13 months

I hate to say this, but at the moment I think things are getting easier...in fact I am bored.  I see why people may want to have another kid at this point, because all of the knowledge that has been acquired over the past year is still fresh and therefore one might be lulled into thinking the second one will be a breeze.  I, however, am going to enjoy this moment of thinking things are getting easier.  Here are my favourite things about the Sprout now:
1.  He snuggles.  He has been snuggly in the past, but it only lasted a couple of seconds.  Right now, he will climb on the couch (he is very good at getting on and off the couch all by himself) and have a snuggle for a good 15 min if he is tired.
2.  He does things on his own.  He loves to play by himself.
3.  He eats whatever I give him.
4.  He is just so freaking cute.
5.  He is putting things in his mouth less (although we recently had a kitty litter scooper fiasco, but we are all ok).
6.  He mimics us.  When we play the Wii, he mimics our movements, we have some pretty funny video.

What I don't like:
1.  He gets cranky when things don't go his way (but we are all like this).
2.  He gets bored.  He has always reached a point where he gets bored, but now I have to think a little more advanced to get him interested in something.  I can't wait until he likes to use crayons.
3.  He thinks "NO" is funny and is the beginning of a game.
4.  His poo REEKS.  Diapers go straight outside, no fooling around.
5.  He wakes up at night and I still have to nurse him to get him back to sleep.
6.  I can't do anything on the computer when he is around because he tries to steal my laptop keys.

We are working on complete weaning.  We have done pretty well.  He gets a bottle at 9 am before the morning nap and 7pm before he goes to bed.  He might get a 1 pm bottle if he won't take an afternoon nap and is super tired.  I still nurse him to get him to fall asleep at night, however, he doesn't do it for long before he rolls around and finally falls asleep.  I also have to nurse him in the middle of the night when he wakes up to get him to go back to sleep.  I realize that the night nursing is me wanting the easy way out because I want to sleep.  I know I should just let him figure out how to get back to sleep, but I don't feel like it.  Eventually, I will probably just have a bottle ready (or even force the binki, which I do put in his crib, but he doesn't really do binkis) and use that.

Having a baby who eats food has been a real good way for me to loose weight, apparently because my pre-pregnancy clothes are getting to be too big.  I have never been a good eater, but now I have to constantly think of things to eat for 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks.  I have used this opportunity to get me to eat less more frequently.  I have heard that many mom's gain weight when their babies begin to eat because they eat their portion and then whatever the baby doesn't eat.  I make my portion and then the Sprout dictates how much of it I get to eat.  He usually eats 1/3 of my food meaning I am most likely eating a REAL portion (a correct serving size).

At first I was overwhelmed about the feeding because I was obsessed with giving the Sprout variety, unfortunately, it is expensive.  So, I still try to slip new things in, but I have had to have some meals and snacks that are common place.  My favorites are macaroni and cauliflower with cheese, vegetable risotto, scrambled eggs with zucchini, zucchini and onion pancakes, butternut squash pancakes, spaghetti, chili and what I call "cheesy peas" which is macaroni and cheese with peas.  We also eat a lot of roast chicken with sweet potatoes.

I have a real good time with the pancakes.  They started off as the scrambled eggs and zucchini and then became pancakes.  I pretty much grate zucchini or butternut squash (and you could do this with anything you can grate) add an egg, milk and flour.  Then decide if you want it sweet or savoury.  Sweet: add brown sugar and cinnamon.  Savoury: add some onions.  Then fry 'um up.  I also play with the consistency of the batter.  It is fun and yummy.

The Sprout is beginning to be real good at walking.  Now he just needs the confidence to let go.  He loves pushing his ride and push cars around.  He has even figured out how to turn them around to go the other direction.  I have started walking with him whilst he holds on to one of my hands, but we don't make it very far.

He is also very vocal and loves to say "dada," "dot," "dat," and "doot."  He says "mamamama" on occasion usually when I am doing something he doesn't like.  I love that he makes his version of car sounds, can say "UH OH!" and now can say "boom" but comes out "boo."  I know he means "boom" because he says it when he falls down.

I am looking forward to the holiday season, I think it is going to be really fun.

Chicken tacos with nectarine salsa

Last night I made the best tacos I have made that was inspired by a dish from Amigos Mexican Restaurant in Bishop, California (who have the best Mexican food ever).

First I took a breast from my whole chicken, something I have been getting good at since I bought my Henckels Twin Pollux Chef's knife for my birthday.
Then I sautéed it with cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper and my special ingredient.

