How to Feed Your Baby

Many moms have told me they don't understand how I am able to feed my baby fresh food for every single meal without buying baby food in jars. They are running out of creative ideas and I would like to share some of mine. Hopefully this will help other mommies give their babies fresh food for every meal.

First of all, you don't need to worry about introducing solid foods before the baby is six or seven months old when their gut is sealed. The digestive system is still very fragile and if you are able to exclusively breast feed they are getting exactly what they need.

Perfect first foods are avocados and bananas because they are naturally soft and don't require any smushing, but I don't think that's where parents are having problems. It seems like moms start to ask questions when the baby is about 12 months old. By that time the baby has been introduced to a wide variety of foods and the mom is kind of like, "what now".

The easiest advice is to feed your baby all the healthy foods that you are eating. If you eat big macs and cheese puffs every day then you are probably the exception to the rule. But if you can line up your diets to be similar, if not the same, it will make your life so much easier.

Even if the babies don't have teeth, they are able to chew quite a bit of food with their gums. Healthy foods include food that does not come out of packages or cans and is not processed. If you decide to make dairy and meat a part of your baby's diet, it is wise to consider delaying the introductions and those foods should be given in very small amounts since those are the hardest foods to digest.

Here are some ideas for a 12 month or older baby that is allowed to eat nuts. I know some people wait longer, but Max doesn't have any allergies and eats almost everything except for sugar, dairy (mama's milk only), and processed foods.

Quinoa is one of the most perfect proteins on the planet and is one of the healthiest foods. You could feed this to your little one every single day and it is always prepared in only ten minutes. You boil some water, pour in some quinoa, and then add any other vegetable you are in the mood for. We put everything from onions and kale, to broccoli and carrots. We cut up the vegetables to be really small and it would be easy for any one year old to eat. The best thing about this meal is that it is so delicious that you will want to make more than enough for yourself. By adding a little bragg's liquid amino acids, the flavor is to die for.

Oatmeal is a solid breakfast for parents and children. We like to put strawberries, blueberries, raisins, a scoop of all natural peanut or almond butter and a splash of cinnamon. Baby Max gobbles up a breakfast similar to this almost every single day and it is nice for us to be able to share the same bowl.

Another breakfast favorite or sweet treat substitution we love to share are shakes. It's almost the same as the oatmeal except it is cool and raw. I like to blend bananas, raspberries, almond or coconut milk, water, ice, almond butter, and oats. Max and I also drink out of the same cup and it is no trouble to share what I am already making for myself.

Our favorite dinner time foods are soups, stews, or big pots of beans with other random vegetables. Yes, it does take a bit of time to make the first initial pot of soup, but with some practice you can crank it out really quickly. And not all beans have to be soaked in advance.

Split pea soup can be cooked in less than one hour and requires no prior soaking. The split peas are so flavorful, that if you do not have a lot of time to cut up the fresh vegetables, you can keep the soup very bland with only one veggie. I like to make a vegan split pea soup with celery, carrots, onions, garlic, potatoes and usually some kale or chard. Just throw in whatever veggies you have and it's impossible to mess it up.

It is very easy to keep packages of split peas in your cupboard. Even if you have not had the time to go shopping, the peas will always be ready to go. Once you have your initial pot of soup, every time you go to reheat it you can throw another vegetable in it. When I go to reheat a pot of soup, I just throw a head of brocolli in the pot. That way you haven't cooked the life out of all the vegetables and are able to get more healthy benefits from the food you are eating. The reason I always add a very green veggie to the protein is because that is how the body is able to absorb more iron.

Pinto beans are another one of my favorites. It is so easy and I have been shocked to get tons of compliments as I have shared it with many of my friends. I don't use recipes so it's NEVER the same, but here's what I do to make veggie stew.

Soak pinto beans over night. (Or 16 bean soup that you find at Trader Joe's or any other kind of mixed beans). I always throw in a few jalepenos, an onion, and at least half a clove of garlic while boiling the beans for the 1st hour. The 2nd hour I start throwing in carrots, celery, maybe more onion and a little more garlic, potatoes or rice, and any other fun ingredients. The last 2 ingredients I put in are a stalk of kale and a stalk of chard. I turn the heat off as soon as the greens are soft so the vitamins don't all get cooked out. Sometimes I will do a mix of broccoli and cauliflower. Fresh basil is always good too. Then some salt, pepper and whatever seasonings you want to add. I like spicy and if it were just for me I'd make it much hotter. My secret ingredient is Bragg's liquid amino acids. You get it at whole foods and it is the best thing ever.

