Sometimes I feel like I'm partaking in a love affair....My son is just so sweet, so innocent, I just love him. :) He makes me smile, and it's so fun spending time with him.
I love watching him while he nurses, how he gently strokes my breast, or takes his little thumb and kind've dances it along my chest. How he sometimes falls asleep while he nurses, and his little face is so peaceful, even as he continues to eat.
I love watching him sleep, with eyes so perfect, so angelic, I hate to wake him, so as to spoil the moment.
I wish I could take each moment and capture it forever in my mind. I wish I could keep him this age forever. But not really, because I know there are many, many good memories to come. :)
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Food Update
Well we tried chicken puree with Sam. As I was preparing it, I was thinking, this is pretty gross. It looks gross, it smells gross, if Sam likes this, it will be a miracle.
Sam did NOT like chicken. In fact, after he tried chicken, his aversion to lentils lessened significantly. He ate several spoonfuls of lentils without any difficulty at all. We tried mixing chicken with sweet potato at the next feeding with limited success.
Tim did discover however, if you let Sam hold the spoon and guide it into his mouth, he'll take the chicken more willingly. :P
Sam did NOT like chicken. In fact, after he tried chicken, his aversion to lentils lessened significantly. He ate several spoonfuls of lentils without any difficulty at all. We tried mixing chicken with sweet potato at the next feeding with limited success.
Tim did discover however, if you let Sam hold the spoon and guide it into his mouth, he'll take the chicken more willingly. :P
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Taste Adventures
On July 20th Sam turned 6 months old (wow! I can not believe how fast it's gone!). Reaching this milestone means that Sam can now start trying solid foods. So far, it has been quite an adventure.
The first food we tried with Sam was sweet potato. He was a little bit perplexed by what to do with the food at first, and he played around with it in his mouth for a while. Eventually he got the hang of "this eating thing", and within a day or two he was readily opening his mouth when the spoon approached with sweet potato.
The next food we tried was avocado. Now Sam wasn't quite a big a fan of avocado as he was sweet potato, I think the creamier and slightly denser texture was a bit harder for him to figure out. But after a day or two of working with the texture, Sam was still fairly eager to eat off the spoon. The only difference was that when he got tired of the avocado, he would just start pushing it out of this mouth onto his face, the bib and everywhere else it landed.
Banana was the next food on the roster, and let me tell you, Sam LOVES banana. I've never seen my son open his mouth so eagerly or willingly as when you offer him banana. It was a hit from the start.
Food #4 wasn't quite the hit that I had hoped. I decided to try brown lentils with Sam next, as it is a good source of iron, fibre and an assortment of other nutrients. The first time I gave lentils to Sam, he eagerly opened his mouth, expecting his favorite food banana. He was sorely surprised and taken aback by the pasty, different-flavoured food that he received in his mouth. All versions of facial expressions, shudders and even some gags followed as I attempted to feed him his lentils. Sam learned some tricks very quickly. Such as clenching his mouth closed and sticking his tongue out ever so slightly to sample the food on the spoon, just to see if it was lentils. Or demanding to hold the spoon so that he didn't have to eat the offensive food. Or stuffing the bib in his mouth so that the lentils couldn't fit. Crying, turning his head away and/or sticking out his tongue and letting the food fall out altogether. Quite an adventure. :P
I tried mixing lentils with sweet potato or banana, and both had limited success. He'd eat a few bites, and then all of a sudden realize that there were lentils in the food, and the behaviors listed above would come out. However, I did learn a few tricks.
1. Alternate less appealing foods with mouthfuls of yummy foods. That way you get in half a dozen spoonfuls of the offensive food before he catches on and starts "taste testing" each bite.
2. Put a little bit of yummy food at the front of the spoon and the offensive food further back to fool the "taste testing" ploy.
3. Be patient. He seems to become a little more tolerant of the food with more attempts.
It's definitely an adventure! Today we will try some chicken. :P
The first food we tried with Sam was sweet potato. He was a little bit perplexed by what to do with the food at first, and he played around with it in his mouth for a while. Eventually he got the hang of "this eating thing", and within a day or two he was readily opening his mouth when the spoon approached with sweet potato.
The next food we tried was avocado. Now Sam wasn't quite a big a fan of avocado as he was sweet potato, I think the creamier and slightly denser texture was a bit harder for him to figure out. But after a day or two of working with the texture, Sam was still fairly eager to eat off the spoon. The only difference was that when he got tired of the avocado, he would just start pushing it out of this mouth onto his face, the bib and everywhere else it landed.
Banana was the next food on the roster, and let me tell you, Sam LOVES banana. I've never seen my son open his mouth so eagerly or willingly as when you offer him banana. It was a hit from the start.
