Boo has not been starving this week

Hello! I just wanted to inform everyone that Boo has not been starving this week. I have been feeding him. I started a new job on Monday and we're still adjusting here. I am planning on keeping this blog going. I feel that it's really important to have as many resources as possible about BLW, so I'm pretty motivated to work on this. So I imagine that the longer I work I will get into a routine that works and be able to keep up a bit better.

As far as Boo's eating goes we did add in breakfast this week. Especially with me working I wanted him to have more opportunity to eat solids as it's really hard to pump enough milk for him every day. I've done it so far though. Yay!

For breakfast Boo has had oatmeal pretty much every morning this week. Boring that it's the same, but I'll try him out on pancakes this weekend and try to make up a bunch and freeze them.

Dinner was pretty boring most times. Last night was something new. I made honey mustard chicken wings. I know you're not supposed to give honey to infants, but the honey was cooked, so I imagine that's different. Anyways, he just got strips of the meat, not the skin anyways. He really seemed to like the chicken. And then he got some steamed broccoli with that.

Ham

Well, we did ham for dinner. Today was my first day at work since Boo's arrival and in the interest of making it easy on myself I threw a bunch of ham and cannelini beans with some water in a crockpot this morning and let it stew all day. I gave Boo some of the ham. Honestly it wasn't a great choice. I think the ham was way too salty. I didn't add any salt, but I cooked it with the bone for maximum flavor and it turned out pretty salty. I don't think Boo ate enough of it for this to be a problem, but I think I'm going to hold off on ham for quite some time. He really wasn't that interested in eating tonight either. Usually he's so excited. He got his usual initial excitement, but it died out really quickly. I think it had to do with me going back to work today. Today was my first day back at work and Boo was really anxious to see me. He kept trying to grab my hand and play with it and was more interested in me than the food. So his excitement with his food died away quickly and he signaled me to let him out. His signal usually consists of rocking in his chair and ignoring his food. So it's just as well since ham wasn't a great choice in the first place. So we just had a short dinner with lots of quality time and cuddles afterwards.

Oatmeal and Banana for Breakfast

Well, we tried Boo on oatmeal with a bit of banana mixed in to sweeten it up. He's had it a couple of times now. He had it on Sunday night for dinner so that I could see how he would do with it before giving the okay to start having oatmeal for breakfast. He did great. I wanted to get a pic of his oatmeal face, but my hands were so disgusting when it was all over that I dare not touch my camera. He really enjoyed pulling the spoon towards his mouth once it was loaded up. And he also enjoyed sticking his hand in the bowl and mushing the oatmeal between his fingers. Of course! So Boo got oatmeal and banana again for breakfast today. He's starting breakfasts finally! Yay - two meals a day. Woo hoo. Once I've adjusted to being back at work (I started today) I'll add in lunches. He's pretty content with his lot right now, so no huge rush.

Whole wheat english muffin and banana

Well, Boo had a whole wheat english muffin and banana. Sooo, here we go to see how he does with wheat. Although I'm pretty sure the saltine that I let him snake from me yesterday has wheat in it too. He was just looking at me with his big eyes while I was eating my saltine and cheese, so mommy caved and gave him a saltine. Not the best choice I know as they're a bit salty, but they're the only salty thing he had that day and he certainly didn't have enough of it for it to be of concern. He LOVES banana. He looked at me with this huge smile on his face after sucking on the banana. He didn't really eat much of the muffin. He mostly sucked the banana off of it and spit the muffin out. Oh well, I'm sure he'll learn to love them once he's better at chewing them. But what's not to love about banana? It's so sweet. I'm sure he felt like he was getting a great treat.

Turkey and Apple and High Chairs

Yes, it is the same turkey from yesterday. But I added apple today. We did slices. Today Boo did not do great with the apple. He was having a pretty rough time of it. So I've decided that I'll soften apple slices for him next time he does apple instead of giving it to him raw. We'll see how that goes.

I am anxiously awaiting our tax return so that I can get Boo a high chair. I can't wait. There's quite a few moms who practice BLW who love the Antilop high chair from Ikea. At $18 for the chair and $5 for the tray the price is right. Those are approximations...not the exact price. Oh well, I might as well look it up now. Okay...it's $18.99 for the high chair. Pardon me. Anyways, it's not much to look at, but at least it doesn't look like a nursery vomit all over it. Here's what people like about it. It's plastic with no crevices. So it's pretty easy to clean up. It is polypropylene as opposed to polycarbonate which makes me happy. Polypropylene is a much safer choice when it comes to plastic.

Ikea Highchair

Here's another high chair that I like, but it's not nearly so cheap.

Euro II Highchair

I may have to break down and get it someday though. It's beautiful and it adjusts so that it can be used for all ages, all the way up through teens! Now I can't see having my teenager sit in the same chair all the way up through childhood, but it's nice to know that the option is there. But I could definitely see using it up until junior high as it's height adjustable. The Euro II is much more affordable than similar models that I've seen, such as the Tripp Trapp or the Keekaroo.

