Baby Food Making

I never thought we would make our own baby food. When Eliza first started solids, Nathan and I were both working full time, so we didn't even entertain the thought of adding another item to our "to do" list. I assumed it would be too difficult and time consuming. This time around, though, we both have the luxury of working from home (until Nathan returns to school).  And after our experience with Eliza refusing all baby food and now being the world's pickiest eater, we thought we would give baby food making a try.

We started with bananas and avocados. These are the easiest to prepare because all you do is simply mash the fruit with a fork. Simple, right? We then tried butternut squash and sweet potatoes, which you simply put in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. After the veggies have been baked, you add a little water (or breastmilk) and blend them. Sweet potatoes were hugely successful with Ezra and Elliott. The boys loved them so much that I actually tried sweet potatoes for the first time ever--and I liked it!

After we saw how it easy it was to make batches of veggies and fruit, we decided to take an evening and stock up on our baby food. We began our adventure by choosing a selection of fruits and veggies to prepare.

(Bananas and avocados are not pictured, but are regular staples that require no real preparation.)

The carrots, pears, broccoli and beets are diced, steamed, and then puréed . The zucchini and apples are diced, boiled, and blended to perfection. 

The mangoes, plums, and apricots are peeled and then blended with other fruits or vegetables. We also buy frozen peas and blend them, as there are never fresh peas available at our grocery stores. After everything has been cooked and puréed, we put the blended food into ice cube trays and allow them to freeze. 

We then pop the cubes out the next day, place them in a gallon sized Ziploc bag, and take cubes out when needed. We like to blend veggies and fruits, so we often take a couple of different foods and warm them up together in the microwave for a few seconds.

As for the strawberries and blueberries, we add those to bananas for a smoothie-like dessert. Lastly, watermelon and cantaloupe have been huge hits with the boys. We put them inside these nifty mesh feeders, and they chew away. Elliott can eat several pieces of melon in one sitting!

The babies seem to really enjoy our creations. Nathan is the the master of great baby food inventions. He tastes the food before giving it to the boys (which I never do) and always insists he is feeding them something good.

The most recent hit was blended black beans and mangoes. They loved it!

I'm pretty proud about my delicious blend of bananas, plums, and strawberries yesterday. Nathan says that it's hard to go wrong with fruit, but I still feel successful.

Don't they look happy?

Practically An Adult

Eliza hasn't been feeling well the past couple of days. She woke up coughing last night and couldn't stay asleep due to congestion. The lack of sleep made for a tired and somewhat grumpy Eliza this morning. She still wasn't feeling like herself and wanted to be right beside Nathan or me constantly. She spent the day following us around and refused to play alone for even a minute.

As I went downstairs to do laundry, she called out, "I'm behind you, Mama! I'm walking behind you!" When I went to put the babies down for a nap, she was there and ready to sing "You Are My Sunshine." When I sat on the couch to feed the babies, she sat right beside me. She required constant attention. Although this isn't unusual behavior, Eliza typically spends an hour or so playing alone during the day. She is fairly independent and enjoys dressing her Barbies, doing puzzles, or coloring by herself.  Today, she could do nothing alone and wanted to be held as much as possible (that never happens). Having a constant shadow throughout the day was tiring, so I felt somewhat relieved when Eliza decided to "help" Cheryl go through family pictures.

She was fascinated. She loved looking at the pictures of her cousins and particularly enjoyed seeing "baby Eliza." She would point to herself and say, "It's me! I was so adorable!" Nathan and I were cooking in the kitchen and enjoyed hearing her cute comments. She ran over and showed me a couple of pictures taken last year and said, "I'm such a big girl now. I was just a baby then, but I'm a big girl now."

And she's right! I keep thinking, "She's not even three yet. She's still my baby," but this is photographic evidence that she is a big girl (or bigger girl, at least). In a very short time, she will be even more independent than she already is. She will be going to school and unable to spend all day by my side. My time with Eliza is so special, and I need to remind myself never to begrudge a minute with her, thinking I need   "just a minute" alone.

Sometimes, it's nice to have a shadow.

Crab Puffs and Lava Cakes

Today is our anniversary.

With three young children, we didn't plan the most extravagant evening together. We decided dinner at our favorite local restaurant would be the quickest, cheapest, and most enjoyable option for the night.  We left right before the children went to bed (thank you, Cheryl and Rex!) and headed off to Chen's Chinese Restaurant.

We were seated and soon presented with a couple of gifts. Eric, our friend and the owner of the restaurant, greeted us with a platter of crab puffs and a bouquet of daisies.

Cheryl had dropped the flowers off earlier in the day, and Eric decided we needed some complimentary appetizers. We enjoyed the rest of our meal together and we surprised again when Eric placed two plates with hot, chocolate-filled lava cakes in front of us.

HEAVEN.

The only downside to the evening was my fortune at the end of the night.

I get the hint, universe...but I don't plan on exercising for at least a couple of more months.

It was a perfect night. It's always nice to have a date with your best friend.

