Helping Daddy

Auntie La says I don't post to my blog nearly often enough. I don't really think she'd be happy unless I posted something new every hour on the hour. But, I thought she might think these pictures are cute, so I asked Mommy to help me post them. I was helping Daddy with the recycling. It started to overflow, so I was helping him sort out the newspapers. I'm such a big, helpful boy! Oh, and by the way, that is apple juice all down my front, not drool. I'm a drooly baby, but not THAT drooly!

A Visit to Dr. Lilly

I got to see Dr. Lilly today. I really like Dr. Lilly. She's nice, although she has an evil nurse that likes to stick me with needles. Today it was just two, so I guess that was better that usual. She says I am growing up to be just like my Daddy. She says I am very tall and very skinny. I was 28.5 inches long (95th percentile), but only 16lbs 6oz (45th percentile.) I grew, though, and she said I was doing well. (Well, all except for a nasty diaper rash. We won't go into that.)

White Easter

Today was so much fun! The Easter Bunny brought me lots of toys, books, and clothes. Mommy let me eat the yolk out of a pretty Easter Egg, but I didn't really like it. And then she mixed it with cinnamon, but that made it worse. It's ok, though, because later Nona gave me some carrot cake and that was very yummy. It snowed all day and I got to wear my friend Terrepin's snow hat. I also wore my Georgetown t-shirt from Auntie La while we watched them play the game where the people in the box run back and forth and throw a ball around. I think maybe they said it was called basketball? Anyway, after that Auntie La was sad, so we started cooking dinner. I got to sit at the table while everyone else ate all that good food. Mom let me have a sweet potato, but it wasn't my usual puree. It was spicy and she made me feed myself. Ehh, I think I like it better when she feeds me. But it was fun to watch everyone and talk to my Uncle Joey and Uncle Zach, who were in Papa's little box. The worst thing that happened all day was when Mommy went to put my jam-jams on and she decided I needed a mini-bath. I usually really like my baths, but Mommy put me in the big tub and then water started gushing out everywhere! It was so scary! I screamed, and Nona came, but for some reason she and Mommy wouldn't save me. They just washed my bottom and told me it was ok, but I didn't believe them. What if something came out and ate me? Or I washed down the drain?! That would not be ok! Besides all that, though, it was a very fun day. I think I like Easter!

Weekend Update with Jackson B

Phew! This has been such a busy week! I'm sorry I haven't updated this in a while. I have so so much to tell you.





Monday was St. Patrick's Day. My Mommy and Daddy didn't seem to do much besides put a green bib on me, but my friend Drew and his Mommy and Daddy (Kerry and Dave Luse) came to visit for the week and they seemed to think it was a bigger deal. They cooked something stinky that they called Corned Beef and Cabbage and Soda Bread. I didn't get to eat any of the corned beef or the cabbage, but Mommy snuck me a little piece of the soda bread when Daddy wasn't looking and it was really, really tasty!

On Wednesday, my Mommy fed me green beans. I think I've been a very good boy and eaten just about everything she has given me. But green beans are the absolute YUCKIEST! Oh, man, they are even worse than I thought peas were on that first day. And since I thought peas were so yucky at first, I thought maybe I'd try them again. But, no. They were probably yuckier than I remembered.

On Thursday, I got up with my Mommy and drove up to Indy to pick my Auntie La up from the airport. That was a long ride, but now Auntie La is here to play with me and it is lots of fun! And then on Friday we had a very big day. My friend Drew and his Mommy and Daddy had to go home, but then my Nona and Papa came to see me! I was so surprised when I finally saw my Nona and she wasn't in the box. I had to look at the computer just to be sure it was really her! It is lots and lots of fun to have Auntie La, Nona, AND Papa here! I never have to play by myself, and Papa even made my oatmeal taste just like peaches!

Friday was also my Half Birthday! I'm finally 6 months old! Mommy and Auntie La took me to get my pictures taken. We spent all morning at the picture place waiting for our turn. And then, when it finally was my turn, I got so hungry once the lady started taking my picture. But then Mommy fed me, and it turned out to be not so bad. I think I kind of like being the center of attention like that. We got to play a game called Patty Cake, and the lady tickled me with a flower, and everyone kept saying that I was such a cute baby. I like when people say that about me. It makes me smile. Although, when we got home Mommy took even more pictures of me, and that wasn't quite as much fun. I humored her for a little while, but its boring when she takes pictures.