Now that I share all my food with baby Max, I never use more than a dash of salt in the main pot. Yes, I use jalepenos for flavor even if I'm sharing with the baby. If you put it in as one of the first ingredients, it is more for flavor than spice. But we joke around here that he was born drinking jalepeno-flavored breast milk, so it's no surprise that he loves cayenne and the likes. I'm not suggesting that for other babies!

A couple nights ago, I made an eggplant dish that Max and Marc both devoured. All I did was slice the eggplant and throw it in a big pan with a mixture of water and oil. I also cut up peppers and onions and added it to the mix. When all the food was soft, I put in some marinara sauce and after a minute, turned off the heat. It is so easy, healthy, and delicious and the key is to wash each piece of eggplant after cutting it so it will soak up more water than oil. Also when you add marinara or tomato sauce at the end, add a little more water to make it more saucy.

Other foods like homemade guacamole are perfect for parents and children. It's really easy to cut open some avocados and add some lime, onion, garlic, and tomato. You just cut up the veggies really small.

I hope this gives my mommy and daddy friends some ideas on what to feed the whole family at mealtime. The key is that you always have food on your plate that you can share with your baby (other than fish sticks and french fries...ugh!). And if you have to eat some junk food, just wait until your baby is asleep!

If you are really tired, just dump the food all over the floor for the baby to enjoy. This is an example of what happens when daddy is in charge at our house. Fortunately Max eats everything and is happy to clean the mess.

"It's one more day up in the canyon....."

"And it's one more night in hollywood...." Counting Crows outdid themselves with this somber yet hopeful song. After spending last week in the grandest of all canyons, the tune continues running through my mind.

"I can't remember all the times I tried to tell myself. To hold on to these moments as they pass." As a new mom I can't tell you how many times I tell myself to remember every single tiny itty bitty moment because they are all milestones. Love that song more than ever lately....

Speaking of hollywood, I was there yesterday for several hours. I took Max with me to an audition at Hollywood Center Studios and almost felt like an overly impressed tourist. It made me realize that I really am a west side gal these days. Gosh, I even miss good 'ol hollyweird and enjoyed reacquainting myself with the biz for a day. The fact that I was out of the house in clean clothes, hair and make-up done, a fresh pot of beans on the stove, and a happy baby all before 2pm was a miracle. Sounds nauseatingly domestic, huh....

But what about the grand mother of all canyons. Boo-yah! We did it! No, we didn't just go there and look at it or anything mundane like that. We hiked it and camped at the bottom with the baby and a large portion of the Perry family! How cool is that!

We are especially happy about conquering the 5000 foot descent and ascent two days later because we didn't think we were able to go. Marc and I did not even do any training hikes. So at the last minute when we got the "ok" that we could go, we had not done a single thing to prepare for this awe-inspiring once or twice in a life time trek.

Luckily for us, Marc and I have always been extremely active and capable campers. Between our supplies, a borrowed tent, and some muscle memory, we were able to conquer the feat without any preparations or problems. Whew!

I always forget how awesome America is. Yeah, yeah, my dad says we won the lottery by being born here. But what I mean is that we have such a large amount of culture and beauty in the homeland that we forget about. We don't have to go to Europe or other exotic countries or continents to be astounded or enlightened. Don't get me wrong....It's nice, but not necessary.

Since this trip was completely improvised for Marc, Max, and me, it should come to no surprise that on our way home from the steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River, we took a detour and went to chintzy las vegas. After a healthy, breezy visit to a national park, I guess a trashy town was in order. But we were really just too tired to drive in Friday traffic all the way back to Los Angeles.

For some off the strip fun, we took Max to the Hoover Dam. It made for a less sentimental goodbye to Arizona. The impressive engineering blew us away and and made for a most welcomed hello to Nevada. I was most shocked to learned that 112 people were killed during the construction of the dam. That is unbelievable and so sad that those hard workers lost their lives building the site that continues to be so important to civilization today. Interesting side trip for a family that has to stop, pee, and stretch their legs a lot....

