Baby-Led Weaning: An Alien Update

The self feeding/eating solids thing is going reasonably well except for a few little bits...

1. I hate the mess. I really do. I hate having to clean him up. I haven't mastered it yet. Kiddo gets goo in his legs' fat folds, under his butt, down his shirt, and on every piece of furniture in a 3 foot radius. On spectacular days, his arms are covered in a thick layer of food which extends to his torso, chin, mouth, and of course his hair.  I'd rather Kiddo eat naked and then hose him off which doesn't work at this point (unfortunately!). For now I try to keep the messiness to a minimum and at night before his bath. This is marginally practical.
2. Sometimes I forget to plan his meals. I am so used to him nursing all the time, I forget he needs something else and I end up scrambling at the last minute. It makes me feel guilty - like I'm neglecting him and therefore I'm an unfit mother.
3. Kiddo doesn't like "baby foods." He likes adult foods with spices and herbs and oil. This means he no longer eats plain anything. He just plays with plain food leaving it all around him in a 3 foot radius. This means I have to be a little more conscious about his food and making it tasty...which I am sooo good at! *rolls eyes*

So what does he like?

• Grandma's red sauce
• Tomatoes - plain, unripe, doesn't matter. He LURVES them.
• Pasta - all kinds
• Spanish rice
• Fried rice
• Sweet potato
• White beans (in things or herbed up)
• Carrots
• Garlic (in things of course)
• Dal (lentils)
• Refried beans
• Pinto beans
• Black beans
• Red beans (sensing a trend?)
• Applesauce
• Banana
• Bean cakes
• Multigrain pancakes
• Peas
• Ground turkey
• Salmon
• Watermelon
• Peaches
• Plums
• And fresh Cheerios

white bean, carrot, and garlic cakes - yum!

Things he isn't crazy about

• Corn
• Zucchini
• Broccoli (though if I flavored it, he might like it again)
• White potatoes
• Green beans
• Old Cheerios (sitting in the travel case too long?)
• Strawberries (though it may have changed)

Things he drools over from afar:

• Gelato
• Ranch dressing
• Yogurt
• Kale salad
• Green salad
• Anything brightly colored or unusual (in texture or shape)

Things we're getting ready to try:

• New recipes from BLW sites (veggie cakes, muffins etc)
• More green or root veggies with herbs and spices(I want him to like vegetables dang it!)
• Chicken (canned without salt if I can find it)
• Tuna (canned without salt if I can find it)
• Scrambled egg
• Bell pepper (roasted?)
• Mushrooms
• Fresh fruit dipped in plain yogurt

I am determined to get better at this feeding thing. Having declared it, I'm sure we're bound for success.

What success have you had with transitioning to solids? Favorite recipes? Favorite plain foods? Leave a comment below!

Postpartum Weight Loss: The Next Steps

45 pounds. Since the last day of pregnancy that is how much I've lost.

It isn't as fast as it could have been. I still have further to go to reach my goal weight. Still...the fat I gained from pregnancy is gone and muscle has officially taken up residency.

I'm proud of the change because it isn't just the disappearing fat and increasing muscle. It's also lifestyle changes. I feel wrong when I miss a workout. I feel icky when I indulge a little too much on a weekend. It doesn't have to do with guilt either - it has to do with where I am in relation to my goals, my mood, and my energy.

Plain and simple: when I eat well and workout, I feel better.

This is exactly what I wanted and continue to want for myself. I want to model this behavior for Kiddo. I want him to be excited about good foods and physical activity. Sure, I have my cheating moments. I'm not perfect and I know I need to indulge a little every now and then...but I never go completely off track.

This week I started T25 and I have to say I was psyched. The beginning of the week felt easy, mostly because I just finished Jillian Michaels' sado-masochistic Body Revolution. Then I started pushing myself harder and today my double workout was tougher. My muscles are pleasantly sore from yesterday's session and I couldn't be happier.

My plan is to be more on board with the nutrition plan with this program. Because Kiddo nurses less, I feel more comfortable doing that. I think the slowness of my weight loss has a lot to do with my nutrition more than my activity. With that change, I feel confident I can reach my goal. If I hunker down and drop at least 35 pounds of fat and increase my lean muscle, I will be quite happy (I do have it to lose, believe me!). That will put me at my goal.

How long do I have? I'm giving myself until Christmas (though it may happen before then). If I reach it my plan is to buy a Betty Page dress, a bathing suit, and a pair of shorts.

And they will be perfect. I mean perfect.

I think that is a great way to start off 2015, don't you?

What has been your mommy weight loss journey? Leave a comment below!

Great Personality: MBTI in the Family

I happen to be in the one percent, at least when it comes to personality. You see, I recently rediscovered the Jungian MBTI types in my quest for developing and evaluating our family plan.

It turns out that both Christian and I are rare types. Christian is an INTP and I am an INFJ. He is an analyzer - a systems guy who develops theories for fun. I, on the other hand, am like a real life oracle (complete with dreams and foreknowledge). Though we have opposite temperaments, other aspects are not only compatible, but highly complimentary. He helps ground me with truth and I open his heart. Lost in our heads (in different ways) we do well together (probably why we seemed like an old married couple from the start). This type match has been called "the golden pair" because of the kind of developmental benefits it brings to each partner.

Note: If you are curious about the pitfalls of such a relationship, the answer is yes. The descriptions I've read could be talking about us specifically (it is cool and simultaneously unnerving).

This exploration makes me wonder about Kiddo's personality.

If two people of such rare types have a kid, what kind of child will he be? What kind of preferences will he have? I mean, Kiddo has clear preferences already. His type is already determined (so it would seem).

