Busy little person

One year olds are busy. Especially this one. He is constantly on the move, exploring everything, wanting everything and touching whatever is within reach. It's a fascinating world out there and he just wants to be a part of it all.

Needless to say, the house constantly resembles a bomb site, he is covered in bumps and bruises and has meltdowns every so often as his frustrations get the better of him. I've had to baby proof to the next level as he begins to waddle around on his unsteady feet.

Watching a child discover their ability to walk is pretty fantastic to be honest. He has the proudest look on his face, grinning with his gappy little teeth, arms stretched out wide, taking timid little steps towards us. I can't get enough of it! The iphone is fast filling up with walking videos.

The boys eating corn puffs off the floor. 

 Just hanging with his car. Loves anything with wheels.

Taking a moment to do some puzzle.

Climbing. Planning his escape? I love his little 'sleepy' hair patch. 

Into toys involving 'threading' skills

Threading AND wheels... pretty much the ultimate toy right now. 

Time for bed. 

Tell Mummy what you want

I know I’ve been quiet around here, and my posts have been mostly about food. I guess I always try to share things that I think others may benefit from or take something from. It’s more of a practical blogging angle rather than a ‘dear diary’ approach.  In saying that, it does feel good to sometimes share parts of this journey with you, to say things out loud and to get them in writing so I remember them too in years to come so my next post will be a little more daily insight stuff.

In the meantime, I wanted to touch on something which I think others may be interested in. 
Baby Signing.

The first I saw and heard of baby signing was in that movie ‘Meet the Fockers’ which I LOVE and there’s that crazy Grandad who teaches his Grandson baby sign and everyone thinks it’s nuts. I secretly thought it was really clever, but actually thought they’d made it up for the movie. Turns out it actually exists and parents have been doing this for many years. Who knew? Not me.

I then saw baby signing for a second time, watching my friend with her baby girl. We traveled overseas with them, and her baby just seemed so content all the time, even in 35 degree heat… I had to know… what’s the key to this contentment? It’s a combination of things of course, but the main, most obvious one, was the way they communicated. She so clearly (at 10 months) could signal what she wanted, she never had to cry or complain. I want water. I want milk. I want food.

When she would start to get unsettled, my friend would simply say “show me what the problem is, what do you want?”

I want food (hand to mouth sign).

OK, well we will eat shortly OK? There’s no food here (backstreets of Bali), but we will get some very soon.

And with that, content baby returned. Even though she didn’t immediately get the food, she knew she had communicated the issue and her mum had understood and had responded. I was gob smacked.

I was sure I would be using it with Arthur… but as time went on, I kept forgetting to use it. When he started being cared for one day a week by my above mentioned friend, she introduced it to him… First word. Dog. Within a week he was patting his leg every time he saw a dog, or heard the word. So I started doing more words with him at home. I’ve only chosen a few that will help us to communicate while he learns to talk. 

It takes a few weeks for the signing to start, and you keep doing it and doing it and they don’t respond… so you’re not sure it’s working… but you keep doing it, and sure enough… one day they get it!

We gave him a small piece of bacon to try one morning as he’d never had it. He turned around to his Dad and clearly signed “MORE!” We looked at each other… surely not? So we did it again. Gave him some bacon, and as soon as it disappeared, he signed “MORE!” (very enthusiastically). It’s an exciting moment when you see their brain working like that. Needless to say he was VERY pleased with his new skill.

So far we have a few words/actions which he loves. He sees a dog and signs to me DOG! And his little face is all lit up with excitement when I say “Yes Arthur, It’s a dog! Clever boy”.   He has since learnt cat. He signs cat and looks around? As if to say, where’s that cat? I want to schmooze it and pull its fur and poke the cat's eyes….or sees a cat in a book and subconsciously starts doing the sign. 

It’s amazing how quickly new words are learnt. We just do one a week, and choose ones that really help us in day to day life. Eat/Hungry, milk, more, finished (stops him throwing food!), and his latest one, book. He does book when he wants to read, so we go and get books and do our reading. Next on the list is please… never too young to learn manners. 

So even though it makes us those slightly nutty parents. I’ve seen firsthand that it works, and just how happy it makes Art. He is so pleased with himself that he can tell me things, and he is trying to verbalise the words at the same time. He says bah bah noises while signing book, and mo mo noises when signing for more. So those theories about baby sign delaying speech? I don’t buy into that. This doesn't replace speech development, it simply gives them another way of communicating until their vocal language develops. It's no different from them learning to clap, or learning to nod their head or wave goodbye. It's all communication. 

Like all baby theories, there are numerous studies and opinions on the matter. I haven’t read them and don’t care to. I’m not doing baby sign to improve his language or boost his IQ . We aren't signing up for intensive baby signing courses or following any particular technique. I do it because we can communicate with each other. Overall we have a less frustrated child, and he is absolutely loving it and is almost desperate for more words to learn... I'm just forgetful with incorporating them into our daily conversations... and repetition is key. 

It’s maybe not for everyone, but I’m going out on a limb and ignoring the baby sign jokes and cynicism. This is working for us, so I’m going to keep doing it. We’ve just kept it to a few words, but that’s enough for us. 

Art at dinner - signing more...

Easy dinners

Easy dinners are a life saver. I find that if I can whip something up in record time that's also nutritious, I'm winning.

