They're older now, they should be able to handle a longer road trip!
One of the unexpected surprises of our trip to Ottawa, Remembrance Day Weekend, was the Flavour Town adventure the girls experienced. Salina and Andrea introduced the girls to a variety of foods we hadn't thought to try with the girls. Cottage cheese, tofu, zucchini, and pumpkin soup were all on the menu, plus the girls had a lot of their food in small pieces as we continued to move away from some of the pureed food. It really is a marketing accomplishment that companies are able to convince parents to buy a baby bullet or special equipment to make baby food, when really the time spent eating pureed baby food is so short.
One thing illustrated by our road trip, was how beneficial having a routine is!! (Yes this is yet another post promoting routines!!) We were able to predict when the girls would need a nap or need to eat, which made planning very easy. The girls surprisingly transitioned well from place to place and slept will in the playpens.
A definite highlight of the trip for the girls was playing with Avea and Declan! The girls loved all of the new toys to play with and spent a lot of time watching to see what Avea and Declan would do. The experience also gave us a chance to see what to expect in the next few months! Life is going to get busy once they are on two feet!
While driving meltdowns seem to be the norm for our extended road trips, we made it five hours outside of Ottawa before Abigail started to lose her mind. In hindsight, thinking about how we frantically pulled over of the 407 with me trying to comfort a sobbing child, Shawn shouting for me to get back in the car before we get killed, us trying to find an exit to find a place to feed the girls, the whole scene was quite comical. As always, the humour is noted well after the experience! LOL As we drove the remaining hour home in blissful silence, we apologized to each other for losing our minds as much as Abigail did! Chalk this road trip up to another great adventure full of learning experiences.
Showing posts with label Eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eating. Show all posts
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Monday, 28 October 2013
The Feeding Frenzy Continues!
I clearly remember a time when the girls ate seven-eight times a day. Most days back then were a vicious cycle of formula mixing, baby feeding, bottle cleaning, sanitizing, repeat! It seemed endless and felt as though it consumed most of my days. There was nothing worse then getting ready to crawl into bed when you suddenly realized we needed to make formula for the next day.
This week however, with the weaning of their afternoon bottle, the girls are down to just two bottles a day, one first thing in the morning and another one before bed. Although I haven't done as much reading on the topic of weaning as I would have liked, so far the girls have done really well. The removal of the afternoon bottle came as a result of me following their lead. Most days they seemed disinterested in stopping their play for a bottle and even then would only drink about a third of what I was offering. Now that we're down another bottle, the feeding frenzy has reach new heights!
New additions to the girls diet include cheese, cherry tomatoes, grapes, spaghetti with chicken (oh this goes down so much better now!) and toast strips. While the girls still hide more cheerios in their high chair than they eat, they are becoming masters of the pincer grasp!
This week however, with the weaning of their afternoon bottle, the girls are down to just two bottles a day, one first thing in the morning and another one before bed. Although I haven't done as much reading on the topic of weaning as I would have liked, so far the girls have done really well. The removal of the afternoon bottle came as a result of me following their lead. Most days they seemed disinterested in stopping their play for a bottle and even then would only drink about a third of what I was offering. Now that we're down another bottle, the feeding frenzy has reach new heights!
New additions to the girls diet include cheese, cherry tomatoes, grapes, spaghetti with chicken (oh this goes down so much better now!) and toast strips. While the girls still hide more cheerios in their high chair than they eat, they are becoming masters of the pincer grasp!
Abby loved spaghetti!
Has anyone been as happy about eating spaghetti as Molly?
Friday, 25 October 2013
Mini Vacation in Niagara Falls
This past week, the girls and I joined Daddy at his work conference to vacation in Niagara Falls! LOL The girls had a ton of fun exploring their new space (why is it they can always find the cords and electrical outlets???) I felt like a Sherpa carrying a 4 day supply of baby belongings up to our room, but I guess that's the price you pay for vacation with babies less than a year old!
The Bumbo chairs make feeding time a lot easier when you're away from home and this hotel table had a convenient serving drawer! The girls really enjoy holding their own spoon during meals.
