Product Review: Rainforest play gym

Lucas has a rainforest play gym by Fisher Price...and it continues to be pretty awesome. This gym has lights and music in addition to the hanging toys and colorful playmat. He has loved his gym since the first time we put him in it. As a parent it can be a little overwhelming deciphering what "developmental" toys to invest in, especially when you know how important playing is (without underlying development pushing). Actually, there is a ton of research about the benefits of child-led play and the need to foster imagination. In fact, there is a huge stink about how recent federal mandates about education accountability has had a direct and negative impact on kids in grade school who no longer get recess. Bottom line - Play is important and child-led play is even more important! I have taken a few play therapy courses and simple toys can help children express themselves so much more than a toy that is linked with a character. So...I guess what I am trying to say is that I carefully evaluate every toy that comes into my home for multiple reasons.

The Fisher Price rainforest gym is great because as Lucas's perspective changes, he explores the rainforest and finds new things. At first he would just lie on his back and look at the lights and hanging toys...then he began reaching for the toys (which I am able to move around, add and subtract, etc)...next he began kicking the toys and arches to make everything move (and the music continue)...Now he will be on his tummy and playing/talking to the fish and animals on the mat...and he sits in the rainforest and tries to mouth the hanging toys. I like that the gym has continued to delight him into his 6 month!

I don't necessarily think this is the be all end all of gyms - there are countless other versions out there by different companies that I have not even seen in person. When choosing a gym for your baby, I would recommend laying down and sticking your head where his/her head will be and decide if it something that sparks your imagination. If it plays music - listen to the music and decide if you like it (because trust me you will soon have this little ditty memorized). Explore the different options you have with the gym, can you add other hanging toys or move the ones in it around?

When he was younger he would lie on his back in the gym

Lucas's view

I added the orange elephant after a few months because it has a lovely little tinkling bell - he likes to kick it, hold it, and talk to it! There is a bug under this crinkly leaf! How cool!

Carrots

Last week Lucas was introduced to carrots and I tried my hand at making them...it took a few rounds of experimenting with different cooking and pureeing technologies. I first tried to steam the carrots in my Pampered Chef micro steamer and then pureeing in my food chopper. This turned out a gritty version of carrots that Lucas refused to eat. He literally held his mouth open with the food on his tongue and lower lip grimacing until I wiped them out. Next I tried boiling the carrots and pureeing them in the blender. This turned out a much more Lucas-palatable velvety carrot blend. But then I was concerned about how boiling can lose more nutrients than steaming so I tried steaming a butternut squash and then tried to puree it in both the chopper and blender (I ran out of carrots). The blender worked way better again. Who knew my blender made such fabulous baby food? I mean, I knew it did a great job making margaritas and pina coladas...

Gritty carrots from the chopper

Velvety carrots from the blender

My handsome men

Lucas being silly with a sock in his mouth

Hampstead Kiwanis Park

Last weekend we took advantage of the 80 degree weather and took Lucas to our local park. He wasn't too interested in swinging by himself but really enjoyed sitting on my lap on the swinging bench watching everyone else. It was a nice Saturday afternoon...of course this weekend it was in the 40's so we didn't return to the park. What is up with the weather?

Meet Baby Davis

Finnian John Davis born on St. Patrick's day. 8 lb.s 20.5 inches and cute as a button! I was able to meet Finn in the hospital the day after he was born. It is hard to believe that he and Lucas are 6 months apart - Lucas looks like a moose compared to Finn! Congratulations Maggie and Ryan. He is a beautiful baby boy and you are going to be wonderful parents :)

Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Squash

We began introducing Lucas to solids shortly before he turned 6 months and it has been going great. His pediatrician recommends offering a new food every 5-7 days (I had thought it was every 3-5 days so we apparently met in the middle at 5 days). If you think about it...that really isn't many foods - like 5 new foods a month! Whenever he starts a new food he gets this really concerned look on his face while he processes the flavor and then he usually gags. But then he keeps eating and by the end of the meal he no longer gags. I do have some questions about this every 5 day thing...I have heard prunes and pears help digestion...so what happens when he gets 5 days of prunes or pears? Is he going to be a pooping machine? And does this one new food every 5 days include things like cereal and juice? I think I may give the pediatrician a call...

