I'm calling it official now. After a week or so of sporadic steps, Hayden is now dominantly walking, or trying to walk, as much as possible. He takes about 5-6 steps between furniture or from a wall to something else. He still sometimes gets going too fast and falls down but is getting better and better with each attempt.
Here is a good video of him walking all the way from the living room to the kitchen! Nothing like a little Veggie Booty to pursuade him to move (since as soon as I'd turn the video camera on, he was too distracted by the camera to show off his skills!) Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Father's Day 2008
I don't know if the day could have been any better. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a nice balance of activity and relaxation. The day started off with a blueberry pancake breakfast and then Phil went out on a drive with his brothers and dad. They explored some twisty roads and stopped for coffee. They are all car nuts and Phil's twin brother, Adam, just got a new motorcycle! Hayden and I hung out at home and prayed that Daddy would return home safe and ticket-free! :)
After a nice lunch and mid-day nap, we met up with Phil's family at the Woodland Park Zoo. I haven't been to the Woodland Park Zoo since probably when my niece was 3 or something. She's 15 now. Hayden really enjoyed the animals that were close enough to see and moving. He loved the Sloth Bear, the Orangutan, the Elephants, the Flamingoes and the Goats. We didn't have time to make it into the Tropical section where they have the monkeys, so we'll have to make another trip to the museum soon and I'm sure he'll love those too. He was pointing and saying "Ba" or "da" or his new favorite sound, "Jgjhjghgjh". He was a little frustrated by all the in and out of his stroller. It was hard for him to see anything in his stroller. Boy, that kid is getting heavy!
There's also a cool area in the Zoo called the Zoomazium. Hayden loved the fish tank and the drums in there, while his older cousins climbed all around on a giant tree house. Here's some video of Hayden drumming with Daddy:
We ended the evening with a big family meal at our place. Phil grilled up some Choice Steaks and we enjoyed some more time with Phil's family watching the Lakers beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Hayden was so exhausted from the thrill of the zoo he zonked out for the night around 7:30pm. Good food, good wine, good times.
After a nice lunch and mid-day nap, we met up with Phil's family at the Woodland Park Zoo. I haven't been to the Woodland Park Zoo since probably when my niece was 3 or something. She's 15 now. Hayden really enjoyed the animals that were close enough to see and moving. He loved the Sloth Bear, the Orangutan, the Elephants, the Flamingoes and the Goats. We didn't have time to make it into the Tropical section where they have the monkeys, so we'll have to make another trip to the museum soon and I'm sure he'll love those too. He was pointing and saying "Ba" or "da" or his new favorite sound, "Jgjhjghgjh". He was a little frustrated by all the in and out of his stroller. It was hard for him to see anything in his stroller. Boy, that kid is getting heavy!
There's also a cool area in the Zoo called the Zoomazium. Hayden loved the fish tank and the drums in there, while his older cousins climbed all around on a giant tree house. Here's some video of Hayden drumming with Daddy:
We ended the evening with a big family meal at our place. Phil grilled up some Choice Steaks and we enjoyed some more time with Phil's family watching the Lakers beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals. Hayden was so exhausted from the thrill of the zoo he zonked out for the night around 7:30pm. Good food, good wine, good times.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Exciting Times
Hayden is on the verge of walking. He is cruising the furniture and walls, transfers between furniture easily, and stands by himself for 5-10 seconds. He has even attempted a couple steps on his own a few times. I think it's just a matter of confidence now. He's ready!
Mealtimes have also been really exciting. He is trying all kinds of foods and finally graduating from the pureed baby foods. Yesterday he ate Trader Joe's Banana Waffles with raspberry/pear puree as the "syrup". For lunch he had some fish topped with artichoke tapenade, orzo pasta, and a blend of steamed corn, peas and carrots. For dinner he ate pureed avocado with black beans, chicken, and rice and some bits of flour tortilla (Phil and I were having fajitas). And this is just an example of his menu! The only things he can't have are any nuts, dairy, shellfish, or choking hazards. I'm still also adhering to the 4-day wait rule so I am not introducing new foods to him sooner than every 4 days. That way we can monitor any allergic reactions. Other examples of foods he loves are:
Zucchini tomato frittata (no cheese)
Blueberry pancakes (blueberry/pear puree instead of syrup)
French Toast (with apple puree instead of syrup)
Pasta with tomato and meat sauce
Naan with Hummus
Plain soy yogurt with pureed avocado and mango chunks
Veggie Booty
He even likes steamed bite-sized veggies like broccoli, green beans, cauliflower. There are only a few things he doesn't really like. Plain scrambled eggs were not a hit. Also doesn't really like oatmeal. He'll eat a few bites, but turn away before finishing it all. Most foods he eats everything. That's all I can really think of, though.
