If you haven't noticed, my updating has been a bit irregular lately. I'm doing my best to keep up and make sure there is a post-dated post for each day I've missed, but between holiday preparations and end-of-semester schoolwork, I've been a bit swamped.
Ganon has been working hard, too! He has taken to reaching out and grabbing things. His favorite thing to grab is whatever I'm holding at the moment. He has started stealing food and shiny objects off the table (or out of your hands!) whenever you take your eyes off him, and loves to grab the little gerber puffs he's been eating. The only trouble is that he forgets to let go before he pulls his hand out of his mouth...
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Monday, November 15, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Five Months
Such a roller coaster it is, having a baby.
Ganon's new favorite activity is to stand on my lap, with me holding both of his hands, and jump and bounce. He will do this, laughing, for nearly half an hour at a time. His little legs are getting so muscular, it's rather shocking! He has also been reaching out and grabbing things on his own. The most common target: my mouth. He will lay in my arms, one hand firmly clenched around my lower lip and teeth, while I talk to him (or to visitors or on the phone). From what I've read, he's using his hands to help figure out how to speak. I guess if it's beneficial, I'll just put up with it! Speaking of teeth, Ganon's first have yet to show. Some days, the little (painful) bulges on his gums seem ready to sprout a tooth, then the swelling will recede for a few days to a week. It's very frustrating for the both of us.
He's been eating more foods now - a full variety of cereals and vegetables! He likes the baby cereals, but isn't terribly thrilled with them. Foods with more flavor, however, are a real treat! He has loved everything we have given him so far. (Green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots) The only problem is that he sometimes gets so excited about eating that he sends himself into a fit of the giggles! Have you ever tried to eat with the giggles? I can't. Neither can Ganon. So I have struggled to find that perfect balance between fun and too much fun.
Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen this month is Ganon expressing his opinions on things (his face is so expressive!) His favorite animals are lions, pandas, and birds. His favorite shapes: circles and stars. And of course, all children have favorite colors. Ganon's are red and blue.
Those are the newest things this month, hopefully I'll have some tooth news next update!
Ganon's new favorite activity is to stand on my lap, with me holding both of his hands, and jump and bounce. He will do this, laughing, for nearly half an hour at a time. His little legs are getting so muscular, it's rather shocking! He has also been reaching out and grabbing things on his own. The most common target: my mouth. He will lay in my arms, one hand firmly clenched around my lower lip and teeth, while I talk to him (or to visitors or on the phone). From what I've read, he's using his hands to help figure out how to speak. I guess if it's beneficial, I'll just put up with it! Speaking of teeth, Ganon's first have yet to show. Some days, the little (painful) bulges on his gums seem ready to sprout a tooth, then the swelling will recede for a few days to a week. It's very frustrating for the both of us.
He's been eating more foods now - a full variety of cereals and vegetables! He likes the baby cereals, but isn't terribly thrilled with them. Foods with more flavor, however, are a real treat! He has loved everything we have given him so far. (Green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, carrots) The only problem is that he sometimes gets so excited about eating that he sends himself into a fit of the giggles! Have you ever tried to eat with the giggles? I can't. Neither can Ganon. So I have struggled to find that perfect balance between fun and too much fun.
Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen this month is Ganon expressing his opinions on things (his face is so expressive!) His favorite animals are lions, pandas, and birds. His favorite shapes: circles and stars. And of course, all children have favorite colors. Ganon's are red and blue.
Those are the newest things this month, hopefully I'll have some tooth news next update!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Baby's first meal
Over the past few weeks, Ganon has been sitting up more and started showing interest in what everyone else is eating. Today, he grabbed the bag of chips my mom was snacking on. Remembering that Ganon's nutritionist had noted these milestones as signs he was ready to start on baby cereal, I ran to the store to pick up a variety. Oats, barley, rice, and brown rice were the available options for the "supported sitter" stage - since Ganon is still wobbly when he sits completely on his own. Brown rice is the most flavorful of the four (in my opinion, at least) so I figured that if he liked that, he'll like the rest just fine. I've also been eating brown rice myself, and Ganon has likely tasted some of that in my breastmilk. So brown rice was first on the list to try.
A little while before his next feeding, I defrosted some frozen breastmilk and mixed up the cereal using the "Baby's First Meal" instructions. It seemed a bit... liquidy, so I sprinkled in a tiny bit of extra cereal flakes. It was still almost completely liquid, but I trusted the judgement of the manufacturer. I set Ganon up in his Bumbo (a supportive seat, kind of like a short, soft bucket with leg holes - ours has a tray in front, as well) and fastened on a fresh bib. Ganon stared, drooling, as I put the bowl on the tray and scooped a bit with a soft spoon. He smiled as I moved it toward his face, and I slipped the spoon into his open mouth. His eyes went wide and he swallowed, his tongue moving this way and that. His smile stretched from ear to ear and he leaned forward, opeing and closing his mouth, looking for more. I scooped as fast as I could, though I'm sure more ended up on his bib than in his mouth. In the end, he began to cry, moving his head as if to try and find my breast, and we stopped so he could have a 'proper' meal.
All in all, quite a success. I'm glad he liked it, and with no signs of allergies, we'll be able to move on to another flavor. So exciting!
A little while before his next feeding, I defrosted some frozen breastmilk and mixed up the cereal using the "Baby's First Meal" instructions. It seemed a bit... liquidy, so I sprinkled in a tiny bit of extra cereal flakes. It was still almost completely liquid, but I trusted the judgement of the manufacturer. I set Ganon up in his Bumbo (a supportive seat, kind of like a short, soft bucket with leg holes - ours has a tray in front, as well) and fastened on a fresh bib. Ganon stared, drooling, as I put the bowl on the tray and scooped a bit with a soft spoon. He smiled as I moved it toward his face, and I slipped the spoon into his open mouth. His eyes went wide and he swallowed, his tongue moving this way and that. His smile stretched from ear to ear and he leaned forward, opeing and closing his mouth, looking for more. I scooped as fast as I could, though I'm sure more ended up on his bib than in his mouth. In the end, he began to cry, moving his head as if to try and find my breast, and we stopped so he could have a 'proper' meal.
