Organically Growing

The offical blog of HappyGreenBaby.com

You Know It’s Time to BabyProof When … December 23, 2009

Filed under: Baby Proofing — happygreenbaby @ 4:54 am

your little guy gets his fingers into everything!

Ryder discovered the springy doorstop. He’s thrilled at the noise it makes when he flicks it. He turns at looks at me with a look of such accomplishment. I realized this was an issue when he pulled off the throat-size cap and held it up for me to see.

I always thought it was a freakish paranoia that had people putting those plug in the electric outlets. Really, kids put their fingers in there? Ryder is motoring all around the house and is experiencing a magnetic-like draw to everything that has a cord or a plug. He likes to suck on the cords. And of course, his fingers always find their way to the outlets.

Yesterday eKo ran down the stairs and Ryder crawled right up to the top step and peered down (I was standing right above him), as if he was debating on whether or not to go for it. Using his better judgement, he turned around and headed toward the recycling bin.

A friend of mind told me how they weren’t going to go crazy with the babyproofing, because, afterall – when you remove all the proofing, don’t you still have to mind your children to let them know about the hazards? Instead, they are subscribing to removing the major dangers, but then doing what good parents do anyway – keep an eye on their kids. This way you can teach your baby as you go along. I like that idea.

Ryder already responds to the word, “no.” He obviously knows what it means … even if he doesn’t always listen. The most adorable thing is when he’s getting into something and I look him straight in the eye and say (in my gentle, serious tone), “Ryder. No.” He looks at me with his sweet big eyes, tips his head to the side (is that smirk on his face?) and promptly goes back to whatever he was getting into. After three or four rounds of this, he will either give up and move on to greener mischief or I’ll pick him up and move him to another room.

 

Baby Food Update December 20, 2009

Filed under: organic baby food — happygreenbaby @ 4:33 am

Seems like it’s been awhile since I provided an update on Ryder’s organic eating! The last few months have brought so many new foods to our table, it’s been hard fitting them all in before he’s on to the next month’s menu of available foods.

He’s started mashing food in his gums, so we can do some small pieces of soft fruit. He tries to grab them off the high chair tray using his “pincher grasp” but the pieces are so slippery they don’t really make it to his mouth. He eventually just gives up and puts his mouth down on the tray to pull up a piece. It’s funny.

Things we have added recently:

  • Tofu (mashed up firm variety that was not well-received. Will try silken next)
  • Butternut squash
  • Sweet peas
  • Green Beans (nuts over these!!)
  • Pears (have over taken bananas for favorite fruit of the month)
  • White potatoes (ho-hum)
  • Carrots
  • YoBaby yogurt (you’d think the kid was eating a slice of heaven he’s so excited about these little fruit-flavored yogurts. He shakes with excitment between bites)
  • Egg yolk (won’t even go for it hidden in yogurt or rice cereal)
  • Ground up walnuts
  • Kiwi (a little tart on first taste, but I think he’ll grow to like them)
  • Millet

Next on the menu: A variety of veggies (broccoli, spinach, all the root veg), tahini, mashed beans and lentils.

 

Nipple Nibble December 15, 2009

Filed under: Breastfeeding — happygreenbaby @ 5:50 am

Here’s a fun story. While breasftfeeding Ryder late this afternoon, he decided to see what these two new teeth are all about and clamped down on my nipple. He looked at me with excited eyes that seemed to say, “what do you think of my new trick?”

Remembering tips from the Baby Whisperer, I calmly said, “No Ryder. We don’t bite Mommy. That hurts me” and gently broke away. He must have seen the pain in my eyes because his toothy smile quickly turned into an exaggerated frown and big, fat tears started streaming down his face. He was truly sad! I comforted him and we tried eating again.

The same thing happened two more times. Complete with teary apologies on both our ends.

I’m a little nervous about feeding him tonight. But considering he’s crying it out right now …. I have more pressing issues to deal with at the moment.

 

All I Want For Christmas … December 10, 2009

Filed under: Uncategorized — happygreenbaby @ 5:50 am

Is my two front teeth!

Sore red spots and a slobbering mouth have been plaguing Ryder for weeks and finally this week, two little teeth came popping through! They are both on the bottom and look super cute!

 

Tip for Freezing Breastmilk December 3, 2009

Filed under: Breastfeeding, organic baby food — happygreenbaby @ 5:57 am

Here’s a nifty trick I wish I had thought of 6 months ago.

When you’re freezing breastmilk in those “mommy’s milk” bag thingsĀ - lay them flat to freeze. That way, they stack nicely, are easier to sort through for dates and take up much less room in your freezer.

I froze mine in every which way imaginable and now have bags that are hard, lumpy rocks that roll around the freezer in disarray.