Our Sweet Buttercup's Six-month Check-Up‏

Margo’s six month check-up was about two weeks after her six-month birthday and everything went well. If you haven’t noticed, Margo is a little chunk! Her stats are:

Weight: 17 lbs 14 oz. at 79%
Height: 25 ¾” at 45%
Head at 54% (her head is finally getting bigger!)

The main thing we discussed at the appointment was her reflux and solids. While the reflux continues to slowly improve, it is still an issue. The doctor thinks that the more solids we feed with less formula and once she fully sits on her own, it will help. Because she is a “happy refluxer” and doesn’t appear to have discomfort, in two weeks we are discontinuing one of her medications—yaay, and then will discontinue Prevacid in a month or so. I cannot wait to be done with meds!

On her solids, we will continue her regular morning and bedtime bottles, but reduce her three daytime bottle to 4 oz. The doctor does not want her to consume more than 20-25 oz. per day and she is currently drinking about 30. She will have fruit and oatmeal for breakfast, fruit and veggie for lunch and veggie and cereal for dinner. She has taken pretty well to solids so far, so I hope this works well.

Since I am making my own food and she will be significantly increasing her intake, I have a lot of work to do. This week I made peas and peaches. This weekend I am going to make green beans, mangoes, butternut squash (if I can still find it in season), pears and carrots. With the stuff I already have made, she will have five of each veggie and fruit to choose from, so I feel I will have a good variety.

The doctor said Margo’s gums are swollen and I should expect her first teeth in a few weeks. I knew it was coming because she has been grabbing her ears, rubbing her eyes excessively and of course drooling, chewing on everything, etc… I will be anxious to see how Margo reacts to getting her first teeth. I hope she doesn’t have too much discomfort.

Poor Margo did not respond well to her shots this time. Margo is an extremely happy baby, so it wasn’t too bad in normal standards, but in Margo standards she did not feel well at all. She had a low-grade fever for about 24 hours, had no appetite and slept a lot. I am sooooo glad she doesn’t have to get shots at the 9-month appointment!!

On a funny note, Margo has recently discovered that she can scream—REALLY LOUD—very high pitched and at the top of her lungs. She thinks it is very funny and does it periodically throughout the day when she is playing. She decided it would be cool to scream at her appointment for the doctor and did it several times. It was pretty funny!

If you are on facebook, you can see that I am obsessed with posting new pictures of Margo. She is so much fun and I love putting her in new clothes and snapping photos. It is really a bit out of control—ha! If you are not on facebook, here are some recent cute ones. She’s amazing!

Our Squirrel Friend is on the Mend

On Sunday morning, the most adorable little baby squirrel was on our patio and seemed very weak, but was moving and fully furred with its eyes open. I called a wildlife rescue and they suggested that we leave her outside for the day to see if the momma could coax her back into the tree. Sweet baby Chester did follow it’s momma to the base of the tree twice, but was too small to get up the tree and too big for momma to carry it. It spent the afternoon sleeping in a ball among the grass and leaves. As evening neared, Chester came back to the patio and I took at as a sign that she needed refuge.
We prepared a box lined with burp cloths and I easily picked up Chester who quickly fell asleep in the corner. She was fed a bit of water every few hours with a syringe and she tried to munch on some bread crumbs and an asparagus spear. She slept in the box on our bathroom counter under a heating pad and I was pleased to see that she made it through the night.

Cary dropped her off at the wildlife rescue center the next day and they said she was very healthy and would be okay. It was there that we found out Chester was a she and learned that she was only 4-5 weeks old, poor baby. They were very friendly and will include us in email updates and we can attend her release back into the wild in about 12 weeks.

I am so glad that the sweet little squirrel will make a full recovery and have a great chance at life. All of God’s creatures, large and small, are special and deserve to be comforted and cared for. I am happy we could make the tiniest bit of difference in Chester’s little life.

The wildlife rescue is in need of volunteers and they were wonderfully helpful. If you are interested, please visit http://wrande.org/

Margo Thrived in Month Five

Each month with Margo gets more and more fun! She is a true and utter joy in our lives. There simply are not words that can express the love in my heart for her or the gratitude I have for God giving us such an amazing gift.

Margo is now laughing at everything… sometimes it seems as if she is just so happy she laughs… whether there is anything to laugh at or not. She loves spinning in circles with mommy, laughing at my funny animal noises and is quite ticklish.

Mid-month we started feeding Margo solids with the spoon. She caught on quickly, most loves her wholegrain cereal and gets excited to eat it. On her third meal of oatmeal with a spoon, she was so delighted she laughed through the whole thing. It sure did make it easy to shovel the food in—ha ha! I started making other baby food for her and so far have two bags each of frozen applesauce and sweet potatoes. I tasted both and they are deliciously simple and pure. I love that I am able to feed her an entirely organic diet with the freshest/best ingredients. Her first sampling of applesauce was hilarious—I have never seen such a face—this time mommy laughed through the entire feed. She truly does not know what to think of these new flavors, but seems to like it more as we continue to feed it to her this week.



