Momma Meg Loves: TARGET

Lately Target is a very dangerous place for me. I’m not sure what’s changed in the last 10 years… but I like it. Just wanted to share a few of my most recent budget-friendly target finds…

Mossimo Calidora Leopard Flat  $16.99

I’ve had my eye on these Steve Madden flats since mid summer… but just couldn’t justify spending $90. Although these Mossimo flats definitely teeter on the edge of slipper + shoe, I have a feeling that they are just the thing to satisfy my craving. Plus, the comfort factor will guarantee that they get lots of wear this season. And obviously, you can’t beat the price.

Mossimo Wool Atlas Clutch $16.99

Like an idiot, I recently purchased this American Apparel Carry-All leather pouch for $46.00. I wanted something simple that I could toss inside the diaper bag when I was toting it around – but still cute enough to carry as a clutch/purse. At a fraction of the price, and pretty darn cute, I wish I’d skipped the over-priced hipster variety in favor of this Mossimo wool one.

Mossimo Corduroy Skinnies in Mustard – $22.99

I’m pretty sure by the end of the season I will own these in EVERY color! I’m a sucker for JCrew’s Vintage Matchstick cords, but at $89.95 a pop… I could have 4 different colors of these Mossimo Skinnies!

Disney Artist Collection Minnie Mouse Set $22.00

Definitely had to scoop up with little set for Liv – I’m finding for the first time that we actually NEED to buy her some clothes – I thought the day would NEVER come… that maybe she would stay in 0-3mo… then surely 3-6mo but then I blinked and she was busting out of her 6 month onesies… and now we’re on the verge of outgrowing even some of our 9 month stuff… with no back stock! EEP! We’re overdue for a trip to Just Between Friends to score some preowned goodies!

Contemplating this little lamb costume for Liv for Halloween…

Infant Lamb Costume $38.99

…wondering if I could sew a couple of cheap bath mats together instead? Add a bow?

Featured Image Here

Family P: Am I doing this right?

I must admit – I feel like I’m finally starting to get a hang of this whole MOM thing. Olivia has her first cough/cold this past week – going on 6 days of the snottiest and crankiest little Liv… No fever. Just snot. and LOTS of it. Standing in the hall bathroom (it’s much smaller than ours) with a steamy shower running and a tearful baby wrapped tightly to my chest – it hit me  – You’ve Arrived, Welcome to motherhood! Just as I started to feel completely hopeless, unable to do anything to soothe my miserable baby girl- she laid her head down on my chest, whimpered then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Most rewarding are the moments when you just feel like, “I’m doing it right!” 

In the past 7 months I have become increasingly thankful for such an amazing support group of friends and family. They (Y’all – because lets just face it… y’all are likely the only ones following this blog) are my constant assurance that I am actually “doing it right;” that I am a good mother.  I want each of you to know how appreciated your words, advice, time, prayers, etc. are. Your support means so much to Daniel + I. We truly believe that it takes a village to raise a baby – Family and Friends alike – We feel incredibly blessed to have you and consider YOU part of our village. 

We are among the first in our circle(s) of friends to have a baby(ies). As much as we’ve made an effort to not let “having a baby” change who we are and what we love to do; there are some lifestyle changes that are inevitable. For the most part, our young married and single friends have been wonderfully accepting, understanding and accommodating as we navigate through this change. I’m reminded of this every time Olivia spits up on a girlfriend’s silk blouse and she pretends like it’s REALLY no big deal… or it’s overlooked when show up 15 min late but still have to leave promptly to catch bedtime… or when we bring a big embarrassing animal-print high chair cover in to a trendy upscale restaurant. I’m constantly juggling feelings of eagerness to have some of y’all join the club with understanding when dinner + drinks invitations taper and  still contentment with exactly the life we’d imagined (It’s unreal how insanely happy we are). Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to our amazing friends, who have not abandoned us because we had a baby, and became SIGNIFICANTLY more dorky than we were before.

