Updates

I know it has been a few weeks since I last blogged.  These weeks have been pretty eventful, both good and bad

First the bad:  several weeks ago our cat of 6.5 years had to be put to sleep.  This has been rough for me to deal with.  I think that deciding to have a pet put down can be especially hard because you constantly have the "what if" factor.  I know eventually I will find peace with our decision, but I am still living in "what if" world.

Now for the good:  We visited Seth's family in NY last weekend.  It was so nice to introduce Joshua to his extended paternal family.  Josh did great on the plane.  He ate when the plane was taking off and landing and slept a lot of the time.  He did make a good amount of noise when he was awake, but it was happy squealing, so hopefully the other passingers weren't too annoyed. 

This is at the airport:

Sleeping on the plane:

Josh with his cousins, Zach and Dylan:

Joshua is still a picky eater.  He did eat bananas last Sunday, however he hasn't eaten them since.  He is very sensitive to when he eats a food.  Sometimes he will eat prunes and sweet potatos and sometimes he won't.  We tried the Mum Mums teething crackers and he does ok with them.  He doesn't eat them, per se, but they do keep him occupied.  Good news is he can now sit in a high chair long enough for Seth and I to eat a meal!  He is also getting used to his stroller, which is good for my back.

I expect that Josh will be crawling soon.  Today I walked into his room and he had pulled himself up some from a laying down position by holding onto the side of the crib.  Needless to say I lowered the mattress this afternoon. 

I haven't cooked many new things recently.  I did make the Paula Deen oven fried chicken.  I liked it a lot.  I'm not sure what Seth thought of it because he didn't eat half of it.  But it is worth having if you are looking for a good chicken recipe.  It can be found on the Food Network website. 

Below are some more recent pics of Josh.

6 Months!

Josh is 6 months old!  I can hardly believe it!  He is growing so fast.

Today he had his 6 month check up.  He is 17 lb 14 oz (super close to my 17.5 lb prediction) and 26.5 inches.  The doctor is happy with his growth and he continues to be in the 50th percentile for weight and length, 75th for head circumference.  Josh got 2 shots today and was super tired afterwards.

As for cooking I did cook dinner for Seth and me last night.  I made "Mexijita Chicken" (a Sandra Lee recipe).  I have made this several times before and it is really easy and yummy.  I cook it in the slow cooker.  Seth seemed to enjoy it so that was a plus!  My brother bought me a "Cooking Light" cookbook for my birthday.  I am totally excited about it and a little intimidated at the same time.  The recipes look so yummy, but there are lots of recipes with ingredients I have never heard of before!  This will be an adventure!

Can you stand it?!

Can you stand this cuteness?!?!  I know I can hardly stand it :)

The Trials of Oatmeal

We tried Oatmeal on Thursday and I thought it went really well!  Josh seemed to like it and finished his small portion.

Well, we tried again on Friday and he wasn't having it.  He spit it out and made faces the whole time.  So the jury is still out on oatmeal.  I am kinda disappointed because I love oatmeal and I thought he would too.  Maybe he will in time!

Thank Goodness for Prunes!

So yesterday afternoon I gave Josh some prunes to help him...ummmm...move it along.  He tried peas for the first time that morning and hated them (see previous post).  I know you aren't supposed to try 2 new foods in one day, but I was desperate to help him get on with it.  Luckily he had no adverse reactions (not really expecting any) and loved the prunes!

Josh is so cute whenever he tries a new food.  He gets a really grossed out look on his face and then slowly realizes if he really doesn't like it, or if it is awesome.  But he was pretty sure from the start that he liked prunes.

More please!!!!

So I know you are dying to know if the prunes helped out.  Well....They did!  Today he moved things along!  It had been 6 days!  I am so relieved :)

Peas

Well, peas bombed...bummer.  I really wanted him to like them because (sorry this is a little gross) he hasn't pooped since Thursday!  I am off to the store to see about prunes.  I have got to get this little guy to go!  Luckily he doesn't seem uncomfortable.
The peas I mashed in the food mill:

Hmmmm, I don't think so Mommy:

I SAID "I don't think so Mommy!!!"

Then I got desperate and mixed the peas with sweet potatoes....His response?  Hahahaha, nice try!

Oh well....Off to find some prunes!

Sweet Potatoes!

Josh tried sweet potatoes for the first time today and I am glad to say that he liked them!  I was so worried after the carrot debacle that he would be a super picky eater.  However I have renewed faith after the sweet potatoes that he may end up a healthy eater after all!

Below is a picture of his sweet potatoes.  I used baby food for this vegetable since I didn't want to cook a whole sweet potato if he didn't like it.  But since he liked it I will buy some sweet potatoes and make home made baby food from them in the future!

At first he wasn't quite sure they weren't carrots...they are orange as well after all!

But then he realized they were super yummy!

More please!!!

Next up:  Peas!

The Verdict Is In!

Josh tried his first vegetable today!  Carrots! 
On the bright side, the food mill worked great!  It was easy to use and really mushed the carrots up well, as you can see here:

Well, he tried it, and as you can see from the look on his face, he wasn't too sure:

Well, I tried again and it was a no go.  He hates carrots.

Guess we will try another veggie in a couple of days and revisit carrots in a few weeks!

Banana Bread

So last night I made some banana bread.  It turned out soooo well!  I am very excited about it.  Banana bread isn't too hard to make, but my last loaf was pretty pitiful.  Part of what made last night's loaf wonderful was that I used more bananas this time...yummy!

My food mill came late this evening, so I will likely attempt to mash some carrots tomorrow for Josh.  I am beyond ready for Josh to try a new food.  The perils of rice cereal have hit my poor baby and he has been backed up the past 2 days.  Gotta get some fiber into that boy!

