Beech-Nut Organic review and giveaway!

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Beech-Nut. I received a free coupon to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Let's face it, not all baby food is created equal.

For the most part, my kids are fed exactly what I am eating. It's called baby-led-weaning. I allow solid food to be an explorative experience rather than worrying about their calorie intake, because they will eat when they are hungry (and in Ruby's case, she is still breastfed so I can rest assured that she will still get the nutrition that she needs). But there are plenty of times where solid foods aren't as convenient as pre-made baby food. But some baby food tasted down right bad. Like, I'm not even surprised that they don't want to eat what I'm trying to feed them. So I've learned (thanks to the pickiness of my own kids) which baby foods are actually tasty.

Recently I put the Beech-Nut organic line to the test. I chose the "just apple, raspberry & avocado" flavor combination because avocado smoothies are a big hit around here.

Silly me, I tried feeding Ruby with a spoon to give her a taste. She obliged me for one try, but quickly gave me this look like "I can do this myself, mom!" and started grabbing the spoon from my hand. We played this game for a few seconds, while she furiously signed "more! more" and pointed to the jar. So I pulled out a straw and let Little Miss Independent go for it!

Do I need to say that it was a hit? Yes, it was a hit! It honestly wasn't that surprising because when I tasted it myself, it was pretty yummy!

My main priority in prepared food purchases is always the check the ingredients. Do I know and understand what's inside? No worries here - there aren't even any preservatives listed. It's just like as if I made it at home myself! They use a special technique which includes cold puree and deaeration that keeps the food looking, smelling and tasting natural.

Beech-Nut can be found at  Kroger, Babies “R” Us, Wegmans, Price Chopper, Wakefern, Walmart.com,  Winn-Dixie, BI-LO, Stop & Shop, Giant Carlisle, A&P, Pathmark, Albertsons, Hannaford, Raley’s, Meijer, Nugget Market, Diapers.com, Harris Teeter, Shaw's, ACME, Shoppers Food and Cub Foods. But that's a really long list, so you can just use this handy store locator to find a Beech-Nut retailer near you!

Want to try Beech-Nut too? Enter the giveaway below to win a coupon for free product!

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Disclosure:

Ruby: 10 months

It's been a loooooooooooong time since I've A) sat down to write a blog post dedicated to Ruby and B) wrote in her baby book. Upon a quick blog search, it looks like the last time I checked in on her was at 6 months.

Well, a lot has happened since then.

Namely, crawling. Standing. Pulling up. Eating solids (which started at the 6 month mark, much to my trepidation).

This past week I was reminded that I need to update something somewhere about her, to put it down someplace besides my memory because that just doesn't work. The term "preggy brain" suggests that after your pregnancy is complete that you get your normally functioning brain back, but no - it gets worse, especially after 2 kids. So call my mind a jigsaw puzzle and don't laugh that I need to take a picture of the grocery list that I write on my fridge because I know I'd lose the list somewhere along the way to the store, but the chances of me losing my phone is slim to none. Knock on wood.

Back to Ruby. See what I mean about this brain?

This boisterous little being, who I thought was going to be a fairly chill girl who goes along for the ride, is now making her presence and desires quite known. Until lately I had to spend a lot of my time making sure that she is "protected" from her sister's over exuberant love and found out one day that sometimes, when Penny decides it's appropriate to sit on her sister like a horse, rather that finding Ruby distraught with her face pushed into the carpet, she is actually kind of bouncing for Penny and laughing along with her. Huh.

And then there's the times, like tonight, where they are in the bath together and Penny snatches the washrag from Ruby that she had been happily flailing around, Ruby screams bloody murder to alert me. And then she gives warning shrieks to Penny if her hands get too close again.

This mama heart of mine is so full of love for this girl.

She claps, does this cute tongue wiggle thing (which Penny exclaims, each and every time, "such a tiny little tongue!") and has started to wave. At her 9 month well child she was 19 lbs 3 oz (66%'ile) and 28.25" tall (71 %'ile). In comparison, her sister was 18 lbs and considerably shorter at this age. She crawls with her belly off the ground and I anticipate that the walker will become more than a stationary toy for her shortly. She normally wakes up around 6am, is ready for a 20 minute snooze around 8:30 or 9 and goes down for a long nap at noon (the same time as Penny). The evenings get a little dicey because she wants to nap around 4, but instead I try to have dinner around 5 and baths at 6 with her bedtime as close to 7.