Would also love to mention how grateful I am to have some good new-Momma friends, nearby and far away alike. I love knowing that y’all are out there for 2 am text messages or emails about diaper rash, spit-up and sweet potato puree. Ready and willing to answer the questions I’m too embarrassed to call my pediatrician about. It’s amazing how something a baby in common can bond you to someone instantly… Hope y’all feel the same.

Much Love,

Momma Meg

PS. I guess I get kind of sappy when Daniel is out of town. 

Olivia: 7 months

Stats:

16.8 lbs

26.5 inches

Size: “9 Months”

Nicknames: Sneekle Freetzie, Little Bug, Liv, Liver Dude

 

Loves:

Freezie Treats (Frozen Teething toys of any variety)

Sophie

Raffy the Giraffe

Playing on the floor

Playing in the laundry basket

Listening to dad play piano/ guitar

Flipping upside down

Playing with the baby in the mirror

Mom’s new glasses

Listening to tunes in the car

Play dates with Charley

Riding in the Moby Wrap with Mom, Snugli with Dad

Bath time with Dad (especially fond of the red octopus squirty toy, orange starfish + eating bubbles)

Favorite Books: “Where’s Spot?“,  “Rainforest Discoveries” AKA Ooey Gooey Rainforest and “Animals”

Favorite Bedtime Songs: “Are You a Dreamer?” Denison Witmer , “Bitte Ein Kuss” Jonah Matranga

Cucumber

 

Cranks:

Being in the car seat for extended periods of time

Sleeping in her own bed at night

Eating Baby Food

Having her nose suctioned – boogies wiped

Milestones

CRAWLING!!! As of 9-14-12 🙂 At exactly 7 months!

(Video + Coaching compliments of Auntie B)

Licking Lips

Motorboat noise

First time at MOPS

Exclusively cloth diapering 

Successfully napped in the pack + play @ Michelle + Charley’s house!

Consistently taking 2 good (1-2hrs) crib naps a day

TRIED solid foods for the first time (Rice/Oat Cereal, Sweet Potatoes, Avocado, and Carrots)

Sitting up alone (but can’t be trusted to not “tump” (tip + dump) over)

Maneuvering from seated to crawling position and vice versa

Making Dinosaur Noises in her crib when she wakes up (on the rare occasion that she ACTUALLY wakes up there)

Learned how to kick mobile in crib until it comes on

First Cold (YUCK!)

It’s getting increasingly difficult to snap an in focus of this lil mover…

Daily Routine

5:00AM-7:00AM Cuddle (Read: Kick) mom in bed until she wakes up

7:00-7:30AM Nurse then play in bed while mom checks email, pays bills, blogs, internets…

7:30-8:30AM play on the floor while mom attempts to work out

8:30-9:30AM Hang in the Exersaucer or Moby while Mom gets something to eat for breakfast, makes a plan for the day

10:00AM Nurse then morning nap

11:30AM Wakes up from morning nap

12:00PM Attempt to eat lunch

1:00PM Nurse

(Run Errands with Mom, Play dates + fun stuff, chores + cleaning, etc.)

4:00PM Nurse

5:00PM Play on the floor in the kitchen with “The Durch” while Mom cooks dinner

(6:00PM Sometimes Nurse)

6:00PM Hangout with a Freezie treat (sometimes a Veggie Pop) in highchair while Mom and Dad eat dinner.

7:00PM Read Books with Mom

7:15PM Bath time with Dad

7:30PM Lotion + Baby Massage, PJs, Vit D, brush gums, etc.

7:45PM Nurse, cuddle with bunny blanket, songs + prayers

8:00PM Asleep

3:00 – 4:00AM Usually wakes up to eat, then ends up in bed with Mom + Dad  after multiple failed attempts to go back to sleep in her crib.