Josh has been super cute lately (I know...shocker)!  He is all about his tongue.  His tongue is now all involved while he babbles and the resulting sounds are oober cute.  Below is a picture of Josh showing off his tongue the other day :)

I love that Josh is sleeping better.  I relish spending time with him every day.  However I do enjoy my alone time after he goes to bed.  Some things are nearly impossible to get done when he is awake.  I think I will get some art supplies and do some crafty things in the evenings.  I have the urge to be creative!

Too Funny

I can't take credit for this.  One of my cousins posted it on Facebook, but it totally describes my relationship with cooking (at least until the past month or 2).

Carrots This Week

Well, hopefully Josh will have his first taste of carrots this week.  I just ordered a food mill from amazon to mush up all kinds of food.  Once we get it in the mail I will try out the carrots.  I think he is going to like them since they are a sweeter vegetable.  He still seems to like rice cereal, but I think he is getting tired of it.  On Friday I tried giving it to him twice, and both times he had a bite or two and then was done.  Today he ate it all, but was fussy throughout the meal.  Not sure what was up with that.  He was in a new seat that my mom got him for when he is at her house, so maybe he was just getting used to that.  At any rate I am excited to move on to other foods, and I am sure he would be too if he knew what was coming!

Josh loves to make seriously loud screeching noises now.  No more going to restaurants with him, even family restaurants (well, at least not with the dinner crowd, lunch may be ok).  I find myself getting nostalgic for when I was in labor and in the hospital with him.  If I am reminicing now...imagine how much I will reminice in the years to come! 

I am going to try out a Paula Deen recipe this week, oven fried chicken.  The chicken isn't actually fried, but it is breaded.  I am pretty excited about it, even though it is chicken.  I need more ideas for good side items.  I usually make Seth a couple of biscuits, and then make some veggies and a sweet potato for myself.  It would be best if I could prepare the side dishes ahead of time and use them a couple times through the week (since I will probably be the only one eating them since Seth doesn't eat veggies).  So if you have any good salad or side dish recipes definitely pass them on! 

So nothing too interesting.  Maybe the next update will be more exciting!
*pictures by my Mama

Nightly Feedings

Josh has been sleeping much better through the night for the past 2 weeks.  (Thank goodness!!!) I wake him twice a night to feed him.  Through trial and error I have figured out that this keeps him from waking up mad.  Anyways, the last 2 nights when I woke him up he did the cutest thing!  He did the adorable newborn sleepy stretch where he arches his back, brings up his legs, and sticks out his butt.  Soooo cute!  Josh adds to this by putting both hands under his chin and stretching his neck from side to side.  He hasn't done this in at least 2 months.  Makes getting up at midnight and 4 am to feed him more than worth it!  Wish I had a picture of it, but you will just have to use your imaginations.  Trust me, it is adorable!

Considering Pork

I am super tired of chicken.  I haven't nearly broached cooking it in every way possible, but I don't really want to try it again for a while.  Since Seth and I are super picky, that doesn't leave me a lot of  meat options.  Neither of us like seafood.  I will eat shrimp occasionally and he will eat it at hibachi restaurants (the appetizer shrimp), but that is it.  Not enough to warrant buying the expensive suckers to make at home.  I don't like steak so that is out.  I could buy hamburger meat, but I don't want to use ground beef on a regular basis because it just isn't as healthy as leaner meats.  I will buy it occasionally in the summer to grill burgers, but that is it.  Turkey pretty much equals chicken to me, so that isn't going to help the situation.  That leaves pork.

Paula Deen made a pork tenderloin today.  She rubbed it with all sorts of fresh herbs.  The herbs really appealed to me; I wish the pork did too.  Why is it that a pork tenderloin is shaped like a pig's snout?  I can't get over that.  Also, why is it slightly pink even when cooked?  I just can't get out of my mind that it was once a pig.  I don't have this problem with beef or chicken, but I have it with pork.  I guess I have had this issue with fish in the past.  I used to think about catching a fish and watching it be reeled in when I would eat it.  Not the most appetizing picture.  Probably why I am not a big seafood person.  I guess I could try pork chops.  I don't know the last time I had one.  I think I need a recipe where the sauce covers the meat so I don't see the color.  That might help things. 

So, if you are reading this post and know a good pork recipe, lay it on me!  Also any tips for cooking pork so it is well done are welcome.  I have a phobia of undercooked meat!

Next recipe:  possibly pork???

I Have a Blog!!!

WARNING:  If you don't like reading about cute babies (ie: the cutest baby ever!) and food, then you might not want to read this blog.

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while now and I am finally getting around to doing it!  In case you can't tell, this blog will mostly focus on Joshua, my now 5 month old, and cooking. 

Now that I am a stay at home mom I am committing myself to learning how to cook so that we can enjoy meals as a family once Josh is eating more table food.  So far I have had a few successes, including a chicken cordon bleu, Mexican chicken, a coffee cake, and chicken bog.  But with the successes came failures:  tomato meat sauce, peanut butter banana bread, and chicken francaise to name a few.  I am sure the failures will continue, but at least I can entertain you with their stories so they aren't a total loss!  I exaggerate.  The failures haven't been a total loss.  With each recipe I make, I learn something new; so hopefully I will be a good cook in no time!

Here's a picture of my wonderful coffee cake!

In Josh news, he started eating rice cereal on March 21st.  He has 3 days of rice cereal under his belt and is doing great!  Far more of the cereal is actually making it into and staying in his mouth than falling on his bib, shirt, highchair. 

Here he is the first time in his highchair:

This is during his first feeding of rice cereal.  He thought he had to have his fingers in his mouth to eat it!

And here he is during his second feeding of rice cereal.  Such serious business!

Next Josh food:  carrots!
Next recipe:  To be decided!