The One About the Starving Vegetarians

I used to think that vegetarians surely were starving themselves. I believed they were all anorexic looking, emaciated model types who were (name the movie), "one stomach virus away from their goal weight" and sure to be a size 00 (a size made only to make the rest of us feel somehow completely inadequate and obese). I mean, why wouldn't you want to eat meat? What would you eat instead? How could you ever get full if you don't eat meat? Well for those keeping track, for the record:  I'm admitting I was wrong, very very wrong.

In an effort to be frugal, healthier, conserve, eat more local foods, and generally have more energy, Eamon and I have been trying to eat vegetarian most nights of the week. We try and only incorporate an actual meat protein twice a week. And its working. For every reason I listed and many more, it's working. You'd be surprised at how much money you can save. I'm not alone in this modern take on vegetarian. And this is no new movement. Back in 2003, Paul McCartney backed the Meatless Monday movement and its popularity soared. This style of eating has been coined flexitarian. I can't say that I am a flex anything. But, the money savings aside what I can tell you is that I enjoy how I feel after a satisfying bowl of rice and beans. Or last weeks lentils, rice, cabbage and carrots. I do have more energy. We do save money and I don't feel like we're just eating rabbit food. And I do feel full. I am by no means starving.

Don't get me wrong, I love a delicious medium rare beef tenderloin, or a well seasoned herb crusted pork tenderloin and I'll take that extra B on my BLT. But this new culinary adventure for me has been exciting and encouraging.  As many of you know, I love to cook. I love to follow new recipes and I am addicted to the Food Network. And trying to find creative meals that do not include a cut of meat has been an entertaining experience. Curry dishes, beans, veggie lasagna, bean soups, chili, chard, frittatas, the list is endless.


I recently watched an episode on the Cooking Channel (as if there weren't enough cooking shows for me to be addicted to on the Food Network, they had to create another channel) called Cooking for Real, with Sunny Anderson. She was making food for the BIG GAME (read: Super Bowl) and was shredding chicken for what she called nachos blanco with roasted jalapeno salsa. A few years ago, the idea of chicken nachos would have had me running to the closet story to buy the juiciest rotisserie bird I could find, but this past weekend my eye caught a different component to those nachos... that roasted jalapeno salsa. I watched as she roasted the garlic, onions and jalapenos in the oven and blended them with cilantro, lime juice and salt and pepper. My mouth watered. I couldn't get it out of my mind. So when we put black bean tacos on the menu for a night this week I knew I had to make this salsa. We weren't disappointed. And, I'm not starving (and just to note - it's almost 4 hours post dinner now). Anyway - try it.  I promise you'll add it to your line-up. We enjoyed it with black beans that were sauteed with onion, red pepper, celery and spanish seasonings, rice that we'd cooked with lime zest, and corn tortillas.

Salsa: 

3 green jalapenos, halved and seeded  

2 cloves garlic \

1/2 medium onion  

2 tablespoons olive oil  

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro  

1/4 cup  water or veggie stock  

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice  

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

On a baking sheet toss the jalapeno halves, onion, and garlic with olive oil and arrange so that garlic cloves hide under the cavities of the jalapeno halves. Season with salt and pepper, and roast in the oven until the jalapenos begin to blacken and char along with the onions, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place all the ingredients, oil included, into a food processor. Add the cilantro, stock, and lime juice, blend until smooth, taste and season with salt.


More recipes to come in later blogs, but I just had to share this one with the Super Bowl coming up - it's the perfect chip dipper!

The One with a Few of my Favorite BABY Things

Recently I've had several friends and family ask me about various baby products we use now or have used in the past. I thought I'd make a list.

Favorite Baby Wearing Device

Cooking Dinner in the Moby

We absolutely adored our moby wrap. We haven't used it as much lately. Now that Andy is bigger - we've started using the Ergo carrier more, but I know we could use the Moby still without any trouble. Even my husband wore the Moby with no problems and he enjoyed it - I swear! She would usually fall asleep once we got her situated and I always felt like she was safe.  The greatest thing is that your hands are totally free and you can do loads of things...
During Andy's first 3 months of life, we traveled up and down the East coast. The Moby saved our lives several times on that trip.
It also makes a great gift. As I mentioned we now use the Ergo more (which the hubby also wears). There are loads of studies and tons of research to support the benefits of baby-wearing. It helps solidify the bond between parent and child and assists in making their transition from womb to world easier.