A few big changes have happened this week and it makes me realize that while I am reveling in this rolly polly, squishy, round baby, she is all too quickly growing up. Firstly she's moving up to Penny's previous convertible car seat, a Britax Pavilion. She (and her 34 month sister) are still rear-facing.

The second and definitely bigger change is that she is now taking naps and starting the evening in the pack n play. We are a bed sharing family; Penny slept with us until she was 18 months old and I never saw use in buying an actual crib. When Penny was around the same age I started transitioning her to daytime naps in the pack n play because I typically don't nap with the kids and there comes a time where they silently wake up and start crawling away from their spot in the middle of the bed and run the risk of falling. As a long term bed sharing family we've taken all of the necessary precautions by putting the mattress on the floor and exercise as much caution as possible, but at this age it makes the most sense to me to put her in a pack n play when I don't sleep with her.

This was almost a heart wrenching decision for me. For some reason I had a lot of guilt in this on the first day that I made the switch. I wasn't sure why, because I transitioned Penny to napping in the pack n play at this age too. However, as another example of how Ruby is different from her sister, Ruby loves sleeping in it. I nurse her down for her nap, stand up and rock her for a minute and lay her down. She usually rolls over onto her side or tummy, gives a little sigh and is off to lala land. Her sister required patting, shushing, singing and sneaking out. I have to admit, I feel so much better knowing that she doesn't feel abandoned!

She's already got a "dada" and "mama" down, we're working on finding something that she can call Penny.

Breastfeeding through pregnancy

This past November marked a year since my older daughter, Penny, weaned on her own. She was about 20 months old and I was halfway through my second pregnancy with her little sister, Ruby. Choosing to nurse through pregnancy was not a decision that was lightly made; but it was a pure conviction that this was right for my girl and I. 

___

When I became pregnant with my second child in June of 2013, I realized I had a big decision to make. My daughter, Penny, was 16 months old, and I was no where close to being ready or willing to wean her. Was it possible, or even recommended, for me to continue nursing through my pregnancy?

My gut reaction was that yes; I can and should. My daughter still nursed 4-5 times a day and although she was nearing night weaning, I wasn't ever planning to make us quit cold-turkey. Even knowing in my heart that I wanted to continue to nurse, I knew I'd have a tough road ahead of me.

At the end of my first trimester I blogged about why continuing to breastfeed in the early part of my pregnancy was my saving grace. No, it wasn't always comfortable. Pregnancy hormones were coursing through my body, I was sore and nauseated. But for my toddler none of that made a difference. She had no idea why mama was so tired all the time. Some moms might think that breastfeeding during pregnancy is inconvenient, another worry on their plate on what to do when the new baby comes, but for me it was a break. It was a break throughout the day, several times, to just rest and relax with my daughter...because Lord knows there was little else to stop her!

In my second trimester the discomfort truly began to peak but I still pushed on. I purchased Adventures in Tandem Nursing to read up on what to expect and how to help cope.  As my belly ballooned we started side nursing more often and she began to naturally cut back on frequency and duration. I began to suspect that I was drying up at around the 17-18 week mark, and there were many times where nursing was just plain painful. I put up a few boundaries to help keep the nursing relationship a beneficial and enjoyable one for the both of us and that worked for the following month.

At 23 weeks we took our planned babymoon. Because nursing had steadily decreased to only 1-2 times during the day and once at night time, I prepared myself that the night before we left may very well be the last time I nurse Penny. It's fairly common for that age to wean over night, especially because I had never spent a night away from her until that night. So I snuggled my Penny close, quietly reflected on the past 20 months that we shared this special bond, and let it go. My husband and I left her in the capable hands of her grandparents and took a refreshing break to prepare for our second child (that was due the day before Penny's 2nd birthday...but she had other plans!). When we returned, Penny wasn't terribly interested and I never offered again. Weaning her was an emotional time for me, it meant that after a 9 month pregnancy and 20 months of nursing, she no longer physically needed me for nourishment. But the excitement of the next baby coming eased my heart a little, and I wondered if she would regain interested once she saw her little sister nursing.

Ruby was born a week after her sister's 2nd birthday, and my oh my how my life has changed! Having 2 children just a hair over 2 years apart has not been easy, but also has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. As Ruby grows and gains more mobility, Penny has begun to interact with her more and I catch some of the sweetest moments that they share together. Though Penny never asked to nurse again, she understands the importance of it. Sometimes when Ruby is crying, she exasperatingly says "Mama, give Ruby MILK!"

