The Eleanor Update: Week 29

Food:
We tried avocado this week as a puree and she seemed to like it.  I think avocado is boring and bland (sorry if you like it), but I've heard it is a good first food so I bought some when they were on sale and we mashed it up and froze it for her.

I've also tried baby led weaning a few times.  The first attempt with a banana she just mushed it in her hands but didn't try to eat it and the second she figured it out
(see video)  I gave her a sugar snap pea also and she put it in her mouth but didn't eat any.

I think it's cute when she nurses like this. Hand behind her head holding onto my finger. 

She fell asleep at breakfast for the first time last week.

I try to do oatmeal mixed with breast milk every morning.  She only gets an ounce or so of that and then later in the day she usually gets an ounce or so of veggies.  I'm nervous about giving her to much solids (although I know she doesn't even eat all of what she gets) because I'm worried that she won't want to nurse and my milk production will drop.

I pumped a few times last week because I've been having to dump milk a lot lately.  I have been using milk from November for church bottles -which she never takes - and once I warm them I can't reuse them.  Or I'll give her some in her oatmeal and try a sippy cup but she won't always take it.

Luckily I only freeze in 2-3 ounces so it's not a ton, but I still hate it being dumped.  I did freeze some from this last week in an ice cube tray to use for mixing with oatmeal.


Sleep: 
This week was better.  Not great but better.  At least for bedtime.  Not all the time but more often than not she goes to bed okay.  It might be at 8pm on night and 10pm the next but she's usually okay once she's down.  She'll sleep 6-8 hours before waking up, she'll nurse and then sleep a few more.

She's really become a belly sleeper this week.  I don't love it (because of the 'put your baby back to sleep' and 'back is best' campaigns), but the one time I tried to flip her over she woke up angry at me, and the flipped back over crying.  Sometimes on the monitor it looks like her face is straight into the mattress and that makes me go check on her.

On Friday night I was trying to nurse her to sleep and she kept latching for a second, then pulling off and yelling.  I was paranoid that I wasn't having a letdown (I've mentioned before that I've never felt it).  I took her in the bedroom to nurse her and laid her on my chest for a minute and she kept lifting her head up and down like she was tired; I set her on the bed next to me and she was almost out immediately.  So I put her in the crib, she cried for a minute but then fell back asleep.

Misc:  
My best friend was in town for the first time since Thanksgiving and it was great to see her and have her see Eleanor again!



I feel like Eleanor has great fine motor skills, but I might just be a proud mom.  :) She can hold a good size plastic ball in one hand very well.  I don't know if that's normal though.

She's become an expert at scooting backwards.

She found her thumb!

Introducing Solids~Non Foodie Parents

I feel like this post has no real flow and kind of jumps all over, so I apologize if it's hard to follow.  Also this picture of her has nothing to do with the post, but every post should have a cute Eleanor picture.  Right?



I want to wait until 6 months before giving her solids.  She doesn't need them since obviously she is growing just fine, however she is so into anything we are eating or drinking.

When we were out to eat recently for my brother's birthday, Rob ordered a steak, and put the juice on his finger and she was licking it off.  I wasn't thrilled that he was doing that but she was liking it.

He also has let her lick the Doritos seasoning off his fingers.  I'm just letting it go (and inwardly cringing at the sodium she's ingesting).  Parents of the year right here!

I have given her a spoon to play with and I have put breast milk on the spoon and she did okay.  She still made a little mess, but it was a new experience.

I want to do more of baby led weaning rather than purees.  I like the idea of it and I think it will be an easier transition, although we will most likely initially start with purees.

But the biggest problem or issue I have with her starting solids is the fact that Rob and I are not adventurous eaters.  He will once or twice a year have fish/seafood/shellfish/wild game and I will not at all.  

We eat ground beef and chicken mostly.  Carrots, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce, corn and peppers are the veggies we eat the most of.  Pineapple, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, & raspberries are favorites.  We eat some other fruits as well.

I cook a lot of processed food because I don't have the time or usually the desire to do anything else, although I'm trying to do it less.

I just feel overwhelmed at times because I want Eleanor to eat different things, but if I don't eat them or make them how is that even going to work.

And because there are so many studies that say conflicting things:  Introduce solids at this time to avoid allergies, wait because they don't need it, etc....   I feel overwhelmed about it too.

Since the 6 month mark is soon (and I really don't want to think about it) we will probably hold off until then.  She has her 6 month appointment the day after she turns 6 months so maybe after that appointment we will start her.

How did you decided to introduce solids?  What did you start with?  When did you start?

Help me out!