Favorite Pump and Bottles

Andy's first bottle

I rented the hospital grade breast pump made by Ameda when we first brought Andy home and it worked perfectly. So much so, that when it came time for us to buy our own pump - we knew exactly what we wanted. I have the Ameda Purely Yours Ultra and I use it EVERY SINGLE DAY! We didn't do a lot of research on bottles for Andy, but some of the mom's in my mom's group (more on that later) recommended Dr. Browns and I listened. We've never had trouble with Andy taking a bottle, she doesn't have any nipple confusion and she switches back and forth easily. I can't say it's definitely because of the bottle, maybe we're just lucky, but I do think they help with gas and prevent/eliminate her swallowing too much air. I'd recommend getting mostly a stash of the 8oz bottles - they wont use the 4oz bottles for too long and why not just save the money and go straight to the bigger ones. The nipple size is the exact same for the smaller bottles as it is for the larger ones.


Best Items for Traveling

Resting in my Boppy

She slept with her hands over her head

Because we traveled so much those first few months we learned a lot about what you need and don't need. And, because we were gone from home for literally months at a time, we had to TRY to pack lightly. This meant we didn't buy a pack and play or playard or whatever name they're called now. We got a fold up tiny little bed that folded up nice and neatly and would slide in any tiny space in the back of the car. It was made by Eddie Bauer and we bought it at Target. I know they've outlawed the sleep positioner in the picture - don't judge.
We also loved having my Boppy every where we went. I used it for nursing in the beginning and then we'd use it to help her sit up or be comfy where ever she was.  Be sure to get more than one cover - it will get dirty.
We also spent a lot of time on the beach during those traveling months and enjoying having this tent that protected Andy from the wind and sun. It was big enough that we could change her in there as well as keep our belongs sand/salt free. We'd carry her in the Moby from the car to the beach, set up the tent with the Boppy in it, and then sit her in her little beach hut.

Feeding, Making Baby food and Solids

Thanks to my mom's group (sponsored by the Birthing Inn where I delivered) I've learned about a lot of interesting, helpful and useful items. One of these is the mesh feeders that Andy absolutely adores. You can put frozen food in them (apples, mango, etc.) or soft foods (avocado) and let her suck away. You don't have to work about choking hazards and it's great for her poor teething swollen gums.
The other great item for all things baby food related is actually a website. Wholesomebabyfood.com has given us so many ideas for what to feed Andy and what to avoid, what ages we should feel comfortable starting certain solids, recipe ideas, tips, tricks, etc.


It's a wonderful resource for those wanting to make their own baby food. Which might sound daunting but it's truthfully not as hard as it seems. If you want your child to grow to enjoy all sorts of foods, and not eat special meals different from what you're having it's a great way to start. If we're having peas for dinner, we just make a few more, and puree them for her. Speaking of babies eating what you eat - I saw this list on facebook (see below) and thought it rather relevant to our life right now and dead on in-line with our thoughts for how we'd like our children to eat. And I couldn't make a list of my favorite things without mentioned the Bumbo seat. We could sit Andy on our dining room table during our meals so she could join us. We could sit her up in the living room so we could fold laundry. She liked being fed sweet potatoes in the Bumbo seat and she even carved pumpkins in the Bumbo! Her thighs are a bit too chunky now to fit, but the Bumbo is a lifesaver! 

Other things that we love that I'll review later include:
Our cloth diapers: a mixture of Gdiapers, Fuzzibunz and BumGenius
Sophie the Giraffe (a must for all stylish babies)
My Babe Au Lait Nursing Cover


I'll close now, but I just wanted to share a few of my favorite BABY things.  Thanks for reading!

Respect Your Child's Appetite: Young children tend to eat only when they're hungry. If your child doesn't want to eat don't force a meal or snack. Likewise, don't bribe or force your child to clean his or her plate. This may only ignite, or reinforce,  a power struggle over food.

Set a Routine:  Serve meals and snacks around the same time every day. Try not to serve liquids or snacks for at least one hour prior to eating a meal. This way your child will come to the table with a larger appetite.

If your child still isn't eating look back at what they may have had earlier in the day. Perhaps a larger meal at breakfast, or lunch, is what's causing them stomach's to be full.

Set a Good Example: If your child isn't used to sitting at the table during every meal this could be why he or she has learned to get up and go. Try getting your family to sit down, together, for every meal rather then letting them sit in front of the television or in another room.

Set a Timer:  Start low. Maybe five minutes the first few days and then ten. This will create sort of a game for your little one to eat what they can before the timer goes off. You could even reward them for staying at the table until the timer goes off.