This was originally published as a gust post on Mama Pure.

New Tot Happy Morning Food Pouches from Happy Family review/giveaway

The Happy Family brand of baby/toddler food has been a favorite in our house from when Penny started her journey in baby-led weaning. 

They offer a wide range of prepared foods that are all organic and non-gmo, which is super important to us. 

The new flavors in pouches that they've rolled out are:

All of Happy Family products offers the same level of care 

for what goes into your little one's tummy by making sure that everything is:

Organic
Non-GMO
BPA-free packaging
No added sugar
No artificial flavors or colors
No preservatives

When you read the ingredients label, you know exactly what is in there. Nothing along the lines of "mono____" or "daosdiasdxxic acid" (ok, the second one I totally made up but you get my point).
These were easy to share with Penny because they feature fruits that Penny already loves.

So who wants to sample (uhm, I mean have their little one) these delicious new flavors? 

One Pierogie Mama reader will win a case of mixed flavor Happy Tot Morning -
that is a total of 16 pouches, 8 of each flavor!

This giveaway has ended. Thanks to all who entered!

You can order Happy Family Happy Tot products online at Amazon 
or find the new flavors at Target!

Disclosure: I received free samples in exchange for my honest review. This post contains affiliate links.

Toddler Friendly Smoothies Using Avocado

I recently discovered how amazing it is to add an avocado to smoothies. My household has a certain love affair with avocados, so I decided to give this a shot after a friend recommended it to me. Not going to lie, this was an amazing discovery. I think avocado needs to find its way into every corner of my cooking. Into my cereal, into my coffee.. yea, that part I was kidding about.

Avocados are considered the perfect food by many, it's been said that an avocado contains many of the nutrients we need to survive. It's a great first food for babies as well - Penny was chowing down on slices by the fistful when we introduced her to foods via baby-led weaning. Hanna from Endless Simmer hilariously recants the etymology behind the word: "...avocado is a derivative of ahuacatl, which happens to be the Aztec word for testicle.  The avocado grows in pairs, dangling from the tree so suggestively that even the Aztecs noticed, pausing long enough from their daily blood sacrifice to chuckle to themselves and bestow the avocado with its legacy."  Will you ever look at avocados the same again? ;)


But isn't the hardest part first selecting the perfect avocado? Avocado Central has a great interactive widget to help you determine the stage of your avocado's ripeness.

The Freckled Avocado
mmm, our favorite!

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 5 medium to large frozen organic strawberries 
• 1 cup of plain or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt 
• 2 Tablespoons of local honey

The Tropical Avocado

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 1 peeled and frozen banana 
• 1 cup of plain or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt 
• 1 cup of fresh orange juice 
• 2 tablespoons of local honey

The Chocolate Avocado

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 cup of plain or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

The Red Avocado

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 1 cup fresh orange juice 
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

A few that we'd like to try:

Beet- Avocado: from We are Not Martha

• 2 small beets
• 1 C vanilla soy milk (I used Silk Light)
• 3/4 C frozen berries
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 C baby spinach
• 1 scoop (10 grams) chia seeds

Avocado Apple: from Cooking Classy

• 1 medium ripe California avocado
• 1 large granny smith apple, chilled, cored and sliced
• 1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen
• 1 Navel orange, chilled and peeled
• 2 cups packed spinach
• 1 cup almond milk, chilled
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tsp agave nectar or honey, or to taste (optional)
• 8 ice cubes (about 1 1/3 cups)

Avocado Mango: from Reboot with Joe

• 1 cup mango (fresh or frozen) 
• 3 handfuls spinach
• 1/4 avocado 
• 1 cup almond milk- add a little water if you like your smoothie thinner 

Do you like to add avocado to your smoothies? What is your favorite combination? 

Toddler Lunch: Crispy Baked Zucchini Coins

Miss Penny has become quite the little fruity-vore. Lately all I can get her to eat willingly and with gusto are berries. This isn't a huge concern to me since she's still breastfeeding but the mama of this Pierogie wants to make sure she's getting all of her veggies too.

