Because I Actually Get to Feed My Baby Real Food This Time Around...

Even though Lucy is my second baby, I feel like a new mom when it comes to feeding her. With Violet we weren't able to give her anything but breastmilk or her prescription formula until she was over a year old due to her extreme food intolerances, so I never really got the experience of feeding food to a baby. Now that I'm fully into that arena with Lucy (she's now ten months old!), there are a few things that have been quite new for me.

1. Food stains! Violet's clothing stayed sooo much cleaner than Lucy's does - I didn't realize how messy feeding a baby can be!
2. We go through bibs like crazy - I feel like we have a thousand and I just can never keep enough clean to last the whole week.
3. Sticky fingers, sticky faces, general stickiness. Of course, when Violet was a toddler we dealt with the sticky fingers thing but we were blissfully unaware of how sticky a baby can get.
4. Where do you feed them when visiting friends? I'm not about to lug my high chair everywhere we go, so where do you put your baby when you're visiting a friend (or even a restaurant) who doesn't have a high chair? I usually end up just holding her on my lap, but what a disaster that always turns out to be! I'm thinking maybe we should have invested in a portable high chair of some kind, but now I'm wondering if it's a little late in the game to actually get our money's worth out of it? I'm really liking this one by Inglesina:

So pretty! It comes in a bunch of pretty colors and has gotten really great reviews, plus they're not too pricey. Any words of wisdom? Is it worth it at this point?

Thanks so much from a second time mama, first time baby feeder lol! xo, Lauren

P.S. Tips for Little Eaters

Baby-Led Weaning?

[Violet enjoying some finger foods as a one-year-old)

Lucy is about four-and-a-half months old now, so I'm starting to think about feeding her solids. I'm planning to wait until closer to six months to begin, and I'll admit I'm equally nervous and excited.

If you've followed the blog for a while now, you'll remember that Violet suffered from a condition called FPIES, or Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (yes, it's a mouthful!) She basically had a severe intolerance to dairy and soy that didn't show up on allergy tests. The major reactions started when we began feeding her solids and testing out formula (around 5.5 months). After a bunch more reactions and a slew of tests, the lovely doctors at CHOP diagnosed her and recommended that we not feed her anything other than her prescription formula (aka no solids) until she was about a year old to give her damaged GI system time to heal. She now seems to have outgrown both intolerances (hurray!) and eats like a "normal" kid, but I never really got the experience of feeding a baby.

Lucy is a very happy healthy baby and doesn't seem to have the same issues that Violet did, but I can't help but be a little nervous. At the same time, I'm really excited to give this whole baby food thing a go! I've been checking out a lot of different information on the topic and am considering going with Baby-Led Weaning, which is basically just a fancy way of saying I want to let Lucy feed herself. Instead of spoon-feeding her mushy purees, you just give your baby an appropriately-sized hunk of food, like a bit of cooked sweet potato, and let them go at it. Have any of you had any experience with baby-led weaning? Did you like it, and if so do you have any tips for me? Thanks in advance from a second-time mama but a first-time baby feeder :) xo,  Lauren

P.S. Tips for Little Eaters and Fun Products for Feeding Your Toddler

Twins! (But Not Really)

I've had a lot of people ask if Lucy looks like Violet did as a baby. Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words right? I present to you exhibit A:

Do you know which one is which? If you follow me on Instagram and have a good memory, you may know, but otherwise I'd say it's a pretty tough call. But as much as they may look alike (and have the exact same facial expressions), they've had very different beginnings. I don't want to say personalities, because I think Violet's behavior as a baby had a lot less to do with personality or temperament and a lot more to do with her health issues. I often actually wonder what her babyhood may have been like if she had been healthy.

Here's a little bit (okay maybe more than a little bit) about Violet's start in life...

Easter 2013

Our Easter morning was super fun - it was Violet's first time having a chocolate bunny!!! She loved it, but the funny thing is that her reaction to a box of raisins was no less than her reaction to the chocolate or candy. Two (almost three) is fun like that.