This was the first time girls had ever seen Niagara Falls and it motivated a lot of standing and Abigail even pulled herself up!
The girls really enjoyed all of the exploring they were able to do in the hotel, plus they were a huge hit with Daddy's colleagues and all of the hotel staff!!
The girls are always making people smile, wherever they go!!
The Bumbo chairs make feeding time a lot easier when you're away from home and this hotel table had a convenient serving drawer! The girls really enjoy holding their own spoon during meals.
This was the first time girls had ever seen Niagara Falls and it motivated a lot of standing and Abigail even pulled herself up!
Molly standing on her own, enjoying the view!
Abigail getting her first view of the Falls!
Abigail standing on her own, looking at the Falls!
The girls looking out the window, Abigail has pulled herself up to get a better view!
The girls really enjoyed all of the exploring they were able to do in the hotel, plus they were a huge hit with Daddy's colleagues and all of the hotel staff!!
The girls are always making people smile, wherever they go!!
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Much To Be Thankful For
The girls first Thanksgiving Weekend was jam packed with family dinners, parties, late nights and eating turkey dinners for the first time. Thanksgiving, that magical weekend when overeating is encouraged, orange is everywhere you look, family time is in overdrive and everyone needs to wear pants with elastic bands! This year we celebrated cousin Sophie's 1st Birthday with a great party for the birthday girl. We couldn't have asked for better weather and the girls were able to play outside on a blanket!
The girls had a great time inspecting all of Sophie's toys and were so happy that she liked her birthday present of the Tickle Monster book! A wonderful book that will be sure to bring many giggles! The girls wore 1st birthday party hats and even received their first ever loot bags from Sophie!
During Thanksgiving dinner the girls had dinner at the table and enjoyed some turkey, potatoes, carrot and still their favourite, sweet potatoes. They have also started eating toast strips and can easily eat these on their own in their high chair. Their taste buds have been in overdrive as they have tried many new foods in the past two weeks. New on the menu include egg/banana pancakes, turkey, mashed potatoes, toast strips and mixed grains. Their little pincer grips are improving and the girls are enjoying "attempting" to feed themselves. We've even tried offering them water in a little cup more frequently which has been entertaining as they swallow down approx 2mL at a time! After eating, using the little finger tooth brush is fun to watch as the girls often start laughing when they feel in on their gums and teeth.
Speaking of teeth, we still only have two each, but the moaning we hear in the middle of the night tells us more is on the way!
Molly, Sophie and Abigail
The girls had a great time inspecting all of Sophie's toys and were so happy that she liked her birthday present of the Tickle Monster book! A wonderful book that will be sure to bring many giggles! The girls wore 1st birthday party hats and even received their first ever loot bags from Sophie!
During Thanksgiving dinner the girls had dinner at the table and enjoyed some turkey, potatoes, carrot and still their favourite, sweet potatoes. They have also started eating toast strips and can easily eat these on their own in their high chair. Their taste buds have been in overdrive as they have tried many new foods in the past two weeks. New on the menu include egg/banana pancakes, turkey, mashed potatoes, toast strips and mixed grains. Their little pincer grips are improving and the girls are enjoying "attempting" to feed themselves. We've even tried offering them water in a little cup more frequently which has been entertaining as they swallow down approx 2mL at a time! After eating, using the little finger tooth brush is fun to watch as the girls often start laughing when they feel in on their gums and teeth.
Speaking of teeth, we still only have two each, but the moaning we hear in the middle of the night tells us more is on the way!
Sunday, 4 August 2013
Flavour Town Update!
