This week's CSA

My family is sharing a CSA (community supported agriculture) with Kate and Jeff. This is something I have always wanted to do and what the hell, it costs $11 a week, it supports the community and it's organic. It's like Whole Foods, without walking out with all the extras like Pirate Booty and $5 loaves of French Bread. Each Wednesday, I come home to this bunch of organic goodness but then I'm left with, what to make??? Well, that what I'm gonna post each week.

Friday night is meal planning night in our family. I'm totally addicted to Everyday Food Magazine and I have a ton of cookbooks. This should be pretty fun for my readers, esp. since a lot of them already get this same CSA.

Anyways, here are the veggies from this week:
Salad Mix
Carrots
Green Zucchini
Italian Parsley
English Shelling Peas
Yukon Gold potatoes
Broccoli
Italian Kale

Happy cooking!

Happy 8 months!

Splish splash!
Originally uploaded by Shanlee

Dear Benjamin,

What a month of accomplishments! You survived a long trip to Nebraska where you met my crazy family, played with your cousins and got lots of presents. You survived a plane ride with no problems and jumped back into your routine like it was nothing. You continue to eat solids. Suddenly, you don't like cereal unless we mask it with fruit. You are into feeding yourself Cheerios. You would rather feed yourself than eat what ever I feed you. You're digging yogurt. You like sliced avocados but not mashed ones.

On Jan 12, after a night of fussiness, you popped your first tooth on the bottom. The day your started to army crawl, we found out you had an ear infection. Your sleep was off for a week and momma was a little exhausted. You're really sitting up well too! Finally. I never thought this would happen. You're waving too but sometimes you wave for nothing.

We are teaching you baby signs too. You go crazy for the milk card with a nursing baby on it. Speaking of nursing, you refuse to nurse unless your tired. You go crazy for the bottle. Even at night when you do nurse, it's for just a minute or two until you are asleep. Most of the time, you come into bed and fall asleep without nursing. This is telling me our tender moments are ending soon. Now, if we could get your sleeping though the night! That would be a blessing.

As seen in this video, you love bath time. You splish and splash until the water is cold.

Until next month,
Momma

Carrots = FAIL

Though I have video proof and I won't post it, Benjamin doesn't like vegetables. He did OK with green beans and better with bananas but when it came to carrots, he gagged and for the first time -- threw up. I think that he doesn't like my purees and I need to start with baby foods in jars or maybe he's just not ready.

Some day I'll get this parenting thing.

Giving it the ole college try

MOV05562
Originally uploaded by Shanlee

So Ben tried green beans today. At first he took a few bites and then he started to spit it out. This video was before he began spitting everything out. We'll give it a few more tries. Here are the rest of the photos.

Starting veggies

Lil B has been eating rice cereal since Oct 1. I started off by giving him 1/2 a tablespoon. At first he really didn't get it but now when he goes into the high chair, he knows he's getting rice cereal and he's now eating over 2 tablespoons. He opens wide and gets really really excited. He loves the stuff though it tastes like sweet cardboard to me.

This is a sign he's ready for green beans -- the first vegetable he's gonna get from me. I bought two cans of no salt added, preservative free green beans and I'm ready to puree and freeze them, in preparation of solids.

So why am I holding back? Well, I like to get official go ahead from Lil B's pediatrician. Some have told me go ahead and just feed him the beans, others are mortified he's eating rice cereal before 6 months. My baby book has given me step by step directions on feeding solids so I could go ahead but I'm hesitating. Maybe I will call the doctor next week and just ask if I can start.

Oh, to be a new parent!

Testing out the high chair

Testing out the high chair
Originally uploaded by Shanlee

We put together the high chair because we want Ben to get used to dinner time BUT he's also been thrusting his tongue out a lot which is a sign he's getting ready for solids!!!! I even tested this theory out by putting a spoon in his mouth. He didn't seem to mind and knew what to do. We'll see what Dr. V says when we go soon.

He liked the high chair but we sorta overstimulated him with toys, as you can see.