Music Man in the Making

Wesley is pretty much a mini-me of Corey looks-wise, and now he's starting to pick up on some of his interests as well.  He loves guitar time with 'da'!

Making Homemade Baby Food

It all started when a friend let me borrow her Beaba Babycook Baby Food Maker.  I thought I might occasionally use it when Wesley began eating solid foods, but I would say I have made 90-95% of what he's eaten as far as baby food purees go.  I started with bananas, and the list just grew.  It is so easy and fun to make, and you know exactly what is in the food you are giving to your child - plus, it is less expensive than buying pre-made baby food.  This past weekend I made him nectarines.  Here is a quick 'how to':

(Just a note - this can also be done by steaming the fruit/veggies on the stove, then pureeing them in a food processor/blender)

 Start with 2 or 3 medium/large nectarines

 

 Peel the fruit (I like to buy fruit that is not quite ripe, because it is firm and easier to peel) 

 

 After the fruit is peeled, cut it up into large chunks

 

Now it is ready to go into the steam basket of the Babycook machine

Scoop up the diced fruit and put it into the steam basket inside the mixer bowl

Pour water into the reservoir, put the lid on, and turn the knob to steam; the light on the knob goes off when the steaming has completed so you know it is done!

Once the fruit has steamed, separate the steam basket from the mixer bowl

 

 

Pour the liquid into a measuring cup, so it can be added to the fruit as it is pureeing to bring to the desired consistancy (smoother for younger babies, 'chunky' for older babies)

Also, if I have room in my ice cube trays I'll freeze any extra liquid and add the cubes to Wesley's water/juice in his sippy cup to sweeten it or put a cube in his fresh food feeder to help with teething pain

Dump the steamed fruit from the steam basket into the mixing bowl

Put the lid on and turn the knob to puree

 

Add the reserved liquid as needed to desired consistency

Pour the puree directly into ice cube trays to freeze

 

Once the puree is frozen

 

Pop them out of the ice tray

 

Label a freezer bag with the name of the fruit and the date it was made, and freeze up to 3 months

Get a couple cubes out of the freezer and let sit at room temperature to defrost (or microwave if you are in a hurry) for meal time!

'New' favorite toy

Wesley has had so much fun playing with the laundry basket lately - maybe some day I can actually get him to help me out with the laundry?  Its mostly his stuff these days anyway!

Baylee is 9!

Our first 'child', Baylee Abigale,  is 9 years old today!  That's 49 in doggy years according to
http://www.onlineconversion.com/dogyears.htm!  However old she may be, she is a treasured member of our family, our only fur person, and we will be taking her out for ice cream later today to celebrate :) 

Interesting Baylee facts:

• She is a she - I guess b/c she is a large breed people assume she's male
• She is a Boxer
• Her name was going to be Nike if she wasn't purchased out of her litter b/c of a small marking on her hip, which now just looks like a white spot
• She was the runt of her litter
• Her nicknames are Bales, Booty, Pooty, Baylee girl, and Bubs
• She is an inside dog
• She doesn't shed much, usually only a couple times a year it is even noticeable
• She begs for people food like no other.  But, you can leave your plate of food on the table within her reach and she won't touch it!
• She listens and obeys better than any other dog I've ever been around - seriously.
• She snores horribly, but if we ask her to go to the living room and lay on her bed, she goes
• The rule in my house is dogs stay out of the kitchen, and she does.  Right on the edge though, so she can still see what I'm doing :)
• She knows when we are leaving - and she is going.  She has been known to get in the car and not get out while we are packing so she doesn't get left behind!
• When she is excited, she curls up in the shape of a 'C'
• She LOVES Corey - she tolerates me and Wesley :)

She is the best pet I've ever owned (co-owned I guess) and it makes it hard to think about ever having another dog!  She's set a high standard!  We love you Bales.  You are a great big-sister!!  Happy Birthday!

8 Months!!

Our little man is 8 months old today!  Everyone said they grow up so fast, but I didn't know just how fast until I had my own child.  He is learning so much so quickly these days, and has changed so dramatically since he was born I can hardly keep up sometimes.  Wesley we love you so very much and are so thankful to have you in our lives each and every day!  Happy 8 months bubba!

Wesley stats:

• Head circumference -18in (80%)
• Weight -19lbs (30%)
• Length -28.5in (70%)
• Clothes - 6/9 month in tops, pants, and sleepers.  I think 6/9 months only goes to 20.5 lbs though, so we are close to 12 month sizes.  No shoes yet - I figure he can't walk, why does he need shoes?
• Food - 5-6 6oz bottles per day and 3 solid feedings, plus a snack.  He is a great eater!  Fruits he eats include apples, peaches, mango, plum, kiwi, banana, pears, prunes, and nectarines.  Veggies include avacado, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, sweet peas, carrots, zucchini, and some mashed potatoes. For snacks we do Yo Baby yogurt, Gerber puffs, or rice rusks.  He is pretty good with his sippy cup now, and gets that with his solid food.  I'll give him very diluted juice (apple or prune) or just water most of the time.  He has two teeth (lower two) so I'm sure he'll be eating more of a variety of foods very soon.
• Sleep - Around 7 months he began sleeping through the night some nights, but teething starting around the same time so its been kind of off and on. If he does wake, its usually only once or twice per night.
  As for naps, he is pretty much down to two naps a day.  However, if one of his naps is not long enough during the day (2 hours or more), he will get tired in the evening so I'll let him sleep for an hour or so then wake him up so he will sleep that night. 
• Talents/interests - Crawling all over the place!  Pulling up on everything as well.  He can say 'da da' and 'bubba', and a garbled version of 'momma' when he is upset.  He loves when daddy plays guitar for him!  He is a big fan of the pool, and swimming and splashing.  He is quite fond of Baylee and giggles when she licks his hands and feet.  I would have to say one of his favorite things to do right now is to blow bubbles on any thing he can find - your leg, your shoulder, the leather recliner, his arm...it is hysterical!

We love you Wesley man!

Pulling Up!

Wesley has been pulling up on EVERYTHING lately!  Here are a few pictures of his new talent:

The bar stool in the kitchen

His walker

His crib

My leg

And the toilet

I don't condone the last one, but I did have to snap a quick photo of it so I have it on record :)  By the way, I keep a pretty clean bathroom but I did go ahead and wash his hands and change his clothes after this!