Anyways, I did not mean to go on and on so much about high chairs, but oh well. I did and now that's that.

Turkey and Sweet Potato Steak Fries

Well, sorry I missed posting a couple of days. But there was nothing really exciting going on in the food department anyways. Well, he did try a bit of wheat toast with banana on it over the weekend. He seemed to like it. I smeared the banana on as a spread and left a dry bit for a handle. Of course he grabbed the mushy end!

Anyways, last night was turkey and sweet potato steak fries. I just cut my sweet potatoes like I would for regular steak fries and put them in the oven with a bit of salt and pepper and coconut oil. I forgot to leave the salt out. Oops. Oh well. I'm not too worried. It wasn't much. Babies are supposed to stay under 1 gram of salt a day. I know that he had nowhere near that much. The turkey was a turkey steak that we got from the meat department at the grocery store. I tore him some strips that he could pick up and eat. At this point he still mostly sucks on his meat. I tried tearing it into smaller pieces to test and see how his pincer grasp is coming. He's not really there yet, so we'll continue with the chip shape.

Pizza and Apple

Tonight's dinner was pizza and apple. The pizza was a Digourno. Yes, I realize that it was processed crap. I'm not perfect. Anyways, I picked off the cheese and topping and let him have chip-shaped pieces. So it was basically crust and sauce. Yes, I know, not the most nutritious choice. But I feel we do pretty well most days, so it was frozen pizza tonight. The apple I tried a couple of ways. I peeled it and cut some slices. I also gave him half an apple and let him try to pick it up and gnaw on it that way. He seemed to prefer the slices. Boo got a bit frustrated trying to pick up the other half of the apple in one piece. It kept slipping out of his hands. The verdict? Boo LOVED the pizza. Of course. The apple he liked as long as it was the slices. He was just too frustrated with the big apple piece that he couldn't seem to get to his mouth.

Steamed Zucchini and Steak Fries

Well, tonight's meal was steamed zucchini and steak fries. I have to say that the zucchini might as well have been pureed. I steamed it a bit too long so that it was extremely soft. It pretty much mushed together while being picked up. So not great for self-feeding. But Boo happily played with it just the same. He's such a good sport with this whole thing. He really enjoyed the steak fries. I made them at home so they had no salt.

Oh...and I wanted to pass along some clarification on "chip shape" that I came across in the BLW Yahoo group I participate in. Chip shape is like a thick french fry here in the US as that's what a chip is in the UK. And since BLW came out of the UK that's why the ideal shape is called "chip shape" and not "fry shape".

I'm really excited about our upcoming tax return. I'm going to get Boo a highchair. We're making do with what we have, but there's tons of crevices and it's a pain to clean. I've heard good things about the highchair that IKEA sells and it's super cheap. That's a double plus.

Rice Cake with Avocado and Carrot

Okay, I'm sure you're all thinking "Enough with the avocado and carrot and rice cakes already." Ideally, I'd love to be providing Boo with a different food experience nearly every night with new tastes to discover. However, I live in the real world where money doesn't grow on trees. So, I'm working with what we currently have. I remember reading on one of the BLW sites that re-heating of leftovers is not recommended for this. While I would love to provide fresh food and can see why this would be ideal, I have no shame in admitting that we use leftovers and I refuse to simply let them go to waste. So Boo eats leftovers with the rest of us.

Turkey, carrot, and smashed potatoes (dairy free)

Well, last night's dinner was turkey, carrot, and smashed potatoes. The potatoes were dairy-free as I'm not sure Boo can handle dairy. He's had an awful rash on his bum which I think could be from the accidental dairy he had the other day. It's looking a lot better now though.

The turkey he just kind of sucked on and spat out once he had gotten his sucking enjoyment out of it. He's a pro at the steamed carrot by now. In fact, that's the first thing he went for. I loaded his spoon with the potato, but he seemed to prefer to grab at the potato with his hands. He especially enjoyed biting on his spoon. It's the kind of spoon that has a soft end, so it probably feels great on his gums.

Anyways, I have to admit that cleaning food up night after night gets to be a bit much sometimes. It's times like that where I wonder, "Wouldn't a puree be less messy? Sure he'd get it on his chin and stuff, but not all over his body or the floor (or splashmat in our case)." But it's one of the realities of BLW. And Boo really really enjoys it. So I couldn't see another way for us. I do love that it fits right into natural life for us. I don't have to slave away making homemade purees on the weekends. That parts kind of nice. So BLW has its pros and cons. I personally think the pros outweigh the cons though.

Taking It Easy

Well, today we took it easy with food. Boo has a diaper rash and his bum is red. It's possible that it's a reaction to the accidental dairy the other day. Or it could be that he's responding to one of the newer things he's had. Or it could be his cloth diapers. He just got some new ones, well, used, but new to him. So it's possible that there could be detergent build up from the previous owner. Or it could be teething. I've heard some babies will get a rash when they teethe. So, anyways, without knowing what's caused his little bum to be all rashy I decided not to introduce anything new for maybe a week. We'll go over some of our foods that we've had and see how it goes. We were going to start Boo on lunches this week, but seeing as we won't be able to grocery shop until next week lunches will be delayed. Oh well. This might be best anyway while we get his little bum all better.

