Baby Feeding Tips
The Key to Better Sleep for Elvie (and Me, Too)
When we meet new people, whether it be on public transportation or just randomly when we are out and about, there are three questions they ask about Elvie. First, they want to know how old she is. Once they know, they ask if she is walking. When that is answered in the negative, the next question is nearly always regarding if she is sleeping through the night. When I say no to that one, there are often heads shaken in dismay. Frankly, sometimes I shake my own head in dismay when Elvie wakes yet again in the middle of the night, but I’ve finally figured out what needs to happen before she will sleep through the night, and I am accepting it and looking forward to the day when it becomes reality. It’s silly, really, that it took me this long to figure out what she needs to do, but at least now I know.
8 Ways We're Modeling and Teaching Our Daughter To Be Eco-Friendly
We live in Portland, Oregon. Home of some of the most environmentally conscious people on the planet. Caring for the earth and it’s natural resources is just something we do, but it’s something that must be taught to the younger generation and it can start at an early age. Even though our daughter is only 15-months-old, there are already many ways that we are encouraging her to care for the environment and for the things that we can’t yet teach her, we model.
7 Environmentally Friendly Parenting Tips for the Green Mama
Want to reduce the carbon footprint of baby’s first steps? In honor of Earth Day this week, I’ve collected seven environmentally friendly ideas for the Earth Mama and her green baby!
Baby Z and a Tray of Spaghetti
A running joke in my family is, if there’s food, you’ll find Baby Z. When she was born she had the roundest and most red cheeks. Forget “sweetie pie”, she was our “tomato face”. Her hearty appetite has helped make sure those cheeks always remained. At each meal time, she happily consumes her meals quickly. On this particular day she made quite a mess. I couldn’t help but smile and grab my camera. There will come a time when she will outgrow the stage when pasta sauce up to your elbows and all over your face is cute. Savoring these moments as she savors her meals.
Embracing Elvie's Eating Style
Elvie has had feeding issues her whole life. While she was in group care in Ethiopia, her feeding needs were misunderstood, so that by the time we got to her, she was severely malnourished. We brought her home at the age of five months, and it took a month to establish a good feeding routine. When she took the bottle willingly and without pain, I was elated. That time just happened to coincide with the point at which many babies begin solid foods. We introduced some purees, and she was unimpressed. We tried a variety, and still: nothing. She didn’t like it. So I stopped offering her purees, and aside from giving her things to taste when we were eating, I didn’t really worry about her eating habits. When she actually ate something I put in front of her at meal time, I was a little surprised.
Since that first meal, she’s come a long way, but she’s still a bit quirky when it comes to food. I know better than to worry, but I want to do better than that. I want to embrace her eating style and find new flavors that will encourage her to enjoy eating even more. Here are the three big challenges we have and how we’re working those out so that Elvie can get good nutrition and enjoy eating every meal.
