Baby does what?

When I was pregnant with the twins, I did some reading/researching. I didn't read as much as I should have most likely but I locked on to some ideas that I wanted to implement with the kids after they were born. One being Baby Led Weaning (BLW). The premise is, you skip the purees and serve the baby whatever you're having off your plate. And then- let them go at it, exploring the textures and allowing them to feed themselves. That way they become more adventurous eaters and develop their self feeding skills as well as regulate how much they want to eat and when. Sounded good in theory, but in reality what was it like?
I asked a couple of friends who'd attempted BLW and got mixed results. One friend who tried it, said she was scared to death of choking every time her daughter put something in her mouth. In fact, she had to do CPR on several occasions. Whoa.
Another friend said she thought about it but knew their daycare wouldn't be on board so she was forced to do purees during the week and out of convenience just continued it on the weekends as well.
A third friend I asked had an AMAZING experience with it. Her little was gnawing on chicken legs at 7 months old! She mentioned she never once had to do CPR at any point. Babies are equipped with a fabulous gag reflex that pretty much forces them to spit out anything thats too big. This gag reflex starts out in the middle of the tongue in babies and then slowly recedes to the back of the tongue as we get older.
There's a big difference between gagging and choking. Don't get me wrong, gagging is super scary and loud. But its perfectly normal and allows the baby to clear his own airway. You only need to intervene if they're silent and can't breathe. This is an awesome infographic thats really helped me know when to panic or not!

I really wanted to do BLW with my kiddos but I had the first time mom jitters so I started out really slow. Giving them a few strips of things like avocado and sweet potato but also smushing them a little first. Looking back I wish I had more confidence in my babes and allowed them to learn it for themselves. I also did some purees with them and sent those with them to daycare.

First bite of Avocado!

Smushed peas

Now they're 9 months old and are champs! I cook all sorts of stuff for them: quinoa, pancakes, frittata, pasta, toast with peanut butter! 9 months is when they start getting their pincer grasp so I can start cutting things up into smaller pieces and not having to worry about if they can pick it up or not. 

Leave a little bit of the banana peel on so they can pick it up easier!

BLW doesn't mean you can't give them pureed foods. We eat pureed foods every day such as oatmeal,  yogurt, applesauce, etc.! I still offer these foods only I pre-fill spoons for them to feed themselves with. It's messy, but that's life at this point. My word of advice is to strip them down to their diapers to make clean up a little easier. That way you can pretty much hose them off at the end! hah!

blueberry yogurt was a huge hit!

So, thats my experience with a modified BLW. I frequent pinterest for ideas as well as the Wholesome Homemade Baby Food blog. Also, if you're on Facebook, join the group FeedingLittles. Its run by a local dietitian and a speech therapist and its AWESOME. It's really helped me get over my first time mom hesitancies. Let me know if you have any questions on my experience. I'd be happy to oblige. Leave me a comment if you've tried BLW! Until next time!

xoxo,

-Melissa :)

Things, they are a changin'

Are you there blogland? It's me, Melissa. Not sure if you remember me, but I'm still here! And man, have things changed! Last time we spoke, it was 3 years ago. That was pre-new house and pre-kids! Yeah, you heard that right- we have KIDS now- plural!

I'm not sure when I'm going to find the time to blog but I have high aspirations. So you'll have to bear with me. You see, blogging is a stress reliever of sorts. Gives me a chance to unload so-to-speak. Not to mention, I feel like every person in my field has a blog these days. Not that I'm going to start a nutrition blog, but I might have a post here and there. To keep you on your toes, you know? This blog started out as a chronicle of my married life and I intend it to be that way. And since I'm a dietitian by trade, nutrition posts are bound to sneak in there!

So, let's jump in! I'll give you a 30 second recap of what you missed over the last 3 years:

Hubby and I love Arizona so we decided to stay a little while! He got a new job which allows him to travel, we bought a house in an amazing area- much safer than our last place, I got pregnant- with TWINS, they were born in February of this year, we lost our sweet dog to old age in April, and now here we are!