We've been slowing trying dairy with her and on Easter we felt like it was time. She's been doing great and I'm so excited to get to feed her like a "normal" kid. It's actually been hard to break out of the non-dairy thing, we've gotten so used to it! She downed some of her Grandmom's homemade chocolate covered eggs like a boss:

And I've been fending off Easter egg decorating requests for days since Easter. I'm going to be honest and admit that was a bit of a nightmare (for me at least) this year. I should have just put her outside naked with some glitter and egg dye and said have fun kid! It was a serious mess and I'm surprised that our poor egg-dyed table lived to tell the tale. I blame it mostly on myself - I wasn't as organized as I should have been and pregnancy brain was in high gear. I mean, I overflowed the SINK people. I didn't have the eggs ready and in my haste to boil them and cool them down I just stuck them in the sink and left it running while I ran back out to set up the other goodies. Then I heard the sound of water splattering all. over. the. floor. Yeah. It was a good time at 38 weeks pregnant. 

So anyway we managed to get her wild curls tamed and then on the way to her Aunt's house for the egg hunt, out it came. Sigh. She still looked adorable regardless of course and everyone's hair looked pretty rough after egg hunting in the rain anyway. At least I got one good pic of my handiwork beforehand: 

She was absolutely smitten with her new baby cousin and got a lot of practice for our new arrival. Thirty-NINE weeks here people - I'm sooo ready! Unfortunately I am currently down for the count with bronchitis, so I started my maternity leave earlier than I wanted to. I also am suffering the loss of my laptop and with it, Photoshop, so there are your reasons for the tardiness of this post. I'm currently working from our desktop and using Pages as a substitute, but it just isn' the same. The good news is that I'm getting a new MacBook Air (hopefully ordering today - squee!) and maybe (fingers crossed) new Photoshop?! I was working with cs3, so I'm excited to see what new features might be available in a more updated version.

Oh and the best part - as she was opening her eggs she had somehow managed to find all of the money-filled eggs and only one with candy. The look on her face was so disappointed each time she opened one up. She said, "Mommy, no candy - only money" in the most dramatic, devastated little two-year-old voice ever. Probably one of the few times I'll hear that in my lifetime, am I right?!

So there you have it - a belated Easter post. Better late than never, right? Hope everyone had a lovely holiday and week! Now I'm off to go vegetate on the couch and get rid of this bronchitis before the baby comes. Keep your fingers crossed for me! xo, Lauren

Food is Love

There's nothing like food to bring people together! Especially the sweet kind, baked with love. Violet and I went to our annual cookie exchange this past week, and I'll admit that I was a little nervous. She is old enough to know that she would be missing out on all of the gorgeous treats that would be spread out on the table, and I felt for her. Of course I brought some special dairy-free cookies along with us, but it's always more fun to eat something new and different and not mama's old standby sugar and gingerbread cookies.

After a lot of thought I decided to ask if the other lovely ladies attending would mind bringing their ingredient lists/recipes along so that I could hunt for a cookie or two that Violet could eat, and I ended up being completely overwhelmed by their generosity. Not only did some people make cookies that were specifically dairy-free for Violet, one even brought boxes of special store-bought (and dairy-free) cookies with (and here's the kicker) BLUE icing. Violet's favorite color. Combined with the fact that some of the cookies were packed in a red plastic bucket (which I promptly emptied and gave to her), she was in HEAVEN.

I couldn't tell those women enough how much it meant to me that they thought of my little girl and took time out of what I'm sure were very busy holiday schedules to make her feel special. So thank you, thank you, and thank you again from the bottom of our hearts.

xo, Lauren

Four Sweet Dairy-Free Treats

Most of you know that Violet is unable to eat dairy products, but now I'll be joining her in that quest as well. I have a couple of my own mild health issues that my doctor has suggested could possibly be improved by eliminating dairy from my diet. I'm willing to give it a go if it will help me get medication free and healthy, but I am definitely going to mourn the loss of my good friend, Cheese. Oh, cheese...

On the bright side, one good thing is that it will force me to prepare meals that are Violet-friendly rather than giving her something different from what we are eating. Another plus is that I already have a lot of dairy-free food substitutes in my repertoire and am an expert label reader as a result of her condition.