Then we arrived at Treasure Island hotel where we would stay in the new-and-improved-family-friendly-Las Vegas. Yeah, right! Well, not that it's bad or anything, but I really don't understand how you call that city family friendly. I mainly say that because you are smoking a cigarette every time you walk through a casino. And then there's the drunkidy drunk drunk drunks....

And when you see a girl running through a bar in her wedding gown and tennis shoes, you just start to feel embarrassed for her. Maybe that works in two ways. Maybe that makes me feel less guilty for having a baby and not being married. Because if that is the way I had to get married, I would never do it. If a guy wanted to get married to me at a chapel in dirty vegas I would immediately break up with him. No thank you!

The city that doesn't sleep proved to be family friendly for our little crew. We took some nice walks, enjoyed the pool, and ate some great food. Marc got to play plenty of poker games and I got to play with the cutest 13 month old baby in the world. We were even able to catch my friend's show Fantasy at the Luxor on Sat. night after dinner at Cosmopolitan. Considering the fact that we showed up there with a suitcase full of dirty camping clothes, we managed perfectly.

Getaways can be so refreshing and rejuvenating. And exhausting. And fabulous. The previous week, I was in a total funk over having to cancel the trip, and we were so happy we ended up having the opportunity to go on a vacation.

While we're on the topic of funky, let's address the doom and gloom blog (someone in my family named it that)....preciseley entitled Accepted Accurate Predictions by M. M stands for Marc and that is his creation. I didn't think it was that depressing, but then again I was laughing the whole time I typed it for him. Of course it is a joke playing on the disdain he has for fortune tellers. Wasn't it completely obvious? Maybe not.....We'll see if he guest blogs again any time soon since some very vocal people missed his humor!

Get off your butts and stop reading my blog! Why don't you get out and conquer a canyon or something. Just sayin'....

Accepted Accurate Predictions

This year someone prestigious will be born.

In the next 18 months, a massive disaster will occur.

In the next two years, a distinguished political person will die.

In the near future, a sports star will be caught cheating.

Soon, there will be a revolutionary type of trouble in the middle east.

A large plane will crash in the water.

Financial turmoil will hit an old nation this decade.

Innovative changes to the internet are upon us.

The world will end in the year 4000.

An undiscovered, microscopic plague will infect civilization tomorrow.

Man will expose a new planet when ours is no longer useful.

A union of two powers will merge after a great war.


Predictions by M (identity will be revealed in the future)

Smashing Thoughtfulness

Vinyasas, sun salutations, and asanas fill my mind. Kitty cat and baby love surround me. Attacks penetrate me. Decisions confuse me. Logic grounds me and passion fills me with the ability to embrace change.

It's safe to say I deserve a big bear hug for being strong and resilient. And hey, I will throw in a pat on the back along with a comforting coconut water. Life is good, eh! It would be an understatement to say I have been in a thoughtful mood lately.

A few "rock my world" moments have caught me off guard lately. Some good. Some bad. But ultimately it is all good because an epiphany is a discovery of sorts. And to realize is to learn, and hopefully we all strive to learn more, find truth, and be better people.

Affirmation #1: At the end of yoga class my teacher started talking about healthy relationships and I started to cry. The epiphany was the realization that an unhealthy relationship has made its way into my life. That leads into a whirlwind of thoughts that of course include the relationship I have with myself...

Affirmation #2: Some people will always blame a problem on something trivial. The problem is never the socks on the floor or the dinner that is not made. I repeat. Such trivial dilemmas are never the problem.

Affirmation #3: My son loves me more than anything. There is no toy, no magic trick, and no replacement for a baby's mom. He has learned to wrap his arms around my neck and give me hugs! As if I wasn't already, now and I am constantly reminded of his love for me. Gosh, I am such a blessed mommy.

I should write a blog on each of these affirmations because I could go into so much detail. What might seem like nothing to one person might truly mean the world to another person. The individual lens that every person looks through to gain their own perspective sure does make life interesting.

Baby Max's first birthday party was a huge success. Well, depending on how you look at it. Aesthetically, it was perfect, but I was a nervous wreck...definitely not normal party-Lizzy-mode. With a full week's schedule of work and yoga teacher training, my focus was scattered.