Food #4 wasn't quite the hit that I had hoped. I decided to try brown lentils with Sam next, as it is a good source of iron, fibre and an assortment of other nutrients. The first time I gave lentils to Sam, he eagerly opened his mouth, expecting his favorite food banana. He was sorely surprised and taken aback by the pasty, different-flavoured food that he received in his mouth. All versions of facial expressions, shudders and even some gags followed as I attempted to feed him his lentils. Sam learned some tricks very quickly. Such as clenching his mouth closed and sticking his tongue out ever so slightly to sample the food on the spoon, just to see if it was lentils. Or demanding to hold the spoon so that he didn't have to eat the offensive food. Or stuffing the bib in his mouth so that the lentils couldn't fit. Crying, turning his head away and/or sticking out his tongue and letting the food fall out altogether. Quite an adventure. :P
I tried mixing lentils with sweet potato or banana, and both had limited success. He'd eat a few bites, and then all of a sudden realize that there were lentils in the food, and the behaviors listed above would come out. However, I did learn a few tricks.
1. Alternate less appealing foods with mouthfuls of yummy foods. That way you get in half a dozen spoonfuls of the offensive food before he catches on and starts "taste testing" each bite.
2. Put a little bit of yummy food at the front of the spoon and the offensive food further back to fool the "taste testing" ploy.
3. Be patient. He seems to become a little more tolerant of the food with more attempts.
It's definitely an adventure! Today we will try some chicken. :P
Monday, July 26, 2010
Breastfeeding
It's a funny thing, breastfeeding. It's the best thing we can do for our children, if we are able, and yet, it is something that very few women are familiar with before they have children of their own. Before I had Sam, I had very occasionally seen a friend or family member breastfeed their child. I had seen a few women in Africa comfortably breastfeeding their children in public. But other than that, I had had little exposure to this very natural part of life. I had always assumed that because it's something our bodies are designed to do, that it wouldn't really be that difficult.
Man was I wrong. Learning to breastfeed has to be one of the biggest hurdles I have ever encountered. And this is coming from someone who went through intensive challenging training in school, exercises and partakes in several fairly risky sports, AND delivered her child without medication. From trying to figure out how to hold a flailing, squirmy, often frantic baby to dealing with painful, bruised, cracked, white nipples (I was diagnosed with Raynaud's syndrome in my nipples) it felt like an uphill battle. Thankfully, I had the support from family and friends (especially my husband Tim!) and I was able to persevere. Now I have a healthy, glowing six month old baby, and he's been brought up solely on breastmilk.
I have wondered a lot along the way why there isn't a better support system for nursing moms, why we don't support each other as much as we should, why we don't use the resources available to us as much as we should. There are a lot of resources out there, like La Leche League and the local health unit.
A good friend of mine has a four week old son, and she is currently going through a lot of the same struggles I experienced. I am thankful that I am able to share my experiences and be a listening ear if nothing else. But it's made me realize how essential it is for moms to be resources not only for other moms, but other potential moms - sisters, daughters, friends, strangers even. With so many women out there that have breastfed their children over the years, it truly is strange that most of us have no idea how to do it. I think the biggest thing I've learned is that I can be a resource. And I hope that the women around me will feel comfortable using me as one.
Man was I wrong. Learning to breastfeed has to be one of the biggest hurdles I have ever encountered. And this is coming from someone who went through intensive challenging training in school, exercises and partakes in several fairly risky sports, AND delivered her child without medication. From trying to figure out how to hold a flailing, squirmy, often frantic baby to dealing with painful, bruised, cracked, white nipples (I was diagnosed with Raynaud's syndrome in my nipples) it felt like an uphill battle. Thankfully, I had the support from family and friends (especially my husband Tim!) and I was able to persevere. Now I have a healthy, glowing six month old baby, and he's been brought up solely on breastmilk.
I have wondered a lot along the way why there isn't a better support system for nursing moms, why we don't support each other as much as we should, why we don't use the resources available to us as much as we should. There are a lot of resources out there, like La Leche League and the local health unit.
A good friend of mine has a four week old son, and she is currently going through a lot of the same struggles I experienced. I am thankful that I am able to share my experiences and be a listening ear if nothing else. But it's made me realize how essential it is for moms to be resources not only for other moms, but other potential moms - sisters, daughters, friends, strangers even. With so many women out there that have breastfed their children over the years, it truly is strange that most of us have no idea how to do it. I think the biggest thing I've learned is that I can be a resource. And I hope that the women around me will feel comfortable using me as one.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Being blessed
It feels like only yesterday that Tim and I found out that I was pregnant. Today I was reflecting on the fact that next week my little guy will be starting solid foods. He will be six months old. I'm reeling from that fact. I've already been off work for over 6 months, my son has been a part of our life for almost 6 months. I've been a mommy for almost six months. It's amazing that in such a short period of time my heart has been completely stolen, captivated, enthralled with our baby boy. He is the sweetest, most fun, interactive, intelligent little guy. And I am totally in love.
I didn't think it was possible to love anyone as much as I love my husband Tim. I didn't know that my love could grow and expand. But here I am, a mere 6 months into motherhood, and I feel sometimes like I could burst with all the love I feel in my heart. Where did it come from? It's not like I've always wanted children and the love has just been building up in my heart over the years to pour into my son. In fact, not so long ago I used to say I wouldn't have children. Even when Tim and I got married, having kids wasn't a sure thing. And yet now, I can't imagine my life any other way. It is such a blessing, such a gift to be able to invest in a child's life, whether it's a biological child, an adopted child, a niece, a nephew, a grandchild...they are a gift. And I am so thankful for our little Sam.
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