The child is fed, I suffer no "I just fed my child crap" guilt, and there are minimal dishes to clean up.
Win win win.

Art eats this often. He doesn't complain (enjoying that while it lasts!), so I keep feeding it to him.
It may come in handy one night when you've got no time to lovingly bake a pumpkin in the oven for thirty minutes, or stir a risotto for twenty or create a stupidly fancy masterpiece that your child will thrown on the ground anyway.

Here it is. Nothing magic or amazing but totally edible.

Here's what's involved. 

Fill a pot with water and get it on the boil. 

Place your steamer on top and get the steam going. 

Add pasta to the boiling water in the pot. I mix rice and vegetable organic pasta spirals with regular wheat pasta 'springs'. Both easy finger food pastas. 

After about 5 minutes. Throw some broccoli, sliced courgette and frozen peas into your steamer. 

After 3-5 minutes (depends how crunchy your child likes it), take everything off the stove, throw it into a bowl and let it cool a bit. 

Add some cracked fresh pepper, a tiny bit of salt (not really needed) and grate some parmesan cheese over the top. If I have a lemon handy I'll squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over the dish too. 

That's it. 

Take the rest and put it in their lunch box for the next day, it's still yummy cold. The steamer is honestly your best friend. The juice from the vegetables as they steam falls down into the cooking pasta, so maybe in some roundabout way, the lost nutrients are found again? Or maybe not... but anyway, dinner will be done in about 10 minutes. 

Lunch time

I've been a little bit quiet around here... trying to find life balance, and blogging time is limited. I have a lot of photos to share, lunches, dinners, life, thoughts and ideas... but just lack the time! I need to duplicate myself somehow.

Here's a little lunch post, and I'll post something more meaningful tomorrow night... maybe.

This lunch was a little lighter than others. He might have been a bit hungry this day.. sorry Art!

1. Yoghurt Suckies for the afternoon.
2. Marmite and cheese sammies (cut with a tupperware 'fish' sammy cutter).
3. Craisins
4. Rice wheels and cheese
5. Vegetable & Rice pasta swirls with parmesan cheese and lemon juice.

I find even on our days at home, I follow this same segmented smorgasbord style lunch. He seems to like choosing what to eat first, and most of all, loves feeding himself.

Happy lunchboxing!

Lunch #2

I have a few of these stored up, but forget to share them due to daily life getting in the way...

Mr D has been overseas in Tahiti (LUCKY!!!!) , and I've been a solo working mother this week. It's been an adjustment! I have a new found respect for solo mothers around the globe. 

Despite whether one or two parents are here, this child needs to eat. So I made his lunch tonight while his Nana popped in to bathe him and put him to bed for me. 

The photos of these lunches are never going to be a masterpiece. They are taken in bulb light at about 8.30pm and with an iPhone... so let's not focus on the photo quality. Here's a breakdown with a few more ideas for other lunch box makers out there. 

Pasta: A mix of Vege/Rice Pasta and some wheat pasta spirals. Shredded roast chicken (from my dinner left overs) and steamed broccoli. I grate fresh parmesan over the top and add a squeeze of lemon juice and cracked pepper. He eats this cold. 

Muffin: I bought some Healtheries Bran Flakes and followed the recipe on the back for muffins. It actually worked and I didn't stuff them up! made enough for myself and Art to snack on for the week. 

They've got a bit of goodness in them to counteract the badness, so quite a good recipe. 

Sushi: I got a rice roll maker from the Japanese Home Store for about $3.00. It makes perfect rice rolls for mini sushi bites, so it's so easy to make! Rice in the rice cooker, filling in the rice roller, roll in seaweed, refrigerate, slice... voila! sushi for a little person. Here we have some plain cucumber, and some cream cheese and pineapple. 

Snack Cups:These silicone muffin cases are perfect for lunch boxes! In one I have some cubes of Havarti cheese, some cherry tomato and cucumber. In the other is sliced mango.

Vegetables: Steamed courgette and carrot sticks (left over from dinner). 

Please note: I'm no supermum. This isn't some Martha Stewart sugar coated b**!&$, I only share these lunch boxes because I find myself struggling for inspiration and need quick easy ideas after working all day. When I get a combo that is quick and easy, I share. Come hell or high water, this kid needs a lunch in his bag the next day. Sometimes it's just a marmite sandwich and fruit... and he loves it all the same, but I hope this helps to inspire others who are trying to cram as much variety into their kids as

possible too. 

I find that if you prepare the lunch during dinner prep it is much faster. The steamer is often on, throw in some veges, throw some pasta in the boiling water, get some rice in the rice cooker, chop up some veges and fruit.. before you know it you have a smorgasbord ready for your kid. One less thing to do in the morning. 

Goodnight. 

one.

And there you have it. A one year old. Happy Birthday little bear. 

xx

Reflection.

In a few days I will wake up to a one year old Son.

The light and love this kid has brought into our lives is too much for words. I've been taken aback, gobsmacked, in awe at just how much you can love one little tiny human.

I never considered myself a maternal person. I never had a dream to be a Mother. I didn't feel it was my calling. I didn't ache to hold a tiny newborn, or get all gooey over that newborn baby smell. In fact I didn't even know how to hold a newborn, let alone care for one! I was personally terrified about being a Mother. The responsibility, expectation... all of it. I just couldn't picture myself as that person. As a Mother. The only thing I new was that I loved my other half, and together we would have a family. Don't get me wrong. I wanted children,  I just was never sure if I was ready. Mr D was ready well before I was I think, and I managed to find excuses as to why 'now was not a good time'.