I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing until last night I realized (in addition to cheese) that I will also be unable to eat a lot of the sweet after-dinner treats that I love. (AKA ice cream, chocolate, and, oh yeah, chocolate) After a mild nervous breakdown I decided to think things through like a rational person and instead of imploding dug through our stash of sweets. After furiously reading a few labels I discovered much to my relief that I can eat DARK chocolate. (at least most of it is dairy-free). Then I started brainstorming a list of a few other sweets that I can indulge in and came up with four good ice cream alternatives:

1. (most) Dark Chocolate
2. Italian Ice
3. Fresh Fruit
4. (most) Sugar Cookies

So I think I'm going to survive (other than the cheese thing). And if anyone knows of any good dairy-free or vegan blogs I'd love to add them to my blog roll. Thanks in advance and wish me luck!
xo, Lauren


Image Sources: one, two, three, four

Violet's Second Birthday Party: The Fun Stuff!

So you've seen the food and decorations - now for the fun stuff! Since we decided to have Violet's party on the weekend before her actual birthday (which was Cinco de Mayo weekend) AND because a colleague generously offered to let me borrow the decorations from her Cinco de Mayo party, we ended up with a full-blown fiesta! The Hubster whipped up some fajitas, we played pin the tail on the donkey, and had a pinata (yes it was Cookie Monster which wasn't super Cinco-de-Mayo-ish, but Violet loved him and he got gussied up for the occasion). My sister-in-law and brother-in-law threw on some Latin music for the occasion and there was some serious salsa dancing going on in our garage :)

Violet got a REAL cake this year (as opposed to last year's felt version - see here and here) and she was in HEAVEN. She posed like a total pro for the camera and I think held out the longest "cheeeeeeese" ever in the history of the world (the girl has photo skills). She was soooo thrilled when she managed to blow out her candles (with a little help from the other kids who were all blowing along with her) and had the cutest smiled when everyone clapped and cheered. I about died.

And then she took the biggest bite of her cake and I think I did die.

We decided to get her a four wheeler, which she has absolutely no clue how to steer (but she loves it just the same). But I think the big hit of the day was the bubble machine! Her Uncle bought it for her and I have never seen the girl so happy. The kids ran around popping bubbles like crazy people forEVER. Seriously if you ever need to entertain a group of young kids, get one of these.

x

I think for Violet it was a perfect day. I'm so happy that she loved her birthday party, and even though she won't remember it, I think she'll know how much fun she had when she looks back at these pictures. Thank you to our family for all of your love and for helping us to celebrate the birth of our little girl.

We love you so much our little soon-to-be-two-year-old. Happy happy birthday!


xo, Mommy and Daddy

Around Here

I've been in party crafting mode this past week - trying to pull off a pretty party but on a budget. We ended up moving the party date (to this coming weekend - eek! ) to make sure that Violet's Grammy could be there. Since it's Cinco de Mayo I think we're leaning more towards that as a theme, especially since I'm going to a Cinco de Mayo work shindig on Friday and she's lending me some of her loot (free stuff - score!). And who doesn't love a good fiesta? Not going to go too crazy theme-y but maybe some fringe, some pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey action and a couple of sombreros thrown in there. Ole!

In other news I'm still working on Violet's big girl room. I hung the hooks in the above photo myself (well, with my Dad's supervision lol). But power tools and me have never been best buds, so I must say that I'm pretty proud of myself.

I've been doing pancakes on the weekends now so that Violet has a change from her normal eggs, toast, and cereal routine. She gobbles them up - so excited that she has something new and tasty to eat. And speaking of tasty I was so worried about her birthday cake being horribly inedible (baking is also not my thing - especially not a dairy and soy free cake!) but I found out that Duncan Hines cake mix is dairy free and mostly soy free (it has soy oil which Violet can have) so she's going to have a tasty birthday cake after all - hurray!

Other than that I've been finishing up a few projects that I've been procrastinating on around the house. Nothing like a party to get your butt in gear. I painted Violet's silhouette, am sprucing up the art wall in our back room, and we got half of the wallpaper up in the living/dining area. Unfortunately the Hubster seems to have been struck by some sort of plague (he normally doesn't get sick, like ever) so we'll see if he's up to another round of wallpaper cutting, pasting, and hanging before the party. Anyway, I'm off to  dive back into my world of crafting craziness. Wish me luck! xo, Lauren


P.S. Follow along on Instagram - @withtwocats

Mini Meals: First Pancakes!