I had decided a long time ago that I wanted to make all of Luke's baby food for a few reasons...

1. 
   
   I like to cook and it is a way for me to learn more about different veggies and fruits I am not familiar with (how to pick them, prepare them, what they taste like, etc.). Hopefully this will help me incorporate them into the entire family diet as I learn what Lucas likes


2. 
   
   It is cost effective


3. 
   
   It allows me to know what goes into his food - supposedly more flavorful and nutritionally sound


4. 
   
   It can increase the variety of foods Lucas is introduced to (seriously, there aren't many options in the baby food aisle).

Even though I had all of these reasons, I still started him with Gerber. Ha! Anyway, my first stab at making baby food was butternut squash. I followed the directions in my Annabel Karmel baby food book and voila! Lucas likes it!

I found this great website to help me figure out how to choose and cut up a squash

http://www.cookthink.com/reference/1016/How_to _choose_a_butternut_squash

Steam or boil for12 minutes - puree to desired consistency using the excess liquid from cooking

Trollin...

My best friend, Tricia, came for a visit this past weekend...and we had sooooo much fun! Some people do just fine living away from family and friends - I am not one of those people. So, I cherish every moment when my dear ones are visiting :) Lucas loved Tricia (of course) and she even got him laughing harder than he has ever laughed before! I think her visit was perfect timing for Luke because he has started getting a little mommy-clingy and needed another set of hands to hold him and entertain him. While Tricia was here we went out trolling on a boat. One of the Doctor's Ross works with recently got this boat and has been kind enough to take him and us out a few times. It was fun...and Lucas loved watching the waves behind the boat :)
Family portrait

Tricia, me, and Lucas

Modeling life jacket options for the trip out to sea

6 months

Lucas turned 6 months this week...I can't believe how fast this time is going! It seems like just yesterday we were on our way to the hospital and I was super excited to meet my new bundle of joy while at the same time I was scared to death about becoming a mother. Funny how adaptable we are...Now I love being a mom and introducing Lucas to everything my imagination can fathom.

Lucas did great at the Dr.'s office. I guess 6 months is the golden age for pediatricians because every nurse, doctor, and staff member at the office cooed over him and talked about how this is their favorite age. The appointment began with me filling out a questionnaire about his development and he fell into the normal range for all areas they were concerned about - gross motor skills, fine motor skills, communication, social/emotional interaction, and problem solving skills. Yay! The doctor then checked him all over and found that his hips are pretty tight for a baby his age. Tomorrow we are going to have an x-ray to make sure everything is ok. She seemed to think it might be because he has strong legs and was resisting when she tried to roll his legs out. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case because he kicks his legs ALL the time and prefers "standing" with a little help. So, we shall see! And then the appointment ended with the vaccines and a feeding schedule handout for me to follow (it is just some general guidelines recommended by the office). One general observation - I am sooooo glad adults don't have to strip down to our birthday suits when we go to the doctor. Can you imagine how uncomfortable that would be?!?!?!

Anyway....here are his 6 month stats:

Weight - 15 lbs. 10.5oz. - 21%

Height - 26.75 inch. - 66%

Head circumference - 43 cm. - 33%

Other developmental milestones: He can keep his head level with his body when pulled to sitting, bear weight on legs when held upright, sit with support, turn in the direction of a voice, razz, work to get a toy out of reach, pass an object from one hand to another, look for a dropped object, rake with fingers to get an object, roll both ways.