Well, that is all that has been happening. The poll says that more people like avocado better. I sure do like avocado. Mommy sometimes mixes it with Banana and calles it Banana'cado, and that is super-yummy, too. I don't know, though. Those peas are just so tasty. Alright, Mommy says I have to go to bed so that the Easter Bunny can come. I'll let you know how that goes tomorrow. Bye!

Green Beans

Ingredients:

32 oz bag frozen green beans (no salt added!)

water

Directions:

1. Empty bag into a saucepan and cover with water.

2. Bring to a boil, and then continue to boil until beans are well-cooked. About 10 minutes.

3. Drain water and add beans to a food processor (I've found a food processor works much better than a blender for this.)

4. Pulse until you reach the desired consistency. I found that I did not need to add any extra water.

5. Freeze in ice cube trays as per usual. I got almost 3 cups.

Eat a peach!

I feel like I just started avocados and Mommy is already giving me new food. I guess she found some sort of sale at Wal-Mart, though, and decided to just go with it. I have to say, I'm glad she did. Peaches are really yummy! I'm not sure they are as good as avocados and peas, but they are right up there with bananas and sweet potatoes. Maybe they'd be better if they were green? I really like things that are green!



Pureed Peaches

Ingredients:

5 lbs fresh peaches

1/3 - 1/2 c thinning liquid

ice bath


Directions:
Put a big pot of water on to boil. While you wait, scrub the peaches clean.
Boil peaches (in batches) for about 5 minutes. Remove from boiling water and immediately plunge into ice bath. Let them sit there for at least 2 minutes.
Remove the skins and pits from the peaches. I was able to just use my hands to slip the skins right off and then break them open to get at the pit. Any time I had to use a knife, I found the peach was kind of bad anyway.
Add the peaches to a blender and puree with 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the water the peaches were boiled in. Nutrients leached out into the water during the boiling process. This time I used water instead of breastmilk because I was making a lot, and purees made with milk don't typically last as long as purees made with water.
Freeze as usual.
I actually lost 1 whole peach, and still got about 7 cups out of the batch.

Celebrating 3.14

Today is a very special day in the realm of Math Nerds everywhere. Yes, you guessed it. It's Pi Day! And we will be celebrating later this evening with actual pie and a screening of the film Pi. Have you seen it? It's... interesting. It was directed by Darren Aronofsky, who also did Requiem For A Dream. That movie was a little more popular, and it might change your mind about the film Pi if you made any assumptions based on the title. Anyway, here's Jack showing his team spirit. I would like to red-type, boldface, and underline (except I don't have the option) that I did NOT make this shirt for Jack. It was a gift. I know this is right up my alley, but I do not want to take credit for it. :) You can learn more about the number pi and Pi Day here. http://www.piday.org/ Happy Pi Day!

Audience Participation

We thought we'd kick this thing up a notch with a little audience participation. The jury is still out as to whether peas or avocado will reign supreme. We would like to know what you guys think. There is a poll to the right. Pick one (Peas or Avocado), and then click vote. We'll see which one comes out on top next week. :) And then if this goes well, we'll see what else you guys think. We want to hear from everybody, so go on... vote!

Have An Avocado!

Until this morning, I would have told you that my very most favorite food was peas. I loooove peas! But then this morning, my Mommy gave me the most wonderful fruit. And while I still need to think about it some more, I think peas may need to step aside for the amazing avocado. Avocado is soooo yummy! I wanted more and more, but Mommy wouldn't give me thirds because she was afraid I would throw up. And not only is it super tasty, she said it is so very good for me, too. There are lots and lots of good fats, and vitamins and minerals - I don't know about fats and mineral, but trust me, it doesn't taste anything at all like vitamins! I was pretty unhappy at the beginning because she made me wait so long for it while she mashed it all up, but in the end, I was really happy she did.

Not since the second day of peas (you may recall that the first did not go over so well at all) have we had such a positive reaction to a food. You can tell he is his father's son. I won't touch peas, avocado, or most green things in general. He seems to prefer them! And they were super-simple to whip up (although, it did seem like it took an eternity with Jack growing increasingly more impatient in the background.)




Avocado


Ingredients:


2 ripe Hass avocados (dark green and bumpy fruit that give to gentle pressure)


5 oz breastmilk (or other thinning liquid)




Directions:


1. Cut the avocado in half, use your knife to pull out the pit (like they do on the food network!), and then scoop out the meat. Cut it into large chunks and put it in the blender.