So jump forward 9 or 10 months. I'd obviously given in and decided I was ready.

If you have sound - please play this song while you read... it might make my words more meaningful and disguise the fact that what I'm about to say isn't written how I want it to be. I'm struggling with words. 

I remember lying in my bed (with heartburn) in those last final days before he made his way into the world. I'm not sure if it was the heartburn keeping me awake at night or the toilet stops, or more so my anxieties. What kind of Mother would I be? Would my child love me? Am I enough for him? Am I ready for this? I remember vividly lying there, and struggling to picture this 'bump' in my arms. I was so stressed that I wouldn't love him properly (I know, I'm ridiculous), and he would feel that I didn't know what I was doing and I'd let him down somehow.

Well, ready or not, he made his way into the world after 8 hours of labour on the 8th of the 8th, 2012.

Floating in the birthing pool at 4.00am (pre-delivery) listening to the song above - Always Waiting.
This song will forever in my heart be mine and Arthur's. His Dadda was sleeping on the floor of the birthing suite, as I floated in the pool rubbing my bursting, tight belly, breathing through contractions, keeping a raft of emotions at bay. Anxiety, excitement, exhaustion, pain...

How perfect were the lyrics to our song;

My soul is yawning, and I'm longing too. 
Seen my day tiring, seen me breaking through
My time is coming soon
So I'm waiting
I'll be waiting for you, my friend. 

And so, with a babe in my arms at 10.35am, my world was complete. We became a family and I was forever changed. I have a greater level of patience and compassion. I stop to notice the world's beauty I so often overlooked. I have a new appreciation and understanding of innocence. I have responsibilities, challenges and no more sleep ins.

But overall I have love. I don't even care that this post is sickeningly gushy. I'm not even sorry if you vomited in your mouth a little bit, or think that I'm embarrassing. I have a feeling I've surprised those closest to me with just how I've taken to this role. I've surprised myself, that's for sure. I'm far from a perfect Mother. That doesn't exist. I have faults and flaws, but Arthur forgives me. He knows nothing else.

That, my friends, is what they call unconditional love.

Minutes after entering the world, all scrunched up. I'm exhausted, but so content. "We made it little bear...we made it."

I remember this as if it were yesterday. I can still feel the moment they placed him on my chest. A year on, when he places his head on my chest, I'm still taken back to this. I think that's why I melt, every time. 

And then his Daddy got a hold. He dressed him for the very first time and held him and held him and held him. 

I loved that day.

So there it is in a nutshell. My personal reflection of (nearly) a year as a Mother. 

Flippin' fantastic frittatas

These litttle frits are an excellent addition to the lunchbox. I store them in the fridge, or freezer (and pull them out the day before). They are great for dinner too... anytime really. Also not too bad to snack on yourself as you're racing around trying to clean a kitchen, feed a kid, hang out washing... that sort of thing.

There's nothing revolutionary about the recipe or a frittata and most of you probably already know how to make these. Given my level of cooking ability, I've found this an excellent addition to my finger food repertoire. Throw in any vegetables you have on hand. I always steam them first to soften them. If we're having a casserole, there's nothing stopping you from taking a little bit of that and throwing it in too.. anything goes. Apart from fruit. That might not work.

Art's Lunch

I'm new to this whole lunch box thing, and I know some of my friends are too, so why not share some lunch combinations with each other?
I'm limited to finger food and food he can manage with his gums and very few teeth. I also try to give him a wide variety of food, flavour and texture as his palette develops. I'll share a few of his lunch boxes along the way in the hope it may inspire other tired mums who need to get a lunch packed before they can retire for the evening.

I do find it easier to prepare his lunch the night before. It gives me time to cook up things and clear up the dishes if there are any. I also try to incorporate left overs from his dinner into lunch the next day so we don't waste too much food.

So here's one from the other day:

In case you can't see too clearly: 

Peanut butter & Jam sammy sushi. I got a good tutorial here

Egg Frittata: These take only 10 mins to make and I'll share the recipe on another post. 

Pasta: From his dinner that night. 

CousCous balls - from dinner also.

Yoghurt as an after lunch treat later in the day. 

Kiwifruit - I just peel and slice into wedges for him. 

He loves all of the options and always empties his lunch box. Some on the floor, but most in his belly... 

Conversations with Art.

In the mornings I dress him in his room by the heater. He rolls around in delight on his schmoooozy blanket, pulling it over his soft baby skin and losing himself in the silkiness of the fabric. He cannot resist a good schmooze. If he even slightly touches something soft, he literally melts into it.

Mid schmoozing, he pauses to crawl over and hit his 'Chinatown' frame so the music starts up. He looks at me, bopping his head and smiling, as if to say "that's better aye Mum?".
He likes music.

Sometimes when his Dad turns on the stereo, Art is so instantly overwhelmed with excitement and emotion he smiles and cries simultaneously until he can compose himself again and starts bopping. We die every time.

Whilst dressing him, I tell him what he is going to being doing that day and what I'll be doing.
"You're going to Jane's house today Arthur, and you're going to see all of your little friends".  I start naming them, watching his face react in delight when hearing the familiar names. We talk about the games he will play and what's in his lunchbox and his naps he will have (hopefully) and when I'll be picking him up.

