Making Baby Food

I have become more domestic in motherhood than I ever imagined I'd be. I've never thought of myself as a domestic person, and quite honestly, I had no desire to fall into this category. Besides, it took a lot of work and will. Now that I am feeding a family, it is important to me to provide the best that I can. While it takes time- most quality things do, hence the definition of quality- I have found it to be quite easy and certainly cost effective. 

So here is a step by step- with pictures- process of making baby food. On the menu: sweet potatoes. 

I started with fresh, organic sweet potatoes. (Click here for a list of fruits and vegetables that should be purchased organically.) I soak them in water so they are easier to peel and to get off any stuck on dirt.

I use a pot on the stove that is made for steaming. The pot with holes in the bottom fits into the pot where I put water. 

Then I peel them and cut them into cubed pieces. The potatoes cook much faster when they are sliced.

 

 After the potatoes are cooked/soft, I put them back into a mixing bowl and mash them. Then I puree them with a Cuisinart Smart Stick. Save the water used during steaming because vitamins are in the liquid. You will use the water to help get the puree consistency. More water = more runny/ stage 1... I usually use all of the water and make the consistency pretty thick.

 

I had about 6 potatoes, and this makes plenty for us... here is how we store our fresh food. On the left are my Mumi & Bubi freezer trays. (Green beans are also going in the freezer.) 

On the right are my containers ready for the fridge.

 Each 4 oz jar of Earth's Best baby food is about $.88. I made roughly 25 jars of food for about $10.  

I hope this helps on your venture to make baby foods!!

-ashley

Playing Catch Up

I haven't written since Thursday, and every day I think I want to blog about (whatever we're doing). Here's what we've been up to...

Fridays are my favorite. I love them for several reasons, and the biggest is because the weekend follows. (My mother in law even sends me text on Fridays because she know what a relief it is to have reached the end of the week. Love it.) This Friday was fun, but not as "special" because Jordan had to work Saturday. 

Friday M and P had a playdate with their friend Emory and our friends Mary and Zack. We went to check out the new (and improved) JCPenney store. Apparently the first and third Fridays of the month JCP has the best deals. Paisley got a new sun hat at Gymboree. (It's pictured below.) One high of our little venture was putting Mac in the secondary stroller seat for the first time! He is big stuff. 

 Saturday went like the regular week, and we were excited when Jordan came home from work... always. When he's not home, we try to send him pictures. Here is what he got Saturday:

 Sunday we went to church and I went to a shower later that afternoon to celebrate the upcoming arrival of Ellsa. I took pics of ideas I hope to use at M and P's first birthday party. And yes, I'm already planning :o) Jordan said, "Ashley, their birthday is 4 months away" to which I replied, "And it takes like 6 months so I'm already behind!" Think pinwheels and chevron. ;o)

Sunday night Mac and Paisley's new friend, Collier, and Mac were wearing the same pajamas (from The Children's Place.. love their pjs the most!) so we sent Collier a picture:

We have to include P in the picture sharing.. girls don't like to be left out! 

If you're ever wondering if my kiddos are ever not picture ready... well here's your chance to see them in a different light. In Paisley's picture, I turned around and saw what she had done with her headband. Silly girl. This is why she doesn't sleep in bows or headbands.. or bibs!

 Mac is saving some of his chicken for later. As much as he looks like Jordan, he really resembles him here... without the chicken ;o)

I'm starting a post on their favorite toys! I'm excited to share with you what we spend most of our time playing with these days. 

Before I sign off, I must say that we've hit the stage where I have to pry things out of their hands sometimes... Yesterday Paisley snuck a toy upstairs when I was carrying her to her bed for nap. She wouldn't let it go, and she wasn't a fan of me opening her hand for her. As my college roommate, Katie would say, I kept thinking, oh my, oh my.

-ashley

Happy 8 Months!!

Seriously... 8 months... We are quickly approaching the reality where Mac and Paisley have been born longer than they were in the womb. I can't believe it. Wow. Pinch me! 

I have lots of pictures to share :o) And here are my words to Mac and Paisley on their 8th month.

Mac Man,

You are why I can't wear dangle earrings. You grab and pull everything you can. I laid on the floor between you and your sister the other day imagining I would be covered in kisses. Well that didn't happen... instead you used my face as a drum and Paisley pulled my hair. 

Mac you have started this grunt that I haven't figured out what it always means... usually you do this grunt when you're hungry and have finished what was in your bowl. There's all kinds of other times you do this extended clearing of the throat. As a vocalist, I can't help but think that you're harming your vocal cords.

Boy- oh boy! You bang on everything! You aren't a picky eater at all. You dad accidentally fed you something that wasn't even fresh. Paisley threw it up, but you ate every bit. :o/ Sorry about that. 