Initially I thought he was extroverted but now I'm not sure. He hesitates when encountering new things - something introverts do. He likes rhyming stories and music, but that could mean he is intuitive or sensing. He is very social and reacts strongly to changes of mood around him, which indicates feeling. The preferences he makes known are so strong and clear, it would seem he inherited judging from me.

Could we have another INFJ on our hands? Would that give us an advantage? Hmm.

What is your type? Did your kids inherit your personality or your partners? How did that impact your parenting? Leave a comment below!

Help End Our Homelessness!

Technically my family is homeless. I mean, if you go by the government's definition. We don't pay utilities. We don't have a mortgage or rent (thank my parents!). We have a bed to sleep on by the grace of my parents' goodness.

If something happened to my parents tomorrow, we would need some place to live. Fast.

Honestly, if Christian made his current salary in 1000s of other places in the US we could make ends meet. We would still have $1000 in loan payments every month, but at least we wouldn't have to worry about housing.

California is rough.

Santa Barbara is one of if not the absolute worst.

There is currently a lottery for the possibility of affordable housing. And this housing? Studios through 2 bedroom condos.

Wow.

Really helpful guys.

Totally perfect for those of us who want to start a family and possibly grow.

I have no interest in trying to saddle myself with a $400K mortgage to live in a place with such extreme wealth disparity. I have no interest in paying $1000 monthly for a studio to live in a place where everything costs more, there is little diversity, and a laissez faire culture. I don't want Kiddo to grow up like that.

If I'm going to live in a small space, I want it to be mine. I want it beautiful. I want that space to point to a new way of interacting with the world.

In short, I want a tiny house.

The only thing keeping us from starting our build is a place to build it. Once we have that spot, we can start assembling materials and determining a location for it to park.

But I need your help. We need your help.

Where should we build our home? Will you let us build it on your property? Do you know someone who would let us build it on their commercial or residential property?

One High Needs Baby

High needs. Sensitive. Active.

These are words that describe Kiddo, along with observant, curious, social, playful, bright, and sweet.

But the first three, they dictate our parenting style.

Kiddo needs to be cuddled. He needs to move.  He doesn't sleep as long as other babies. He eats waaaay more often than most kids. He wakes up in the middle of the night wanting to play...pretty much every night at least once. Even if he doesn't, he rolls around like he's fighting off rabid monkeys.

He needs novelty in his toys. He needs distractions. Kiddo needs to be held.

To outsiders they see how social he is. They see his smile and think he's perfect all the time. I mean, he does let almost anyone hold him so...

Yeah. No.

Kiddo needs a LOT of extra attention. But people don't see that. So they think I shouldn't need to carry him all the time. They think we shouldn't need to bedshare. Except those attachment parenting strategies are what cause him to be so sweet.

I could ignore Kiddo's cries. I could leave him alone in the pack n play. I could let him wail for hours. And he would. I could do that and he would become an anxious, sad, distant little boy.

But I don't.

I say this so you know why today was rough. Last night no one slept. Kiddo tossed and turned. He wailed off and on until we gave him some baby ibuprofen. And this morning? Constant whimpering. He wouldn't sit in his highchair. He didn't want to play by himself. He only wanted to cuddle. Then he didn't want to stay in my lap but wanted to be on the floor gripping my leg. Needless to say, I couldn't do my workout at all (which lately has only been possible with someone watching him or by taking a 10 minute cuddle break). Instead I wore him in a front carry walking to the elementary school and back.

Writing? Ha. I can barely get meals together today. These are the days when peeing is a luxury. I have more of these days than not. Every baby has moments like this, but weeks on end means you have one high need kid.

I have heard it ends. I'm looking forward to that.

Traveling Across Country with Baby

Though this is belated, I figure I should give you a head's up about the traveling on a plane with a baby thing...except I can't. Honestly, I don't think I can give you any help or tips.

I'm not bragging or trying to be a horrible human being when I say Kiddo is perfect. I mean, really. He made everyone around him happy. Other than the expected meltdown when he was completely zonked or teething - he was a total trooper.

He laughed when the plane took off. He laughed when landing. The flight attendant said she'd never seen a better baby in flight. He was smiling and happy the entire time. He smiled when he met his great aunts and uncles. He smiled when he met his cousins. He smiled when he met complete strangers. In fact, he flirted shamelessly with older women EVERYWHERE WE WENT (He even had separation anxiety when his new girlfriends of five seconds left him forever - complete with pathetic whimpering.).

He did teethe.

There were several nights he barely slept because his teeth were coming through...and VIOLA! He now has a total of 6 teeth (4 came in up top ALL AT ONCE...ick.). That part was rough.

The meltdowns in the carseat when he was exhausted and just wanted to snuggle with his mommy were rough. Those happened...at least once a day which considering how much driving we did daily, was a minor miracle.

He even did well with the complete strange babysitter during my cousin's wedding and reception. Kiddo was a perfect baby.

And that wasn't lost on people. I mean, he got noticed. His sweetness was noticed. And I had to tell everyone over and over: All babies are not like this. They aren't all this sweet and charming and perfect. Don't be fooled into thinking you'll have one like this - you might, but don't count on it.

Christian's family has a history of inspiring other people into having children because his family has such sweet babies, and then, well, these people get screwed. I guess there was a rash of babies wherever his parents lived after each of their four children was born. Ha.

So yes, Kiddo was a doll and lovely with everyone however I wouldn't want to travel with a baby again. Why? Because it's still rough on even the most cooperative of babies. Their routines are all jacked up. They get constipated. They get exposed to a thousand bagillion germs on the plane. They have to suffer being confined in a car seat way more than they'd ever care to. They have no idea when they're supposed to sleep. They have no idea when they're supposed to eat. Everything is all goofy and the result is crankiness on the part of either the parent, the baby, or everyone involved.

So yeah. Kiddo is perfect...or it was a minor miracle we came out unscathed.