Flavour Town continues to grow for the Turkettes with the recent addition of some great flavours and new discoveries! A not so great parenting first included the discovery that Abigail does not like or is possibly allergic to avocado! Thankfully this discovery happened before our big trip, but it has resulted in avocado being temporarily removed from the menu for the time being (sorry Molly, I know it was a favourite of yours!) One night after a great meal of avocados, Abigail "surprise" projectile vomited on her exersaucer. I use the term surprised to illustrate the lack of warning for the major amount of avocado that this child expelled from her little body! Furthermore, after she finished throwing up, she continued to play as if nothing had happened! A little while later she vomited again, but this time became rather upset. A full outfit change and a lot of comforting was required. After her nighttime bottle, she went down easy enough but then woke up crying. When I picked her up to comfort her, she proceeded to vomit all over us, three times in a row! Fun times!! We weren't entirely sure why she was vomiting, she didn't feel warm but when we went to take her temperature (another parenting first) we realized we didn't know how to use our digital thermometer. Okay...it's not really that hard, but when you're covered in vomit and worried about your kid, your problem solving skills tend to falter. So here is a great tip....know where all of your baby medication is and learn how to use your thermometer ahead of time so your stress levels are reduced when your baby does get sick!
Flavour Town has expanded for the girls and so has our ability to make more of our own food for the girls. Thanks to my friend Beth, the girls are going to give the protein chicken another shot, this time through a homemade chicken soup we made the other day! The girls have added a sweet potato/turkey combo to their food list so we are getting some protein in now! The girls have also successfully tried Apricots, Peaches, Pears and Apple Sauce. The apple sauce, likely due to its texture has caused Abigail to make some of the funniest faces. She actually shudders while taking a mouthful but then keeps coming back for more!
What Foods Our in Their Future?
We still haven't gotten around to trying zucchini yet, but we did just make a batch of our butternut squash! Now that the girls are approaching the 8 month mark, we are trying to introduce some finger foods. While the girls mostly played with the Cheerios on their tray, they did manage to eat a few of them one at a time! We still have to work on including more veggies, so maybe some beans in the near future, everyone loves the musical fruit! LOL
Flavour Town has expanded for the girls and so has our ability to make more of our own food for the girls. Thanks to my friend Beth, the girls are going to give the protein chicken another shot, this time through a homemade chicken soup we made the other day! The girls have added a sweet potato/turkey combo to their food list so we are getting some protein in now! The girls have also successfully tried Apricots, Peaches, Pears and Apple Sauce. The apple sauce, likely due to its texture has caused Abigail to make some of the funniest faces. She actually shudders while taking a mouthful but then keeps coming back for more!
What Foods Our in Their Future?
We still haven't gotten around to trying zucchini yet, but we did just make a batch of our butternut squash! Now that the girls are approaching the 8 month mark, we are trying to introduce some finger foods. While the girls mostly played with the Cheerios on their tray, they did manage to eat a few of them one at a time! We still have to work on including more veggies, so maybe some beans in the near future, everyone loves the musical fruit! LOL
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
How Goes the Feeding Frenzy??
Ever since we've introduced the world of solids to the Turkettes, meal time isn't the only thing that has gotten more interesting! The diaper genie continues to work it's magic even though it's on overdrive!
Since the girls' first introduction to Flavour Town we've slowly been introducing more foods with mixed reviews from the Turkettes. Avocado was a huge hit the first day, then Abigail started making the worst gagging noises and funniest faces every time she ate it! She virtually refused to swallow if avocado was in her mouth! Even attempting to have her drink water (in hopes of sneaking down some avocado) was met with some resistance! To say Molly LOVES avocado would be a huge understatement. Other than rice cereal and formula, avocado is easily one of Molly's favourite foods!
Recent additions to meal times in the highchair include:
Prunes (both liked)
Strawberries (both liked)
Oatmeal (both liked)
Carrots again (neither really liked them)
Strawberries/Banana (both liked)
Chicken with Broth: in the jar (no luck, they still don't like chicken!!)
There have been a few times we have had to do a little tom foolery when it comes to feeding the Turkettes. Today for example, Abigail was able to each almost 2 tablespoons of avocado if I mixed it in with her rice cereal!! Surprise!! Putting a bit of avocado in front of carrots fools Molly almost every time!!
Peas have been the latest addition to the repertoire and both girls seem to really like them! Success!