On any given day… our living room looks like this:

Mom Life: Baby Led Weaning

I first came across the concept of Baby Led Weaning when I was about 17 weeks pregnant… initially REALLY loved the idea of integrating normal healthy adult foods (modified in texture/spice content) around 6 months instead of using purees. I pulled the following blurb on Baby Led Weaning from Wiki:

Baby Led Weaning

“Baby-led weaning (often also referred to as BLW) is a method of adding complementary foods to a baby’s diet of breast milk. Baby-led weaning allows babies to control their solid food consumption by “self-feeding” from the very beginning of their experiences with food. The term weaning should not be taken to imply giving up breast milk, but simply the introduction of foods other than breastmilk.

Infants are offered a range of foods to provide a balanced diet from around 6 months. They often begin by picking up and licking the food, before progressing to eating. Babies typically begin self feeding around 6 months, although some will reach for food as early as 5 months and some will wait until 7 or 8. The intention of this process is that it is tailored to suit each particular baby and their personal development. The 6 month guideline provided by the World Health Organization is based on research indicating the internal digestive system matures over the period 4–6 months. It seems reasonable to posit that the gut matures in tandem with the baby’s external faculties to self feed.” 

We first attempted oat + rice cereal about 2.5 weeks ago, progressed to pureed veggies when Olivia seemed uninterested in the taste/texture, still uninterested… even irritated when we try and get a spoonful anywhere near her mouth, we decided to call our pediatrician for advice. She suggested giving solids a rest and making another attempt after a a few days/week. I think I’ve mentioned that my initial instinct told me that Olivia wasn’t ready even 2 weeks ago but I caved to the pressure to adhere to the 4-6 month standard and we gave it ago. After hearing that our pediatrician had no real concerns about waiting until 9 months or even a year I’m feeling more comfortable and confident in our delayed start. 

Considering our recent failed attempts to feed Olivia solid foods – we’ve decided to take a few weeks off from purees + cereals in favor of a modified BLW method. Allowing her to gnaw on small pieces of food in her high chair while we’re eating breakfast/lunch/dinner. Still adhering to the 3-5 day rule and avoiding all highly allergenic foods.

My only concern with BLW was the likelyhood of Olivia having difficulty swallowing or even choking while feeding herself. Although I’ll still watch her like a hawk while she’s eating  exploring, everything I’ve read says that BLW’d babies actually choke LESS than babies who are fed purees with a spoon. I really love the idea of letting Olivia control how much she eats – at what pace, etc. 

Resources

Momtastic’s Wholesome Baby Food

Rapley Weaning

Featured Image Here

 

In the Kitchen – Kale Salad

The other day… I found the Gelson’s Kale Salad recipe on Pinterest and was inspired to make something similar for lunch… I’m not always a huge fan of raw kale – without a tangy enough dressing… it can taste like green dirt. So the version I concocted below is heavier lemon + vinegar than usual.

Kale Salad

1 bunch Kale

1-2 Carrots – julienned

1/4 Cup Sunflower Seeds

2 oz. Goat Cheese (optional)

Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette 

  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons Coarse Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced
  • Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper & salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a small bowl whisk together garlic, lemon juice, mustard, and vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in oil until emulsified.

 

Anyone tried making Kale Chips? We’re sort of on a Kale Kick over here…

 

 

Mom Life: Starting Solids

Olivia is just a week shy of 7 months old – and should be well on her way to enjoying solid foods. I say should lightly because I don’t REALLY agree that babies should master certain milestones by certain ages. That being said, most parents begin to feed their babies solids around 4-6 months. Since we were in California when the clock struck 6-months… we delayed just a bit past the target window. Almost 2 weeks ago, at 29 weeks, we finally decided to take the plunge…

Many month ago, I picked up a copy of Tyler Florence’s “Start Fresh” and started planning. All along, I’ve known that I wanted to make Olivia’s food. Mostly, I’m concerned with the amount of preservatives and additives in even the organic varieties available on the shelves. Obviously, we also considered the cost-factor as well – knowing that it would be significantly cheaper to DIY. I love Tyler’s one-family, one-meal mentality… Kids should eat the same meal that the family eats for dinner. Mom WILL NOT make multiple meals to please multiple family members’ tastes. Very much aligned with the “You don’t have to like it, but you have to try it”  rule. His book includes recipes slightly altering “the family meal” for babies, toddlers and younger kiddos.

