Culinary Delights

...no, not for me, for Nolan.  While I've been partaking in boring diet food in a desperate attempt to fit into some of my pre-pregnancy clothes and to prepare for our summer beach vacation (more on this later), Nolan has been tantalizing her taste buds with the flavors of fresh veggies.  To me, and probably to all of you, this is equivalent to boring diet food.  To Nolan, it's a culinary adventure! She finally gets to stray from her strict formula-only diet. Don't you wish you could remember the very first food you ever tasted?  Imagine how delicate your taste buds were and how sensitive to your first bite of sweet carrots.  As we add more processed foods and sugars to our diet, our taste buds are desensitized and carrots become "boring diet food" instead of a culinary delight.  So, while I'm simply enduring boring diet food, I'm having a lot of fun taking Nolan on a culinary adventure (not always delightful though). 

Her half-birthday meal (green beans)

She was not a fan.  I'm hoping I'll have some luck when I mix them with another veggie.




Peas: Yum!

 


Carrots, yes please!

 Although I've read that packaged baby foods are just as good for baby as homemade, I've made the commitment to make all of her food myself.  The colors are more vibrant and the flavors less bland.  The chef in me wants Nolan to really taste her food! After starting with homemade, switching to less flavorful, packaged foods might not go over well. So, I guess I'm committed!  I've found that it's pretty easy so far and not too time consuming.  Next stop on our culinary tour: fruits! 

Between meals, she also had her 6 month check up last week.  She weighed in at an impressive 17 lb 15 oz, and she's almost 27 inches long! She also had another round of shots and I've never heard her cry so hard. :(  It was heartbreaking, but she soon got over it and was back to her smiley self. 

pirate face

drool much?

A couple more firsts from last week:

sitting up on her own

grocery shopping

Trying to be Something that I'm Not

Here I go trying to be something that I'm not... a writer.  As most of you know, I'm good at math, but trying to master the English language is not my thing.  I do however edit materials for teaching elementary students math, which does require some writing skills. So, be forewarned: I may revert to writing to you like you are an 8-yr-old, because that's what I do on a daily basis (well, 3 days per week at the moment).  In an attempt to improve upon my writing skills, but mostly to keep a journal of my life as it speeds by, I've decided to start a blog.  I didn't want to commit to any particular topic, hence the name, but I'm sure most posts will be about Nolan, with an occasional note on cooking, food, working out, or traveling, among other things. I will try to be as clever as my friends are in their blogs, but in the likely case that I'm not, I'll be sure to include plenty of pics of Nolan to keep your attention.

Nolan is my sweet, almost-6-month-old baby girl.  Her half-birthday is tomorrow and she'll celebrate with some pureed green beans! Jealous?  I can't believe it has been 6 months since I had her.  She's changed so much!


10 days old



We were worried about her weight for a little while, but as you can see, she's had no trouble gaining it.  :) She's also gained a huge personality in the past 6 months.  Recently it seems that she has a new trick almost every week.  Last week it was growling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_ImpmaCTqA), and this week it's sticking out her tongue.  I can't wait to see what's in store for next week. 

Our lives have definitely changed a ton since we became a family of three.  I have to admit that I do sometimes miss the freedom that I used to have... to be able to do what I want, when I want, and without much effort, but at the risk of sounding cliche, I wouldn't change a thing.  She's brought us so much happiness and a new view of the world. She's a super happy baby and a constant source of entertainment.  I'm not sure what I did to deserve this, but I feel pretty lucky to have her.

My Family