We have generally been giving Violet eggs, toast, or cereal for breakfast as the instructions on the pancake mix tell you to add milk. Well, light bulb moment people! We were having dinner the other night with another couple whose son is allergic to dairy and they suggested substituting water for the milk. (Why didn't I think of that?) The Hubster was a little skeptical, but guess what - they still taste like pancakes! We also found a 'buttery spread' that Violet can eat. And it isn't half bad either. Earth Balance buttery spread is free of dairy and contains soy oil (which Violet can have), but not the soy protein (which she can't have), so Violet can now have 'butter'! I was sooo thrilled when I found this. It opens up a lot of new doors for us with meals. Maybe I can even use it to make icing for Violet's birthday cake? What did your little ones eat this week?

Around Here

Don't feel like writing much today. It's been a bit of a tiring weekend - Violet's been waking up in the middle of the night the past couple of nights screaming her head off - not sure if it's the two year molars? Anyway, I'm feeling  physically and emotionally drained at the moment. Trying to keep in mind the good things:

• Blue skies and beautiful warm weather
• 'Buttery spread' that my kid can eat (AND more importantly that she likes!)
• Violet's first time eating pancakes (we just substituted the water for milk. Didn't taste a difference)
• Pretty spring blooms
• Messy (but still good) hair day
• Playing at the park in bare feet
• Violet is learning her colors, ABC's, numbers, and recognizing shapes lately! She knows so many new things every day - she amazes me.
• Wild weeds flowers on our walk
• Pretty soon I'll have easy access to fresh veggies - yum!
• Chocolate peanut butter eggs 
• Playing in the backyard with my sweetheart

Hope you had a more restful weekend than me! xo, Lauren


P.S. Follow along on Instagram @withtwocats

Mini Meals

I got this genius idea here. Little mini food transporters - you can fill them with anything and it makes meals much less messy! Violet's pretty good with a fork, but there are certain things that she just has the most difficult time picking up with anything but her fingers. Which is, of course, fine except for the mess. I mean - bibs are a joke at this stage. I need to invest in art smocks lol.

I purchased the won tons in a pack at my local grocer. You just place the food inside, seal the edges with water and press with a fork. Then drizzle with a little olive oil and bake at 375 degrees - super easy and tasty!

Link up below! xo, Lauren

Mini Meals: Bento Boxes

Since we were away all weekend I didn't really get a chance to photograph any of Violet's meals, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite mini meal products with all of you. When we're at home we mostly use one of these items, but I usually send Violet's meals to her babysitter in little Bento-style containers. As she is starting to eat more, I've been looking into other options and I really love the practicality of Bento-style lunchboxes. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Spencer Bento Box ($16.50)
2. Laptop Lunches Bento Box ($27.99)
3. Goodbyn Original ($25.95)
4. PlanetBox ($49.95)

I think the Spencer box is prettiest and a great price, but I love the fact that the laptop lunches bento comes with separate little containers with lids. You could fill the boxes with leftovers as the occur and just insert them into the main box as needed. The Goodbyn is another great option because it not only can handle a water bottle, but a whole banana as well! And considering that Violet is a bit obsessed with bananas, that's almost a must in my book. The Planetbox is a little pricey, but I do love that it is made of stainless steel rather than plastic. Plastic always freaks me out a bit in general. Maybe I could just create some sort of perfect mutant hybrid that meets all of our needs...

If you get a chance to photograph one of your little's meals this week I'd love to see what you've cooked up! Link up below:

-xo, Lauren

Mini Meals

I'm pretty excited about our mini meal this week. It may seem kinda boring to you all, but we have finally found a bread the Violet can eat! (Read about Violet's allergy issues here) It's dairy and soy free and it's from Panera (their white whole grain bread). This opens up a whole new world of possibilities for us with meals. We still can't do cheese and haven't tried peanut butter, so I have to be a little more creative.

For this meal I made 'guacamole sandwiches'. I desperately wanted Violet to like her first real sandwich experience, so I thought guacamole would be the way to go - it's her favorite food! I used it to make a kind of chicken salad - I chopped up grilled chicken, tomatoes, and spinach and mixed them together with a single serving packet of Wholly Guacamole. I spread the mixture over the bread and grilled it in olive oil.

Now I'm not much of a cook but let me tell you it was DEE-LICIOUS. I thought so, the Hubster thought so, and Violet certainly thought so. She wolfed that sandwich down so fast I couldn't believe it. And perhaps more importantly, she asked for more! I don't know if she's ever asked for more of a meal before (just snacks, and, of course - guacamole!)