The salsa I pulled from Shop Local, Eat Well by Kathryn Hawkins
The original recipe calls for peaches, but I used nectarines because I think they taste better.

4 nectarines
1 medium red onion
1T of white wine vinegar
1T of oil
2tsp sugar
1/2tsp cumin seeds, slightly crushed
2T of fresh coriander

It was so yummmy, I forgot to take a picture.

Rhubarb vehicle

Everybody needs a pat on the back now and then. Thank yourself for something you're proud of having done recently, and then tell us about it.

I finally registered to take my Driver Theory Test!.  That is a big thing for me and something I have been dragging my feet on.  When I have the funds (which is a whole can of worms involving work and a completely different blog all together) I will register to do my driving lessons.

I made a rhubarb syrup the other day....yummmm.  All it was was 8 oz of Rhubarb, 3/4 cup of sugar and 3/4 cups of water boiled down for 20 min.  I made it to put on vanilla ice cream, yummmm.  Then I used it to make a cocktail.  I had vodka, rhubarb, and club soda...yummmm.  Then I used it to make an Italian soda...yummmm.  I was able to use the rhubarb mush to make an apple, rhubarb crumble....double yummmmm.

Nappies and feeding

We had our 8 month review the other day and found that the Sprout weighs 19.3 oz and is 71 cm long!

We are continuing with the real diapers.  The only thing is, I want ones that I didn't get (Little Lamb), so I am going to buy those and re-sell the ones I bought on ebay (mother-ease one size).  There is nothing wrong with them I just prefer the others.  I have decided that there is no reason not to use re-usable diapers if we are just sitting at home.

The Sprout managed to get by without a rash and we had good luck with leaks.  However, when we were out I used disposables because I found that I have to change him every 2-3 hours or he gets grumpy.

I was using the dry storage method, where I just threw the diapers in a pail with no water.  I did find that the diapers got stained but I haven't decided if I want to start soaking or not to see if I can prevent the staining (because I am not going to use bleach).

When I wash the diapers I use a sensitive non-bio powder detergent at half strength and a half cup of vinegar during the conditioning cycle.  Then I put them in the dryer, because I don't like the feel of them when they have been line dried.

Baby-led Weaning

Have you heard of baby-led weaning?  It is where you feed your kid the same food you eat but made so they can feed themselves.  There is no pureeing or spoon feeding, you just hand the baby the food and he decides what he is going to eat.  I really like this idea because it lets him do what you do and he gets the whole experience of the food (touch, smell, taste).  He isn't being forced to eat.

Eating rice with a pincer grip

The Sprout indicated from day one that he wanted to be in control of how he was being fed.  He wanted to scoop the food off the spoon and into his mouth.  So I let him.  Then I realized he really likes his finger food.  So I was looking at books to get from the library and I checked out Baby-led Weaning by Gill Rapley and found it really interesting.  It goes over the method of baby led weaning, of course she adds her 2 cents about why spoon feeding is bad, but that isn't what I was concerned about, it was how feeding can be fun and interesting.  So we are giving it a try and so far have been pretty successful.

Yesterday the Sprout maneuvered some rice into his mouth and for lunch we had rice, steamed sweet potato, steamed cauliflower and watermelon.  I discovered that he has a super grasp on the "pincer grip" and can pick up things with his thumb and forefinger really well.  I haven't worried about him choking because he is good at passing food around his mouth.  He eventually spits stuff out that is too big to swallow or if too much food is crammed in, he just spits it all up (I think it hits the back of his throat causing him to vomit).

All seems to be going well.

Feeding the monster

We have been eating solids for about a month now.  We have been having a good time trying out new combinations and I have been on a liquid diet.  Yes, I am that mom...the mom who eats whatever her baby doesn't.


My dad gave me Annabel Karmel's Top 100 Baby Purees and there are a lot of good recipes in it.

Some of the Sprout's favourite are:
Lovely Lentils (which she has on her website and I have copied below):

Ingredients

30g (1oz) butter

125g (4oz) leeks, finely sliced

30g (1oz) celery, chopped

30g (1oz) red pepper, cored, de-seeded and chopped

60g (2oz) red lentils

100g (4oz) 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped

250g sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1 bay leaf

15 fl oz vegetable stock or water

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the leeks for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the celery, red pepper and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Add the lentils, saute for one minute, then add the sweet potato and bay leaf and pour over the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables and lentils are tender. Remove the bay leaf and blend to a puree.