He converses with me in his husky babble as if to tell me what he will actually be doing! He often chuckles to himself mid sentence which is pretty adorable and I'm desperate to know his thoughts.

I then tell him what I'll be doing. "Mummy is going to go to work today...and bore him with details of my meetings that day and what projects I'll be working on" . I figure somewhere in that little mind he will be retaining these conversations and will develop with an understanding of what I do on those days when mummy is gone.

I'm yet to have a day when I say "Good morning Little Bear, do you know what we are doing today?! Nothing!" I do find that he is starting to really listen and converse a lot more, and I try to explain as many things as possible to feed his inquisitive little mind.

"Arthur, we are going to go to the swings after breakfast, are you excited?"
His beaming face says it all.

"Arthur, do you know how much Mummy LOVES you? THIIIIISSSS much (arms out). He crawls over and puts his head on my lap and goes "ahhhhhhhh".

He is one in less than two weeks time and I'm in denial. Too much love over here.

I can't help but feel some days when I've been at work, he takes time to forgive me. I know it's stupid, but it's like he is angry at me. I'm not met by a child beside himself with happiness to see me. He isn't the same boy who beams with excitement when we get him up in the mornings.
Instead I find he is quite content doing his little thing and is like 'oh hey mum'. 
A little distant.
My heart hurts a little bit.

I make a point when we walk through the door, to sit down together and have on one one time for at least 30 minutes before I do his dinner. I find after half an hour he has forgiven me and is back to his loving ways. Or is it that after 30 minutes my guilt subsides?

It's working mum anxiety I'm sure. I know deep deep down that he doesn't resent me and he is so young he probably doesn't harbor complex emotions like that?!? I know it's my own doubts creating these thoughts and seeing these things...but I am constantly finding myself shrugging them off. I talk myself out of these mindsets. I reassure myself that he will grow to be proud of me, he is well grounded, balanced and has a very full life.

I think the problem is that I just love this boy more than anything I've ever experienced before. This is a human I'd give my life for in an instant. I beat myself up CONSTANTLY about EVERYTHING. It is so ridiculous. At the end of the day I know he feels the love we have for him. He is so so lucky. He is surrounded by love constantly. Everywhere he turns someone is smiling back at him or bending forward for a kiss, arms outstretched for a hug. He truly is loved.

So there you go, my guilt and emotion out there for the world to read. I feel a little naked and stupid.

Goodnight.

I WANT TO FEED MYSELF!!!!!

I have a nearly one year old (birthday next week!!! I'm in denial!). Having a nearly one year old means that you need to work on a few new skills.

1. To be able to change a nappy whilst a child is standing, dancing or rolling.
2. You need to be able to do up 30 million domes on a onesie whilst a child is either standing, rolling or crawling.
3. You need to convince your child that throwing food is not acceptable. Good luck. We're working on signing 'finished' as an alternative form of communicating "I'm full!"
4. You need to come up with as many finger food options as possible because after a lot of mess and frustration I've come to learn that the child does NOT want ME to feed him. Hold a spoon anywhere near him and he will flick it faster than you can retract.

So unless you want porridge, mince and couscous on every surface in your home (including yourself) you need to  get creative with the finger food. The options provided need to be suitable for young gums and very few widdle teef!

So here we go... I've got a few to share, but I'll spread them over some posts so I feel like I'm posting regular updates and on top of things... despite not being on top of things AT ALL!

Let's start with Vege Bites.

So all I did here was grab any vegetables I could find in the fridge and simmer them on the stove until they resembled a vegetable casserole. I added some left over pinto beans I had frozen in the freezer and added left over roasties from the fridge and fresh tomatoes to make a tomato based sauce. I sprinkled in some oregano, salt reduced vegetable stock, a teaspoon of tomato paste and some cracked pepper.

I then took about three tablespoons of the vege mix and put it into a bowl with a generous sprinkle of rice flour (you can use normal flour too) . Once I had a nice tacky mixture I made tablespoon sized balls of mixture and cooked them in a pan until golden. They held together well, but if you're having difficulty you could add an egg to bind the mixture.

I have about 3-4 tablespoon lots frozen in containers in the freezer labeled as 'vege bite mix'. Place it in the fridge the night before, and it will be ready for cooking for dinner the next night.

You can cook up a few more and pop them in a lunchbox cold for the next day too. I have another use for this mix too which I'll introduce in future posts.

Dinner Destruction

This is a combination of what I find on the floor, in his bib catcher and in the highchair, post the dinner feeding frenzy. Hence why I offer slightly bigger proportions. I'd say 70% in the mouth, 30% in the bin? Notice there's minimal falafel fritter or brocolii in the regurgitation... I take notes on this sort of thing. Sad but true.

Foolproof Babyoli

This was a bit of an experiment.... and was successful, so I've decided to give it Art's (and my own) seal of approval. I only share recipes that I believe anyone of my friends could make for their own children. The meals I share are based on speed, nutrition, variety and ease.

I'm going to give credit to the website which inspired this creation. This website has GREAT baby food ideas and is my go to.  Here's the link... but don't go away just yet. Here's how the above was created...