The best part of the party was the smash cake made by Aunt Nori. She made an applesauce-sweetened banana bread with blueberries and vegan cream cheese frosting. The whole cake thing was kind of a big deal. We debated back and forth over whether to get the $10 Costco cake or the pain in the neck $60 ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins for the adults.

Of course we opted for the mint chocolate chip frozen delight over the cheap Costco cake. That was a childhood favorite of mine and for some strange, incomprehensible reason, I just had to have it.

In typical one-year-old fashion, baby Max slept through the first half of his party. Grandma and Grandpa woke him up and then panic mode started to set in over the fact that the cake was 2 blocks away at Baskin Robbins. We did not have room for the enormous cake in our freezer so we had to pick it up in the middle of the party.

Grandpa Bernie was originally going to grab the cake for us, but he was manning the grill on the rooftop deck and I decided we might need to look at a second option. So I asked one of our friends who had volunteered to help with the party to walk down the street and pick up the cake for us.

I must have appeared completely distressed because they responded by looking at me like I was a little nuts. Well of course I was nuts. We needed to sing happy birthday and we hadn't picked the cake up yet. Then I started remembering why I didn't want to have an ice cream cake in the first place. I knew we would have this problem!

So after asking my friends to get the cake they continued to enjoy their conversation as most people do at a party. I couldn't very well scream 9-1-1 so they would realize the urgency by which I needed this cake on my counter right NOW so i would have time to arrange the candles and the birthday boy for his big moment. If anyone was going to get that cake, it would have to be me.

Leaving the party for a bit was the best thing I could have done. It helped me to take a step back and realize it's just a party and I didn't need to feel so uptight. It was also nice to have the cake in my hands and know that this task was being taken care of.

Sweet Max is so special that he had two cakes, and after singing happy birthday with the big cake, we sang again with his own personal smash cake made by his Aunt Nori. We took off his shirt so he could get down and dirty. It was the highlight of my week to see him banging on his homemade dessert. And yes, the fact that it was vegan and sugar free was literally icing on the cake.
I love this low resolution picture. It looks kind of antique-y and maybe it masks the bags under my eyes.

Sending shouts out to Aunt Nori for making the smash cake and Aunt Paisley for picking up the balloons. Thanks girls!

Happy First Birthday Baby Max!!!

The day we have been waiting for arrived today. Max turned ONE YEAR OLD! Happy birthday sweet baby boy!

It is a special day of reflection when thinking about the past year. It has been a year of love, growth, and patience. It has been Max's first year of life. We are celebrating his birthday on Sat. with some friends, so I'm sure he will have the best party. Hooray for him!!!

And also hooray for me! It has been my first year as his mommy. A friend of mine texted me congratulations for surviving the first year. She and I both agree that the sleep deprivation stage in the beginning is by far the hardest. Especially when your hormones are all wacko after giving birth. So she's right. Congratulations to me too!

Marc's parents took Max to the amusement park all day long today for his birthday. Ponies, carousels, and coasters filled their day with nonstop stimulation. Grandma Madeline said Max was the best baby and happy as a clam all day long. They made Max's birthday so special at Knotts Berry Farm!

Since Max was with the grandparents, I treated myself to 2 hours of FREE TIME today. "What's that?" you say. "It's a fragment of the past pommelled into present day. Those are things that you just forget about when you become a parent. It's similar to the friends you lose when you become a mom. Free time bites the dust along with your old friends sleep and selfish. Remember them?

Free time is described as time without obligation or responsibility. Or better yet, it is time that you can choose to spend however you want. Free time is typically defined as time available for hobbies and other activities that you enjoy. I never have free time so those types of thoughts barely even cross my mind.

Last night I painted a grafitti inspired canvas in my head instead of sleeping. The abstract compilation was some type of decoration for Max's upcoming birthday party this weekend, and I could not stop obsessing about what I wanted (or needed) to paint. More than anything I just wanted to throw paint on a canvas and spray paint MAX on it in such a way that you might visualize it in a tunnel beneath a freeway. Random, but I thought it would look cool. That's how I wanted to spend my free time today!