I have Annabel Karmel's First Meals cookbook but a lot of the recipes seem overly complicated or call for a dairy product. It's good for ideas, but mainly I just try to make a version of whatever Phil and I are eating for Hayden.
He drinks about 16-18 oz of milk a day. Since he can't have cow's milk yet, he is getting a 50/50 mix of special non-dairy formula called Nutramagen, and pumped breast milk (I am pumping 2x day). He drinks it from a cup through a straw or straight from the side of the cup, with our help. He occasionally gets a bottle if the day's schedule gets off or he doesn't eat a lot for a meal. But I'd say only about 3-4 times a week, if that.
We are attempting to eliminate the pacifier. Ever since he was about 7 months old, we limited the pacifier to just sleep times. Now we decided since he's one and has 11 teeth already, it's probably a good idea to get him off it completely. He's been doing OK with night sleep, but really struggling to fall asleep without it at nap times.
He is babbling non-stop. It has been cute to listen to him on the monitor as he's trying to fall asleep now without the pacifier, he just talks and talks! Everything he likes he calls "Ba". Coincidentally, a lot of the things he likes start with "ba" - "Balloon", "Ball", "Bottle", ceiling fans (ok that last one we think he might interpret as a "balloon" because of the round light in the center and the dangling cord). He says Dada and Mama, waves Bye-Bye, and does sign language for "cookie". He understands sign language for a lot of words, but doesn't really do them consistently/intentionally - "more", "milk", "water", "all done", "eat", "diaper".
I'll post some photos soon. Maybe even some video of Hayden's first steps, if I'm lucky enough to catch it on camera!
Mealtimes have also been really exciting. He is trying all kinds of foods and finally graduating from the pureed baby foods. Yesterday he ate Trader Joe's Banana Waffles with raspberry/pear puree as the "syrup". For lunch he had some fish topped with artichoke tapenade, orzo pasta, and a blend of steamed corn, peas and carrots. For dinner he ate pureed avocado with black beans, chicken, and rice and some bits of flour tortilla (Phil and I were having fajitas). And this is just an example of his menu! The only things he can't have are any nuts, dairy, shellfish, or choking hazards. I'm still also adhering to the 4-day wait rule so I am not introducing new foods to him sooner than every 4 days. That way we can monitor any allergic reactions. Other examples of foods he loves are:
Zucchini tomato frittata (no cheese)
Blueberry pancakes (blueberry/pear puree instead of syrup)
French Toast (with apple puree instead of syrup)
Pasta with tomato and meat sauce
Naan with Hummus
Plain soy yogurt with pureed avocado and mango chunks
Veggie Booty
He even likes steamed bite-sized veggies like broccoli, green beans, cauliflower. There are only a few things he doesn't really like. Plain scrambled eggs were not a hit. Also doesn't really like oatmeal. He'll eat a few bites, but turn away before finishing it all. Most foods he eats everything. That's all I can really think of, though.
I have Annabel Karmel's First Meals cookbook but a lot of the recipes seem overly complicated or call for a dairy product. It's good for ideas, but mainly I just try to make a version of whatever Phil and I are eating for Hayden.
He drinks about 16-18 oz of milk a day. Since he can't have cow's milk yet, he is getting a 50/50 mix of special non-dairy formula called Nutramagen, and pumped breast milk (I am pumping 2x day). He drinks it from a cup through a straw or straight from the side of the cup, with our help. He occasionally gets a bottle if the day's schedule gets off or he doesn't eat a lot for a meal. But I'd say only about 3-4 times a week, if that.
We are attempting to eliminate the pacifier. Ever since he was about 7 months old, we limited the pacifier to just sleep times. Now we decided since he's one and has 11 teeth already, it's probably a good idea to get him off it completely. He's been doing OK with night sleep, but really struggling to fall asleep without it at nap times.
He is babbling non-stop. It has been cute to listen to him on the monitor as he's trying to fall asleep now without the pacifier, he just talks and talks! Everything he likes he calls "Ba". Coincidentally, a lot of the things he likes start with "ba" - "Balloon", "Ball", "Bottle", ceiling fans (ok that last one we think he might interpret as a "balloon" because of the round light in the center and the dangling cord). He says Dada and Mama, waves Bye-Bye, and does sign language for "cookie". He understands sign language for a lot of words, but doesn't really do them consistently/intentionally - "more", "milk", "water", "all done", "eat", "diaper".
I'll post some photos soon. Maybe even some video of Hayden's first steps, if I'm lucky enough to catch it on camera!
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