Goodbye Sky

Yesterday Ross went and traded in our beloved first baby - our 2 seater convertable in pull me over red. So sad :( We have been debating this move ever since we found out we were pregnant. You may find it surprising that I am the one who was having a more difficult time coming to terms with getting rid of the sky. I had kind of romanticized this car to be a symbol of our young love and was somehow hoping we could hold on to her until we were old and gray (after all...Ross's Nana still has the Sprite - a 2 seater convertable from when her and Pa were younger). But, after several days where the Rav4 was in the shop and we found ourselves stranded and depending on friends for transportation we realized it was time to let go. So, here are the final pictures of our first baby... Loved that car!

Crochet Baby Blanket

I finally finished the crochet baby blanket I started for Lucas when I was about 8 months pregnant... I know he is almost 6 months and it took WAY longer than it should but I took a few months off there in the middle. It is a simple shell pattern with three colors using size 3 thread. I am still learning the craft of crocheting so the blanket is smaller than it is supposed to be :/ I need to figure out the whole gauge thing that they talk about...apparently you can adjust the hook size, thread, or your stitching to make sure you have the right gauge. It took me so long to pick the colors for the blanket that I wasn't about to go and find different thread. Plus baby thread - which is softer - is always a smaller weight. I guess I could just use thicker thread that isn't for a baby but then his blanket wouldn't be soft, right? And I don't have the best hand control yet so adjusting the stitch size was not an option. I needed to use a different hook...larger or smaller, I don't know. Despite its flaws...the blanket is done and it made Lucas smile. So, I think it is a winner :)

Jump around!

Lucas has figured out what his jumperoo is really for...jumping! It just brings a smile to my face watching him delight in jumping :)

Book Review: The Forgotten Garden

I recently finished The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton and I must say tht I truly loved it. In fact, it has been a long time since I have been so crazy about a book...Ross didn't know what to do with me because every time he would go looking for me I would be hidden away somewhere reading my book. Even Lucas was affected by my obsession because I would read while he nursed and I wouldn't want him to stop! Which leads me to a great quote from this novel...

"Cassandra always hid when she read, though she never quite knew why. It was as if she couldn't shake the guilty suspicion that she was being lazy, that surrendering herself so completely to something so enjoyable must surely be wrong."

The story revolves around the mystery of the identity of a little girl who appears on the docks in Australia after sailing from England - no identification, no parents, and amnesia from a bump on the head during the boat ride. Her "adoptive" parents tell her about her mysterious appearance when she grows up and she attempts to figure out who she really is...only to be stopped by circumstances beyond her control. Her granddaughter continues the search after her death and the reader discovers the truth along with the characters as the story is woven across three generations.

I would love to talk more about the complexities of this story and the beautiful writing of Kate Morton (seriously, there are so few authors today with the ability to command the English language as she does). But that would bore too many people...so, instead I would like to open up a discussion about one notion suggested in this book...that children love to be terrified by a good fairy tale and that they will be no worse for the wear - in fact they will be better.

I remember loving scary stories when I was little, the thrill of a character having to escape or overcome the evil in the world (that is the moral of most stories, right? - good triumphs over evil). Looking back now, some of my childhood favorites were terrifying (Come on, a magical sea witch out to destroy you and your family, that is scary stuff!). I even had a friend who wasn't allowed to watch certain movies or read certain books because the story was too scary. I didn't understand this at the time but as a parent, I now know the desire to protect your children from all that is scary in this world because in some ways that is part of the job description. I think there must be a fine line between protection and overprotection. Is it true that"...children aren't frightened by stories; ... their lives are full of far more frightening things than those contained in fairy tales"? Maybe children need to learn about scary situations from a story in order to learn about coping mechanisms for their future?

Thankfully, Lucas is in the discovery phase of life so I don't have to worry about all of this for quite some time... so let me turn it to you - what do you think about the notion of protecting children from scary stories? Is it best to allow them to learn from a fairy tale the nature of good and evil? Where do you walk along the line of protection for your children?