Buy Here

Totally in-line with our pediatrician, Tyler suggests starting with cereal (rice or oat) for the first few weeks then moving to veggies for the first month or so before introducing sweeter (more desirable) fruits. He suggests creating combos (adhering to the 3-day rule) after baby has mastered several foods, at around 9 months. His cookbook includes wonderful combos and stage II/III meals for older baby/toddler.

My daughter, who puts EVERYTHING in her mouth, and I do mean EVERYTHING, doesn’t want ANYTHING to do with food. Two weeks of our most desperate attempts to get Olivia to swallow even ONE bite… and she’s STILL completely uninterested.

We started with 3 days of Rice Cereal, then 3 days of Oat Cereal, followed by 3 days of sweet potatoes, 3 days of avocado and now we’re making our way through 3 days of carrots. I’m out of ideas…. Ready to call the pediatrician on Monday if things don’t turn around. OR give it a break and wait a few more weeks. I mean… what’s the harm? She doesn’t seem hungry, or cranky… and there’s lots of earthy-crunchy material suggesting that it’s perfectly healthy for babies to exclusively breast feed until 9-12 months.

Oat Cereal

Sweet Potato

Avocado

Believe it or not – we did start with a plastic bib… when she seemed more interested in eating it… it came off and I decided that Rice Cereal wouldn’t stain and I could easily just toss her outfit in the laundry… then came sweet potatoes… knowing that those might stain, we tried a cloth bib… after a week+ we’ve resolved to eating in the nude. Still followed by a hose-down in the sink…

Note: Ignore the fact that I still need to DIY a high chair cover… notice that even it got caught in the crossfire and ended up in the laundry before Avocado day.

COOKING GEAR: We decided against the uber fancy BEABA or Baby Brezza mainly because of the cost. When we put in perspective the span of time that we would be making pureed foods – it just seemed silly to invest. We even decided to forgo the BabyBullet  in favor of using the high end blender/food processor we own. With limited freezer space (we’re storing close to 500 ounces of frozen breast milk) I’m still unsure of the most compact way to store prepared food. We have some of the Oxo Tot 2oz and 4oz containers that I like (and will probably buy more of as I have 20% off coupons to BBB/BBB).

Interested in trying these Tovolo Silicone Ice Cube Trays too.

Recently I’ve done some more searching online and found some other great resources that are worth sharing…

Momtastic’s Wholesome Baby Food – A friend referred me to this site – Awesome nutritional information, suggestions on what foods to start with, recipes, etc.

Tyler Florence’s Sprout Organic Baby Food – Tyler Florence’s line of organic baby food + more recipes.

Mash Your Heart Out Baby Food – great recipe and combination ideas

 Featured Image Here

 

Momma Meg Loves: Pinterest

For my mom… who doesn’t “DO” Pinterest

I mean… who isn’t having a LOVE affair with Pinterest?  Only mildly distracting, my pinning obsession has actually made life a little bit easier. Pinterest is the only place I turn for new recipes – if I’m stuck on what to cook for dinner – I just refer to the many things I pinned at 11pm the night before… “That looks tasty”… What to wear? No problem – just ask Pinterest. The sole source of Olivia’s nursery inspiration… Pinterest. You get the idea…

5 recent pins…

Pinned Here

Coconut + Ginger Chicken with Jasmine Rice – I made this for dinner a few nights ago and would consider it a huge success. Kind of a nod to Thai Curry Chicken… but without the curry. The recipe is a stove-top/slow-cooker hybrid… but because I was determined to make it as EASY as possible – I slightly altered my method and went crock-pot all the way. Also – I added potatoes to beef it up just a bit. Although Dan was not as enthusiastic; “it was too exotic for him” – I thought it was deliciously out of the ordinary. Most ingredients were already stocked in my pantry… definitely give it a whirl, or repin for a night that you’re feeling uninspired.