Sitting Up

Ezra and Elliott are finally able to sit up on their own. They hated their Bumbos and never seem interested in sitting at all. We have been helping them practice sitting and saw they were getting better at balancing themselves. Just a couple of nights ago, we decided to see how long they could sit on their own. We stayed close by and were excited with the results. Ezra lasted for a couple of minutes, and Elliott managed to stay upright for a minute longer.

Last night, we resumed the experiment. I could hardly believe it when they sat with no problems at all. We left them sitting on the play-mat with some toys while we prepared dinner. A few minutes later, Elliott was crying. He was still sitting up, so I wasn't sure why he was upset. As soon as he saw me, he reached up for me with both hands and his face said, "Mommy, help me!" He was stuck! Poor Elliott couldn't figure out how to stop sitting. Both boys love crawling all over the living room and into the kitchen, so he did not appreciate his mobility being limited.

Also, this was the first time either baby has reached for me with both hands (they usually look at me and cry for me), so it completely melted my heart. He knows me! He loves me!

Maybe figuring out how to move from sitting to crawling is the next milestone?

(And Ezra has two teeth, as of yesterday!)

Eating Habits

Before we sleep trained the boys, Ezra and Elliott both preferred to nurse all night. They loved to snuggle as close to me as possible and although I was tired, I enjoyed being close to my babies. Now that they are sleeping in their cribs all night, a portion of my bonding time with them has been taken away. I am certainly grateful for the restful sleep, but it is sad to know that they'll never be tiny babies again.

The past couple of weeks, Ezra has made it abundantly clear that he no longer wants to nurse. I have tried every trick I can think of to coax him back into the habit, but he will lock his arms and push away from me as hard as possible. It's hard not to get the memo (and to feel a little rejected). Elliott, on the other hand, is still a happy nurser...as long as there are absolutely no distractions. Our recent routine consists of me nursing Elliott and then pumping for Ezra.

And I am so tired of pumping.

It wasn't too long ago that I remember a friend telling me she lasted nearly a year of pumping for her baby. After pumping for six months with Eliza, I couldn't believe her endurance and determination. It takes time to actually pump and then feed the baby and then wash the bottles...and then you do it again three hours later. I really thought I could never last that long.

The twins are 8 months old, and I have pumped every 2-4 hours every day of their lives. Even when they nursed, I would pump afterwards to build my supply and add to my stockpile. At this point, waking up in the middle of the night to pump and washing bottles 7-8 times a day has become a regular part of  my life. I keep hoping Ezra will change his mind and decide he is ready to be nursed again, but I don't see that happening due to adamant protests. 

Four more months until I reach my new goal of a year. If I make it, I will be extremely proud of myself. If I decide to give up a little sooner than planned, I don't think I will feel guilty. As long as we are all happy, that is all that really matters (to me, at least). In the meantime, I'll continue to enjoy my time nursing Elliott and rocking Ezra with his bottle.

One of A Kind

Yesterday, my mom sent a box full of presents for Eliza and the boys. She found the cutest outfits on mega clearance and knew all of our children were quickly outgrowing their clothes. It felt like Christmas as we emptied the contents of the small box (which had been expertly packed to capacity by my brother).

Eliza clapped her hands in delight as I unfolded a couple of pink dresses and colorful shirts. She "oohhhed" and "ahhhhed" when I handed her a headband and bracelets.  I let her know the clothes were an early birthday present and she kept saying, "Happy Birthday to me!" She couldn't wait to try on an outfit. She put on a dress and accessories and ran outside.

Living in Othello, it has been extremely hard finding clothes for our growing kids. Walmart is the only place to buy anything, so the clothing options are extremely limited and often cleared out (there are currently no 4T clothes for girls there....at all). These clothes were cheaper than Walmart prices and infinitely more adorable. Eliza has reached the age where she cares about what she is wearing, so it was exciting to see her happy about her clothing options.

Today, she tried on everything. Most of the afternoon, she wore two shirts at the same time because she couldn't decide which one she wanted to keep on.

As I watched her parade around the backyard and definitively display her charismatic personality, I was reminded that Eliza is her own little person. She is unique, and she is wonderful. She surprises me daily with her independence, spontaneity, and intelligence. There is no one else like her.

Although Ezra and Elliott are identical twins, they too are one of a kind. There is only one baby who laughs like Elliott or giggles with a scrunched up face like Ezra. Although we adore having twins, we treasure the individuality of our boys.  Despite appearances, they are unique and loved singly. For this reason, I couldn't stop smiling when I pulled matching "one of a kind" shirts out of the box of clothes. My mother knows me so well.

No Longer Toothless

Elliott's first tooth made its appearance yesterday. He has been making this face pretty often.

The boys do many things together, but it seems like each little guy struggles on opposite nights with teething. The past couple of nights have been rough with each boy taking turns waking up. It's amazing how quickly I forgot what not sleeping was like. I have been spoiled the past few weeks!

In other news, there are currently 26 people at our house. Nathan's five brothers and their families are here for the Robbins Reunion. 15 children in one house makes for a crazy week!