Cauliflower and Asparagus

Tonight Boo had cauliflower and asparagus. I actually made a recipe that was macaroni and cheese with cauliflower mixed in, but since I'm still holding off on dairy with Boo I just set aside some cauliflower for him. The asparagus was roasted in the oven with olive oil and garlic. He liked to gum on the asparagus. I'm sure he was able to swallow bits of the asparagus tops, but not so much of the stem. Of course I'll know for sure when I see his next dirty diaper. The cauliflower he did alright with. I noticed though that he didn't sit eating for too long before he was all done (i.e. puts his hands out as if to say "Take me out please."). So I'm not sure if he wasn't as crazy about the meal. I have yet to see anything that he rejects outright though. So far Boo eats anything I put in front of him. Hooray for a good eater!

Hudson's Baked Tilapia with Dill Sauce

Seafood for dinner. We had baked tilapia with dill sauce and a side of steamed carrots. Mmmm...yummy. I think Boo liked it. I felt like tilapia was a nice choice for a first fish. Extremely low in mercury, so safe on that front. There's a website where you can find the mercury content of different seafood items and what amount is appropriate for your weight.

Got Mercury Website

The tilapia had cajun seasoning and lemon on it. Boo didn't seem to mind the spicy cajun seasoning. A boy after his mamma's heart! The dill sauce had dairy in it. We were holding off on dairy due to concerns with food sensitivities, but I gave him some of the sauce without thinking about it (bad mommy moment). And he seems fine so far, so maybe he's gotten a lot more tolerant of it. I'm not about to break out the milk though. Of course, with all that I've read about cow's milk, I'm not sure that I ever want to touch raw milk ever again - let alone let Boo have it. So we'll see on that one. Of course, sour cream is still a dairy product. Anywho, I'm straying from the topic at hand. Here's a link to the recipe that I used:

Allrecipes Tilapia Recipe

Chicken and Rice Cake with Avocado

Last night's meal was chicken again. Yes, I realize this makes me rather unadventurous. However, I will say it was prepared differently. T and I had chicken chili, so I took the chicken out of that for Boo. It had some nice chili flavor to it. So in my defense it was different from the chicken he had last night. And since that was all that I cooked last night Boo had a rice cake with some avocado to go with his chili. Those rice cakes come in handy, but I wonder if I'm overusing them a bit? Hmmm....They're just so great as a palette for mushy foods. It's so much easier for Boo to eat the avocado off of a rice cake versus picking up the slimy pieces of avocado. Perhaps it's time to introduce some toast? I'm a little nervous about the wheat with him being pretty sensitive to foods in my milk when he was a bit younger. He seems to handle things much better now. Although his cheeks do still get flaming red from time to time.

Oh, and I bought some vinyl from Jo-Ann's yesterday and made a splash mat. Yay! Clean-up was so much better. No more nasty food on the carpet. Well, he did manage to get a piece or two off of the mat, but not like it was.

T and I decided that we'll add in lunch on Monday. We'll give that a week or two and then it'll be breakfast. Oh my...more meals to prepare! Plus, I'm going to be starting a new job on the 25th of February, so I imagine I'm going to have to use my weekends to prepare things ahead of time that freeze well.

Chicken and Spinach

Well, yesterday's dinner was chicken and spinach. The chicken was boiled so it was nice and soft. Boo seemed to really enjoy shoving it in his mouth. I'm not sure how much of it he actually swallowed. The spinach was steamed with olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. I've made the spinach that way before except without the lemon juice. I got the idea from another blogger on the lemon juice. My husband was not excited about the addition of lemon juice, so next time it will just be olive oil and garlic. Anyways, I wish I'd had the camera ready during Boo's first bite of spinach. It was hysterical. He made such a funny face and spit it back out. I think the new flavors just startled him a bit. After that first bite he was happy to try and shove it back in. I think it was the lemon juice. He made such a sour face.

Rice Cake with Hummus and Broccoli

Sorry I've missed a few days. I have been feeding my child. However, we had a few non-exciting days in a row. Today wasn't really exciting since it's nothing new. Although the hummus recipe I used was different and I thought much better. Boo ate dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's. They actually had a chair we could use. It's the kind that attaches to a regular chair and harnesses the child in. Yay! It was so nice for Boo to have a tray. I didn't have to use my hand to "be the tray" while he ate. So since Grandma and Grandpa aren't using that handy device I got to bring it home. I'm so excited. I've been so frustrated with not having a highchair and this will definitely be sufficient for now. Boo really seems to enjoy the rice cake and hummus. The broccoli he doesn't have a problem with, but it does seem that he prefers the rice cake with the hummus to the broccoli. He did end up wearing quite a bit of his broccoli and much of it made it's way down under the tray into his lap. But oh well, that's all part of the experience!