Today I tried a new tactic. With new teeth breaking through, Penny has been wanting crunchy but also really likes the soft juicyness that berries provide. So I tested out this little idea and it was a total hit :)

You will need:

1 zucchini, washed
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1/8 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk

You will do:
1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2. Combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese in a small dish.
3. Slice the zucchini into thick coins or sticks.
4. Dip the coins/sticks into milk and toss into breadcrumb mix, ensuring they are evenly coated.
5. Arrange onto a non-stick baking pan, top with additional Parmesan if it suits you.
6. Bake at 450°F for about 10 minutes, gently flip them over and bake for another 5 minutes.

Allow to cool and serve to your toddler with a side of marinara sauce. Oh, and these are definitely mama friendly too :)

The fastest year of my life: Penny is 1 year old

Welcome to Post #101!

Little Pennypot-

Yes, I am 11 days late in writing you your 1st year birthday letter. Oops! You already know how busy mama and daddy's life is, but I promise you that all this moving around is the path that we're working on to get us into the perfect home and perfect job for daddy. We just have to be patient. Luckily you love exploring new places so this new home has been a total adventure for you.

It seems like just yesterday that we brought you home. You were so small! As your mama I accepted you wholly for who you were, but looking back now it is simply unbelievable how perfectly portioned you were.

Every time I look at this picture of you at a mere 48 hours old, I'm astounded by how different yet the same you look.  Every time I look at this picture, I am reminded of the very sudden waves of different emotions I had during those first two days. Utter and complete love. Fear, as your weight was dropping and I was so afraid of losing you (your dad did a great job at diffusing those fears, reminding me how strong you and I are). Admiration. Your smell. Literally intoxicating.  I should also mention that for the first probably 6 weeks of your life you were usually only dressed in a diaper and wrapped in a snugly "luly." I preferred the skin on skin contact and honestly..was just too tired to dress you.

Looking at you now, still a short little cutie pie but in a very independent toddler frame.  It was only a short while ago where all you needed was to lay snuggled inside of me, and later n my arms. Although we don't spend as much time laying together, it's become more special because now you search out mama or daddy's embrace.

Sweet Penelope, I never knew love until I met you. Love was stirred in my heart in ways it never has before, I never understood the depths of commitment or selflessness until I had you to care for. You were, are, the perfect reason to remember why every day is so precious.

Some of my most cherished memories in the past year..

• watching your daddy pat you to sleep on his chest to the tune of "Sweet Child of Mine" in your first couple weeks.
• the first time we shared a laugh together.
• you crawling around calling for mama or dada.
• the way you play ball with Squirty.
• as a newborn, how your cheeks would droop so low (almost to your shoulders) when you were so ready for a nap. You never cried for your naps, you just got very quiet, still, contemplative and droopy.
• how you know exactly what the Boppy represents and how quickly you come clambering over to me, demolishing everything in your path to get to me as quickly as possible!
• the look of recognition when you see your grandparents, uncles and aunts, and cousins.
• how absolutely tickled pink you used to be when you saw this silly chicken keychain that played the Chicken Dance.
• the certain icy blue your eyes turn when you are just about to fall asleep.
• how you wake up happy and with a clean slate every day. It's something I aspire to do too.

Happy Family Toddler Food Review and Giveaway!

Today I'm pleased to share with you a little bit about Happy Family baby food!

We first introduced Penny to solid foods at about 6 1/2 months via the baby-led weaning route. She started out with soft food, like avocado, and has since graduated to pretty close to eating exactly what we eat at every meal (reduced to bite sized portions, of course!). But as adults, we are prone to fall into our own routines and I know that not everything I eat is completely nutritious (we all know about my borderline unhealthy chocolate addiction) and certainly not organic, even though we are edging closer and closer to eating as naturally as possible.

However, as wholesome and nutritious as I endevour to be, it's not always possible. Some foods just aren't available in organic options where I live. So I decided that it was time to take a look at what kind of baby/toddler food is available on the market that fills in the gaps at home. I wanted to be sure that if I am going to be paying for baby specific food it needed be above the ordinary.

So when I discovered the Happy Family brand of baby and toddler food, I was able to breathe a big sigh of relief.  Why? Because their baby food is all organic and many ingredients are non-GMO certified (for a list of their non-GMO certified products, click here). GMOs or "genetically modified organisms" are a big deal for this mama, I've made the commitment to making sure Penny stays away from the whenever possible and am working on cutting them out of my and Adam's diets as well.

Along with having the standard flavors for baby food (pears and butternut squash), there's also a wide variety of ingredients that aren't old fashioned standard, such as kale. Or grains that I've never even heard of - like salba.







