Mushy Bananas

All right, let the food making begin! Since one of the two foods that don't require cooking prior to pureeing was sitting on my counter top, I just couldn't resist mashing it up for little E the other day.  I know, I know, every veteran parent has told me: "Don't do fruits first! She'll like the sweet and never eat  her veggies!" Well, guess what??  I don't cook, and Paul was out of town, and the banana was speaking to me! So there!

Sorry for the rage.  Anywho, I took a bit and put it on Em's lips, and she loved it!  So, off to mash I go... For those of you who know my eating habits, you know my adventurous side as it relates to the culinary arts is somewhat restricted. Despite this, I am determined to have a kid who will at least try foods that I won't dare put in my mouth.  You may also know that mushy foods make me gag.  A lot.  I want you to imagine the scene I'm setting: E grinning ear to ear while drooling at the chance of inhaling the sickeningly sweet banana, while her mom is trying her best to make it look appetizing while holding back gag after gag, which happens to be worsening as the banana gets closer and closer to the correct texture.

As a caveat, I'm a speech pathologist who works with folks who can't swallow, which often requires pureed food, thickened liquid and cleaning out really awful things from peoples' not so clean mouths. Yes. I gag at work, too.

So I got to this point:

4 perfectly divided 1 ounce portions

And then I needed a break.  But my sweet little girl is staring at me! Drooling! She has to have it!  And then I remember something wonderful passed down from my sister-in-law... A food mill!  AHHHHH...  Relief.  Something about this makes me feel so much better, that I push through and get 'er done.

Best. Invention. Ever.

E has had bananas for breakfast now, and absolutely loves them. And to you "no fruits before veggies" folks, don't worry, I will make up for the fact that this was her first food, and give her the veggies she will most undoubtedly love next week.  I'm not sure if I was clear enough in my last post. The kid loves to chow.  No joke.

Post-banana tummy time

Until next time,

Mrs. Kuda

4 month stats

Our little girl is 4 months today! I can't believe how quickly the time flies.  Here are some stats:

Weight: 12 pounds, 11 1/2 ounces (the 1/2 is important!)

Length: 24 inches

Amount of times she has rolled from her back to stomach while in bed and completely freaked out: 2

Poor thing. She was so freaked out by this, she just screamed! And all I wanted to do was take a picture and tell her how proud I was of her, but of course I needed to tend to the banshee in her crib first.

I digress...

Four months!  The "first" I have been looking forward to most is starting solids. Despite my mother's recommendation ("You were eating solids at 3 weeks old!"  Yeah, remember when she said I was also sleeping 12 hours a night at 3 weeks old?  Me too.), I wanted to postpone solids until Doc said it was ok.  And we got the ok! Poor little girl has been staring and drooling at me at each meal, but I was disciplined and waited.

The results?

Sheer joy and happiness. This kid was born ready to eat food from a spoon.  She actually gets angry if I go too slow. At first I thought she was fussing because she didn't like it, but as soon as I picked up the pace she just looked like a little baby bird waiting for the next drop of goodness.  Even though this has only been going on for three days, when I put E in her chair (just so I can get some things done in the kitchen) she starts smacking her lips waiting for the deliciousness to come.

By far my most favorite 'first' for little girl!  Can't wait to see what she does next :)

Have kid, will travel

After 892 miles, E has now travelled through 6 states, slept in a hotel and her grandparent's house, met  a few handful of friends, had her first cold, and lived to tell the tale!  She and I took advantage of a business trip, and adventured the streets of Boston while her daddy worked hard during the day.

First stop? Worcester, of course!  E oggled at Uncle Tony's significant tan, and then met her great-grandmother for an Irish lunch. Grammy was enamored with E, as was E with her.  There was even a surprise visit from her cousin MK! It was all very exciting, especially after a 6 1/2 hour drive.

 

Once we got into Boston and checked into our hotel, we headed (in the very unseasonably warm Boston weather...a whoppping 50 degrees!) to the one place that upon speaking aloud makes my mouth start to water, Pacliuca's!  There's something about the family feel, homemade pastas and carafes of wine that Paul and I have always loved.  We decided to pass on the tradition...

Baby's first carafe... 

And baby's first meatball!

We happened to visit another favorite restaurant of mine, The Paramount for a little baby play date with some old friends. It turned into a walking tour after breakfast.  It was a beautiful day, and felt so good to be back in one of my all-time favorite cities. Oh, Boston, we miss you!

If you've never been to Boston this time of year, you have no idea what St. Patrick's Day means to Bostonians.  It turns the city upside down in a haze of green beads, leprechauns (We actually saw one right outside of Emmet's Pub.  I'm not kidding.) and Guiness inhaling citizens from all over the state.  It was actually hard to find a place to eat that was semi-suitable for a 3 month old! But we did find it, and our little lucky charm was a hit with all of the patrons.

Our baby's first St. Patrick's Day was complete with a stroll through the Common and Public Garden on what turned out to be one of the most beautiful days of our trip.  65 degrees! There were bands playing, folks tossing frisbees, and just lounging on the hill overlooking Charles Street.  To top it off, we had a great dinner with friends on their roof deck overlooking the city. Sigh...

Though she was asleep, this is E's first visit to the Public Garden ducks!

As if our trip hadn't been complete, we spent our last day in Boston celebrating March Madness with some of Paul's buddies.  Needless to say, E was quite the hit with all of the boys.  Despite all of the cheering and jeering at Game On, she slept for a nice long nap, ready for her first trip to the Cape!

It really was quite a trip!  We did end up (BOTH of us) getting a bit sick by the end of it, so had to forgo a stop in Brooklyn on the way home, but it seems that we have survived our first roadtrip as a family!  E is still recovering, but I think that's likely from her cold and not the trip.  We had such a great time, and can't thank everyone enough who made it so along the way!  Happy to be back south of the Mason Dixon line and in our own beds, but look forward to our next adventure!

Until next time,

Mrs. Kuda

The Love of Molos

Poor Molos.

What is he? A lobster. But you can't really help but feel sorry for him. He's not very cute. At all. His eyes are misshapen, and he can't possibly see well with all those swirls in his left eye.  His reds don't match, and though you can't see it, he has a potato sack for a bum (don't even get me started on the fact that lobsters do not really ever sit on their bum).  Who could ever love such a homely little lobster?

You guessed it! Our resident cutie has always enjoyed looking at Molos, but this week the feelings have grown much deeper.  She gazes into his funky eyes, and gnaws on his polka-dot tentacles. Her 3 month old abilities are just beginning to develop as far as purposefully grabbing onto toys, but with Molos? She will do anything she can to hold onto him!

Stuffed animal love.

Apparently, this is a bond in which the ties cannot be broken. Little E has even resorted to crying when Molos is taken away!   What can I say? The girl knows what she likes.

Don't. Touch.

The moral for me, here, is this: When Paul decides to buy some crazy, scary looking toy from France (Les Deglingos) for E, maybe I shouldn't question his judgment. Clearly, like his daughter, he knows what she likes.

Until next time!

Mrs. Kuda