Solids

About a week ago, our pediatrician gave us the OK to start feeding Noah solids. 

On the menu: Gerber rice cereal with Gerber Gentle formula.

We were instructed to start off with a couple teaspoons mixed with some formula. When I first poured it into the bowl, I thought, "Well, that's not enough!" So I ended up mixing three tablespoons. John said, "No wonder our son is so big."

At first, he made a lot of faces. A mixture of confusion and dislike. Eventually, his scowl turned into a face of acceptance, as if he thought, "Ok, Mommy's not giving me my bottle. This'll have to do."

Noah's first bite.

He finished his entire bowl. It took me a solid 20 minutes, and I'm sure half of it ended up on his bib. My friends kept telling me it was going to be a huge mess. I imagined food flung everywhere with remnants stuck to my hair and clothes. However, Noah was a relatively clean eater. He only made a slight mess on his bib and his Bumbo tray. I stayed clean :)

I took the advice of my friend Katherine, who would give her son Liam a spoonful of rice cereal and then quickly put in his pacifier so he would swallow his food instead of letting it fall out of his mouth. I decided to have a bottle of water handy so with every few spoonfuls, I would let him drink some water so he would get the idea that he's supposed to swallow his food. It seemed to work pretty well. And now, a week later, I'm able to feed him almost his entire bowl without having to do this. I think he's getting the hang of eating solids :)

Before and after :)

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Noah turned 4 months old today.

He's starting to squeal, laugh, and roll over now. It's very exciting!

17 Weeks Postpartum

What I'm Wearing:

Peter-Pan Paillettes Sweater by Corey Lynn Calter

Pilcro Stet Slit Crop

J. Crew Ballet Flats

Two for the Price of One

Noah and I headed to Target last night to pick up another supply of his favorite formula, Gerber Soothe. This is the ONLY formula that he seems to like. We've tried Enfamil, Similac, and even another  type of Gerber formula, but this is the only one that seems to keep him full and sleeping through the night. So imagine my disappointment when I get to Target and all that's left are these two small 12.4 oz cans that are overpriced at $15.99 each. The 23.2 oz can was only $23.99, clearly the better deal. I asked a manager if there were anymore in back, and he informed me that Target was actually no longer stocking this particular formula. Great. But he told me he would sell me the two smaller cans for the price of one. This was our conversation:

Me: "Great! What do I tell the cashier?"

Manager: "Just tell them the manager said it was ok. Let's see, the bigger can is $23.99 so the cashier should ring them up for...hmm..."

Silence.

I continue standing there as this manager tries to do mental math. 

Finally he says, "Hmm, something like $11.65 each...No wait! Maybe $11.75 each."

UGH!

I'm too polite to correct him or tell him how I really feel about his inability to divide $24 in half, so I thank him and make my way to the register. I inform the cashier of the deal the manager has made with me, and then she tries to figure out how much to ring each can up for. I guess it's something she has to type in manually to override the current price. So she says, "Hmm, so that'll be like $12.99 each? That should be right." And I'm thinking, "Nooo, $12.99 times 2 is $25.98, which is more than $23.99." At this point, I'm about to enter full-on hissy-fit mode because I HATE when people cannot do simple mental math. So she pulls out a calculator to divide $23.99 by two and finally rings up my cans for $11.99 each. I was finally outta there!

My son gives me this look as if to say, "It's ok, Mommy."

Anyway, Noah is happy! He has a fresh supply of his favorite formula and his belly is full.

The Walking Dead Onesie

Guess who's excited about The Walking Dead tonight?!

Mama's Boy

Last year when I found out I was having a boy, I was immediately excited and apprehensive at the same time. I think many of my anxieties about having a boy stemmed from my experiences as a teacher. I have been teaching for 6 years now and every year, I get at least one student who just despises me. They are rude, disrespectful, and just hate me from day one, for whatever reason. And every year, it's a boy.

I have two theories for this. 1) Women are not respected or valued in their home. Meaning, the father treats the mother poorly and as a result, the son learns to treat all women poorly. Or 2) these boys just become such mama's boys that no other woman could possibly live up to the perfection that is their mother. Therefore, all other women are deemed unworthy of the same respect or regard reserved for their own mother.

My theories are further confirmed by the fact that my husband, who teaches at the same school, is treated like a god by these very same students. Seriously. They bring him presents and glass-bottled Cokes (his favorite), and his walls are covered with cards and posters praising what a great person he is. I am not even exaggerating here to make a point.

John seems to think that I'm grooming Noah to be a mama's boy already. But it's only because I simply adore him and I want to hold and cuddle him now as much as possible because I know there's only a finite number of years I can get away with that before he becomes too independent to need my hugs anymore :(

So I've been inspired. Inspired to raise a son who is a true gentlemen. Respectful, kind, well-mannered. I would hate to think that this precious, innocent little boy could turn into someone who'll drive their teachers crazy one day.

No, I will not let that happen! So everyday, I pray and I speak kind words to him. I tell him how wonderful he is and that he will be a sweet, kind person when he grows up.