For this post we reviewed Happy Yogis, Happy Tot Meal Bowls, Happy Tot and Happy Tot Plus food pouches and Happy Munchies.

Because I am a stay at home mama and love to cook, it isn't very often that I use prepared baby food at home. But when we are out and about, it's a different story. Although Penny is still nursing, as a mama of a very interested toddler it's becoming more and more difficult to just sit down and nurse for a beat. Playing peek-a-boo with the hooter-hider is Penny's favorite game, but definitely not mine!

So for short trips away from home I keep a few different treats in the diaper bag handy. I like to use Happy Yogis and Munchies in the car. If Penny is getting a little grumpy I can pass them back without really worrying about her making too big of a mess back there. The Yogis are little freeze dried drops of yogurt and fruit with pre- and pro-biotics. We were able to try the Mixed Berry flavor and Penny is definitely a fan. They melt quickly, which is great for babies just trying out the concept. As for the Munchies, we've tried out both the rice cakes and cheese and veggie snack...Which remind me a little of Pirate Booty! These have been Penny's favorite lately as she's sprouted 4 teeth since January and is in super crunchy mode.

The food pouches are also a major hit. When we're out on longer shopping excursions and again, Penny is getting grumpy, these are a nice way to momentarily distract her and help us keep going. It seems like my coping mechanism to a fussy toddler is to shovel food at her.. lol! But I convince myself that it's ok because it's full of healthy fruits, veggies and grains instead of sugary snacks. It's also been great on the nights where I don't have my stuff together for dinner and we end up with something simple, but Penny can supplement with a Tot pouch.

Penny's favorite pouches tend to be the sweeter ones (go figure) with fruit. Her favorite by far is the strawberry, kiwi, beet and pear pouch. We've found that the green beans, pear and pea Tot pouches are a little thick and pasty for Penny's tastes, so she wasn't an immediate fan.

Last night Penny had vegetable ravioli in the Toddler Meal Bowl. The little raviolis were so darling and perfectly bite sized! Penny went pretty crazy, signing "more" as soon as each bite was in her mouth! I loved this meal bowl because it keeps in line it our baby-led weaning technique of feeding her foods as similar to ours as possible.

So in short, the Happy Family brand of baby/toddler food is a great choice for making sure your little one is getting wholesome, organic food whether you are on the go or at home.

Love what you see? Happy Family didn't only set me up with these yummy delights, they are giving away a coupon package for The Pierogie Mama readers too! Check out the Rafflecopter widget below.

This giveaway is over - thanks to all for entering! 

Keep an eye out for more Pierogie Mama Giveaways.

Open to US residents only.
Disclosure: Thank you to Happy Family for sending me manufacturer's coupons to facilitate this post and to provide an honest review.  All opinions in this post are my own.

11.5 months

What is up with me forgetting to commemorate Penny's monthly milestones?? You can bet that I won't forget the big one in less than two weeks..

So here's a quick catch up of what's been going on in the last 6 weeks:

Food:

• Faves: scrambled eggs with Feta, pears, Happy Family pouches

• Not so faves: oatmeal, acorn squash, green beans

 New skills:

• Uhm, WALKING! Although she took her first steps right after Christmas, we now have a 100% walking toddler. 
• Loves to carry things around, like her (my) stuffed kitty or packages of Ramen (?)
• Tries to play ball with Squirt! It is the sweetest thing! Or she'll just try to stick it straight in his mouth.
• Standing on top of things, crawling up and down the stairs
• Loves, loves, loves books. She'll turn the pages and "read out loud" to us too. 
• Kisses her baby doll and other toys.

Teeth:

• At the end of January her top two teeth popped through
• On Monday her right lateral incisor made its debut
• Currently working on getting the left one out, which seems to be a lot harder than the other one. Lots of snot and very little sleep for mama and baby :(

My sweets: 10 months

Dear Penny,

While I was pregnant, I had a serious problem with the sweets. No joke. I used to say that you were taking all the sweetness out of me, so I needed to make up for it. You are definitely my little sugar bug, and although I don't regret sharing my sweets with you, I have to pay a high price for it at the dentist.. 

Your mama tries to be brave, but the dentist is definitely her least favorite place to be. And she's going to have to visit him A LOT in the next few months.

But back to you -

This month you've...