Keep Distractions Limited:  Shut off the television, put away the games and try not to have any toys at the table.

Be Patient: If a child is new to table food or if they are trying something for the first time it's important to realize they may not like it. Young children often touch or smell new foods and may even spit it out after trying.

Your child may need repeated exposure to a new food before he or she commits to it. Encourage your child by talking about a food's color, shape, aroma and texture.

Don't Force It: This could lead to obesity if your child is being told to eat when not hungry. Once they are finished eating tell your child they get nothing else. No meal substitutes or snacks. Just what's in front of him or her. If your child is that hungry they'll learn to eat each meal.

Hide It: If you're child is against fruit and vegetables try chopping them up and hide it in your meals. Smoothies, cereals or sauces are just three examples. 

Offer a Menu: Sit down with your child each day, or week, to determine what they'd like to eat. Or offer two or three meal options per meal, as if they were ordering from a menu. But, do not get into the habit of preparing a separate meal for your child after he or she rejects the original meal as this may encourage your child's picky eating. 

Have Fun: Take your child grocery shopping and have them select fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods that they'd like to try at home. When preparing a meal, have your child help you by mixing ingredients or placing the items on their plate.

Allow your child to choose which sauce they'd like to dip their foods in. You can also cut foods into various shapes.  One idea is to make "fun toast" by toasting a piece of bread and cutting out a shape using a cookie cutter before adding a healthy margarine or jam.

Dessert Alternative: If you eat a variety of healthy foods then your child is more likely to follow. When it comes to offering dessert try to serve strawberries, watermelon or pineapple instead, all of which have their own natural sugars. Yogurt is another option.

If you decide to give your child dessert, after they've eaten their meal, try not to serve one every night. This may send the message that dessert is the best food, which may only increase your child's desire.

If you're concerned that picky eating is compromising your child's growth and development the best advice is to consult with your child's doctor. In the meantime, continue to work with your child and introduce them to healthy foods and habits that might convince them that mealtime isn't so bad. 

The One Where She Spits, Sits and Smiles

I knew it would happen. I knew I'd be so ramped up about this blog and then it would slip away from me and I would go months without posting. How do people I know keep up blogs every day? Every week? I'm renewing my commitment to this and hopefully I can do better. Like anything - it's all about trying your best.

It's 2011 now and today is Andy's 7 month birthday! She's peacefully sleeping upstairs, on her belly (GASP!) and I'm downstairs remembering this night seven months ago. The emotion of it all is overwhelming. Seven months ago I was nursing her for one of the very first times. I was so nervous back then about everything breastfeeding my daughter entailed. What if she didn't latch? What if my milk didn't come in? What if she had an allergy? What if I got mastitis? What if we both got thrush? Tonight as I nursed her for the some odd thousandth time I thought about those early days of breastfeeding. I'm lucky. She's lucky. We're all blessed. She latched like a champ, my milk came in before we ever left the hospital, I can eat anything and she's never shown any allergic reactions and she's gaining weight like its her job - 90th percentile in weight. I'm happy that we're still committed to our goal of breastfeeding our daughter until she's at least a year old. Thankfully, Eamon (my husband) is on board with this commitment and continues to be incredibly supportive of my breastfeeding. Anyway: In an effort to catch you up quickly - we'll go through the S's - spitting, sitting and smiling.

SPITTING
We are committed to breastfeeding Andy until she's a year old but we have however introduced her to several solids since my last blog. Let's see - there's been: sweet potato, bananas, frozen apples, frozen mango, oatmeal cereal, peas, mashed mango, avocado, and the latest came tonight - carrots. She's done great. Accepting of our trials on pureeing our own baby food and eager to try new tastes. Our learning curve is like hers - steep but forgiving. After the first sweet potato trials we learned vinyl bibs are a must! A few days after the first mango trials - we learned it probably should be pureed more finely. She does love to eat though and for that, we're blessed. We also got this awesome mesh feeder thingy too that you can put frozen things in. She gets to suck out the flavor - all the while working on soothing her tiny swollen gums where her little teeth keep trying to push their way through. SHE LOVES THAT THING!
We'll keep up the solid food experiments and enjoy every time she spits something back at us (oh the peas!)


SITTING

Momma's Pearls

Andy's 6month Portr

Eamon has been anxious for Andy to hit her milestones. Especially sitting up and crawling. I wanted her to be sitting up on her own by Christmas (selfishly wanting pics of her in front of a Christmas tree sitting unassisted with her toys and gifts). She was so close at Thanksgiving - holding her cute fat hands in front her her - spreading her legs and balancing on those chubby hands. But one small excitment or one move of those hands and she toppled over and scared herself. Inevitably crying would follow and we'd go to laying on our belly or sitting in my lap. About 3 weeks before Christmas, we were in Boston and we realized we'd quit holding her up, we'd stopped worrying she was going to fall over. She was sitting up on her own. This made for some super cute Christmas photos.