Pinned Here

Vegass Leopard Print Flats by Steve Madden  – Pinned these Steve Madden Leopard VEGASS flats onto my Fall Wishlist. I just know I would get TONS of wear out of them. I’m always a sucker for leopard… and flats and tennies pretty much rule my footwear selection in this current phase of life. The price tag isn’t that bad – maybe I’ll wait until they’re slightly discounted. Kind of loving the pointed.. but slightly rounded point… toe. Nice alternative to these Sam Edleman Leopard Smoking Slippers I’ve also been eyeing. RWAR.

Pinned Here

Chambray Inspiration – And there it was… hiding on Pinterest. The PERFECT chambray shirt. I searched and searched earlier in the season and settled on this popover variety from Anthropologie… but I’m finding myself wanting a slightly heavier… more industrial? version. TinEye couldn’t find the origin of this beauty… so I’ll hold out for yet another substitute. Loving it layered with a chunky sweater and leggings.#READYFORFALL

Pinned Here

Photo Wall – I love this DIY photo wall – would definitely be super cute with Polaroid pictures – but because I’m not about to run out and spend $$$ on film for our camera – maybe ordering Instagram pics would work? I mean – Instagram is the new Polaroid, right? Would be fun in an entry, office or “mud room” – maybe even floor-to-ceiling bulletin board behind to make swapping for fresh photos a snap.

Pinned Here

DIY Cloth Diaper Detergent – Just in case you missed it… We are officially a cloth-diapering family. It might make us a little bit more earthy-crunchy… but hey, we’re comfortable with that. I did initially buy the Rockin’ Green Cloth Diaper detergent – a little pricey, but worth it to start. When we run out, I think i’ll give this DIY concoction a go.

Do you Pinterest? Folow Me Here

Are you P(interested)?

In the Kitchen: Shannon’s Grilled Chicken

Guys… I’d give Shannon credit if I actually knew her. This recipe was published in the Church of the Incarnation Parish Cookbook as “Shannon’s Almost Famous Grilled Chicken” …Famous… maybe not. Delicious. Absolutely. Marinade works wonderfully for bone-in-skin-on breasts (legs, thighs, etc. if you’re into that sort of thing), tenders or boneless skinless breasts.

Shannon’s “Almost Famous” Grilled Chicken

Marinade for 12 tenders or 4 breasts

  • 3 Cloves of Garlic, peeled & crushed
  • 1 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/3 c. Brown Sugar
  • 3 T. Stone Ground or Coarse Mustard
  • 1/4 c. Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Juice from 1 Lime (or 1 tsp. bottled)
  • Juice from 1/2 Lemon (1/2 tsp bottled)
  • 6 T. Olive Oil
  • Cracked Black Pepper to taste

Marinate in airtight container or Ziploc bag 8 hours or overnight.

Grill breasts 4 min on each side on medium setting depending on thickness of breasts.

Best grilled but in a pinch can be baked on a raised rack for 20 min at 350 degrees.

Thank You Shannon Bradford, whoever you are. A stranger enjoying your chicken so much that they blog about it… makes it famous in my book!

Mom Life: Adventures in Cloth Diapering

There are plenty of blogs and websites out there that can explain the different TYPES of cloth diapers available on the market (so I’m going to spare you the in-depth explanation of each type and just briefly recap, as much for my  own understanding as yours, the types I would even consider)… Safe to say…These are NOT your momma’s cloth diapers. As Dan would say, “Dem is Fancy” (Translation: They are Fancy)… As if further clarification is needed – I only considered the fancy variety… no pins or folding.

Types of “Fancy” Cloth Diapers

  • All in One (AIO) – Most similar to a disposable diaper, all one piece, waterproof shell attached to absorbent material sewn in, fastens with snaps or velcro. Wash after every use.
  • All in Two (AI2) – Waterproof outer shell that can be combined with replaceable (sometimes disposable) inserts. Fastens with snaps or velcro. For most diaper changes – you only replace the insert, washing the cover after several uses.
  • Pocket – Waterproof outer shell with stay-dry inner pocket that you stuff with an absorbent liner (+ optional overnight doubler). Fastens with velcro or snaps. Wash both pieces after every use.

