Local Bounty: Swiss Chard

You would think that a food that is so pretty and colorful would taste good, but I wasn't too impressed with this past week's local bounty. Maybe it was the way that I prepared the Swiss Chard (sauteed with olive oil, salt, and pepper), but let's just say it was not my favorite type of green.

Firsts

Firsts this week include:

Seth's:

• Eating vegetables (carrots, sweet peas, and parsnips)
  
• Riding in the stroller like a big boy
• Pushing his legs and bottom up in an attempt to crawl

Bryan's:

• He says none.
  
• He did have two seconds though, blogging (yay!) and getting stopped again for not wearing a seat belt (boo!).

Stephanie's:

• Cooking beets

Works in Progress

I have been busy with a few projects lately. Here is a sneak peek at some of my works in progress...

my Candyland Cobblestone quilt...

Seth's Growth Chart...

our vegetable garden...

and while we're on the subject of gardening, here is the compost bin so far. All that black stuff is compost! I mixed it up right before this picture, but it was all in a layer under some of the paper. We still have a while before it can be put on our plants, but the worms are hard at work.

The Benefits of Organic Food – A Taste Test

By Bryan

Stephanie and I have been discussing the benefits of “organic” food lately. One benefit of organic food is that, in general, it tastes better. So when I noticed that Stephanie had purchased some organic milk, I thought we could put taste to the test.

The candidates: Horizon Organic's “Organic Fat-Free Milk” and Market Pantry's (Target Brand) “Fat-Free Skim Milk” (why they needed to say fat-free and skim I don't know). At this point I will say that I think the idea of organic skim milk seems like an oxymoron. Shouldn't organic milk always be whole (natural), but that's just me.

The set-up: I poured equal amounts of each type of milk into identical glasses. Stephanie was to choose which glass contained the organic milk based only on the look and smell of the milk. Next, Stephanie was blindfolded and handed each glass (she didn't know which one first) to take a sip. Once she sampled each one, she asked for another sip of both.

The result: Based on the look and smell, she chose the non-organic. I will say that they looked and smelled very similar. But then there was the taste. Which one did she think had better taste? The non-organic. Needless to say she was VERY surprised. There is one more funny thing to add. When she first bought the Target milk, she commented that it didn't taste as good as the Wal-Mart milk that we usually buy.

Now obviously this taste test doesn't apply to all organic food or even all organic milk, but it really opened our eyes about buying the best tasting food and taught us lesson about having an open mind.

6 Months Old: Fruit and Veggie Time!!!

Today Seth is 6 months old! Wow, how time flies! We went to our well baby check-up this morning and not only did we get a great report and a few vaccines, but we also got the "ok" to start fruits and veggies (and meats next month). So this evening we had our first taste of carrots...

Seth did a little shimmy shake after every bite, but I think it was a good shimmy shake. He ate an entire ounce without a whimper, whine, or spitting any out.

We think carrots were a success!

Firsts

It seems as if Bryan and I are always saying "Seth's first... and fill in the blank." We thought it would be fun to start a recurring firsts post. The funny thing is, sometimes we have new experiences and firsts of our own, so I thought I would try to include some of them, too.

Seth's Firsts:

• Seth rode in a grocery cart like a big boy for the first time.

• He was also confused for a girl for the first time (and he was wearing outfit above). I guess it had to happen eventually.
• Seth imitated the short /a/ sound after we had been practicing for several weeks. He has only done it three or four times, but it was super cool when he did.

Bryan's Firsts:

• Bryan took me to a Thai restaurant for dinner one night this week.
• For the first time EVER Bryan did not complain at all when I gave him his annual Spring haircut.

Before

After

Stephanie's Firsts:

• I tried Thai food for the first time this week.
• I cooked mustard greens and tried them for the first time.
• I made several batches of baby food purees, including carrots, sweet peas, pears, and parsnips so far.
• I made banana bread for the first time. (Apparently is was a big week in the kitchen for me.)
• I bought a yellow purse for myself. I don't usually pick yellow things, but it was just so adorable and screamed SPRING.

Making Baby Purees

I have been learning a lot about making baby food lately. I have a few great resources like the book Top 100 Baby Purees: 100 Quick and Easy Meals for a Healthy and Happy Baby by Annabel Karmel and a pretty new blog called Carrot are Orange. I thought I would share how to make a basic puree, because they are super simple to make and since I make our food each day, why not make my baby boy's food as well. We want to expose Seth to a lot of different tastes, and making your own baby food is a great way to do that (plus it is usually cheaper to make your own). Here's how to make them...

1. Choose your vegetable or fruit to puree.

2. Wash thoroughly, peel (if needed) and chop.

3. Don't throw out the peels! Add them to the compost pile.

4. Place vegetable or fruit into a steamer. Steam until fork tender.

5. Place in the food processor or food mill (use a food mill when there are skins such as with sweet peas or corn) to puree until desired consistency. Add water if needed to make it smoother.

6. Immediately place in ice trays to flash freeze. Cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer.

7. When vegetable or fruit is frozen, remove from ice cube trays and place in a freezer bag. Label the bag with the name of the vegetable or fruit and the date.

Each ice cube holds one ounce of baby food. You can buy special ice cube trays made specifically for freezing baby food in two ounce amounts but they definitely cost more than $1.50 for a pack of two. Since these cubes are only one ounce, we can mix and match flavors once Seth is eating beyond just simple purees.

Lo and Behold, Spring is on its Way!

