So I read the most interesting article about how we are one of the few cultures that feed our babies bland baby food. We cook down fruits and veggies until they are a nice mush with no other seasonings or flavor. It used to be that we thought babies under 1 year old should not be introduced to herbs and spices in case of developing allergies and that simply isn't the case. Complete fiction. Babies can not only have herbs like cilantro, parsley, dill, thyme, etc..but they can even have spices like curry and cinnamon! Many babies also love sour fruits (cherries, plums), stewed meats and whole grains like quinoa. They actually say that it sets up your child to be a more adventurous eater!
Obviously being a chef, what Lana and all my future children eat will always be a huge priority to me. I want them to eat well. Not only eat well, but have a diversified palate. No canned baby food for them! My mom made all of our baby food when we were growing up and I think if you are able to do it, you should. It is not only great for the child, but gives you better piece of mind of what you are putting into your child's tummy. And now knowing that I don't have to be afraid to feed her things like garlic, bok choy or even roasted cauliflower excites me even more. Chris jokes with me that when Lana is 5 or 6 she will come home from a friends house and tell us how Suzy's mom doesn't even put rendered pancetta in her brussel sprouts. HA! If I do my job right, I hope that happens!
When you think about all the countries that have been raising their babies on chiles, spices & herbs it makes me wonder why we never embraced that? Maybe because American food is more based on fat than spice & herbs? Think about it: American food- burgers, grilled cheese, mash potatoes, ranch dressing?? These are "American foods" and there is no real spice or signature flavor except fat. (don't get me wrong, I LOVE it all, but we are somewhat lacking in the "spice" department). Indian food- Garam Masala, flavorful chutneys, curry, coriander, turmeric, etc. Mediterranean food- Basil, Fennel, Oregano, Dill, Chervil...
It actually makes me cringe a little bit thinking about the child's diet that consists of buttered pasta noodles, chicken nuggets, and mac & cheese. But sadly those are the only foods a lot of toddlers in America will eat because foods with spice and flavor combinations are foreign to them and most kids are not naturally adventurous eaters. You know who I'm talking about...there are SOO many kids out there like that. Parents like to blame the kids for only eating certain foods, but they are KIDS! They only know the habits they are taught. These are the folks that say they have to hide what vegetables little Billy eats because he thinks they are "gross". Really?? Then you are either not cooking them correctly (most likely the case), or you allow your child to believe the stigma related to flavorful foods outside of his comfort zone, Billy's mom I blame you! Or just all around parent laziness. Not learning how to cook for your kids is pretty lame to me. Especially now a days with all the TV shows, websites and tools out there that make it super easy even for a complete novice! I probably could have been a kid like that if my dad & step dad didn't love to cook and introduce us to flavorful foods. Luckily I wasn't, but it is amazing how a child's diet can really effect the way he looks at food the rest of his life! With childhood obesity being such a struggle in our culture, it is more important than ever to expose your child to a variety of healthy foods and new taste experiences!
Well, all I know is I am happy to embrace this new discovery and test it out on Lana. Obviously you have to use common sense when feeding new foods to your baby. All the items should be soft enough so that baby doesn't choke. Pureed, chopped or ground depending on your babies eating skills. And you should only introduce new foods one item at a time (every 3-4 days) in case there is an allergy. That way you are able to pin point the food causing the problem. Other than that, I hope this can inspire any parent to give their child a chance at a young age to appreciate quality foods and expand their minds in the culinary world. After all, my philosophy is that if we need food to survive, shouldn't every bite be enjoyable? (hint: the answer is YES!)
Monday, October 24, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
My New "Mommy" Life
Welcome to my Lana baby blog!! After feeling like I don't verbally gush, worry, discuss, examine and chat enough about my beautiful baby Lana, I thought to myself...start a blog and you can do it even more! Ha! What better than a public "journal" about my ever changing angel. A place where my family & friends can see what's new and changing with Lana and a place where maybe even other mommy friends can chat about their little ones, and gush, worry, discuss, examine their own bundles of joy!!
Well, I'll start the blog off with an update of where Lana & I are at now. Lana is 5 months old. Born Friday May 13th, 2011 at 8:08am. Being born 4 weeks early I was really concerned about how healthy she would be, and if she would have any trouble reaching her milestones. She has amazed me from Day One. She has not only been a healthy girl, she has been developing as if she was never born a preemie! I could not be more proud of this little firecracker. She has shown me that if she wants something, she tries her hardest to make it happen (making her appearance a month early should have given me a clue...)
Currently Lana is starting to develop her spunky little personality. She is such a happy girl, constantly smiling and starting to giggle more each day in reaction to people and things. She has legs as strong as a horse and loves to constantly be standing up on them (of course she has no balance yet, so it's gets a little exhausting after a while to balance her all the time but I just keep dreaming that all this will one day give me those slim arms I desire! :-) ) She also is an incredibly curious and focused girl. She is constantly bending forward to reach for anything that attracts her attention. Probably just a few weeks away from sitting up on her own. She has done it a few times briefly, but hasn't quite figured out the logistics yet. She rolled over twice a few weeks ago, but hasn't done it since.
