Bath Time with Aunt Heather

Excited About Airplanes

(He just got finished splashing in his pool, hence the lack of clothing.)

Dinner

Favorite New Hiding Spot

Mommy's Little Helper

Trying to sweep the living room. He's not a big fan of the vacuum cleaner.

If only his sweeping skills actually worked; I wouldn't have to do this every day!

Hey Mommy Friends...

I have a question for you. What sippy cups work for your little ones and why or why not? Javen prefers the cups with soft tops, but he keeps biting holes in the spouts. I've tried a few different brands of the harder tops, and so far he only likes the Take & Toss, but he can take the lid off and dump the cup's entire contents all over himself, his chair and the floor. No good.

So, what works for your tots? 

Cookies Are a Sometimes Food

This picture has nothing to do with the post, but I know how much y'all like new photos. (Yes, I just said "y'all". I live in Nashville. It was bound to come out sooner or later.) Anyway...Jake and Javen are finding new uses for those baby chain rings all the time. Exhibit A:

My sweet little "eats anything and everything" little boy has entered the picky phase. It's making my job extremely difficult in trying to make sure he's eating enough veggies. I've tried cooking them every which way, hiding them behind mac & cheese and covering them in various sauces. Nothing has worked. Until I discovered, it's not the flavor he's rejecting....it's the texture. So, I'm back to the Baby Cook (LOVE this thing!!) making veggie purees, except I don't feed him the puree straight up- I mix it into other foods. 

Successes thus far:

Squash puree in spaghetti sauce. I made chicken parmesan last night. I steamed a squash, pureed it and mixed it right into the sauce. Javen never knew. Ate it like a champ. Jake and I enjoyed it as well. (You honestly can't tell the difference). (Side-note: I think carrot puree would probably be a good one to try in this as well.)

Squash and cauliflower purees in macaroni and cheese. 

Cauliflower puree in mashed potatoes. I made this without telling Jake my little secret. He never even noticed, even after I told him.

Cauliflower puree in chicken or tuna salad. Make your favorite recipe as normal and add the puree. (Again...got this past Jake without him noticing.)

Tonight was my all time ultimate success. I steamed and pureed cauliflower and broccoli. It came out about the consistency of mashed potatoes. I added a little bit garlic powder, salt, pepper and sour cream. Javen was asking for more after his first serving. He's NEVER liked broccoli before. I'll be making this again....even Jake and I enjoyed it. (Side note, I did not put equal parts cauliflower and broccoli in. There was just a tad more cauliflower. Also, for a different variation I think I'll try cheese instead of sour cream next time.)

From now on, I'm just cooking as usual but also figuring out what puree would work best in whatever meal I'm preparing. Every now and then I try the veggie again in it's natural form. Sooner or later he'll come back around.

For more ideas, instruction and inspiration, check out Deceptively Delicious. It's a great starting point for "hiding" veggies in your meals.

Do you have any veggie tricks for Javen to try? Suggestions are more than welcome!!

Coloring

For Jeff

I know...I haven't posted in a while. This pregnancy has been a lot rougher than the last, so when I'm not feeling sick, we're out doing something (like going to church or the grocery store). I have taken some photos of Javen, but they're on Heather's camera and she's out of town for the next two weeks. I know Jeff isn't the only one itching for new photos and stories of Javen, so I apologize to you all. I've been out of my first trimester for 3 weeks now, but I'm still battling morning (all day) sickness. The blog will eventually get higher on the priority list. Until then, if you're really needing a Javen fix, scroll through some of the older blog entries and see how much he's changed this past year. It really is amazing!