Rosie was so excited to see the parade that it was all she was talking about all morning. However, the parade designers decided that for this year's parade they would have the entire Chinese Zodiac represented. As soon as those people (plushies?) dressed in full-body animal costumes came close she was screaming to get down off AJS's shoulders and get away from them. AJS was bruised for weeks from the heel-kicks. She was okay with the dragon dance once I explained it to her—when there was a story involved (dragon chasing sun, wants to eat it, drums beating to scare dragon away), she was able to enjoy it. Dashiell just took it all in from his stroller.

Hooray for purees

I've been experimenting with making my own baby food for Dashiell. After a rough start (with lots of gagging and puking), Dashiell has started to enjoy my cooking! His first hated food was my sweet potatoes, then the awful avocado, then the too-thick fish-veggie combo. He enjoyed the butternut squash/peach combo from the start (thank goodness, because I made A LOT!). And he really likes any kind of fruit, especially applesauce, banana, mango or pear. This weekend, I tried another recipe with potatoes and spinach and glory be, he ate it! Last night, I revisited the fish puree and found that it really was too thick so I heated it, added some liquid, then pureed it some more and he finally found it swallowable. Whew. We need to work in some thicker foods but he seems to be showing resistance to textures right now. Hopefully he'll be interested soon enough.

Rosie loves Dash

So far, Rosie has ADORED Dash from when she first saw him in the hospital. It's just the cutest thing ever. She forgives him immediately for yanking her hair and gently chastizes him for playing with her toys (and will hand him one of his toys instead). Her favorite thing to do with him is to "make Dash happy" which is to get in his face and imitate me making goo-goo noises at him. Hilarious to hear my nonsense words coming out in her high-pitched voice! There's been a few times when Rosie was "giving" Dash his toys and being too enthusiastic about it. She'd be throwing them in his direction without looking and winged him in the head. I *know* she was just trying to help, so I tried not to be TOO angry when I yelled/explained that she needs to be careful around her brother. They have to learn somehow, you know? It's not all sweetness and light, but I'm just doing my best to show them how to be good siblings to each other.

Cruising!

We saw this past Sunday, on Kelly's birthday, that Dash is "cruising"—he pulled himself up to the seat of a child's plastic chair and then walked with it as he pushed it. We were all kind of stunned, while he was screaming with excitement, grinning like crazy!

I'm torn between being excited that he's growing and doing so many things and wanting him to stay little and cuddly. Lately, when I pick him up to hug him, he just twists and twists as I'm walking so he won't miss out on anything that he could possibly be seeing. I've been holding him close with one hand around the back of his head so he'll stay still and I can get a good cuddle in.

Dash vs. Lanna at seven months

My parents had a photography studio take a triptych of photos of me when I was seven months old. About a month ago, Auntie M. was looking at this the triptych and asked our dad, "where did you get those photos of Dash?" and she was serious! It took a bit of convincing to get her to believe they were pics of me. This experience inspired me to have a professional try to recreate the triptych with Dashiell, since he's pretty much the same age right now. Here are the photos of me:

Even though Dash had a bruise on his forehead the day of the shoot, the photographers went ahead and took photos -- they said, "it's okay, we have Photoshop!" Which is really giving Photoshop a lot of credit IMO, but I hope they know what they're doing. It was a light-purple and yellowish blotch on his left upper forhead. It's more greenish today. Here is how the proofs looked:

An additional pose we tried was to a "Lou Reed" homage portrait -- a friend of ours gave us a velvet underground banana shirt for Dash and put on a pair of Rosie's sunglasses, so he was "waiting for his man" with a grungy step ladder they had in the studio. I thought it was so cute!!

Fatboy!

Dashiell's six-month checkup was January 12th (yes, I know he was actually seven months) and he is now just a few oz shy of 18 lbs and is 26 inches (50th percentiles)! Quite the solid little guy. His head circumference got 75th percentile, but I can't recall the exact measurement. AJS's favorite nickname for him now is "fatboy"! The doc didn't have much to say, since things are going pretty well and we're hitting milestones, etc. He didn't get his shots because he had a temp (99.6 degrees), had a nasty cough, and a goopy runny nose.