Take 1/2 cup of regular flour and 1/2 cup of semolina (available in all NZ supermarkets I'm sure and costs around $2-3 a bag). Throw those in a food processor (or a bowl if you want to do it by hand). Drizzle in 1/3 cup of very warm water and 1 Tbsp of oil slowly to the mixture until you have a nice dough.
Turn dough onto a lightly flour dusted board. Knead for a few minutes... not too long... I don't know the science behind pasta making... but found 2-5 mins of kneading worked.
Break dough into halves and roll one half out very thinly with a rolling pin.

You can use anything as filling which is why I think this meal is brilliant. 

I steamed some butternut and spinach and mashed this with a pinch of paprika and cracked pepper.
Place teaspoon amounts of filling onto one half of your rolled dough. My dough wasn't a perfect shape, so I just spaced the filling leaving enough room for edging as opposed to a nice grid.
Fold the other half of your dough over the top and press around each shape.
Take a knife and cut our your individual ravioli pieces. I trimmed them up and pressed the edges with a fork to ensure the edges were all sealed properly.

Place the finished pieces into boiling water until they rise - 2 minutes maximum I'd say.
Remove carefully and drain. I grated some parmesan cheese over the cooked pasta - optional.
Let them cool slightly and serve. I steamed some broccoli and green beans as a side dish.

Even though this explanation looks long and involved it really is simple. I'm the most challenged person when it comes to cooking and I actually didn't stuff it up! My husband was surprised... as was I.
I glad wrapped the other part of my dough and put it in the fridge. I should have made more but the kitchen was chaos with some pies on the go and our own dinner cooking.

I served about 5 pieces to Art and put 5 or 6 more in the fridge for tomorrow night.

I am by no means a specialist in nutrition for children, and so I do share this on the basis that it worked in our house, for my child... and may not be suitable for all. He is 11 months old, but I think he could have eaten this from a much earlier stage.

CousCous - so good I made it twice.

It feels like it's been a while since I posted an Art approved dinner recipe.
Possibly for a few reasons...

1. He has been sick
2. A sick baby is a fussy eater
3. I wasn't sure if he rejected meals because of sickness or taste
4. Was throwing food a phase? or a reaction to a foul dinner?
5. I've been too busy to be creative
6. Sometimes a jar of food is considered a treat O.K?
7. We repeat a lot of meals... because they're YUM!

So now that I've justified that, let me share this one. Not ground breakingly innovative...but easy and delish, so that's enough reason to share right? I don't know why I didn't make more of this and have it for our own dinner? Next time...

The method for this one is pretty straight forward..
.

How to recreate this one... 

Add 1/4 cup boiling water (or boiling salt reduced vege/chicken stock) to 1/4 cup couscous, cover and let sit. Easy.
Steam cubes of pumpkin, courgette and spinnach. I like to add them in that order to avoid over steaming, you really want to just wilt the spinnach, not cook the crap out of it.
I had some roast beef in the fridge left over from the night before. I finely diced it and heated it in a saucepan, then threw that in too.
I then fluffed the couscous, turned it into a larger bowl, added in the vegetables, the meat and combined. I slighlty mash the pumpkin as I'm mixing. Once combined, I drizzled in some coconut milk until the mixture became more combined.
The meat is totally optional. I think any meat would work with this dish - bacon, lamb, chicken.... just not pork probably because pork is yuck.

The idea with making it all more combined is that you can squish it into balls and let the kid feed themselves. Really fluffy couscous doesn't work too well as a finger food... or a spoon food sometimes as it just ends up everywhere! If you find it a bit too fluffy, just add in some more coconut milk. I spoon feed the first bit of the meal, then leave little piles of the mixture on the table for Art to feed himself with (or throw on the floor).

And there you have it - nothing revolutionary, but quick and tasty.

Let's talk about NAPPIES!

So yesterday I donated a solid 30 minutes of my life to researching nappies on the internet. This is something I NEVER pictured myself ever doing with my time. That nap time is precious, so let me explain how I ended up in that unfortunate situation.

The other day I purchased a box of nappies, the same brand we always use which can cope with the pressures of the overnight stretch... They were on special at the supermarket and worked out to be about 28c per nappy which was a huge discount. Normally I'd pay about 40-50c each for a Huggies (I think).

When it comes to nappies I tend to weigh up cost and performance. I want a nappy that can cope with explosions and floods but that won't break the bank and needs to be readily available so we can always grab more at short notice.

I chose Huggies as our go to nappy brand. We've tried Homebrand, Treasures and Naty with varying success, but I've always found myself returning to Huggies. They never let me down and you're guaranteed to find them on special often and in many retail outlets.

So my latest score - a jumbo box of nappies at 28c each was great. 72 nappies will keep us going for a while and the savings were greatly appreciated by my bank account. Once I finished up our previous stash, I opened up the new box.  I noticed two days in a row that there was a very prominent petrol smell coming from the rear region of my child. Naturally a cause for concern! After some investigation, I smelt the nappies in the box upstairs. It definitely smelt like fuel of some sort which is obviously concerning given the product is on my kid 24/7.

After some self doubt and deliberation I rang Huggies to let them know. They've arranged for my box of nappies to be returned to them for investigation. Credit goes to them for really taking my call seriously. I did feel a bit like I'd really reached a new level in complaining and I could see Mr D rolling his eyes... you complained about nappies? .But I've smelt some other huggies ones we had at home and there is no petrol smell whatsoever, so I'm sure this is limited to this batch. I'll update you on what Huggies say after they've investigated.