Whenever I lie you down to change your diaper or dress you, it's a battle. You are always rolling onto your stomach so you won't miss anything. I roll you back, you roll back, and it becomes a game. Then I tickle you, and you'll stay on your back. 

You've developed this frog leg kick as a means to get places. It doesn't get you far since your belly isn't lifted, but it's a start! 

You have this fake cough that cracks Dad and me up. You know we've got your number, but you just smile and stick out your tongue between coughs. Cutie. 

This month you've said "Ma ma ma ma ma" and "Da da da da da". While it isn't exactly, "mama" and "dada," it's certainly the beginning of your vocabulary... You've also gotten your first ear infection :o(

You chew your pjs and any other shirt you can put in your mouth... You love TV, which I have mixed feelings about... Your favorite shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sesame Street, and the Target commercial that sings "Alouette". The only time we watch tv is when I'm listening to The Today Show in the mornings or the last 30 minutes of the day before Daddy gets home. Unless it's pretty outside. Then we go for a walk or visit Jessica or Leslie. 

Just today you taught me that you move faster than I realize! I put down your bowl of food to encourage you to do the sign for "more". You, big man, picked up the bowl and handed it to me instead. I got the message... and more food :o)

We are so in love with you, and it is my prayer that you stay as sweet as you've been since birth. Your personality presents itself more each day. Thank you for being our son. 

Love, "Mama" and "Dada"

Paisley Grace,

Sweet girl, you are all girl! You love dresses and bows and jewelry. You giggle and fluff your dress all the time. You're trying to crawl... you do a bend in half and then get mad when you get stuck. You let out an intense cry until you see someone coming toward you. Silly girl. 

We've discovered that peas and green beans are not your friend. :o( You still love your sweet potatoes and say "mmmmmmm" between each bite. 

You have a high pitched squeal and giggle. You really make me laugh constantly. Your new trick is picking up your foot and dropping it because you've learned it makes a thud. It's mostly an attention getter, of course. 

In the mornings, it's not unusual for me to find you turned completely around in your crib with an arm outside the neck of your pajamas. That's because you are a squirmer! 

This morning you taught me that your hands are faster than mine... While I encouraged you to use sign language, you picked up the bowl and dropped it on the floor. Then that grin appeared. 

You chew on your feet because you're so flexible. We joke that we have a little gymnast on our hands. 

I love that you let me put big fancy bows and flowers in your hair. :o) 

This month you've really chunked up, sweet girl! You're still a dainty one, and those legs creases are increasing. 

You are such a daddy's girl, and he's pretty fond of you too. You love on your brother quite a bit, but he isn't as fond of your affection. It doesn't deter you though.

We love you, sweet P. We love this journey we are on with you, and we are blessed to be your parents. 

Love, Mommy and Daddy

The monthly pictures I take with their onesies... well they were more interested in chewing the shirts than posing for me. 

These are the pictures I took before morning nap. I copied this from Pinterest. Gotta love those ideas :o)

Kisses from P

Birthday playdate with Casey, Mary, Emory and Ashley :o)

 Proud Mama :o)

 Happy 8 months, my sweet babies... who aren't going to be "babies" much longer. 

 

Be Still

Be still... It's what I say to Paisley when she's squirming, and I'm trying to put saline in her nose or medicine in her mouth. She's quite the squirmer. Is that even a word? If not, it should be and have Paisley's picture beside it. 

Paisley woke up early from her morning nap, and I held her as I began a new read: Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Today's devotion was about peace. It referred to the story of the Israelites and collecting manna. Basically, God did not allow the Israelites to collect more manna than what they needed for the day. This taught them constant dependence on Him, for the next day they needed Him to provide for them once more.

As I held this wiggling sweetheart, I thought about how often I am the one not being still. Whether it be for time with Him or just embracing the small moments with Mac and Paisley. I mean, they will be EIGHT months old tomorrow!!! What?! Seriously?! Stop it, time!!! I'm pretty sure they'll be leaving for college next week! 

So in this post I just want to encourage you to stop and be still. Look around, and soak in the blessings. I have two blessings sleeping upstairs and one at work who provides for our family and allows me to be home to raise Mac and Paisley. We have good health. Speaking of, Mac and Paisley's extensive lab results came back NORMAL! (Here and here are posts on this.) They've had high liver enzymes every time we've had lab work but not anymore! Hallelujah! 

Have a great Wednesday, and get ready for tomorrow's 8 Month letter to M and P. :o)

-ashley

Sunday Funday

We went to church yesterday, and M and P still did great in the nursery. Jordan taught the 4 and 5 year old class so I was solo carrying them in. Normally I use the stroller when I'm by myself, but there isn't always stroller access so I carried them inside in car seats. What a site! I'm not able to really bicep curl the car seats with M and P weighing them down, so I walk pretty lop-sided with the two car seats. I'm sure it's rather hilarious.