While I had him at home this morning, despite being under the weather he was crawling around like a little crab and pulling up on everything—the couch, bookshelves, entertainment center, laundry baskets, me, his sister, you name it. They tell me at daycare he's always in the middle of the action when the other kids are off getting into stuff AND has been pulling up on cribs and pushing them around (they are on castors and a linoleum floor). I'm amazed that he's doing so much!

The night before his appointment, he woke up around 2 a.m. and just didn't want to go back to sleep. It seemed like he was really interested in trying out his new skill: he pulls himself up to his feet in the crib, lets go with one hand, pivots carefully, then sits down and starts over. Whew. And Mommy had to be watching, because if I left him alone, he would start crying again. After about 4 visits like this, I finally just let him cry himself to sleep and I really have no idea what time that was, but he was back up at 5 a.m. Thank goodness that doesn't happen often!

Life in the String household

Well, my lifestyle has shifted since we have two kids. I do so much housework it's like I'm a fiend, but I can't ever get the big stuff done. As soon as we're home from work, I run to the dishwasher and unload/load it, then run to the laundry machine and unload/load it, and by that time it's time to have dinner, so I feed myself and the kids, clean up after dinner, put dirty dishes in and run the dishwasher, then run downstairs and turn on the laundry, then fold clothes while I watch one episode of Dora the Explorer with Rosie. Then I give Dash a bottle, change his diaper/pajamas and put him to bed while AJS puts Rosie to bed. I might have time to read a little or watch one TV show before I go to bed.

The mornings are a flurry of getting everything loaded in the car for daycare, dressing everyone, feeding the kids and the bird, and getting on the road. Am I the most boring person ever? We only socialize with other people who have kids now and a girlfriend and I were celebrating when another couple we know told us they were expecting (they're "in the club").

Diaper rash & first tooth

The amoxicillin has given Dash a raging rash. A girlfriend suggested that I try Burt's Bees diaper ointment, and since I had a tube, I tried it. The herbal smell was so strong that I decided to stick with the Boudreau's Butt Paste that we normally use. If it's still bad in a day or so I'll try pure zinc.

The poor little guy has been screaming bloody murder & some diaper changes require both AJS and I holding him down and he still manages to almost wrestle himself off the table along with the diaper, the changing mat, and anything else he can reach with his feet and hands. He's torn the edging off of the window screen. The changes are taking 3 or 4 times as long with having to retrieve everything on the floor, trying not to get kicked or punched in the face, and attempting to cover his rash with ointment.

He's also cutting his first tooth! I've been attributing the diaper rash to the amoxicillin, but would cutting a tooth have anything to do with it? I've been giving him Tylenol all weekend, because he seems like he's in so much pain.

Sickie & more on starting to sign

After just one day of amoxicillin, Dash was up to his usual hightened cheerfulness!! When I got to daycare yesterday afternoon, I was wearing a leather jacket and his socks were off—I picked him up and those sticky little feet of his started climbing my coat. I wasn't prepared, but managed to keep hold of him before he was up to my neck. So active!

With the signing, I noticed parents & kids using it when Rosie was in early daycare and bought a set of flashcards. We didn't really try to sign with Rosie, though; the flashcards disappeared (behind a dresser) and re-emerged after she was getting pretty verbal. I dug them out again when Dash was a newborn and looked for signs that I wanted to start with.

I've been trying out: milk, more, food, all done. Next, I'm planning to add mommy & daddy. There is a workshop I'd like to try for teaching your baby to sign and is just on a weekend morning. More info is at http://www.tinyfingers.com/ .

Ballerina gift

On a very sweet note, Rosie got a wonderful Xmas gift of a pretty wooden cut-out of a ballerina (painted nicely) with metal dots in strategic places, a stand, and a selection of multi-colored *magnetic* tutus, pointe shoes, and tiaras. It's a fantastic gift for a little girl!! She was playing with the ballerina last night and I heard her say my name. When I responded, she said, "no Mommy, my ballerina's name is Alanna!"

I got kind of choked up... I mean, who didn't ever want to be a pretty ballerina?

Homemade baby food, need to get on it!

I was pretty successful making Rosie's baby food; she was especially fond of the sweet potatoes. I just baked them till they're soft, mashed them well with fork or masher, and strained them. One thing that was a big no-no was to put the sweet potatoes in a food processor or a blender because the fiber would combine to make a glue.