Margo loves being outside and we try to take her on a walk once a day. After about a mile, she wants to move around and gets a bit impatient. I think she more enjoys just laying on a blanket under the trees, looking at the sky, kicking her legs and feeling the breeze—when there is wind in her face, she opens her mouth, smiles and makes a little excited noise… it’s pretty sweet.

Margo desperately wants to sit up, but she’s just not there yet. She does stomach crunches in her bath, bouncy seat and on the ground. When I try to help her sit, she quickly falls forward or backwards, but rarely can sit steady for a few seconds on her own. She also still hates being on her tummy, which I find strange since she sleeps on her tummy. She grunts, groans and fusses on her tummy—she is just not strong enough to keep herself pushed up for extended periods. I continue to work with her on this. I think that if her arrival to the world a month early will be evident anywhere, it will be in the area of physical development. She may be a tad bit slower in sitting, crawling, walking, etc… At the same time, she started rolling over and holding up her head very early, so who knows… she is clearly very smart and I realize that all babies develop at different paces, so I am not concerned.

Margo still talks like crazy. Her main sound is still ahh-goo, but I am trying to teach her mama and baba… I am holding daddy responsible for dada. This month she started razzing and thought it was very funny. She literally stuck her tongue out and made these spitty, tooty noises all day long for two days. I took this video sideways, but it is still funny.



She is still sleeping through the night, thank goodness—11 hours on average. Naps are still an issue, but getting better. I would say she has at least one solid 1.5 to 2 hour nap at least 5 days in the week. She really tires after 2 hours of awake time and still sometimes requires a nap in the evening before bed. I have only tried the dreaded crying it out twice and it was successful, but heart wrenching for me. I think once we are past the reflux and having to keep her upright after eating, it will be easier to put her in bed awake and sleep train her.

I cannot believe we are halfway through one year. It is too too fast and I am really trying to soak in each incredible, precious moment with her at this beautiful, pure and innocent age.

Grits & Grillades

Just in time for Mardi Gras, I happened upon a really tasty Cajun dish in Southern Living that is super easy! I love anything in the slow cooker & this recipe has easily won me over. Cary said it was delicious & wants me to fix it again soon.

Grillades

1.5 lbs. top round steak, trimmed
3 T. all-purpose flour
2 t. Creole seasoning
2 T. olive oil
1-14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1-10 oz. pkg. frozen diced onion, red & green bell pepper & celery, thawed
3 garlic cloves, minced

Flatten meat to ¼” thickness using the flat end of a meat mallet. Cut into 2” squares. Combine flour & Creole seasoning in a large zip lock bag. Add meat, seal bag & shake to coat. Heat 1 T. oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add half of meat & cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer meat to a lightly greased slow cooker. Repeat procedure with remaining oil & meat. Add tomatoes & next 2 ingredients to slow cooker & stir. Cover & cook on high for 3 hours or until steak is tender.

I could not find a frozen mix that included celery, so I just chopped a few fresh stalks and added it to the onion/bell pepper mix. The recipe in the magazine called for Asiago Cheese Grits that sounded wonderful, but I already had frozen cheese grits in the freezer, so I just used them and it was great. This grits recipe is as easy as it gets and is a favorite in the family that I often bring to get togethers.

Granny’s Cheese Grits

1 c. Quaker Quick Grits
4 c. water
1 stick butter, melted
4 oz. velveeta, cubed
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Salt and/or garlic powder to taste
Paprika for color

Boil water & add grits, cooking for 5 to 7 minutes until thickened; stir as needed. Remove from heat. Add butter, cheese & eggs; combine until blended and cheese is melted. Season to taste with salt & garlic powder. Transfer to a buttered casserole dish & sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350º for 45 to 60 minutes until browned.

Bon appetit!

Pomodoro e Peperoncino Sauce

I love to cook and now that Margo is a bit older, I have been trying to accomplish one or two healthy meals a week.

Since I love to cook so much, I decided... why not share?? So... this Sunday I made an oldie, but goodie. I had forgotten just how good it was and Cary and I enjoyed every last bite. This recipe was given to me many years ago by my sister, Laura, and what I like about it is that includes an array of vegetables in all of the color groups with the healthy fat of EVOO. Once it's all blended together, the veggies are disguised and are really what gives this such amazing flavor! It's worth trying even though it requires lots and lots of stirring. Enjoy!

