Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Nova: Solidifying his intake

Way back in November, we had started Nova on solid food. Click on that link to see him experiencing rice cereal for the first time.

We then moved him on to oatmeal, then barley.

He might have some sensitivity to either one, or both of 'em.

So those were taken out of rotation, and now he's slowly making his way through pureed veggies, and later fruit.



I totally intend to make my own baby food. I just don't have the energy to get it done. Yet. So in the meantime, storebought it will be!

Here are the veggies he's gone through:
  • peas
  • carrots
  • green beans

and here's the plan for the next few veggies & fruits:
  • sweet potatoes
  • spinach (as part of a mixed veg including already-vetted carrots & peas)
  • squash
  • corn (as part of a corn & sweet potatoes combo)
  • advocado* (will be of the freshly-mashed kind)
  • prunes (will this give him the runes?)
  • bananas* (will be of the freshly-mashed kind)
  • apples
  • pears

After that we'll move on to include meats & legumes.

Each type gets fed in the morning for four days in a row (unless a reaction is seen/detected earlier) followed by a day or two of rest (this slot is then filled with rice cereal).

He also gets rice cereal in the afternoon daily.

I had been taking it easy about feeding him solids, maybe once a day, skipping it if it was inconvenient, if we were gonna be out and about, etc. But at his 9-month check-up, it turns out he's not been gaining the weight he should be, so we're upping his solids (and therefore caloric) intake in addition to trying to maintain his liquid intake.

From the way Nova is snarfing down his food (I swear I've got to shovel the cereal and/or veggies at full speed into his mouth otherwise he starts chewing his bib) I guess he's liking and wanting this change.

We've got a follow-up weight-check appointment in 6 weeks' time. I think we should be on the right track.

Friday, February 10, 2012

A year ago today...

A year ago today, I "came out" on Twitter and Facebook about being preggers with Nova. What better way to mark this day than to announce that we are once again expecting a little one? :))



Introducing our very own grey... or skrik (he/she DOES look like that famous Munch painting, right?)... who will be henceforth be referred to as Nev Naranek. Pronounced NEHV, it could be short for Neville, or an alternate spelling for Neve (which itself can be pronounced NEHV or NEEV), hence serving as a gender-neutral moniker for the internets.

Nev is due in the teens of July.

I freely admit that the first thing that popped into my mind when they told us the due date was "Hmm. I guess I'm gonna have to hold him or her in just a few days longer than that, in order to have a Leo!" Haha, I have my priorities! I was denied a Summer Solstice baby after all, so it would be nice to have a fellow Leo... ;)

Updates as and when time, kid(s) and energy allow!

Cheers!

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

The Book Challenges that Weren't: what I read in 2011

Last year I was all excited about joining two book/reading challenges that dovetailed nicely with what I had been planning to do anyway: re-read Stephen King's Dark Tower series




Unfortunately, with the pregnancy, and school, and the 3 weeks of hospital bedrest, then just taking care of a baby 6 weeks earlier than anticipated... reading just didn't happen.

Of the Dark Tower-related books, I read 4.05, but reviewed only 2 of them:
The Eyes of the Dragon, DT 1: The Gunslinger, DT 2: The Drawing of the Three, DT 3: The Wastelands, and have yet to make it past the prologue of DT 4: Wizard and Glass.

Two non-DT books I managed to read during the 3 weeks in hospital:
  • The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicles Book 2) by Patrick Rothfuss [was *gasp!* bored thru the first third or so, and thru the faerie copulation section]
  • Dark Jenny (3rd Eddie LaCrosse) by Alex Bledsoe [anything Arthurian goes a long way with me :) ]

So... apart from books used in class (including You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L Hay), and What To Expect When You're Expecting... it looks like I read a measly six books last year.

SIX

ouch :(

Perhaps I'll be able to sink my teeth into the books I want about the time the last Kingkiller Chronicles book comes out? :p

about two months later...

 ... hi again. This return to blogging is really not working out, is it? Actually, I am writing, three pages of mind vomit and affirmations ...