My book recommended processing most of the foods with a device called a "Mouli" which we went ahead and bought back in 2003—it grinds the food fairly gently. I lent it to a few friends after Rosie phased out of the purees and now I have it back. I have a veggie medley recipe that we used until Rosie got sick of it at 8 or 9 months. It was a combo of sweet potato, carrot, and broccoli.

So, I've got my Mouli and I have a potato ricer, so I need to start making baby food for Dash already, darn it.

1st ear infection & starting to sign!

Well, it's certain. Dash has his first ear infection. He had a fever yesterday, was sleeping quite a bit through the day, and the daycare ladies told me that he cried every time they tried to put him down, so I suspected.

Also, an interesting development: last week, I was feeding Dash some green beans and would occasionally stop to make the =more= sign and ask "more?" One of the times I stopped, he CLEARLY made the =milk= sign more than once, so I quickly mixed a bottle and he happily slurped it down!! He's made the =milk= sign several times since then and I try to follow up ASAP to let him know that he's communicating.

We dropped his mattress down, too, because he's been pulling up to his knees and on one occasion, to his feet!

Xmas 2005, glad it's over

Our Christmas started out hectic, but as soon as we left the house it got better. AJS even threatened to stay at home while he sent the rest of us off to my parents' because we were getting so stressed out. AJS HATES, hates to be late.

We were planning on getting to my parents' by around 10 a.m., but didn't arrive till 11:45 because, I don't know, it was just difficult to wrangle all the gifts, the kids and all the gear you need to spend the day somewhere else. AJS was handling the kids while I did EVERYTHING ELSE. And, it seemed that as soon as I started one thing, he would yell about something, so I'd drop what I was doing and start something else, and so all my stuff was in half-finished pieces all over the house. I wrapped/labeled all the gifts, fed and dressed the kids, got all of Dash's food & bottles packed up, re-dressed Rosie because she had a potty accident, somehow managed to shower and put on makeup while Dash napped, packed up all of the spare clothes and gear in case of more accidents, fed the bird, and on and on until I was about to cry.

I told AJS that it would all be just fine as soon as we were in the car and on our way, and sure enough, it was!! The kids were so cute all day. I already got all the gifts I wanted ahead of time, so I wasn't expecting anything. The kids got plenty of gifts and I hope my family was happy with what we gave them. I'm kind of glad it's over, you know? There are so many expectations about this holiday and stress and disappointment involved when expectations are unfulfilled.

Slept through the night!!

Dash didn't wake up ONCE last night!! He SLEPT THROUGH 10 HOURS straight!!! That's a major first for us. I had to wake him up to feed him this morning. He must have really needed his sleep. And TMI: The poor guy woke up this morning without any nostrils—they were caked over with snot! Ewwww. Seems like lots of kids are getting colds around this time of year.

Struggling with pregnancy weight

I keep trying on my size 4 clothes, hoping that maybe, miraculously during the night, the weight redistributed or something. Even this morning! Like a pollyanna, I put on a size 4 skirt that still has at least 2–3 inches before it will zip up. However, I did manage to—very tightly, with jumping—fit into my Old Navy size 6 stretch jeans!!

I don't know what size I'm at right now—it's probably between an 8 and 10. Most of my work clothes are between size 2 and 6, but I'm managing it somehow (elastic waists!). I can't fit in some of my suitjackets because my upper arms are too thick.

Okay, blah, blah, whine, whine. I'm joining the gym today! Since I wasn't going while pregnant, I cancelled my old membership. There's a gym at my new office that's only$18/month and that just can't be beat (my old one was $60/month). The trick is that you have to work in the building.

YES!! That's the stuff.

Last night, I fed Dash some peas and at the first mouthful, he threw his arms up in the air and waved them around, like, "YES!!" and continued to throw his arms up for the next few spoonsful. I guess I *was* taking a bit long to phase in vegetables... LOL

And, over the weekend, AJS was holding Dash so Rosie could play "doctor," giving Dash "medicine" with a little spoon. An empty spoon. The poor darling was leaning forward with an open mouth for the spoon and then looked so bewildered and disappointed when there was no food in it that I laughed so hard I was crying!! Ah, we should have had the vidcam out.