• started standing on your own! I thought you might be walking too, but these were just you attempting to gain balance.
• learned how to clap. At first you just fist bumped yourself, and then moved to having one hand open and the other in a fist, now it's full on baby claps :) You mostly clap when you want something.
• New foods: roasted butternut squash, pasta with a little bit of sauce, scrambled eggs (a hit!), roasted cauliflower, ham and cuties. Pears and chicken remain as top favorite. We've also pulled out our juicer and have experimented with different flavors, such apple/carrot, and apple/pear.
• We thought you might have a dairy allergy, after giving you some dehydrated yogurt drops you broke out in hives. It wasn't the first time you had yogurt before, so it was a little strange. After a few days we tried plain yogurt without any problems, so it must have been a fluke!
• expanded your babbling vocabulary. No new words, but we are still working on "up," identifying 'dada,' where our nose is, and 'woof' when we see the doggies. 
• kept mama and daddy guessing as to when more teeth will come.. but right now we're still at DEUX DENTS.
• weighed in at 18 lbs 6 oz, 28.5 inches.
• developed this amazingly high pitched little girl scream. It can be deafening!

In less than 2 months, you will be a YEAR old! We've got to get that birthday party planned!

Love always,
Mama and Daddy

9 months

Hmmmm... I'm a little behind on this one.

Dear Penelope,

This month has been SO much fun. Your auntie once said that if she could keep a baby at the same age for ever, it would be 9 months. I whole heartedly agree. I can really see your feisty personality shine though - definitely something you picked up from both your daddy and I.

You like to...

• walk with a walker
• toss your head around and get yourself all dizzy
• breathe onto the shower glass and laugh at the steam
• constantly talk! You've picked up "lala," "burrrrr" 
• crawl around with lightning speed! When you get out of my sight, we play "Where's Penny?" and you squeal until I find you.. Sort of a Marco-Polo game.
• pet Romeo and Squirt - yes, you have learned not to pull on their fur so much anymore and they are becoming more tolerant of your presence. 
• One big surprise this month: you LOVE pickles (you are such a Polish baby!). We couldn't pry them out of your hand even if we wanted to.  You also like puffs, apples, celery, bread with a little bit of jam, and you go crazy for pears, chicken and coconut water in your sippy. You also went through a phase where you liked yams, but now you're sort of ambivalent to many vegetables.
• sleep on your tummy 
• "motorboat" pretty much anything. That is how you give me kisses :)
• experiment with your voice.. You learned about your echo the other day!
  
  

This month we have been working on you learning "uh oh" and "up," and I think "up" is coming along much more quickly. You're not saying it, but when I ask if you want "up" you reach up and clearly want to be picked up.

We weighed you at the begining of November and you were just under 18 lbs.

You also caught your second cold. The worst passed through quickly, but that stuffy nose still sticks around. You took it like a champ and were pretty good natured about it, and there were lots of extra snuggles to be had. 

And you've developed a new nickname..

As always, we love you so much little Pennypot.
Love,
Mama and Daddy

8 (eight, osiem, ocho, huit) months

Penny-pot:

Sweet girl, you've got mama and daddy running around in circles after you this month. You've pulled so many new tricks out of your hat. You continue to be such a joy to us, you always make your needs known and there is so little guesswork when it comes to you.

Penny's new skills this month:

• Food: because two of the weeks this month we were battling some sickies, there hasn't been a whole lot of new foods introduced. She loves steamed pumpkin and asparagus. She's tried a bit of home made jam, cucumbers, bananas (still not a huge fan), she's played with a spaghetti noodle but didn't quite connect that it could be eaten as well.
• She started with scooting, then graduated to a few crawl-steps at a time, and now we're in full on crawl-sprint. She's even faster when uninhibited by clothes.
• She pulls herself up onto everything - she insists on being Queen of the Mountain. No matter how tall or short, she's got to be on top of it. I tested just putting a piece of paper on the floor and no surprise, Penny bee-lined to it and had to land that cute belly on top of it.
• In the last few days she's even shocked us when she simply chooses to let go.. luckily, that big fluffy butt of hers pads her fall ;)
•  She now loves to crawl around in the bath tub and splash with her hands. 
• In the middle of the month, her bottom two teeth broke though. I was so shocked because she didn't give us any indication that they were coming. She wasn't fussy or overly drooly. One afternoon, I let her taste some of our home made spiced pear jam from my finger and I felt something sharp.. I checked again and there were definitely some little white caps in there! It took about another two weeks for them to be visible above the gum line.
• Her sleep has varied a lot this month. In retrospect, I should have guessed that her teeth were bothering her. Normally she likes to sleep between mama and daddy, but doesn't really need either of our warmth. The couple weeks leading up to her teeth breaking through, she needed to be snuggled up to me or sleeping on top of me (which hasn't been a requirement from her for a very long time - I usually pull her onto me in the early morning for my sake). Now that her teeth have broken through and we seem to be in a lull between the next set, she's back to needing a bit of her own space. 
• You  might not see it in pictures, but her hair is starting to come in a lot more.. Maybe by her birthday I'll get to put it up with cute little hair clips?? Here's hoping...