So this is how I ended up back online researching nappies. My criteria changed. It was no longer about cost and performance, but now about chemical exposure too. I don't want to come across neurotic, because I think I tend to be pretty relaxed and open minded about a lot of stuff when it comes to this parenting gig, but seriously after realising your baby smells like petrol... you do become a little more concerned. Obviously if I wanted to go chemical free then cloth would be the best... but I know myself... and that is just not going to work with our lifestyle. So what disposable options do I have?

These are the ones I've come across so far in NZ.

Naty - Chlorine and Fragrance Free. $23.99 32pk + delivery

I've used Naty before. They were beautifully soft and looked very comfortable. We didn't have any leaks, but I did have to change him a bit more as the nappy wasn't AS absorbant as Huggies... but still very good  I ordered them online and had them delivered to our house which was quite convenient but took some forward planning. They weren't bleached, so were an off white colour and didn't have big colourful pictures all over them which I liked. (I don't buy nappies because they have Winnie the Pooh on them... and Art doesn't show any preference to what is printed on his nappy pants...).
Cost = 90c each 






The other brand I'm looking into is Moltex.

 I haven't used these before but I might get a sample to try. These are only 56c each and have free delivery + a free pack of 80 wipes... and you know you're ALWAYS running out of those, so that could be a handy freebie. It will probably cost around $25 a week to put Art into these which I think could be worth it - as long as they don't leak at night too often and I increase my washing load!








The only other nappy I came across that a friend of mine liked was Earth's Best.

These are also chlorine free and low in petro-chemicals, latex free, fragrance free and has natural absorbent material - so gel free.
My only concern with these ones is the price... at around $36 for 35 nappies, that's nearly $1 a nappy which isn't the most economical option.








I don't know if it all deserves this much thought or 30 minutes of research.. and maybe my next pack of Huggies won't smell at all and I'll go back to loving them again... but in the meantime, we're going to play around with some numbers and samples and see where that leads us. So for now the winner is Moltex (pre trial)... and hopefully they perform almost as well as the Huggies.

Who thought you could write so much about nappies. I'm so boring. I bet you're all off smelling your nappy stash though.

Please let me know if you have anything else to add to this or any advice for me!? The whole point of this blog is sharing!

Whilst on the subject of nappies, perhaps I could pass on some of my findings in the nappy world - aside from the chemical issues.

• Don't stock up on newborn nappies when you're pregnant. Art was born 3.8kg and newborns were good up to 4kg. So after 2 weeks he was wetting through constantly. I ended up donating a lot of nappies to pregnant friends (who had smaller babies!). I'd stock up on the Crawler and Infant nappies. 
• It works to use a cheaper nappy in the day and a more durable expensive nappy at night. In Canada we found overnight nappies which were awesome - but I don't see them often here. 
• Bigger lasts longer - so although bulky, you can try putting a bigger nappy on at night for extra absorbancy and then stick to the better fit (smaller) during the day. 
• I keep a 'nappy changing kit' in the car, pram and every hand bag. I use a small zip clutch purse (on sale often at places like cotton on for a few dollars), and put in 3 nappies and a pack of travel wipes. You just have to remember to top them up if you use them.

And that's what I have to say about nappies. 

I'm in awe yet saddened at how much nappy information is in my head. 

Now.... let's talk formula.... haha. Just joking. I need a wine. 

Here's Harry Potter baby after a trip to the fancy dress shop the other day. 

Happy Nappy!

Mum, can you help me?

Arthur is obsessed with his shape sorting ball at the moment. I won't pretend he can select the correct window for each correlating shape... he is not yet at that moment of brilliance, but he can pick up the shape (using his right hand), then uses his left hand to reposition the shape and pass it back to his right hand all ready for placement. It's an intricate exercise, and adorable to witness. He holds each piece so delicately. 

I have to select the correct window for him, and he has to turn and adjust the piece until it magically disappears inside the ball. It's nice because it's something he needs me to help him with... and it's nice to be needed sometimes for things other than a nappy change or bottle.
He grabs the shape sorter out of his toy basket and pushes it over to me... it's pretty cute. Despite what I'm doing, I find I have to stop and sit with him for a moment, just so he can complete the task. I can't resist. 

I like to say the name of the shape as he selects them. This is where I fall short. What is the technically correct name for these pieces? (my friend is laughing because she knows I have an obsession with naming everything with the absolutely correct term) 

Give me some credit, I know square, triangle, circle, oval... the easy ones. I even impressed myself that I knew hexagon and pentagon...Honestly, I was terrible at maths.  I just was starting to feel a little bit bad that I was calling one shape the 'wedge' and the other one a 'polygon' because it sounded right... even though I knew it wasn't. My husband and I couldn't agree on what it should be called. We were both amazing at maths. Obviously. 

So I Googled it. Thank you Google for making me a better parent. 

Turns out the 'polygon' is actually a TRAPEZIUM. A quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides. Some fuzzy parts of my brain started coming back alive...Trapezium sounded very familiar. I LIKE that word. 

Turns out a Polygon is defined as a flat shape consisting of straight, non-intersecting line segments or "sides" that are joined pair-wise to form a closed path. So I wasn't far off... but I wasn't correct. Today we shape sorted about 10 times and each time he selected that piece I proudly announced it was a T-R-A-P-E-Z-I-U-M. Arthur, that is a TRA-PEEEE-ZI-UM. He thinks I'm smart now. 