More vegetables is our next conquest in the high chair! Zucchini and some sweet potatoes! More fun times and great faces ahead!!
Since the girls' first introduction to Flavour Town we've slowly been introducing more foods with mixed reviews from the Turkettes. Avocado was a huge hit the first day, then Abigail started making the worst gagging noises and funniest faces every time she ate it! She virtually refused to swallow if avocado was in her mouth! Even attempting to have her drink water (in hopes of sneaking down some avocado) was met with some resistance! To say Molly LOVES avocado would be a huge understatement. Other than rice cereal and formula, avocado is easily one of Molly's favourite foods!
Recent additions to meal times in the highchair include:
Prunes (both liked)
Strawberries (both liked)
Oatmeal (both liked)
Carrots again (neither really liked them)
Strawberries/Banana (both liked)
Chicken with Broth: in the jar (no luck, they still don't like chicken!!)
There have been a few times we have had to do a little tom foolery when it comes to feeding the Turkettes. Today for example, Abigail was able to each almost 2 tablespoons of avocado if I mixed it in with her rice cereal!! Surprise!! Putting a bit of avocado in front of carrots fools Molly almost every time!!
Peas have been the latest addition to the repertoire and both girls seem to really like them! Success!
More vegetables is our next conquest in the high chair! Zucchini and some sweet potatoes! More fun times and great faces ahead!!
Friday, 28 June 2013
Bananas and Carrots and Chicken, OH MY!
For approximately two weeks the girls have been hanging out in what Guy Fieri likes to call Flavour Town. After successfully mastering rice cereal we have tried with various success to introduce chicken, carrots and bananas to the girls' repertoire! Here is how our attempts have panned out.
FOOD ABIGAIL MOLLY
rice cereal good good
chicken bad bad
carrots so-so bad
bananas good so-so
We are currently on a steady diet of bottle for breakfast, rice cereal for early lunch, new food trial for late lunch, bottle for late dinner. Food next up for trial in Flavour Town include peas, chicken with broth (since ours didn't pass the taste test, we're hoping another kind will!) and avocados!
Molly contemplates bananas!
Abigail shares her views on bananas!
Tuesday, 18 June 2013
Feeding Time Just Got Messy!
The 6 Month milestone was a big one for the Turkettes! Current talents include grabbing their toes, rolling over with ease, manipulating their soother in and out of their mouths and intensely playing in their exersaucers. Awake time has never been so fun!!
After attending an Ontario Early Years Centre session on Infant Feeding, and our 6 month doctor's appointment and vaccination, the girls were ready to begin life beyond just formula! We decided to start with rice cereal that you add formula or breast milk to. My logic was that it would at least taste similar to what they were familiar with and hopefully be an easy transition for them. After reading countless labels at the grocery store, I settle on the PC Organics Brand of Rice Cereal because it had the least amount of ingredients!
Armoured with bibs and strapped in their new high chairs (thank you Auntie Michelle) the girls were ready to go for their first step into the world of solids! I'm not sure who enjoyed the experience more, us or the girls. It was amazing to see how quickly their learning curve was. Soon we had little mouths opening wide for coloured spoons and making the cutest faces of confusion once the spoon had left their mouth leaving the cereal behind!
After attending an Ontario Early Years Centre session on Infant Feeding, and our 6 month doctor's appointment and vaccination, the girls were ready to begin life beyond just formula! We decided to start with rice cereal that you add formula or breast milk to. My logic was that it would at least taste similar to what they were familiar with and hopefully be an easy transition for them. After reading countless labels at the grocery store, I settle on the PC Organics Brand of Rice Cereal because it had the least amount of ingredients!
Armoured with bibs and strapped in their new high chairs (thank you Auntie Michelle) the girls were ready to go for their first step into the world of solids! I'm not sure who enjoyed the experience more, us or the girls. It was amazing to see how quickly their learning curve was. Soon we had little mouths opening wide for coloured spoons and making the cutest faces of confusion once the spoon had left their mouth leaving the cereal behind!
Molly and Abigail enjoying their first feeding of rice cereal!
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