All in all, quite a success. I'm glad he liked it, and with no signs of allergies, we'll be able to move on to another flavor. So exciting!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Bellyaches
When I first became pregnant, I noticed that I became very ill whenever I ate or drank something containing high fructose corn syrup. Having a glass of soda resulted in the equivalent of 24 hours of food poisoning.
The thing you might not realize, however, is just how many foodstuffs contain HFCS. Good ol' Wonderbread, for example. Most shelved baked goods, in fact, including hamburger buns and cookies. Though thankfully things from a bakery are usually HFCS-free. Soda, of course, has it, and popcicles. Many cereals, and the list goes on... I've gotten into the habit of checking every label, regardless of the product, since several unexpected 'surprises'. It's not a corn allergy, as I can eat an old fashioned corn on the cob without trouble, and even regular corn syrup doesn't bother me. I guess the slight differences from the processing make it unrecognizable as food by my body.
Since this was a new 'allergy' (Having not been tested for an actual allergy, it may be some sort of intolerance, but the result is no less miserable) beginning during pregnancy, I did a bit of research and found about half of the anecdotal cases to be rid of a new allergy after they gave birth, though almost all noted the allergy in the children they carried. After my 6-week followup appointment after Ganon was born, I decided to test things out. I had a couple of Chips-Ahoy cookies, which had the HFCS further down the ingredient list (so possibly less HFCS than other products). Happily, I didn't become ill at all, and felt only the slightest twinge of nausea.
A couple of hours later, however, I discovered a real problem. After breastfeeding and giving a nice big burp, Ganon was whining and squealing in pain. At first I thought it was just more gas, or maybe he was tired and needed a nap... But the next day, with more experimenting - half a can of soda this time - I ended up ill, and Ganon's post-nursing screams intensified. Major facepalm. Whatever it was that made me ill (abdominal cramping included) was somehow being passed to Ganon through my milk. I felt just awful! I had caused him such pain because I wanted to have some junk food. Not that I could have known he would be affected, but I was still wracked with guilt. I guess growing up Catholic gave me an overdeveloped sense of guilt! Now that I know, I am doubly careful to keep HFCS out of my diet, and since Ganon begins eating baby food soon, I will need to be just as careful with his foods.
Now, I think ahead a few years to when Ganon visits friends' houses, or snacktime at daycare, or even well-meaning grandparents sneak him some sweets. As he gets larger (and therefore has more body mass), will the effects lessen? Will he, like me, be able to eat a small treat with little trouble, or will he be miserably in pain from the smallest cookie? Will other parents and caregivers realize how prevalent HFCS is? That something as innocuous as a hamburger (depending on the bun) could cause such problems in my little boy? With HFCS being rebranded as "Corn Sugar", will it become more difficult to spot in products - and will there be a difference in labelling between HFCS and regular corn syrup?
This is going to be difficult.
The thing you might not realize, however, is just how many foodstuffs contain HFCS. Good ol' Wonderbread, for example. Most shelved baked goods, in fact, including hamburger buns and cookies. Though thankfully things from a bakery are usually HFCS-free. Soda, of course, has it, and popcicles. Many cereals, and the list goes on... I've gotten into the habit of checking every label, regardless of the product, since several unexpected 'surprises'. It's not a corn allergy, as I can eat an old fashioned corn on the cob without trouble, and even regular corn syrup doesn't bother me. I guess the slight differences from the processing make it unrecognizable as food by my body.
Since this was a new 'allergy' (Having not been tested for an actual allergy, it may be some sort of intolerance, but the result is no less miserable) beginning during pregnancy, I did a bit of research and found about half of the anecdotal cases to be rid of a new allergy after they gave birth, though almost all noted the allergy in the children they carried. After my 6-week followup appointment after Ganon was born, I decided to test things out. I had a couple of Chips-Ahoy cookies, which had the HFCS further down the ingredient list (so possibly less HFCS than other products). Happily, I didn't become ill at all, and felt only the slightest twinge of nausea.
A couple of hours later, however, I discovered a real problem. After breastfeeding and giving a nice big burp, Ganon was whining and squealing in pain. At first I thought it was just more gas, or maybe he was tired and needed a nap... But the next day, with more experimenting - half a can of soda this time - I ended up ill, and Ganon's post-nursing screams intensified. Major facepalm. Whatever it was that made me ill (abdominal cramping included) was somehow being passed to Ganon through my milk. I felt just awful! I had caused him such pain because I wanted to have some junk food. Not that I could have known he would be affected, but I was still wracked with guilt. I guess growing up Catholic gave me an overdeveloped sense of guilt! Now that I know, I am doubly careful to keep HFCS out of my diet, and since Ganon begins eating baby food soon, I will need to be just as careful with his foods.
Now, I think ahead a few years to when Ganon visits friends' houses, or snacktime at daycare, or even well-meaning grandparents sneak him some sweets. As he gets larger (and therefore has more body mass), will the effects lessen? Will he, like me, be able to eat a small treat with little trouble, or will he be miserably in pain from the smallest cookie? Will other parents and caregivers realize how prevalent HFCS is? That something as innocuous as a hamburger (depending on the bun) could cause such problems in my little boy? With HFCS being rebranded as "Corn Sugar", will it become more difficult to spot in products - and will there be a difference in labelling between HFCS and regular corn syrup?
This is going to be difficult.
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