SMILING

There is nothing that can bring warmth to your heart like the smile of a child. When its your own child, that warmth melts you. Since my last blog, we've enjoyed Halloween together: a trip to the pumpkin farm, carving those pumpkins, and a Halloween party at the Daycare. Thanksgiving: we traveled up to Baltimore for an amazing Coy, Deford, McAdoo celebration. First plane rides - including trips to Boston and Dallas and a visit to Texas Stadium. A 6 month birthday and portrait session. Christmas: trips to Nelson county to see the Coy's, Richmond to see the Johnson's and Pawley's Island to see the Reece's. We enjoyed New Year's on the beach sitting with our toes in the sand with lots of smiles and giggles and Andy's Aunt Suzanne, Uncle Bennie & Auntie Lauren and Grandma and Grandpa Reece.  

So, I'll close for now. I know I left out quite a bit since that last post (late October).
Like - my first meeting back at work since maternity leave, Andy's Christmas adventures, and much much more. 

I vow to keep my blog more updated and fill in the missing milestones as we go - for now, we're enjoying spitting, sitting and smiles over here at the Coy house.

The One With No Sick Leave

I've been determined to write my third blog entry for over a week now, but we got hit. It started with Andy's runny nose, moved onto my headache, chest cough and sore throat, and grew into an ugly home intruder that I would have gladly shot, when it gave Eamon a three day fever accompanied by body aches. I have always hated being sick. I hate when my husband is sick. But I now realize being sick and being a mom means, you're still the mom. You don't get to be sick. You don't get to call in sick and stay in bed all day and drink ginger ale and eat chicken noodle soup and watch incredibly sappy chick flicks you've seen a billion times. You don't have any sick leave.

I suppose I should be thankful that Andy didn't get any worse than a runny nose. Or that I should somehow thank God that we were able to send Andy to the in-home daycare she attends two days a week, last week, so that I could at least get a little rest. But I didn't feel thankful, I felt guilty. Guilty that I sent her to be taken care of by someone else when I wasn't even going to the my office. Granted, I did spend the better part of the morning on email and answering voicemail in my oh so sexy, scratchy, sounds like I smoked an entire pack of cigarettes last night, raw throat voice. But, that's not the point. I'd heard of mother's guilt but now feeling it is different. The weekend came and went in a blur. I somehow managed to get up at 7:30 when Andy woke up on Saturday and 6:45 when she decided it was playtime on Sunday. I could have been angry with her. But one look at her face and I suddenly didn't feel so bad.

We're on the mend now and focusing on the upcoming weekend. I'm so excited for baby Andy's Halloween costumes. That's right that's plural - costumeS! I couldn't decide! Once Halloween has passed it's time to set our sights on the big baptism weekend which is leaning toward being a wonderful family filled celebration!  

For now though, it's back to the cough, sniffle, blow nose, wash hands routine we've been mastering for about 5 days now. 

The One With the RFPs and Pumping

First let me say this:  I'm not an authority on babies, or breastmilk, or the effect of breastmilk on a baby's development. What I do know is that I've made the best choice for my family and for me. My choice is to exclusively breastfeed our baby girl until we introduce solids she reaches a year of age. I've said all along my plan was to breastfeed for at least the first year of her life. Even once we introduce her to solids (hopefully around 6 months or maybe sooner), she'll still need the nutritional benefits of breastmilk. However, I also said I wanted to have a natural drug free birth and we see how that turned out. Vowing to try to achieve at least one of my goals for raising this baby, I commit to breastfeeding my baby until she's at least one year old.

What does this mean for me (the weekday professional)?

We have a unique day care arrangement. Baby girl Andy goes to an in-home daycare/nannie in the nearby and neighboring town of Round Hill on Mondays and Fridays (more to come regarding that added expense in a future post), my mother in law watches her on Tuesdays and she's at home with her poppa on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Me:  I go to the office every day. My routine is the same as it was before I had the most beautiful baby I've ever seen. (yes, I'm biased - but in case you want to decide for yourself - a picture).

Well, okay, I'm stretching the truth. My routine is ALMOST the same as it was before I had the most beautiful baby I've ever seen (what? you want another picture...fine!)