After church we went to the riverwalk and ran! Mac and Paisley were pooped after our jog-

Apparently we ran faster than normal because Mac is holding on!

Then we went to Smokey Bones, and they were super about accommodating my "allergies" aka Mac and Paisley's protein intolerances. It's always nice to have good experiences when there are special issues. 

I captured one of the first toy fights today. Mac would fuss about Paisley having this flower toy, and then she would fuss when he got from her. They love this toy. The flower faces light up when you tap them. Pretty exciting stuff. 

Mac and Paisley wore Atlanta Braves t-shirts today. These were a gift from one of Jordan's co workers who is obviously a Braves fan. This pic is for you, Jerry!

 When I was feeding Paisley her carrots this afternoon, Mac was playing so well by himself. He was being super smiley so I had to take his picture.

Notice the blanket change? Probably not, but I'm sure you noticed my children aren't wearing any pants... That's because the mangoes and chicken cleaned out their little systems, and we had back to back blow outs. Special. I have an unspoken "one pair of pants a day" rule around here, haha!

 -ashley

Saturday Swim

Have I mentioned how much I love Saturdays?? We love when Jordan is home, and the weather being nice is such a special treat. 

I get so many questions about what I eat since cutting out several foods due to Mac and Paisley's protein intolerances. (Read about their intolerances here.) I decided to take a pic of this morning's breakfast- Pinterest style :o) The Pinterest idea was to turn the toaster sideways for cheese toast. The bread started smoking a bit and ended up being burnt on the side lying against the griddle of the toaster. Of course I ate it, though. I mean, breakfast is the most important meal of the day... and I only get a small window to eat it!

We recently bought a Groupon deal with the local YMCA. These 2 months are our 'trial' to see if and how often we would use the facility. Jordan has been swimming twice a week before work, but today is my first venture... and we took Mac and Paisley swimming!! We had 2 bags packed with extra outfits, towels, swimsuits, Charlie Banana swim diapers, lotion, wipes, and sippy cups (I mean, what if they get thirsty?! Jordan made fun of me for this, haha.) This is definitely not a trip I plan to endure on my own!

I was so excited how they reacted to the water! They love bath, but it's a whole new ballgame with the pool... They splashed and kicked and laughed. Do we have little swimmers on our hands??? We'll see!! 

We went to lunch and then through a car wash. I tried to capture both of their faces during the wash, but Mac wasn't cooperative- he kept trying to grab my phone when he saw it. Paisley was too distracted to notice me.

 Look at this picture I took last night... Notice P's right foot... in the air!!! Silly girl!

(The temperature says it is 75 degrees, but the camera and sensor are attached to the other side of an attic wall so the temp reads a few degrees warmer than it really is.) I try to keep their room between 68 and 72 degrees and dress them accordingly.

 Enjoy your weekend!!

 -ashley

Target is a Laxative

Thanks to my 5k running partners we completed a 20 minute run yesterday! Woo hoo! It wasn't half bad, and race day is quickly approaching! I'm telling you, if running isn't your thing but you'd like to start somewhere, the Couch to 5k app is it! This app is the only one I have ever seen that gets 5/5 stars- pretty impressive. It's well worth the $1.99. I call the girl (who is encouragement throughout the run giving us countdowns) "Ginger". She's British. 


I came across this quote on Pinterest, and I thought it was very true for my running right now:

Here is a pic of the play date we had earlier this week. Sweet babies. 

So Target.... it's a laxative for poor Mac. Today we went to lunch with our friend, Casey, and we walked to Target afterwards. Here's how Mac was dressed before Target:

Since we were walking, Mac and Paisley were in the stroller in their car seats. I didn't buckle Mac back in because I knew it was a matter of time before he would fuss and want out. He started fussing, and I tried to calm him with my voice... I didn't look at him because once we stare into his big eyes, well, you fall for whatever he wants. Fortunately Casey looked at him because he had flipped onto his stomach!! Silly boy. I didn't take a picture of this (although Casey asked if she could). 

So I turn him over and head for the dressing room to feed them. I picked him up, and he had pooped all over his outfit and car seat. Seriously. And where was the diaper bag?? Well in the car, of course! (This isn't a first time for this incident either.. Read the other time here.) You'd think I would learn. 

So here is how Mac looked on the way home. Poor boy. 

Notice the socks beside him that I used to wipe up his drool. I promise we have adequate supplies... I just forget to pack them. 

And here are my sweet babies in the bathtub tonight. They grow so fast... too fast. This time next week I'll be writing about them turning 8 months old. {sigh}

-ashley