Pomodoro e Peperoncino Sauce
¾ c. olive oil
2 c. roughly chopped red onion
½ c. roughly chopped celery
½ c. roughly chopped carrot
3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 t. red pepper flakes (if you have kids I would reduce to 1/4 t. or none, as it can be pretty spicy)
10 fresh basil leaves

Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add next 6 ingredients & cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for 15 minutes. Add tomatoes & red pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low & cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Add basil leaves to sauce & process in a blender or food processor until smooth. Serve over cooked pasta of your choice.

I Adore Month Four

New this month, Margo has started waking in the night occasionally. Some of the time she is rolling onto her back and if I turn her over and pat her back, she immediately goes back to sleep. I am also reading Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and trying to better establish her naps. Currently, Margo likes to cat nap and take little 30 to 45 minutes naps in between each feed. According to the book, it is much better to have two long naps in the AM and PM, so I am working on this by trying to give her time to fall back asleep when she wakes. Fortunately, Margo is a very easy baby and I have not yet had to try crying it out (knock on wood). Usually, if I put Margo into bed drowsy and not asleep, she will soothe herself to sleep. I am also working on this and she is back to almost consistently sleeping through the night and is getting better at taking long naps.

She is eating about 30 oz. a day and taking five bottles of about 6 ounces each. I add brown rice cereal to her morning and bedtime bottle, which she loves. I am a huge lover of the Happy Bellies brand of rice cereal and think the added probiotics make it easier for her to digest. She is starting to last a little longer than three hours in between feedings, so I may have to start adjusting her schedule a bit, so that we can maintain the same bedtime.

Every night before bedtime, we have a fun ritual that I always look forward to. She likes to be undressed before I put on her jammies and I blow raspberries on her tummy and tickle her belly, feet and neck. She laughs and laughs and laughs—it is hilarious. (I've included a funny video where she couldn't decide if she wanted to laugh or cry.) After her last feed, we always read a bedtime story and she is getting increasingly interested in books, which I love. My favorite right now is It’s Time to Sleep, My Love, which has neat illustrations and is very soft and soothing. It is by one of my favorite children’s authors who also wrote On the Night You Were Born, which is beautiful and brings me to tears. I read her fun stories too during the day when she has to sit upright after her feeds. It is a great way to kill time during those 20 minutes.



This month we introduced Margo to the doorway jumper which is a hoot! She picked up on it on her first try and loves to bounce away… I swear I could probably leave her in it for an hour and she’d be content, but I don’t want to damage her legs or hips.



We also had a funny moment this month when Margo decided to poop in the bath that I was taking with her—what luck! It was so gross, but fortunately it went right down the drain without spreading all over the place. I saw her making the poop face and screamed for Cary to come get her, but it was too late—ha ha! Ahhh, the adventures of parenthood! What joy it brings to our lives… unlike anything I could ever imagine. We are incredibly blessed!

Month Three Brought Us Glee

To say that month three with Margo has been amazing is an understatement. Margo’s little personality is really starting to shine through and she is getting more and more fun each day! In month three, Margo started smiling a ton, rolls over from her tummy to her back, although Cary says he saw her roll both ways on her play mat once—I have yet to see it! She is holding things with her hands and becoming more aware of them, drooling A LOT and continues to talk up a storm! I have been around lots of babies and do not remember this much cooing and gooing, squeeling and ooohhing at such a young age! We are definitely going to have a talker on our hands and I better start preparing to answer tons of repetitive questions.

The night before I was to return to work, Margo gave me a most special gift with her first real laughter. She gave me big belly laughs over and over and it made my heart smile so big! She now laughs for me every day and it is so much fun to play with her in this way!

She is a little rolly polly and definitely is “healthy” as they say! She weighs 14 lbs. 10 oz and went from the 10th to the 60th percentile since her last appointment! She is 24” and in the 27% for height and her head is 14%. She is so cooperative in letting me trim her nails and most loves her bath time. Her eyes are dark dark brown and her eyelashes are so so long—like a giraffe’s—as my sister pointed out! She is getting a little beauty mark on her face near her right eye. Right now it just looks like a tiny freckle. I hope it doesn’t get too big and actually is beautiful! Otherwise, her pediatrician wants to watch it closely and we may end up having it removed.

One of her favorite toys continues to be the play gym and she loves her cell phone and aquarium toy from Christmas. She also loves to look at herself in the mirror in her bed. Sometimes I come in in the morning and after her naps to find her rolled on her back and chatting with herself in the mirror.

Margo’s reflux is staying steady and she is doing much better than in month two. She has good days and bad days, but we have seen marked improvement on this front. Motherhood is amazing and fills my heart with joy and gratitude each day! I love that so many friends have had babies around the same time, so I can seek out advice, share stories, swap ideas, etc…