Cops In The Nursery!!

And just like that we're at the end of August!  I can't believe my little man is already five months old!  He's off the penicillin since Saturday (thank God!!) and quite back to his old self!  I can't say I'm not glad to see the last of that particular period.  Life is decidedly back to normal and back on schedule, and I couldn't be more pleased!  We took Ricky to the baby clinic on Monday for his monthly weigh-in.  He seems to actually enjoy it - the sisters love him! - and just grinned and bounced on my lap the whole time.  He is now 8.05kg and 67cm tall, my big boy!  After chatting to the sister, I've decided to start weaning him from the breast, slowly.  I plan on breastfeeding up to his first birthday, but he's on second foods now, and needs to learn to rely on solids over milk for a full tummy, so there go the pre-meal milk feeds.  He's also been introduced to a whole lot of new flavours and textures, and we're yet come across a food he doesn't like.  So far, so good!  Let's hope he keeps it up! *fingers crossed*

To The Paed!

Tuesday - it starts...

"So, what they'll tell you at the baby clinic is: "Oh, he's just got a cold!" What they don't tell you is that he'll still spend the night awake and screaming because he can't breathe..." - Rodney

What many won't tell you - not out of spite, but perhaps because it simply doesn't occur to them - is that there is a definite disadvantage to having a child born at the beginning of autumn.  Not only is the final stage of your pregnancy in the blistering heat of late summer, but your little bundle is going to spend the first few months of his or her life dealing with the myriad diseases that seem to so be abundant in the winter season. We have been blessed to have had a healthy home this entire winter, not so much as a sniffle or a cough has darkened our door.  But that all changed last Monday...

Easy Home-Made First Food Purees

I'm one of those people who, since my teens, occasionally takes a turn past the baby foods aisle in the supermarket in search of a jar of Purity's apple or peach puree to nom in front of the TV.  I love the stuff!  But, while I endorse said foodstuff for my own consumption, I decided that when it came time for solids, I would prefer to nourish my little one with something a little less preservative-laden, and a little less expensive.  And so my search began for a few simple and tasty puree recipes I could whip up in my own kitchen.   I always believed that, at the cost of a jar of Purity, there must be a whole lot that goes into making a tasty puree, but I stand corrected.

To many moms, the idea of making your own baby food can be somewhat daunting on top of the massive list of commitments you already have as Mommy, especially if you and the kitchen are not the best of friends!  But these recipes are so simple you could make them with one hand tied behind your back!  And at less than R1 per meal, they're light on the pocket too!

And Then There Was Light!

As just about every new parent will tell you, when your little bundle of joy comes along you bid a tearful farewell to good and proper sleep and a tired hello to long nights and stolen naps, at least for a while.  This is not news.  And so it is no surprise that when Rod and I announced that Ricky was on the way, just about every seasoned veteran looked upon us with a mixture of pity and sly glee and reminded us that for the next few years we would be little more than a pair of individuals reduced to a constant state of semi-consciousness.  I expected that my nights would be whittled down to three hour stretches of sleep - if I were to be so lucky - peppered with lengthy feeds and soothing cuddles.  I expected that the darkly shadowed eyes I had lovingly crafted every morning before art school would make a comeback, albeit in a more natural manner.  I also expected that there would be light at the end of the tunnel.  What I didn't expect was that the tunnel would be so short!

At 15 weeks old, Ricky started sleeping through.