Probably the most precious thing going on right now is her desire to constantly snuggle and show her affection towards me. When I come toward her, she has begun to hold her arms and legs straight out and roll over towards me to hug my face and it just melts my heart. She sends me these smiley gazes and closes her eyes when I give her little kisses and I feel like I must be doing something right if I can actually start to see and feel the love my daughter already has for me. Spending the amount of time we do together has been a dream come true. I hope I always will have this kind of time for her. My job really allows me to have such a flexible schedule and I am only really "gone" working a few times a month. I don't ever want to give up my career, but I do struggle with wanting to be a full time mom at times. I realize it could be way worse so I am grateful for the situation I have right now.
I do notice that Lana is already developing a real attachment to me, which worries me sometimes because I never want her to be one of those babies that no one can hold because she is overly attached to "mommy". However, then I think about how she is constantly exposed to so many people (Chris of course, my mom, my dad, my sisters, my grandmothers, grandfather, in-laws, etc) and I realize she is just going through that "stranger anxiety" phase and it will soon pass when she starts to understand who all these other people are in her life. I must admit, it does make me feel good inside that my baby prefers me over anyone else right now...probably because I know it won't last forever. Soon enough she will be sick of me and be a Daddy's Girl I'm sure.
It is just amazing to me that this baby is already 5 months old when I feel like I just brought her home from the hospital! Now she is almost ready to crawl, and entertains me with her new found accomplishments each day. I feel as though she has been here for only moments, and at the same time I feel like I don't even remember what life was like before her. My dad said it is because she just fits so perfectly into our lives as if she was meant to be here. And ya know what? He's completely right. She has been a perfect fit in Chris & my life, and I know my entire family would agree with that. It's funny, the one piece of "advice" I get from EVERYONE (strangers in the supermarket, people in a checkout line, random accuaintances, etc) is to, "cherish every moment". I must say that as cliche as it sounds it has really stuck with me. Each day, if I am either snuggling with Lana, making her laugh with a silly song I made up, changing her diaper, or comforting her while she's being fussy, I find myself saying, "cherish every moment".
I really do.
That is what it's all about. These are my cherishing moment(s) and my attempts to capture what I can so when I'm old and grey I can look back and say, "oh yeah...that was such a special, crazy, stressful, eventful, amazing time."
Well, I'll start the blog off with an update of where Lana & I are at now. Lana is 5 months old. Born Friday May 13th, 2011 at 8:08am. Being born 4 weeks early I was really concerned about how healthy she would be, and if she would have any trouble reaching her milestones. She has amazed me from Day One. She has not only been a healthy girl, she has been developing as if she was never born a preemie! I could not be more proud of this little firecracker. She has shown me that if she wants something, she tries her hardest to make it happen (making her appearance a month early should have given me a clue...)
Currently Lana is starting to develop her spunky little personality. She is such a happy girl, constantly smiling and starting to giggle more each day in reaction to people and things. She has legs as strong as a horse and loves to constantly be standing up on them (of course she has no balance yet, so it's gets a little exhausting after a while to balance her all the time but I just keep dreaming that all this will one day give me those slim arms I desire! :-) ) She also is an incredibly curious and focused girl. She is constantly bending forward to reach for anything that attracts her attention. Probably just a few weeks away from sitting up on her own. She has done it a few times briefly, but hasn't quite figured out the logistics yet. She rolled over twice a few weeks ago, but hasn't done it since.
Probably the most precious thing going on right now is her desire to constantly snuggle and show her affection towards me. When I come toward her, she has begun to hold her arms and legs straight out and roll over towards me to hug my face and it just melts my heart. She sends me these smiley gazes and closes her eyes when I give her little kisses and I feel like I must be doing something right if I can actually start to see and feel the love my daughter already has for me. Spending the amount of time we do together has been a dream come true. I hope I always will have this kind of time for her. My job really allows me to have such a flexible schedule and I am only really "gone" working a few times a month. I don't ever want to give up my career, but I do struggle with wanting to be a full time mom at times. I realize it could be way worse so I am grateful for the situation I have right now.
I do notice that Lana is already developing a real attachment to me, which worries me sometimes because I never want her to be one of those babies that no one can hold because she is overly attached to "mommy". However, then I think about how she is constantly exposed to so many people (Chris of course, my mom, my dad, my sisters, my grandmothers, grandfather, in-laws, etc) and I realize she is just going through that "stranger anxiety" phase and it will soon pass when she starts to understand who all these other people are in her life. I must admit, it does make me feel good inside that my baby prefers me over anyone else right now...probably because I know it won't last forever. Soon enough she will be sick of me and be a Daddy's Girl I'm sure.
It is just amazing to me that this baby is already 5 months old when I feel like I just brought her home from the hospital! Now she is almost ready to crawl, and entertains me with her new found accomplishments each day. I feel as though she has been here for only moments, and at the same time I feel like I don't even remember what life was like before her. My dad said it is because she just fits so perfectly into our lives as if she was meant to be here. And ya know what? He's completely right. She has been a perfect fit in Chris & my life, and I know my entire family would agree with that. It's funny, the one piece of "advice" I get from EVERYONE (strangers in the supermarket, people in a checkout line, random accuaintances, etc) is to, "cherish every moment". I must say that as cliche as it sounds it has really stuck with me. Each day, if I am either snuggling with Lana, making her laugh with a silly song I made up, changing her diaper, or comforting her while she's being fussy, I find myself saying, "cherish every moment".
I really do.
That is what it's all about. These are my cherishing moment(s) and my attempts to capture what I can so when I'm old and grey I can look back and say, "oh yeah...that was such a special, crazy, stressful, eventful, amazing time."
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