Monday, June 24, 2013

Solid foods

My little Belle-Belle, as the other two call her, has just started solids. She is 7 months old. I am going to share why we waited until now, what we started with, and how it is going.

We started the other two at 4 months old. My son started that early because he was a little chubby piggy who wanted to eat all the time. We spoke with our pediatrician who told us that single grain cereal was fine for his age, and he loved it. I  did the same thing when our first daughter was born, because that is what I had already done. This time around I had heard that introducing solids before the child's digestive system was finished developing could be harmful. Now we had the problem of when was that, some said 4 months some said 6 months, so we tried to research more, but all children are different. We talked, researched, and prayed. 

Finally, we had an answer and it was so simple. For about the past 70-80 years, modern medicine and technology has come a long way, and in that time "folk remedies" and "old-wives tales" were considered ignorant. Up until the past couple of years these things were something "Grandma would say she used to do" people would just roll their eyes. Recently scientists are starting to realize maybe Grandma wasn't as crazy as they once thought. They are realizing that pesticides are not as great as once thought, that antibiotics and vaccines are not as great as once believed (necessary sometimes yes, but not as life or death as once was believed-FYI I am not starting a vaccine debate), and even the once thought necessary interventions during childbirth, I could go on, but that is not the focus. We would wait for her to get her first tooth. We feel that would be her body's way of letting the outside world know that she is ready for food.


Really we could have started with a plethora of things, because she was technically "old enough" (according to medical charts) to have many fruits, vegetables, and grains. My son ate whatever the baby food jars said he could have, you know according to the little pictures on them, "sitter", "crawler", "toddler". When baby #2 was born I did the same thing until she was about 6 months old when I got sick of it and started just mashing up whatever veggie we were eating for her. I did keep a jar or two of baby food for pizza night. Her first official food was carrots, she is still unsure. I started by making a batch of carrots and frozen them in an ice cube tray, but I gave that up quickly. She has been grabbing food from her siblings to try to eat for about a month.

We are currently cutting food into chunks she can mash with her jaws, and that are small enough not to choke her if swallowed whole. She is old enough to feed herself and does well with it. She enjoys banana, carrots, rice, quinoa, and just today we tried "Puffs" ( Gerber snacks). I was a little nervous about choking so I broke it in half. She did well even with a whole one that her brother so sweetly gave her trying to "help".

It is nice not having to worry about bringing food for her if we are out or worrying about what we are going to feed her if we are out too long. She is her happy self eating her food!


Saturday, June 22, 2013

Grace

I had originally planned a post about what a horrible sinner I am, and while that will be included in this it will not be the pain point.

I am daily, hourly, minutely (let's just pretend that is a word) grateful that it is "by grace through faith, and not by works" (Eph. 2:8). I fail daily. I did not know, until I was recently convicted, how prideful and judgmental I am. I am a horrible sinner (I warned you)! I constantly think that because I do not live my life a certain way, dress a certain way, or behave a certain way then I must be better than those who do. Shame on me! Thankful again it is not by my works!

My sweet sweet mother-in-law once said when we get to heaven wouldn't it be better to hear "Well done my good and faithful servant" than " Well, at least you made it." It took a while for that wisdom to sink in. I have fallen in love with that thought. I want to live my life to hear "Well done" and let others be judged by God. 

I have found the more I become I become convicted the more I want to point fingers. Isn't that just typical. I find the same thing with my children, when I am scolding one for doing something wrong they are quick to point out what their sibling is doing wrong. Most of the time my response is "We are to finished yet, so don't change the subject." God says He is our judge, and by whatever means we judge others that is how He will judge us, Yikes! 

I have noticed it more now that I have switched to skirts 90% of the time. I somehow feel more "holy", and I know it is wrong to judge others by my standards. We are all at different points and times in out Christian walks and I have to remind myself not everyone shares my convictions. 

Has anyone else had this problem? I find it even worse when you are slightly jealous of the person ( I sin again), sigh. I know I must not be alone. I have been paying for forgiveness daily as God continues to deal with me. I am constantly trying to model my life after Christ's and constantly fall short, but I rejoice in the fact that God has not given up on me! I am reminded of that kids song: 

"He's still workin' on me
To make me what I ought to be,
It took Him just a week to make the moon and stars,
The sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars,
O how loving and patient He must be,
He's still workin' on me!"

Please forgive me for my rambling posts, my lack of organization in posts, and my absences because He's still workin' on me! 

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Father's Day

Make sure to celebrate the men who sacrifice, provide, and love us. The one who bear the weight of the family on their shoulders. Pray for them daily. Thank you God for my Fathers in my life!