Oh and the 'wedge' is called a pie wedge... 

Lesson over. You're welcome. 

For some reason, he really doesn't like the star. He leaves it to last all the time. Funny kid.

Coconut CousCous

There's a trend with my baby food recipes... FAST! I'm not one of those mums who has time to oven bake stuff for a few hours, or stand over a stove for a long period of time. My attempts at bite sized muffins have so far failed... and a risotto is about as time hungry as my dinners get. This is why I love couscous. So versatile and fast.

So without further ado I present coconut couscous. So yummy that you'll hope your kid doesn't finish it so you can. As always this recipe will probably make more than one meal. It is great cold too... but I would save the leftovers before adding the coconut milk and water. I'd add in the coconut milk later when you're reheating it - otherwise serve it sans coconut.

I'll let you in on a little secret. This dinner started as left overs. I made the couscous the day before for Art's dinner when we were away using whatever was in the fridge and pantry and served it as a side dish with his lamb cutlets. To make the meal above, I added in the spinach and coconut milk, heated it through and voila! a new meal!

Art is just at that point of eating what we eat now, but as we eat in peace at 7.30pm with a civilised glass of wine in hand, and he eats at 5.30pm ... He doesn't tend to 'eat what we eat' at dinner time. Bearing this in mind, I do like to mix it up for him, sometimes serving simple meals and flavours, and other times more sophisticated flavour. This way, if our eating times ever coincided (like at a restaurant, or weekend dinner), I feel positive that he will eat whatever we are eating. Does that make sense?

Keen to hear from anyone who uses the recipes. Do your kids like them? Loathe them?

Time Out

Very close friends of ours were back on home soil for a weekend and suggested we get away to their bach up north for the weekend. Ummmm. OK!
I've spent a fair bit of time working recently, so it was nice to take a full day together to go on a little road trip - just me and the bear for the day!

We took off in the morning. Made a quick stop so I could get some new shoes. Essential. But in the process he lost one of his shoes. Annoying. We headed on our way up North in the rain, singing songs and Arthur did a lot of clapping and not too much napping, but that was ok, he was in good spirits.

We stopped off half way to get some groceries for the weekend. He charmed everyone in the supermarket as we cruised the aisles, and I felt guilty about having bottles of wine in my trolley at midday.  I needed a sign on my back "please don't judge me, these are weekend supplies..." Then again, every second person in this shop had a few bottles in their trolley and being judged is just part of the parcel in this parenting gig... so I didn't feel too bad.

I had spotted a great park and playground as we were pulling into the supermarket, and decided we would have a picnic there. By the time we left the shop it was raining. Typical. So we ate our lunch in the car together. He had to 'suck' his lunch out of a pouch because I forgot spoons and wasn't about to do 'finger food' in the front seat. He still enjoyed it, because he knew it was special. The FRONT seat... SO exciting!

We headed on our way and got to our destination that afternoon. It was just the two of us. No TV, no computer, just us. Peace and quiet! It was bliss. I lit the fire while it poured with rain outside and we played with his toys and sang songs. It made up for all of the time I didn't spend with him during the week while I was working. I felt the stress melt away, and was able to focus solely on him for a good few hours. He went off to bed at around 7 and I made dinner, poured a glass of wine and read a magazine by the fire.

What a fun weekend! Good friends all back together again for a weekend away. It's funny to be bathing your baby in the supertub and remembering past liquored nights at that bach pre children days. Not to say some didn't continue the tradition... just not me. When your day starts at 6.30/7am without fail, 7 days a week, you learn that a hangover just doesn't fit into the equation. I've learnt that lesson!

Anyways - just recapping really on a great relaxing weekend with my awesome little family and great friends.

 Climbing. Standing. Moving. He's all about it. 

 I think that's a definite 'selfie' face right there. So awkward. But I do try to be in the photos sometimes with Arthur as he might be interested in what we looked like when he was a baby. 

 I spy little teeth! 

 Centre of attention. 

 Getting good use of the winter woolies made by his Grandma. 

It's always a bit of an effort to pack up the car and relocate for a night or two - but worth it. 

Zucchini Fritters

Since we're on the subject of finger food - here's another one that went down a treat here.
You can just use all zucchini (courgette) or you can sub out one zucchini for a carrot like I did as I only had one zucchini left.

Super quick and easy to make. Nice to eat for yourself too as a snack. When I wrote the method earlier, I forgot to point out that I steamed the grated vegetables beforehand for about 2 minutes. It's totally optional, you'd be fine not to, but it just softened the carrot up nicely.

Pop the leftover fritters in the fridge or freeze them in little snack bags in the freezer. They are great hot or cold. I served them with mashed potato the other night for dinner. We spoon fed him the potato... I don't know about you, but I don't eat mashed potato with my hands... and don't want to encourage my child to do so either.

Enjoy!

Finger Food Options

Arthur loves food. It's not really a battle to get something in his mouth. (Long may that last!)
The battle though is for me to come up with new ideas to keep him interested in food and flavour. It's not that he becomes 'disinterested' in food... but I just like be introducing new textures and flavours on a regular basis to offer some diversity. He also likes the independence of feeding himself, so I try to incorporate a lot of finger food options into his diet.

I've read a little bit about baby led weaning. However, I'm not a devotee to any particular trend or theory in baby feeding and weaning, but I like to read a few different theories and ideas and then blend a few to find something that fits in with us.

