Baby Food, Sweet Potatoes Addition



 

        At the beginning of the month Evan started vegetables and is LOVING it!!!  So far he has tried peas, green beans, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes. 



        Making baby food is simple and saves us on trips to the grocery store.  First I took a couple sweet potatoes from the basement, scrubbed the outside of them to get all the dirt off, wrapped them in aluminum foil, and placed them in a 400 degree oven for an hour.  Once they came out I let them cool for a few minutes before peeling them.

        Then cut them in small enough pieces they fit in the food grinder and grind away.  Done.  Food is ready to eat.  Although since I baked two sweet potatoes, I will have plenty left over for several more meals.  Some will go in the fridge and the rest will be frozen. 

        In my experience butternut squash and sweet potatoes are very soft for first foods.  Peas and green beans are a little harder to grind due to the skins.  Most of the time I try to mix squash or potatoes with them to make them easier to swallow.  Evan handles them fine either way, though. 

       

Six Months Old

 

        On December 30, Evan turned six months old.  Our bright-eyed baby boy has brought so much love and light into our home.  We cannot imagine our lives without you. 

       Your smile can light up a room on these long, cold winter nights. 

     You might be wondering what Evan is up to these days.  Well, he is still on the verge of rolling over.  He can literally get with in a millimeter of rolling to his stomach.  I think he knows it and absolutely refuses to be on his stomach.  

         If we set you up, you will sit up for a little bit before loosing your balance.  While sitting up you like to grab for toys in front of you.  When nothing is in front of you, you will play with your toes.

       Over the past month Evan continues to enjoy his cereal.  We held off on introducing more foods since he is at a very healthy weight.  Meanwhile if Evan is sitting on your lap while you eat, he watches every bite you take.  Looking at you like...when is that coming my way?         

        Evan loves to play peek-a-boo with you.  Daddy will toss a burp cloth over Evan's face, Evan will pull it down or push his head up until he can see you. Then he will bust up laughing when he spots you.  Now Evan will take his burp cloth on his own cover his face and uncover it quickly as if playing peek-a-boo by himself. 

         Evan enjoys story time.  He likes looking at the pictures and listening to the sound effects you make.  Sometimes he is content to just look at the pictures and try turning the pages on his own.  One of his favorite books is "Bulldozer."  Mommy can now recite the book without even looking at the words. 

        Bath time is a real experience.  Evan loves to splash around and can get water EVERYWHERE!
        Evan enjoys being in his jumper and playing with the toys, but not jumping yet.  We are trying to teach you how to jump. 

      Also over the past month Evan had his first cold.  It was a rough week and a half, but thankfully you were better by Christmas.  

     Ever wonder what we look like mid sneeze?  Well wonder no more.  Bless you baby!

 

Evan's First Christmas

        Evan had a fantastic first Christmas fill with lots of love and family time with a few naps along the way. We started the holiday celebration at home on Christmas Eve where I made a rookie mistake...no pictures.  Then Christmas morning we went to mass to celebrate the birth of our Lord. The rest of the day we spent at my parents' house.

        Daddy helping Evan open his first gift.  He did it all by himself even if it took him forever.  Evan was blessed with many new outfits to go along with his growing waistline.

        The first toy he, or should I say Kade and Liam, opened was a John Deere dashboard, which for now is one of his favorites because his goal in life is to get the throttle in his mouth.          

         Kade and Evan enjoying some cousin time while Liam went outside to ride a horse with his Dad.

        Later on while Evan was sleeping the rest of us enjoyed a few games of bingo. Before we got started we had to teach Derick how the game is played.  By the look of intense focus going on I think we created a monster.  Watch out bingo halls Derick will be coming to take all your prizes.

     Kade made the game very entertaining with his overzealous method of rolling out the numbers.  Sometimes he was chasing them across the floor because they flung out of the cage.  He didn't quite understand the concept of slowing turn the handle.

      The Sunday following Christmas we went to my husband's side.  We had a wonderful meal, opened gifts, and had some great conversation.  Evan as you can see was worn out.  He spent most of the afternoon sleeping while we installed my mother's-in-law new outdoor lights and took down her outdoor nativity before it got cold.   When Evan finally woke up Grandma read him some Christmas books.