"Lo and behold, I have some seeds sprouting!" That's literally what I said out loud when I walked over to check on my seeds this afternoon. Why in the world I said lo and behold I am not sure, and why I am bothering to share the fact that I said it is even stranger.
You see, this week I did a little bit of planting. First, I started my seeds for my vegetable garden. I am using two of those greenhouses that you can buy for starting seeds indoors. I already have some broccoli coming up. I was so excited!

Yesterday, Seth and I stopped by Lowe's to pick up a piece of wood for an upcoming project, and I spotted the pansies in the gardening department from the car. I have been waiting and waiting for the pansies to appear. We got enough to fill the window box and the two planters that I have next to our front door. It was a nice way to brighten up such a dreary day.

Best Baby Investments: 6 Months into Parenthood

Shortly after bringing Seth home from the hospital Bryan and I learned that there were a few things that were newborn essentials. As we are approaching the six month mark in our adventure in parenthood we came up with another list of some of the items that have made parenthood a whole lot easier. We also thought of some things that maybe weren't really needed as much as we thought. Here are some of the best baby investments and some of things that we haven't used so much, according to us.

Best Baby Investments:

The Boppy- We have to say this one again, because it's not only great for nursing, but can be used as a pillow on road trips :), and is nice to have as a support when the little one is just learning to sit up.

Cloth Diapers-We started using our cloth diapers when Seth was about a month old, because they were so incredibly big when he was first born. (IF we have another baby, we will buy a few X-Small to get us through the first month). Ever since we took the plunge into cloth diapering we have loved using them! We use FuzziBunz. They are super absorbant, easy to wash, and keep our baby boy rash free and comfy. More on cloth diapering coming soon.

Exersaucer- We started using ours at 3 and 1/2 months. We placed a towel around Seth to provide more support. Seth loves it! It does take up a lot of space, but since it is basically the only big baby toy/equipment that we have other than the swing we can overlook the size. (Bryan and I tend to be minimalistic when it comes to baby toys/equipment.)

Swing- Seth used to take all of his day time naps in the swing. Very wise investment!!!! It is not used quite so much now, but was a lifesaver in the beginning days of parenthood.

Gliding Rocker and Ottoman- So, so comfortable, that explains it all if you ask me.

Diaper Dude Diaper Bag- This bag is not cutesy or babyish and that is why we like it. We don't carry much at all when we are out and this bag is perfect for that.

Homemade Moby Wrap- Very inexpensive, easy to make, and a great way to do lots of things hands free while being close to your baby

Car Mirror- I lucked up and found our car mirror at a Consignment store for $3. We thought Seth's huge ear in the mirror was hilarious so we had to take a photo. :)

Hanging Elephant- I brought this little guy home from one of my trips to Wal-mart when Seth was just a week or two old. Bryan fussed and fussed that we didn't need to make a habit of buying a toy every time that we go to the store. I shrugged off what he said and put the little elephant on his baby carrier. Seth loved it from the second he laid eyes on it. It is still on his car seat to this day.

Diaper Genie- We primarily use the diaper genie (since it was given to us) for wipes. Because we use cloth diapers it takes a while to fill the diaper genie up with wipes, but because of it's design we don't have to worry about any smells from the dirty wipes as they accumulate.

Pajamas with Zippers- We love sleep sacks and pajamas with zippers. All those snaps are time consuming in the middle of the night. Zippers are great!

Space Saving Booster Seat- Forget the high chair, this seat saves space and straps into a regular chair. We didn't buy or receive a high chair before Seth was born so when it came time to purchase a high chair we opted for this space saving solution. We absolutely love it! It is great for traveling, the tray is dishwasher safe, and it can transform into a booster seat when Seth gets older.

Winter Hat- Bryan picked this hat out for Seth and I didn't want to buy it because it was $8. I have a hard time paying for anything new when it comes to babies, because they grow out of things so fast, but we bought it and we have used it all winter long.

Not Often Used (by us) Baby Investments:

The Bumbo- It was nice during that short stage where Seth didn't just lay around anymore but wasn't ready to sit up, or when Bryan is watching Seth while I am tutoring and they want to swing. :)

Diaper Rash Creams- See cloth diapers above

Tiny Love Classic Mobile- I thought Seth would love this mobile. I bought it after he was born because he loved the ceiling fan. So I found this mobile that spins, plays music, and has the black and white images included above the hanging animals. He was interested in it for a while but we really could have done without it. You live and learn.

Car Seat Toy Bar- We received a big bag of used clothes and baby accessories before Seth was born and this toy bar was included in that bag. We thought we would love using it, but the elephant mentioned above worked out much better.

Fridge to Go- Sometimes it is just easier to breastfeed Seth in the car or in a private area instead of pumping. We thought we were going to use this bottle cooler more than we actually have.

Tummy Time Mat- A blanket works just as well.

Pat-a-Cake, Pat-a-Cake

Now that Seth is pretty much sitting up now without falling over after several seconds, I decided to try to get a video of him playing today. Watching an almost 6 month old play is not too interesting, but this clip cracked me up.

Shattered Glass

Have you ever wondered what would happen to an empty Pyrex measuring cup if it was microwaved?

If you get it out of the microwave before it explodes, it will shatter when it immediately hits the sink.

Now you know.

Say Cheese!

Nana and Pop found the most perfect toy for Seth on Saturday, a CAMERA! It is the most adorable toy ever and he can be just like daddy (and mommy too). It makes a clicking sound as if you are actually taking a picture and when Seth is not taking photos, it rattles as he lightly shakes it. It is also a tag toy so you can attach objects to it. It was a super great gift! So say cheese...