2. Add the breastmilk and puree.


3. If your baby isn't sensitive to citrus, add 1 T lemon juice per 2 avocado. As it is, Jack and I are exploring alternative methods of dealing with oxidation. Avocado, like banana, will turn brown if you're not careful. But also like banana, its ok to eat if it does. It just doesn't look very appetizing.

4. Freeze excess in covered trays. I got about 14 oz out of 2 avocado.

Jolly Spinner

I have the coolest Mommy ever! She bought me this awesome toy. I think she called it a Jolly Jumper, but I'm not really sure why. What I love to do in it is SPIN! I go around and around and around until I puke and Mommy makes me stop so she can clean me up. But the best part is, when I stop, the room keeps going! It is sooo much fun! Sometimes, when I try to chase my Mommy in it, it goes up and down, too, but that's not as much fun as around and around. I feel sorry for her because she's too big for it. I think everyone should have their own Jolly Jumper!

That time of year again

Citizens of Cyberspace, Readers of Jack's blog-lend me your eyes! For that great harbinger of spring has finally arrived! March is a maddening month. Snows fall harder and wind blows colder than they do in the depths of January. And yet, change is coming. Whispers of the coming warmer winds waft through the wakening branches. Spring is so thick in the air that you can practically taste it. And what does spring taste like? It is fresh and minty, like greening grass. Like peppermint. Yes, you guessed it. The one and only glorious Girl Scout cookie is finally upon us!





I can hear you scoff and snicker behind your flat-paneled screens. Girl Scout cookies?!? I've even heard people go so far as to condemn them as evil! But do not take the sins of their sickeningly-sweet sellers (surely a ruse to sell more product) and their over-pushy mothers (who no doubt have the remnants of years gone by stuffed into the forgotten recesses of their pantries and deep freezers and fear adding more to their overflowing shelves) out on the cookie. The Girl Scout cookie is a confection wonderous to behold. Take the Thin Mint. Granted, no one who ever indulged in just one cookie stopped there, and "thin" is not necessarily a word to be applied to its most avid fans. But the Thin Mint is a cookie oft replicated, but never duplicated. Keebler's Grasshopper does not compare to the mighty Thin Mint. Edy's has gone so far as to construct an entire ice cream around it! There's just something about them that stands above the rest. It is, for one, thinner. And mintier, I might add. And consider for a second the case of the Samoa. Who can have one and not ask for "some mo-uh?" Or the Do-Si-Do? No peanut butter cookie not already paired with some form of chocolate (purely the domain of the Tagalong) could be considered to be finer! Girl Scout cookies are as much a part of American Culture as Crackerjacks and apple pie. But, like an apple pie baked fresh in the fall, there is only one true time to enjoy this most tasty treat. And that time, my friends, is now. So as you bustle into your grocery stores to buy your organic produce and free-range chickens, pay with your debit card and press "yes" (a thousand times "YES!") to cash back! Because the fresh, minty taste of spring lies just beyond those automatic sliding doors, but it costs $3.50/box and comes in 8 tantalizing flavors.

Yummy Yams

Well, I guess technically they are sweet potatoes. Did you know that true yams can be 7 feet long and weigh 100 pounds? Me neither. Sweet potatoes are actually in the Morning Glory family. And best of all, Jack liked them right off the bat! His Nona had suggested we trying mixing them up with cereal, but we didn't need to do that. He just liked them as is, and who can blame him really? Sweet Potatoes are delish! We didn't get any good pictures, though. So here's an adorable one of Jack wearing his Daddy's hat while we were grilling burgers in the snow. Preparing Jack's sweet potatoes made me want my own, so we had burgers and sweet potato fries that night! I think Jack will like his Mama's sweet potato fries even better than her Yummy Yams!







Yummy Yams



Ingredients:



3 lbs sweet potatoes (3 medium-largish potatoes)



5 oz fresh breastmilk







Directions:



1. Cook your sweet potatoes. Personally, I think baking them (425 for 45-60 min) brings out something in the flavor, but they can be microwaved for 10 or 12 minutes without losing any nutrients and they taste almost as good. (Some would argue just as good.) Just make sure you prick them, wrap them, and put them on some sort of baking surface because they leak sweet potato juice all over the place.



2. Use a knife to peel off the skins. Try to leave the layer right next to the skin as much as possible since a lot of nutrients are found there. Older babies might like the skin, but it doesn't make for a very smooth puree.