We took her to a local park and found a swing set.. just couldn't resist! She had so much fun.

You might be noticing the super cute hat upon her noggin. Her crafty babcia whipped it up for her, it's a little giraffe hat. Just need to find the perfect buttons for its eyes.

I'm so especially excited for the coming months because the holidays are coming, which means getting to see the look of wonder in her eyes when she sees the Christmas tree lit for the first time, getting to try Thanksgiving turkey and getting to play with all of her cousins.

Lucky #7 (months)

Dear Pennybaby -

This last month has brought on quite a few changes for you! Even with all of these amazing feats, I know you won't sit still for long! I anticipate that by next month you'll be completely mobile and getting into all sorts of trouble, and likely sporting some teethies!

• Moving: you can easily transition from sitting to going on all fours. Pulling yourself up into a seated position is still a work in progress. You do love to get help with 'walking' around the house, while someone holds your hands and you high step around with the biggest grin on your face.  You can also pull yourself up into a standing position. 
• Crawling: it's not true crawling just yet, but it is so very close. You know how to use your arms to pull and your legs to push, you've been really good at practicing baby yoga with your downward dogs and side planks (which I am super jealous of by the way - you can out side plank me any day!). It's just that cute-as-can-be tummy is still staying low to the ground. Nonetheless, when motivated, you can truly get yourself across a room in no time - on hardwood or carpet.

• Talking: still a lot of 'ba ba ba,' but in the tub last week you did manage a long 'ma ma ma' run - which made my heart swell with joy. It wasn't directed at me, but the fact that you can get that sound out is one step closer to calling for me. You've also started some baby babble, which is absolutely adorable.
• Eating: You take part in dinner with us most nights per week. This month avocado has been a favorite (you are definitely your mama and daddy's creation!) adding in some of my home made apple sauce, home made pretzels, steamed carrots, broccoli, bananas, sometimes toast-fingers. You've also gotten pretty good at using the sippy cup! 

Broccoli, bananas and avocado are a staple

Yes - play with your food!

I suppose the idea of food is really foreign to babies. After all, they put many things into their mouth all day long and everything has its own flavor, but hopefully most don't break apart or are ok to swallow.

As I watch Penny experiment with new foods for the first time, namely a piece of home made pretzel, I wonder about what she might be thinking..

"Hmm this is so soft and squishy..and warm. It smells so good! Weird, it gets soggy after a while. What gives?"

The main concept of baby led weaning is "food is for fun before one." So each time I give Penny something new to try, I look at it from the perspective of giving her a new toy rather than having a goal in mind. She doesn't understand yet that a squeaky toy does not have any nutritional value, so on the same token, squishing a banana sounds like a ton of fun!

Roughly 182 days...or, 6 months.

Dearest little Penelope,

Here we are - the six month mark. It never ceases to amaze me how much you've grown each month, and when I compare it to over the last half a year.. I'm just blown away at the amazing feat you've accomplished! Way to go, my precious one!

I try not to romanticize my life with you, but how can I not gush about how much fun you are? We're the best of buds, baby, and having you in my life is such a blessing!

We love you so much, keep learning and growing.. but you don't need me to tell you that! ;)
Love,
Mama and Daddy

Penny's accomplishments over the last month include..
The big one: Sitting up! She started sitting up around the begining of August, but only on soft surfaces (like the bed) and kinda did this hula-girl wobble. Now, she sits by herself for an indefinite period of time! Next step..using those abs to pull herself up into a sitting position, which is not too far away.

She has this little song she sings to herself, it goes "ahhh yah yah yah yah!" It started out when she was bored, but now it's sort of melted into "pay attention to me!"

I've mentioned this before, but she loves to (in fact, insists) touch whatever is in my hands, especially glasses. When she has the chance to pull the glass to her face, she tries to suck on it.