It was a great feeling. I even called my mom to tell her because I was so excited about it and, I'll be honest, kind of proud of myself. It sounds so ridiculous saying I was proud of creating a grilled sandwich for my kid, but that's how I felt. And do you know what? I think we need to celebrate those small victories when we can. I've been feeling kind of tired and down lately (maybe the winter blues?) and it was nice to have something to feel excited about, silly as it may seem. Anyway, I'll stop rambling because I want to see what you fed your little ones this week! You can link up below...

xo, Lauren

2011 Year In Review: Violet

What a year we've had baby! We've been through a lot and learned a lot and grown and lot and guess what? We made it! And 2012 is sure to be the best yet. Here are a few highlights from 2011:


January: After eight months of nursing we discovered that you were allergic to your mama's breast milk. We tried an elimination diet, which helped but unfortunately not enough. So we weaned. It was emotional (for me more than for you) and painful (Again for me - thankfully not for you.) but in the end you were such a happier healthier baby on your prescription formula.

February: We celebrated your first Valentine's Day! Complete with some funny outtakes, you were Mommy & Daddy's favorite Valentine.

March: You finally started to crawl! Walking was your real goal but you finally settled to get from point A to point B.

April: Crawling didn't satisfy you for long! You were up and about before we knew what hit us.

We took a photo of you one year later in the same spot. On the left is your mama eight months pregnant and on the right you are 11 months old:

We had a heat wave and went for a spring romp in the yard:

And you went on your first Easter egg hunt. The prettiest little egg hunter I ever did see:

May: May was a big month. You turned one! We celebrated with a pink and red birthday party and your mama worried about if your birthday would be the same without cake. But it turned out fine in the end.

June: We had your one year photos taken by Megyn Barroner. It turned out to be a blazing hot day but you were a trooper and the pictures were beautiful.

You also fell in love with the great outdoors. Every leaf, rock, and twig was the greatest joy in your life.

And the flora wasn't the only thing you loved. The local animals got their share of attention as well:

July: We found ways to keep cool and you were daddy's favorite gardening assistant.

You also started to take to solid foods after we visited the feeding therapist. We shared some of the tips that we learned in the hopes that someone would find them helpful.

And last but not least, you attended your first baseball game on the fourth of July! The stairs and carousel were your favorite parts.

August: Mommy had a tough time with going back to work. It took a few months, but we finally all settled into a new 'normal'. (I think it was harder on me than on you.)

You also went on your first trip to the zoo! You were absolutely thrilled and we had a perfect day.

We finished out the month by switching from a bottle to a sippy cup. It took a few tries but we finally found the right fit and have been going strong ever since!

September: Your mama still struggled with being back at work. I wanted nothing more than to be home with my little girl. Luckily you were in good hands and having a ton of fun with your friends.

You had your first trip to the fair. It was a short one due to the weather, but you loved the lights, people, and animals. You even said, 'cow' and 'moo!'

I wrote a post to all of the mothers out there - Mothers Know Best. You were so so sick and I felt compelled to share what I'd learned from months of caring for a sick child.

October: Corn mazes, farm animals, and hay rides - October was a month for fall fun.

Your Aunt Kari and Uncle Alex tied the knot and you attended your first wedding in style:

Your favorite face to make was your 'stink face' - dubbed so by your father. And a cuter face I never did see!

And, of course, there was your very first trick-or-treat. Last year you dressed up and went to trunk-or-treat, but this year you went door to door for the first time and loved putting 'candies' in your bag!

Not as expected was a freak snow! You had your first sled ride and were fascinated by the fluffy white stuff.

November: We romped through the leaves, read a lot of Shel Silverstein, got a new iMac, and just spent time together as a family.

Your mama and papa worked on your dollhouse, and you enjoyed helping out around the house. Life was good.


December: In December we unexpectedly said so long to your pacifier. You took the news like a champ and went to bed with hardly a peep!

You settled into some amazing sleeping routines and attended your second annual cookie exchange. And of course, there was Christmas! You had a thrilling holiday week filled with family from near and far, birthday parties, and presents galore.

You've come so far! From a baby to a toddler, you've grown into such a beautiful, smart, and sweet little girl. Mommy and Daddy love you to the moon and back. We can't wait to spend 2012 with you!

xoxo,

Mommy & Daddy

A happy new year to you and yours! We hope that your year was as wonderful as ours and that your 2012 is filled with love and laughter.