Aren't they the sweetest? Fast forward 9 months and these little boogers are cruising around the coffee table as we speak! Its amazing how much your heart grows after you have kids. I can't imagine my life without them. They are such joys! Full of laughter and smiles!

 

Anyway, I'm making this post short and sweet. My goal is to blog once a week. There may be weeks where that doesn't happen and there may be weeks where I blog more than once a week! We're just going to go with the flow! I don't want to be too ambitious, I am a full time mom and a part time dietitian! Leave me a comment to encourage this renewed endeavor and stay tuned till next time!

xoxo,

Melissa :)

We will miss you, Jason!

I can't decide what I think about Arizona. Some days I love it and some days I hate it. The weather has been beautiful here, 80s and literally not a cloud in the sky for weeks. Sounds perfect right? Well, I work in the east valley and live in Central Phoenix. I drive east every morning to work and west every evening home.
No clouds.
Bright sunny sun in my eyes For. The. ENTIRE. Drive.
Awesome.

Well, it's been a full two weeks since I started work. Things have been going well so far! I am slowly getting settled in and comfortable with my job tasks. I think I am really going to like it here! I'll definitely keep you posted =)

On a sad note, we said goodbye to my brother in law, Jason, earlier this week. =( He has been battling Leukemia for 3 years. I've known this day would come eventually but it doesn't make it any easier. I didn't know Jason all that well but the times we did spend together were always fun!  We will miss you Jason, Rest in Peace.

Kane sure did love Jason!

RIP Jason. We will miss you always.

Jason's memorial will be held Thanksgiving weekend. Jason really wanted to make it to Thanksgiving so it seems appropriate we should wait to have it then. Here is a link to his obituary. Sorry to leave you with such a sad story but our hearts are at peace that Jason is in a better place now, free from pain and suffering. We are happy! Happy he is in heaven with Jesus! Looking forward to seeing the family in November =).

xoxo,

Officially Arizonians!

We interrupt this program to bring you a (bit lengthy) update on our crazy lives!

(First let me apologize for being so delayed in my blog postings. I haven’t had internet in 3 weeks, even now I am writing you this from a Dunkin Donuts’s with free wifi!)

Well, we made it! I am officially a fine citizen of Phoenix, Arizona. The movers came and packed up all our stuff early last week. Then Hubby and I did a four day, 1,900+ mile trek across the United States to the sunny state of Arizona.

Our stuff hasn’t made it to our Phoenix house yet and won’t be here until later today. So, Hubby and I have been “urban camping” with our air mattress in an empty house! I managed to convince Hubby to pack a few camping essentials such as a beach lounger and beach towel (for our pool!), a fold up camping chair, bath towels, frying pan, spatula, paper plates, and plasticware. The back of the car was PACKED- barely enough room for the dog!

The drive wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. We passed the time with a couple books on tape and while the scenery had some boring places, there was still quite a bit to see. The first day was pretty typical- a lot of green trees, which I told Hubby to make sure he engrained in his memory because it wasn’t going to be like this in the desert! We crossed over the Mississippi River and through many corn fields until we stopped in Shreveport, Louisiana for the night. One of the biggest challenges was trying to find a hotel that would allow dogs. Luckily, I found a website called www.dogfriendly.com that listed all the dog friendly hotels by state and then by city. Watching Kane in a hotel room was hilarious. He made sure he checked every inch of the room, including the bathtub.

The next day we drove to Dallas to see my older sister and my niece and nephew. We had a blast! She has a really nice house in the burbs with a super cute puppy. I loved catching up and finally seeing the house! The last time I saw them was at our wedding a year ago.

After Dallas, we headed towards Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is where the scenery starts to get different as we trek it through the Midwest!