 

What I'm trying to get at, is that my drive to the office is now accompanied by a nice leather satchel purse looking thing. It's contents provide me with the tools to supply each of Andy's caregivers with bottles of expressed breastmilk. Bottles they can feed her while I'm away from her. Seems simple enough. Pump enough bottles each day so that the next day, her caregiver can feed her my breastmilk. Simple. Sure. Um, hardly. It's hard. It hurts from time to time (and yes I'm doing it right). It reminds me I'm away from her. It breaks up my workday and not always in a good way. Simple. Yeah right! It's like I have two kids. Andy and The Pump. Don't get me wrong, I love feeding her. It give us some special time together, just the two of us. No one else in the world will have that with her. I race home each evening after work so I can have that first nursing session. It relaxes me, calms and soothes her and reminds me that I'm doing the right thing. The right thing for me and my family. And what's the greatest reward? When she's nursing and she stops to look up at me and stares into my eyes and smiles her sweet, innocent smile. There is a connection that happens in that moment that is beyond anything I can explain. It's like, in her own little way, she's saying thank you. Thank you momma for feeding me the good stuff and thank you for the bottles you work so hard to pump for me, but most of all thank you momma for letting me have the "fresh milk" from you whenever we're together.

I've been back at work now 4 weeks if someone were to ask me how the pumping was going - my answer would be a disappointed sounding "alright I guess". I often delay or put off pumping at work for distractions, meetings, getting busy and a whole host of other excuses and therefore sometimes don't pump as often as I need to. Because of that, my supply is suffering. I get enough bottles and ounces but it's harder than it was in the beginning. In the past two days I've re-vowed to get back on track with pumping with enough frequency and trying not to worry about how much I am pumping (lord knows she's not starving with the rolls I see on those thighs). I've also added a natural supplement, it's called MotherLove More Milk Plus. I'm praying it helps.

We're looking forward to the weekend. Baptism class at church, a balloon festival, maybe a trip to the pumpkin patch if I can convince the hubby and a country club brunch with Andy's Uncle Bennie and Auntie Lauren. How will I ever decide what will she will wear????

Good A Time As Any

My name is Jenn and I'm a blogger.

Typing out that statement somehow makes it more real.  As if now that it's in printed text, I can't take it back. I had made a commitment when I was pregnant with our baby girl that I would write her all these letters. Letters she could look back on and read when she was older and understand the thoughts, emotions and anticipation we had waiting for her arrival. Letters that told her about my hopes and dreams for her childhood and beyond. Letters that described what it was like to feel her move around inside my ever expanding belly. Letters that told her of our surprise when we found out she was coming into our lives. Letters about the endless doctors visits, swollen feet, pregnancy acne, and other joys of pregnancy. Letters about our beautiful wedding and how she was there with us, even though she couldn't see us, we could feel her.

But (insert screeching record), I'm the Director of Meetings for an association, who's 1400 attendee annual meeting was planned for less than a month after my due date. I had no time to write letters to her. Heck - I I barely had time to breath (or I could barely breath) - either way I didn't write those letters. When I did have a free minute, I planned our wedding, got the house ready for her arrival, traveled to Vegas, San Diego, Italy, New Orleans, Central Virginia North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, but mostly... I just slept. Pregnancy exhausted me. I was more tired when I was pregnant than I am now and she's a fast growing 4 month old.

So, now that she IS four months old and growing faster than I ever thought she would I've decided to start a blog. (Sidenote: everyone tells you .... oh it goes so fast and if I had a dollar for every time someone said that to me, I could pay for this terrible habit I've got for buying her adorable clothes that I know will only fit for max two months.)

I'll keep my first post brief. In closing - a list of a few scattered random things about our little family.
1. We live in a house that's 100 years old in Purcellville, VA
2. We found out we were pregnant when we were in New Orleans working with Habitat for Humanity
3. We got engaged in Venice Italy

 4. We got married on March 13, 2010 in a torrential rain (what's that about rain on your wedding day?)
5. Our daughter was born on June 9, 2010 (two 1/2 weeks early)
6. We spent the first 3 months of her life - traveling the east coast - she'd been to every state except FL on the east coast before she was 3 months old.
7. We're both back at work now and figuring out a routine of daycare, nannies, solid foods, cloth diapers, making our own baby food, child development plans, nap schedules, bedtime routines, vaccine schedules and everything in between.

Hopefully my blog will be interesting to read, make you laugh, bring you back for more but most of all, I just have too many random thoughts in my head and I hope this blog provides me with an outlet for them.