Grinder

This is my new helper when it comes to making the baby's food: Munchkin's baby food grinder.

For the next stage in eating solids, I needed more texture and  less the "smoothness."  There's no need to add water and it makes the baby food bite-sized and chewable.  She won't just swallow like when her food passed through the blender.

Recently, I let the baby try green leafy veggies: malunggay, pechay.  I just chop them in small pieces.  She's becoming a fan of fish as well: tilapia, milk fish, dory and salmon.  She looks forward to desert: raisins, pineapple and dragonfruit.  I am slowly adding real rice in her food also.

She looks forward to eating! And even if we're out, we bring her food so that she'll be able to eat with us.

Vampire Baby

No, this is not Bella.  Ah Ma gave us dragonfruit when we visited them.  

We let the baby try and she loved it.  The  picture above describes how much she did! 

Baby in her chair

Here's a longer list of the foods that the baby has eaten.

1. Cauliflower.  This she liked very much!

2. Green bell pepper.  She didn't like at first, with it's strong smell. I mixed with sweet potatoes for her to get used to the taste.

3.  Asparagus. She liked it instantly.

4.  Egg yolk. First protein food!  I just grated this and not used the blender.

5.  Chayote.  

6.  Steamed fish.  Second protein!  She liked it as well.

7.  Banana

8.  Rambutan slices.

9.  Mango

I started her with some fruits with very little slices, just to introduce the sweet taste.  Her's a picture of the baby, shirtless with one foot on top of her high chair tray.  All ready to eat!

 

Broccoli Make-up

After sweet potatoes, normal potatoes and squash, broccoli was next. It has a different smell so the baby wasn't that psyched to taste. It also has a different texture even if mashed/blended. She gets mad if we hold her hands to prevent it from touching the food or putting it inside her mouth. Papa called it broccoli make-up because she spread her food all over her face. The baby was still able to finish her bowl. Very good little darling.

Happy Five Months

Our princess is five months old!  She's 15.2 lbs. and I think she's getting longer and longer. Her legs are stronger, perhaps due to the morning Jumperoo exercises.   Her milestone for the month: she started solids already! I'm feeding her twice a day with rice cereals and various vegetables.   Not much changed from our routine, but her nap time has longer interval.  She's mostly playing, either with me or by herself.  She also discovered her toes taste better than her hands.  A week before the twelfth, she had fever and I was worried sick as I didn't know the cause.  We brought her to the doctor, she had sores on her throat and mouth. The pedia said it could be due to germs that reaches her mouth because of her putting anything in her mouth.  She was prescribed with meds.  I was a little relieved that the fever didn't occur again and after 2-3 days, she's back to normal.  

Thus, an addition to her cleaning routine: cleaning her mouth-gums, tongue and inner cheeks, with a swab and water.  And washing her hands and feet with soap and water as often as possible.  Using the sanitizer if we're out.

If only we can be sick instead of our babies, most mothers would choose that.

Potatoes

After a week of sweet potatoes, normal potatoes is next on the baby's menu.  I did the same thing as with the sweet potatoes. I think the baby liked the sweet potatoes more, so after a couple of meals of potatoes alone, I mixed an ice cube of sweet potato with an ice cube of potato. That, the baby liked!

I started feeding the baby twice a day, one lunch date just the two of us and one dinner date as a family. Feeding the baby is really very messy, she grabs her spoon herself, putting her hands inside her mouth, spreading food all over her face and all over the place.  But I love that she likes food and I enjoy every bit of it!

Sweet potatoes

After two weeks (almost) of rice cereals, I decided to let Euen try real food! First on her menu: sweet potatoes.  Here's what I did:

1. Wash the sweet potatoes.

2. Steam / boil / bake.  (I choose to steam.)

3. Cool then peel.

4. Sprinkle a little iodized salt.

5. Cut into small pieces.

6. Mash. (I used a blender, adding water little by little until desired consistency is attained.)

I use BPA free ice trays to stock and store for the following days.  I mix 2 ice cubes of the sweet potatoes with 2 tablespoons of rice cereals, adding a little water for one meal.   Note:  feed with the same food for 4 consecutive meals to check if baby has allergic reaction to the food. 

Yes, the baby loved it!

Starting Solids

Euen's pedia gave us a go signal to start her on solids. I actually want to start on the fourth month, while Denden want to start on the sixth month. So we both compromised and set it on her fifth month. But when we went for her check-up, it was the pedia who said that we could start giving her solids if we want. Yey! :)

My bestfriend's recommendation is to start her on rice cereals for two weeks, mixing with water or breastmilk. First serving is just a tablespoon, increasing the serving gradually. We brought the rice cereal from Healthy Options, it was single grain, brown rice cereal. 

We made sure that she is hungry when we gave her the first spoon and she liked it! Funny at first she sucked the spoon as if she's breastfeeding. After more spoons, she learned to swallow a little. Success!

Happy Four Months

Euen is four months old today! I can't believe our baby is growing up so fast. She has many milestones this month: jumping on the Jumperoo, different sounds communicating, smiling and laughing. She also started grabbing things: toys, her bib and my hair.

Recently, she learned how to roll over on one side! She didn't gain much this month, but I read that it is normal on the fourth to fifth month. Our princess is 14.2lbs now. After surviving my last thirty days at work, we're back to establishing our routine. She feeds early in the morning, plays a little then sleeps again. She wakes up after an hour or two, plays on the Jumperoo, poops then feeds. She sleeps after lunch for 2-3 hours, wakes up for a bath then we play in her room. Feeds twice then after dinner, she bathes again, feeds twice then sleeps.

 Our baby is one third of a year already! Yey!

Bottlefeeding the Baby Part II

I have already started pumping milk once a day two months after I gave birth. This is in preparation for me going back to work. Below are some useful information on milk storage. More details here.
1. It can last up to four hours at room temperature.
2. It can last up to 24 hours on the refrigerator.
3. It can last up to 3 months in the freezer.
4. It can last up to 6 months in a deep freezer.

I had more than a week's supply of stored milk already. But I still pump every four hours in the office.

More than one person will bottle feed the baby when I am at work. So we had to find the easiest way to bottle feed the baby. This has been our bestfriend, Playtex Nurser and Drop-ins. Euen latches easiest on the latex nipple. It is designed to mimic breastfeeding and reduce colic. Plus it is easy to clean and no need for sterilization.
This will just be thirty days. I hope Euen won't have a hard time adjusting.

The Pacifier

We don't have problems with Euen riding the car, in her car seat. As long as the car's MOVING. It's even a lullaby to her and she feels being rocked the faster we go.

But, when the car stops moving, she doesn't like it and she starts to get fussy. Imagine when it's TRAFFIC.

I try different tricks to stop her from crying. Singing a song, putting a toy in front of her, making the toy talk to her. But it doesn't work. I know I couldn't explain to her that she's can't get out of the car seat when we're in the car. I get helpless seeing her cry.

Then came my saviour. The pacifier! She didn't latch right away, it fell a couple of times but this got her to stop crying. After a few times, she learned how to latch and I was very happy. Good job baby.