Cherub Chowder.  Cherub Chowder consists of chicken, potato, onion and sweet corn.  I really like this one.

Sweet potatoes and peas are his favourites.  He likes them mixed with about anything.  Surprisingly enough, he doesn't care much for fruits, but does like gala melon.  He will also eat bananas if they are put in a fresh food feeder.

Fresh Food Feeder by Munchkin

He also likes Organix Rusks, they are really good for relieving tooth pain, I think.  I usually take a cue that he might want one when he starts gnawing on EVERYTHING with vigor.  I would like to get around to making my own rusks.

One website that has been especially helpful is wholesomebabyfood.com  it gives loads of advice about how and when to feed the baby, different preparations and storing of homemade baby food and has tons of recipes.


We have had a lot of fun mixing and matching vegetables and making a huge mess.

Fruits and vegis at my door

Deluxe Organic Veg Box

Ever since Mrs. S posted about her Dandilion Produce Delivery, (in August 2008) I have wanted to have local produce delivered to my house, but couldn't find a place that delivered to my area (plus at the time of the post I lived in the city in an apartment block and therefore didn't have anywhere for the boxes to go if I wasn't home.)  I finally found a place and we have had fruits and vegis delieverd 3 times now.  We were able to find Abel & Cole and I have been really happy with it.  It has taken a few deliveries to figure out what is best for our needs but I think I finally found it...the medium organic fruit box and the medium organic vegi box.  Together this comes to £22.93 a week, which I think is good.  I don't have to buy produce from the big supermarket, so I am supporting local farmers, and it is fun to have to come up with new receipies with the veg we get.  They also have organic meats and supplimental fruits and vegis, but the meat is too expensive for us at the moment (although I would love to try it out eventually).

Halloween excitement

Yes, it is a horrible thing that I am thinking about Halloween...I don't even think the stores have their stuff up yet. This year, however, it will be extremely exciting because I am throwing a Spooky Thanksgiving party on Halloween. This party will make October the most festive month I will probably ever manage and it will celebrate the 5th Thanksgiving I have hosted.  I am having Thanksgiving on Halloween for a couple of reasons: A) The Sprout is due to arrive on t he 25th of November; B) No one in Britain seems to celebrate Halloween so my friends seem to be free; C) Halloween is on a Saturday.

I don't know if anyone remembers, but I have a strict October/Halloween ritual of a daily horror movie for the month of October and specific festivities on the day of Halloween. This year my Halloween day traditions will be different but the month long movie fest will not be. I am still working on which movies will be incorporated into the marathon, but luckily I blogged about it last year, so I have a list of movies I managed to forget about or would like to see again.

Every year I have to find a horror series (i.e. Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween) to incorporate into my film festival. My choices are getting a little thin so this year I am making it a Hammer Horror October. I will watch selected movies that were made by the Hammer Film Corporation that brought us such classics as The Horror of Dracula (and many other Dracula movies), The Curse of Frankenstein (and many other Frankenstein films), and the Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll. These movies usually star Peter Cushing and /or Christopher Lee and many of you have probably seen at least one of them. I know that people my parent’s age were raised on them at the theatre.

I am excited that I am having a party because I will get to decorate, make party favours and cook food. Last year I got a Martha Stewart Living magazine for the month of October, so I have been looking over it to see what cool ways I can decorate the house. Her website has tons of stuff on it too.

I already have the menu planned (which wasn't hard because I usually make the same thing every year):

Turkey with sausage, apple and cranberry stuffing (I don't usually eat stuffing, but this was really good last year)

Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Gravy

Winter root vegetables

Waldorf Salad

Pumpkin pie

Pomegranate and apple crisp (this is a new one)

After dinner I am going to offer a horror film marathon if people are up to it, and while we are waiting for food to be ready we are going to carve pumpkins and turnips (because I don't have a TV to watch sports on.)

I am so excited!!

Curdled macaroni and cheese for my tea

Why is homemade macaroni and cheese one of the hardest dishes to make? It is one of the first dishes you learn to make in Home-Ec and ohhhh so yummy, and yet I manage to screw it up every time, having to do the sauce twice before I get a creamy consistency instead of a curdled one. I make sure the milk never boils and I constantly stir it, and yet it ALWAYS curdles on the first batch. Today I just said "screw it" and ate it anyway. Tasted generally the same, but with a funky texture.

I love this lol cat, we have it as our background on the computer. It represents eating good food and The Sprout, really. I would have sent out "I'm pregnant" announcement cards if I had had this picture at the time...LOVE IT!