Keep in mind most of these were taken through the window of a speeding car. There was a lot to see that I didn’t take pictures of too. The world’s largest map of Route 44… The world’s largest petrified tree… Indian casinos abound… the list goes on and on!

 

Our last stop was Gallup, New Mexico right in the heart of Navajo country. We stayed at this terrible little dog friendly hotel. I don’t recommend it to anyone. Let’s just leave it at that.

The next day we FINALLY we made it to Phoenix! Its amazing how exhausted a car ride can make you! We made it to Target to get some essentials and then crashed and burned on the air mattress!

Since then I’ve been hangin in the empty house with no car, waiting patiently for my husband to come home with dinner. Sounds like the 50s doesn’t it? All should change today though when our stuff is delivered this evening! They decided to come in the evening thinking it would be cooler then. Little do they know- it is usually 100 degrees at 5 pm Arizona time. Well, regardless I’m pumped to have furniture soon! Stay tuned!

Valley of the Sun bound

So you may have noticed that my crafting has come to a screeching halt. Or you may have noticed my blog posts have become few and far between... Well, we have some news. Hubby has been offered a job in Phoenix, AZ (aka Valley of the Sun) and we have decided to take it. His start date is April 23rd.

I know. my jaw dropped when I heard that too.

It's so soon!!! I'm not ready to leave Atlanta yet! I was just starting to really like it here!! All these things and more have swam in my head since he was offered the position. Its a great position- a really good career move and we would be fools not to take it. Plus, we're young, no kids (except a furry one) adventurous. And the west coast has been on my to do list for a while. I was just thinking it would be more Oregon than Arizona.

So, as you can imagine, there have been a LOT of other things going on. Not much time for crafting and blogging unfortunately. Isn't it weird how your plans can change at the drop of a hat!? Hubby and I flew out to Phoenix at the end of March to get a feel for the area and to make sure we truly did want to live there. It wasn't so bad! Its actually beautiful in it's own way. Mountains surround the city on all sides and the rest of it is flat and brown.

the mountains are so close! Its a very outdoor-sy city. there is a ton of fun stuff to do.

They have palm trees!! That makes it worthwhile to me. I looove palm trees

I took most of those pictures while we were driving around the city looking for potential areas to live in. Its a very well planned out city. Nothing like Atlanta where everything is piled on top of everything else. The only thing that bothered me was their obsession with the southwestern theme. I want a place to live like our current house! In fact, I want to pick up our entire house and move it there. We are scheduled to go back before Hubby starts work for a house-hunting trip. Fingers crossed we find something awesome!

So, with only 3ish weeks before Hubby starts I have initiated Operation Cram-It-All-In. I took my bucket list, all our groupons and prepaid dates and scheduled them for sometime in the next 2 1/2 weeks. You should see our calendar. Its pretty comical. There is something planned for almost every day. There are a few holes though, so if you're interested in being a part of the operation, just let us know!! We will definitely fit you in =)

Its a bittersweet situation. I don't want to leave everything I've grown to love about Atlanta but I am excited embark on this whirlwind journey to the Valley of the Suns! Wish us luck!!
xoxo,

90th Birthday Bash!

Yeah, so to say this has been a busy couple of weeks would be an understatement. In the next couple of posts, I'll tell you why! If you're not exhausted for me at the end of the posts- I'll be impressed!

To start, it was Hubby and I's 4 year anniversary of our first date 2 days ago! I know, I know, no one celebrates their engageversary or their first date-iversary after you get married but it's still fun to remember! And its a good excuse to  pop open a bottle of wine or have a good meal!

So, where did I leave off last post? Oh yeah, Seaside! After our super fun Seaside adventure, we headed to Sarasota to visit Hubby's folks and then to Sanibel Island, FL for my granny's 90th birthday bash!

We had a blast! the weather was beautiful and the drive wasn't all that bad (total of 9ish hours to get down there). We played games with the in-laws, had some good meals, hung out on the beach some (may have gotten a little overdone in the sun), and lots of fun with my side of the family! Almost all of my cousins and all of my aunts and uncles came down to celebrate Granny's birthday.