3. Puree in a blender, adding the milk a bit at a time. If you find that your puree has fibrous strings, you need to try to remove them since they could be a choking hazard. Mine were fine right out of the blender, but the larger (read: older) the potato, the more fibrous they are. I saw somewhere to put them in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer. The strings should swirl around the beaters. If that fails, you're stuck with a seive. If you're feeling adventurous, you could add some cinnamon or some cumin and coriander to spice things up a bit!



4. Freeze in ice cube trays. This makes about 5 cups of puree.

Crossing Time Zones

This weekend was my first trip into Illinois and the Central Time Zone. I live 7 miles away from it, but I haven't really been there* yet. Of course, Mommy and Daddy didn't remember about the time change until we got half way there and Mommy was worried that we were running an hour late. It turned out we were right on time! We went to visit my cousins Nicholas, Zachary, and Madison. Nicholas and Zachary are big - 6 and 3 years old - but Madison is even littler than I am! She is only 10 weeks old, and almost exactly 3 months younger than me. She is exactly 6 months younger than my cousin Madelyn. We had lots of fun. I learned all about Star Wars from Nicholas, and I really enjoyed having other kids to play with. My Uncle Joe took about a million pictures of me with his fancy camera, but it made Mom happy so I put up with it. I had a really good time and I hope we get to go back and visit again soon!

*Mommy is starting me on my quest to get to all 50 states, but just driving through doesn't count. I actually have to see /do something or stay over night. When my Aunt Mimi came to visit, we drove her into Illinois so she could say she had been, but Mommy didn't count that for me since we just drove over the border and then turned around and drove back out.

Go Bananas!

I asked Jack if he wanted to tell you all about bananas, but he said I should just go ahead. He had a late night last night and is pretty tired. (The late night is our fault, not his. We brought him to a little get together at a friend's house, and let's just say it got a little out of hand...) Anyway, bananas went over almost exactly the same as peas. The first time we tried them, he didn't so much like them. Second time was the charm, though. He gobbled them up faster than he eats his peas! And let me tell you, that boy loves those peas! One of these days, we'll find something he likes the first time.

Bananas are super-simple to make, though. I don't know why anyone would spend money on banana puree. Seriously, if you happen to have a ripe banana, all you do is nuke it for 20 seconds to soften it up a little, put about a third of it in a bowl, and mash it with a fork. That's it. That's all. There is no more. Just feed the child the piece of ripe banana. It's cheap and easy. (That's what she said! Is that not appropriate for a child's blog?)

We've also started giving Jack a little water in a cup. We tried the Playtex sippy cup, but it is supposedly leak-proof, which basically means he has to work hard for it. He wasn't a fan. For some reason, he will NOT take water out of a bottle, but put it in a cup and he gulps it down. The more it looks like Mommy's water the better. So, we went for the toddler sippy cups. He makes a complete mess, but he has a grand old time doing it. Luckily, its just water. When we start juice, he may have to just suck it up and get used to those leak-proof sippy cups. ;-)

For anyone who cares, here is how to make mass quantities (about 3 cups) of banana puree. Contrary to popular belief, they can be frozen.





Mashed Nanas


Ingredients:


5 ripe bananas


3 oz breastmilk (or formula!)


3 T lemon juice

Directions


1. Microwave bananas for 20 seconds to soften them up (optional).


2. Place bananas and breastmilk in blender and puree until smooth.


3. Add 1 T lemon juice per cup of puree (should be about 3 cups), and stir thoroughly.


4. Freeze in ice cube trays. The lemon juice should keep the bananas from getting too brown. They might get a little brown, but brown is ok to eat. When you defrost them, if they need to be a little thicker, add a little rice cereal.

Peek-a-Boo?

So Mom has been doing this thing for a while that I think she calls Peek-a-Boo. Have you heard of it? She disappears for a second or two, and then magically reappers and shouts "Boo!" and starts laughing. She does it over and over, and frankly I was never really sure why she thought it was so funny. Sometimes I'd smile because she's so silly, but I wasn't really all that amused. But I have to tell you, she must have worn me down or something because when she did it today I definitely had to laugh. I still think she's just silly, but the disappearing/reappearing thing is a pretty cool trick. I admit, it's always a little scary when she disappears like that, but she always comes back, so it's ok. I don't know, though. She may just be crazy. Anybody else out there have a mom as nuts as mine?