She's such a chatty little thing in the morning.

She now shakes rattles and pulls toys towards herself.

We discovered her first beauty mark! Until now she didn't have any birth marks (except for stork bites that still hang around on the back of her neck and head, which are fading) but now she sports a cute little dot on her side.

She "bops" things with her balled up fist - toys that twirl, rattles, her thighs, her eyes/ears when she's tired..mama's face in the morning..

She's excellent at putting her foot in her mouth, and will suck on her big toe when bored.


She has tasted a few fruits and veggies - peaches, pears, watermelon and a brocolli floret. As mentioned before, we are going the baby led weaning route so these were not purees, but chunks of food.

At her 6 month appointment, she weighs 15 lbs 10 oz and is 24 1/4 inches long.. She definitely lives up to her favorite song, a variation of the "I'm a little teapot," - she is short and stout! But I love her rolls so much!

She also says "ma" "mam" and "ba"!

And here is a little photo shoot.

This absolutely adorable ladybug beanie/cape combo was lovingly made by Kelly from The Blissful Baby Boutique. She has so many cute designs for both baby and mama. Seriously, check her out. The yarn is so soft and this beanie has grown with Penny since she was a wee newborn. I love that we've been able to use this outfit for her newborn and six month photo shoot...maybe her noggin will still fit in it by the time she is 1! Wishful thinking, I know.

Experimenting with flavor

Penny's 6 month mark is upon us.. and I've been looking forward to it and also pulling back a little.

It's the start of my baby's journey to solid foods. I'm excited for her but also begining to mourn the end of our breastfeeding relationship. It feels really selfish to want to hold on to these precious moments we have left. I definitely am planning on nursing her past a year, but part of me worries that she will "outgrow" me and wean sooner than expected and take off after solids... It wouldn't be a bad thing, we'd find other ways to give her the milk she still needs.

Nonetheless, I've decided that in preparation for getting her started on solids, we'll be introducing some of the juicy summer fruits in season for her to suck on and get accustomed to having a different flavor in her mouth.

As a side note, breastmilk doesn't always taste the same. Just like how pastured, organic, grass-fed cows make different milk than those who are not. Your diet will change the flavor of the milk you produce. I've never actually stayed away from any certain food while breastfeeding, with the exception of alcohol. I'm hoping that my diverse diet (which includes delicious shrimp jambalaya from last night!) will pave the way for Penny to be excited to explore different foods, flavors and consistencies.

So far, we've tried letting her suck on a pear, a piece of watermelon and a slice of cucumber. The pear doesn't jive with Penny. She no likey. She's been really interested in putting her mouth on whatever I have in my hands (cold glasses, mainly), so I let her check a pear out that I was eating. She liked it until she got to a part where I had bitten off a piece and after a second of tasting it, she pulls away in total shock and horror... Looks at me as if to say "Why???"

Another night I tried with a slice of cucumber, which she seemed to enjoy. Then when we switched back to the pear or watermelon, the same look of confusion came back.

What this tells me is that she's interested, but isn't quite sure what she signed up for.  We'll continue to offer her things to taste, but maye will wait a while on solids until she's able to show more interest. She has the rest of her life to experiment and enjoy solids, so even at six months old, I don't feel the rush to push her into it if she's not ready.

I'd really like to feed her according to the "Baby Led Weaning" style, meaning starting your children (after 6 months of age) on table foods that are pretty close to what we eat as adults. Of course, that doesn't mean jambalaya, or other complex flavors to begin with - but eventually - yes. The plan would be if we are having spaghetti for dinner, then Penny would get a few pieces of penne pasta, some steamed veggies, and maybe a taste of the sauce.


BLW means not having to spoon feed your child, because they are in charge of what goes into their mouth. They graze at will, and experiment on their own what they want to try. Many parents worry about whether their child will choke or not, but with proper supervision and portions, your baby will be able to figure it out. A large part of the world uses this method, as 'pureed' options are not always available. It also allows the baby to decide when they are full, rather than having the parent depend on portions set out by baby food companies. BLW is an ideal choice for us because I want Penelope to primarily depend on breastmilk through her first year, and solids will be more of a fun and sensory experience. If she ends up getting any calories out of it, great, but she still should be dependant on milk more.

This doesn't go to say that Penny won't be getting any food via spoon - afterall, fall is upon us and this family loves applesauce.