Cooking and other excitements

I was so excited Wednesday because I made my first Chicken Stock from scratch...but that isn't the most exciting part. I found that in doing this, I recreated a smell from my childhood that reminded me of Fall at my mom's when she would make chicken stock for her marvelous chicken noodle soup. The smell is to die for. I was so extatic to find that I could recreate this smell myself for my house.

I have found that cooking has been the funnest way of keeping busy while I have been on sick leave. This new found want hobby of cooking new foods has also come from me being aware that I need to eat a more varied diet because of the pregnancy. In the past I have stayed to 5 or 6 dishes that Richard and I would have for dinner (spaghetti and sauce, chili, chicken stir fry, whatever we have bean soup, and whole chicken) but since I have been home to plan and needed to make lunch as well, I have found a few recipes that I have added to my repertoire. Here are a couple of things I have made:

Mediterranean Potato Salad using homemade Italian dressing
Pasta Salad using homemade Italian dressing
Curried Hummus

Home-made flat bread (just flour, water, and salt) to eat with:
Fajitas
Tacos

Pizza with homemade crust and sauce (just use the bread recipe)

And our most favourite, which I have decided to make my signature dish, a chicken, chickpea, tomato and pasta with a lemon and cumin sauce that started from a recipe in a cookbook that I have improved upon and made my own. I will include a recipe when I actually do the measurements for it.

I have continued to make bread and have even made some cookies:
Flour-less Peanut butter Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
My own Muesli breakfast cookies which I am still perfecting.

It has been allot of fun not to mention I have enjoyed eating it all. I am excited to get started on finding new recipes for my Thanksgiving dinner which I will probably host in October or early November since the baby is due at Thanksgiving.

So now onto the big news....

IT CAME...MY VISA CAME!! I don't know if I will be making it home though, but if I do it would probably be in late September. I am excited to say, however, that my mom is coming at the beginning of September. I am really looking forward to the visit.

The other exciting thing is I am getting my provisional driver's license. I am 1/4 of the way to getting the real deal. Now I just have to book a couple of lessons and take the tests. I decided it was stupid to not have a license. Driving here is so different to driving in the US though so I have to do the lessons and whatnot just to make sure I don't waste £100.

The most productive day

Because I am a little upset that I am not in the US, I decided to be productive today. Here is what I managed to get done between 8:30-3:30.

1. Wrote 2 blogs.



2. Chipped all the ice from the tiny freezer that takes up space in our tiny fridge (I should have taken a before and after picture of this).



3. Made white bread dough from my River Cottage Family Cookbook. The dough will be used for hommade pizza tonight (something I have never done before.) And tested out the receipe by making a mini loaf.





4. Got some books and clothes together for the friday collection from Help the Aged.



5. Made Rhubarb Bars.

Well I had to tase it first...

Just a note: if you ever want to laugh your head off, go to lolcats...they are so funny!!

Rabbit Stew...part 2

So I tried a recipe, Rabbit Stew with coconut cream, we really wanted to like it, but didn't. The smell of the rabbit just overpowered our ability to eat it. When I was frying up the meat, I didn't think it was so bad, but the permiation of the smell was too gamey. I hardly ever throw away food, even if I don't necessarily like it, but we ended up throwing it out. I decided that if someone else had made it, we would have eaten it.

At least we can say we tried something new.

Rabbit Stew

Richard and I have been going to the Bradford Oastler market for our meats and sometimes the vegis, but mostly for meats. They all taste better, are cheaper and are local.

For a while I have been eyeing the rabbit that seems to be pleniful at these butchers. Richard finally picked one up for me, and now I have been perusing the internet trying to fina a good recipe. Does anyone here have a good rabbit recipe? I dont know what rabbit tastes like, but I am excited to try it.

Thanksgiving festivities

This year's 4th Thanksgiving anniversary

The Guests:

Emma (not pictured as per request)

Richard

Ben

Johnny

Me, Johnny and Ben

This year's Thanksgiving menu will be:

Turkey
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Awesome Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing
Yam Casserole
Waldorf Salad
Winter Root Vegetables
Richard's Pumpkin Pie


Richard and Me


I don't know what the others are bringing, if anything. This will be the first year I will be doing a stuffing. I don't really like stuffing and in the past years, stuffing balls made from a mix has been popular. This will be the first time I will make a Yam Casserole, my friend Johnny is pretty excited about that.

I am very excited that we will be have the party at Emma's new house in Bentley.


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