Happy 5 Month Birthday To Me!

Hi Everybody! I'm 5 months old today! I think I like being 5 months old. Now I can sit all by myself and roll over and over to get to where I want to be instead of just where Mommy puts me! I have even figured out that if I can just get my butt up in the air, I can push myself forward, too. It works even better when I can get my knees underneath me, but that is a lot harder to do. Also, I've changed my mind. Despite what I thought yesterday, peas are NOT yucky! They are actually pretty yummy. They are so yummy that I made Mommy give me 3 helpings for breakfast today. I just couldn't get enough! I don't know what my problem was yesterday. Maybe it was Daddy waking me up at that ungodly hour of 9:15, or all the cameras Mommy and Daddy had set up, or a combination of the two perhaps. Whatever it was, those peas did NOT taste like that yesterday! I'm so happy Mommy made me try them again.

Give Peas A Chance

Peas are so yucky! I tried them, I did. And at first they weren't so bad, you know? I mean, they were a little different, but I could handle it. But then, as I kept eating, I don't know, they just got yucky! I started gagging and coughing and I couldn't keep my face from doing funny things. I was even shaking they were so yucky! And the worst part was that Mommy just kept laughing at me! What kind of Mommy does that?? I'm so mad I have to take a nap.
Yeah, it's true. I'm mean. I laughed as he sat there gagging and shuddering at the awfulness of the peas. He did give them a chance, though. He had 4 or 5 bites before they got to him. I do feel kind of bad for laughing. It reminded me almost exactly of my last encounter with eggplant. It started out ok, but after a few bites I was sure I was going to throw up. So, I stopped torturing him. What he doesn't know is that this isn't over. We're going to try Dr. Alan Greene's method. He says you have to feed the detested food as the first bite for 10 days in a row. When they start spitting it out and not taking any more, switch to something they do like. After 10 days, 85% of pea-haters in his study had become pea-lovers! So, we'll see. I would like to point out that, while I too detest peas, these peas really weren't that bad. I've tasted jarred baby food peas (at my baby shower, thank you Sarah) and they are pretty awful. I made these myself, though. And honestly, these had a nice sweetness to them. So maybe it'll get better.



Whirled Peas

32 oz bag frozen peas

5 oz (fresh- not frozen!) breast milk

water

ice bath



Directions:
1. Cook peas in the microwave in two batches as per package instructions. I cooked half the bag with 1/4 cup water for 7 minutes.

2. Reserving cooking liquid, pour peas into fine mesh strainer and plunge immediately into ice bath. This makes a smoother puree, allows anything that shouldn't be there to float to the top (like pea pods), and kind of washes off any excess salt that was added in the freezing process.

3. Blend the peas to a fine puree using the cooking liquid and breastmilk to help thin the puree. It works best to start with just half the first batch of peas and gradually add the rest.

4. Pour puree back into fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Stir to force puree through the mesh to remove all the skins. Once you're left with mostly skins, give what is in the bowl a nice stir. Dish out whatever you will use fresh, and then freeze the rest. This makes lots.

Welcome!

Mommy and I decided we need a better way to keep in touch with all of our family and friends, and this seemed like the perfect way! We decided that this would be my blog, but mommy would help me out and be allowed to contribute whenever she wants to. We probably should have done this sooner since I'm already just about 5 months old, but we've been pretty busy. Anyway, Mommy wants to say a few words now.

So, considering the fact that most of the people we care about live many hours away, we should have done this a lot sooner. In my defense, I point to the fact that no self-respecting, brand-new Mom has time for such silly things as brushing her teeth much less blogging. But in the last month or so, Jack has decided that his day needs a bit of structure - a schedule if you will. So now, at least on good days, I get two solid naps out of him which leaves me time for silly things like teeth brushing and blogging. Well, as long as I ignore the piles of dishes and mountains of laundry. :)
Anyway, this is just a little welcome to my and Jackson's world. The real fun begins tomorrow when we start peas! I am so excited! I don't really like peas, but I am going to get so much satisfaction out of inflicting them on my son. Why? Because I'm the Mommy and I can, that's why! Do I need any other reason? He even has a t-shirt that I bought while I was still very pregnant in anticipation of this day. It is really cute. It says, "All Mom is saying is give peas a chance." I can't wait to see what happens!

Alright, well, that's all for right now. We'll let you know how the peas go. Mommy swears that I'll like them, but I'm not so sure.