I've found finger food to be great because the more he can feed himself, the more amused he is in that highchair while I prepare the main course. I've also found that spoon feeding him his main meal ensures that he has a nice full belly which results in a nice 11-12 hour night time sleep... and I'm not sure any 'theory' could persuade me to risk loosing that beautiful full night's sleep.

From what I've read on baby led weaning (limited reading) I've read that it helps a baby to determine when they are full. Makes sense. So I feed him his dinner with a spoon... then leave him with finger food to finish. Some nights he eats the whole lot, other times he will eat a few pieces, and then smash the rest or throw it on the floor, and I know he is full.
If I need time to prepare his main meal, I will start him with finger food, and then spoon feed him until he shuts his mouth and turns his head away from me. I won't keep pushing the spoon into his mouth at this point. I will leave a few pieces of food on the high chair table to pick at, just to make sure he is finished.

It is in my humble, first time mother opinion, that a blend of theories and concepts is a pretty safe option. Tailor your methods of parenting to suit the individual child you've created. Don't rely on a book, or what worked for someone else, to determine the path you go down. Try things and let your child let you know whether it's working or not (within reason).

This kid likes a combo of spoon feeding and finger food, so that is what we do. I have a feeling he likes the attention I give him when I feed each spoonful to him, and to be honest, that's ok with me.

So whilst on the subject of finger food, here is what I made the other day and it went down a treat. I struggle to find diversity in finger food options, so maybe this will help others?

Pumpkin CousCous Balls.

Dice pumpkin ( approx 1 cup).
Steam pumpkin
Cook 1/4 cup of couscous
Add steamed Pumpkin to cooked couscous
Mash pumpkin into couscous with fork
Sprinkle in grated parmesan cheese
Add cracked pepper to taste
Roll mixture into small balls.
Place extra balls in a container in the fridge as a handy snack.

NINE months

I don't know how it happened, but I have a 9 month old (actually closer to a 10 month old). Let me tell you, this is a FUN age. It's sometimes exhausting, as you can't take your eyes off him for one moment, but it is very very enjoyable and rewarding. Also, with two naps a day, you still get time to re-energize (a.k.a cleaning the house, doing the washing, tidying up the toys and doing the dishes)... long live the naps!

I've liked all of his ages and stages, but so far this one is the best. I'm starting to think this is why there are so many families I know who have children 18-20 months apart... because at 9 months, a Mother goes, YES! Let's have another one! Babies are awesome!

No. Settle down. I'm not having another one just yet. 

This one is enough for me for now.

We had the first tooth emerge from the gums finally this week. A little one all by itself down the bottom. He can't stop flicking it with his tongue which makes for some funny facial expressions. With the tooth came a lowered immune system, which made way for his first ear infection and a little dose of coxsackie virus (commonly known as hand,foot,mouth... but he didn't quite get to that point of mouth blisters thankfully). By the way... who named the coxsackie virus?? Apologies for my immaturity. But seriously.

It was his first time being sick, and he coped rather well... there were some tears and lots of cuddles (can't complain about those!), a trip to the doctor and his sleep was out a wee bit, with some difficulty settling and some early wake ups, but he kicked the ear infection within a day or so and the rash began clearing soon after. I had a MUCH happier baby by the weekend. It was so nice to have his giggles return....

It's so hard as a first time mum to know when your child is really sick, or when they're just teething or under the weather... Fortunately we live in a country where children have free medical care, and so I take full advantage of that. When the rash spread to his whole body and a little blister appeared between his fingers I knew it was time to get him checked... Never fear that you're being an overacting neurotic mother EVER. Giving birth does not automatically give you the power to diagnose and cure childhood illness... it does however give you mother's instinct... which you should always trust.

I did actually feel like a real dick one time when I'd convinced myself he was sick (about 4 months old). I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctors and he was giggling and blabbering away, laughing at everyone and smiling... I felt like a total fraud. I totally second guessed myself and knew we shouldn't be there.... that his tears that morning were. just. tears. not a cry for medical assistance. My sister was with me, and was feeling very awkward about the fact that we were sitting in a medical waiting room with a very healthy baby and possibly EXPOSING him to sickness... The GP was really nice about it and was very supportive in my decision to bring him in, even if the result was that he was very very healthy and she gave me a gold star for my mother chart.

I'm really writing like lightning speed tonight, forgive me for the verbal diarrhea.

Seriously though, it's hard to see little babies feeling so miserable. I'm glad you're feeling better now little Bear.

He actually now has a full on snotty nose which is pretty gross, and he has a MASSIVE aversion to nose wiping (instant tears), but tears and tantrums it is, because I will not let that slimy nose stuff make it's way from the nostril to the upper lip. That's just gross.

I wish I looked this adorable when I'm full of a cold.

I should really split this into a separate post, but given my slackness with the updates, I should probably continue while I have the time.

This is what I love about 9 month olds. Play time. Tonight we seemed to have so much time together before bed. We got home at about 5.00, had dinner at 5.30, and played until 7pm. It was so much fun. He was being hilarious and I took several videos to capture it all. Like I said in my previous post - I'm taking time to smell those flowers.

Enough for one post I think. I'm sure you get the idea. I'm obsessed with this little person. He brings so much love and joy into my life, it's overwhelming.