Other Stuff You’ll Need

  • Diaper Pail/Pail Liner for Nursery – Fits inside your trash can – usually with elastic banded top or drawstring closure (not necessary to buy a special can – anything with a lid works well)
  • Small “Wet Bag” for Diaper Bag – contains your dirty diapers while you’re out and about. Zipper closure keeps the stink inside. Usually PUL interior/fabric exterior. They come in a variety of sizes and designs – hold ing anywhere from 2-10 or so dirty diapers.
  • Cloth Diaper Laundry Detergent – To prevent build-up, stinks + stains. There are a few brands of cloth diaper safe detergent on the market.
  • Cloth Diaper Safe Diaper Rash Cream – Regular diaper cream isn’t ideal for cloth diapers but compatible varieties are similarly priced and easily accessible.
  • A positive attitude and reliable washing machine.

Inspired by one of my newbie momma friends, Brandi over at Pigtails & Pacifiers, who recently began cloth diapering her sweet doll baby Brooklyn. And by this blog post over at MilkFriendly. Daniel and I agreed that we probably should have given more thoughtful consideration to the cloth diapering route before Olivia was born. We agree that the benefits (environmental, economical, adorable) outweigh the negative (yucky, time-consuming) and are slightly kicking ourselves for waiting so long to give it ago. In the same breath – I’ll mention that we’re just now (after 6  whole months) about to exhaust our supply of gifted (disposable) diapers. Therefore – I guess the timing couldn’t be more perfect! And here we go…

Before buying anything, I asked around and found that most people agreed that the BumGenius brand was the most accessible and reasonably priced… great quality and generally well-reviewed. Certainly not the cheapest option out there… but definitely middle-of-the-road. 

To test the waters, we ordered (1 “BumGenius Freetime All-In-One” and 1 “BumGenius Elemental Organic All-in-One“) from DiaperJunction (They offer a 30-day Risk Free trial period)… and picked up a couple of the “BumGenius 4.0 Pocket Diaper” at Buy Buy Baby; We decided that we preferred the design and fit of  the “BumGenius Freetime” and ordered 14 from CottonBabies (They we’re running the best promo – Buy 6, Get One Free – Lowest Price + Free Shipping).

BumGenius Freetime

BumGenius Elemental

BumGenius 4.0 Pocket

We had agreed that we would need to start with a minimum of around 20 diapers to make CDing practical. Our plan is to slowly build our arsenal to ~40 as we find great deals on sites like Zulily, Totsy, BabyHalfOff, EcoBabyBuys. In fact, Zulily featured a 50% deal on Lotus Bumz the other day and we snagged 2 more bringing us to our benchmark. Other (pricier) brands I’d scoop up if on sale: FuzziBunz, Swaddlebees, Itti Bitti, and GroVia.

Lotus Bumz

We also settled on 2 pail liners from Planet Wise (these have elastic around the top that work REALLY well with our trash can and 2 small wet bags from DiaperRite (the most simple + cheap!) We did order some Rockin’ Green – Motley Clean Detergent to get us started, although I’ve researched some EASY DIY recipes on Pinterest for further down the road.

**UPDATE** Today was our first day 100% cloth diapering… and we picked a challenging day to start. Olivia and I left the house this morning or a play date then ended up going straight to dinner with Daniel + MawMaw… basically, we were out of the house for 10 hours – 4 wets + 1 dirty diaper later and I still feel pretty good about it all… the ONLY (so far) hiccup… dealing with disposable wipes! I’m so used to discarding dirty wipes neatly tucked inside the diaper – clean & easy… and contained. Tinkle wipes – not really a problem. Poopy Wipes though… What if a trash can isn’t within arms reach? For Example – If you’re changing a diaper in the backseat of the car, on a picnic blanket… or in the middle of a friends living room floor? Thoughts?

 Featured Image Here

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