We did some shelling on the beach. I only brought home the prettiest.

Hubby and I at the beach

Pelican who wanted to make friends with us

Hubby, me and my mom at dinner

Granny and Hubby chattin' it up. Doesn't she look FAN-tastic for 90!?

Granny's super surprised face after she saw all of the guests at her party!

My sisters!

The party was REALLY fun, there was some sister bonding, some impressive booth jumping by Hubby, and some boogie downing! If you've ever partied with my side of the family, then you know: It's impossible to NOT have a good time!

By the time we got home, we were glad to have Kane back but were already missing the beach and the Florida sun. Going back to work was really hard. Luckily, we had more plans that following weekend to keep us entertained! Stay tuned for the next chapter in our never dull life!

xoxo,

Baby, it's cold outside!

We've had a fun filled weekend! Jason (my brother in-law) has been visiting us since Wednesday which Kane LOVES. He adores his Uncle Jason =)

Now that i think about it though, we don't have a lot to show for our weekend! Just a bunch of chores and errands! But, yesterday we woke up to a freezing COLD house. Seriously, my nose was like ice and my fingernails were blue! Somehow during the night our thermostat had set itself to 60 degrees and we could not get it to budge! We called our landlord to see if we could get the heating and air people over. While we waited, I pulled out the electric heater to try and warm us up a little. Well, Kane is a heater HOG. In the past, every time I've pulled out the heater he would sit directly in front of it- usually on his bed or the rug which usually isn't far away.  To no one's surprise, this time he did the exact same thing he always does, only this time there wasn't a bed directly in front of it for him to lay on.

He was not happy. He desperately wanted to be in front of the heater but he also wanted to lay on his bed. So, he started to moan and cry!!! As soon as I moved his bed in front of the heater he was happy. He immediately laid down and was quiet. Such a spoiled dog!!

Turns out the heating and air guys couldn't fit us in yesterday and with a little more research on Home Depot's website we decided to replace the thermostat ourselves. Since my hubby is super handy, it took us about 15 minutes to have an installed and fully functioning thermostat! I am happy to report, I am warm and toasty this morning! =)
Stay tuned, I'll be posting the results of my craft for week #2 soon! Get excited!!
xoxo
Melissa =)

Merry Christmas!

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.  Isaiah 7:14

Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Christmas and you are enjoying your holiday break from work/school! Our Christmas eve dinner was a HUGE success!! I am beyond happy with the results! Of course there were a few hiccups along the way, but nothing that would ruin the night! All the dishes we made turned out great: 

 Caprese Salad Bites as an appetizer. I also made the infamous artichoke dip (a KY family favorite) and Pub Cheese fondue- which aren't pictured.

 Pull apart garlic Parmesan cheese bread. Made from scratch! With yeast and all!

 Easy Cheesy Zucchini Squash Bake

 My mother-in-law's (famous, according to Hubby) sweet potato casserole. It turned out great! That was really the only thing I was worried about since it was legendary and all.

 Balsamic Green Beans with mushrooms. It was adapted slightly to fit my tastes- thanks to the practice rounds over the last few weeks!

 Roasted brussel sprouts- which were AH-mazing. I could have just eaten these and been happy. seriously- they were that good.

 Hubby deep fried a turkey for our main course. And for his first time- it was really good! Extra extra crispy but good!

How many brothers does it take to carve a turkey?

Overall it was a good time! Christmas morning we got up and headed over to my brother in-law's to open presents and nosh on a supremo spread cooked by my fabulous sister in-law! I'm not going to lie though, I missed my family terribly and it was tough not being able to hang out with them. =(

Later, Hubby and I exchanged gifts with each other and watched Kane open his gifts... It was a memorable first Christmas for sure!
Hope you all had a great Christmas too and we wish you a wonderful new year!
XOXO
-Melissa =)