I've never painted a canvas in less than a few days and they usually take me closer to a week or three. But today I had a vision and knew that the only way to fulfill my abstract image was to complete it from beginning to end in less than two hours. Who knows when I will have free time again, and the last thing I wanted was the task of completing a canvas to be hanging over my head. So I was bound and determined to make this project happen!

And gosh darnit, I did it. Here's what I made for baby Max in my free time today. Happy first birthday my dear son. I hope we have many more happy and healthy birthdays together in the future. I love you!

Something Sparkly + Mexican Food + The Bachelor Happy Valentines Day to us baby!

Love is in the air. Romance took me by storm on Valentine's Day. No seriously, I shaved my legs and it was sultry. I even wore clean clothes. It was amazing. When you look up the word sexy in the dictionary, you see a picture of me and my almost brushed hair yesterday on valentines day.

First of all, Max slept 10 hours in a row and woke up at the perfect time for us to get ready for music class. We changed clothes, ate breakfast, and headed out the door and arrived at the jam session at 10:30am. Not only do I love singing "The Wheels On The Bus" with a captive audience of babies, but it is also magnificent to be in groups with such friendly, intelligent, supportive moms. The fact that we got home just in time for Max to nap in his crib was icing on the cake.

Gosh, I am really easy to please, huh! A good night's sleep, knocking out my to do list while my baby naps, and then Marc coming home in a great mood.... He completely caught me off guard by sending me off to the yoga studio with a very pretty, sparkly necklace that he picked out all by himself. The first thing that crossed my mind is uuuuuhhhhhhhhh......what did I get HIM? And then I remembered I had stuck sweet nothings in his car and briefcase the night before so that he would be sent off to work with a happy heart. Oh thank goodness I had planned ahead! Whew! I'm so excited about my new necklace!

On my way home from yoga we decided to pick up yummy mexican food from El Cholo and watch some trashy television with Max. Yup, that's right. We spent Valentine's Day with enchiladas, bachelor Brad, beautiful Emily, and psychotic Michelle. We can't help but devour that show....and guacamole. Ridiculous I say! What's even more ridiculous is that I took a minute out of my day to google their spread in Sports Illustrated after watching their photo shoot on their last date. That's when you know you're sucked in....except with a tummy full of salsa there is no sucking in at all.

And then the real magic happened... Max took four steps and I was simply relieved that the couch was the closest thing to him, so when he fell there would be a nice cushion and I didn't need to dive in for the catch. Except instead of crashing into a piece of furniture after those initial steps he casually stopped and looked around like a pedestrian waiting for the walk sign. Really? After a few seconds there, it was as if he saw the appropriate green sign, and he continued to meander in the direction he was going until he got to his destination between the cat and me. Just standing around like it was no big thing....

I've been wondering when I could say that Max is officially walking. He trips and tumbles to the ground simultaneously while taking three or four steps all the time, but I decided that since he increased that number without falling that it's official. This little boy is walking! It was a happy day for lots of reasons, but I think this one tops the charts! It is so exciting to see my boisterous bundle reach every single milestone.

I really couldn't have asked for a better monday. It truly was a happy valentines day with all my boys! Sleep, food, jewelry, yoga, and The Bachelor intertwined with love made for an incredible day. That's as fancy as we get around here lately! Happy Valentines Day!

Sleepy Time Sentiments

There are about eight (thousand) reasons why I will be awake at 4am tonight:

1. My baby. He might cry around that time for one of a thousand reasons. He might be a little too hot or cold and need a blanket placed on or removed from his body. He might be thirsty and need some milk. His pacifier may have fallen out of his mouth and need me to put it back in. He might simply want the comfort of knowing that I will be there for him and revel in a few pats on the back before he is sent back into his slumber.

2. My boobs. Actually the chances are highly likely because I am so used to getting up around that time that even if baby Max does not need me, my body is biologically programmed to wonder how the little rugrat is doing. Funny how mother nature takes over. Thursday night Max slept for 10 hours in a row and my boobs were so full of milk that morning that I was afraid to move. I even broke the number one cardinal rule of motherhood and woke my sleeping baby and latched him on for a drink.

3. My cat. Boogars likes to announce when he is going to use the potty and will howl at the top of his lungs before going out to his litter box. That's the best case scenario because at least he finds what he needs and I don't have to get out of bed to tend to him. Other reasons are because he ran out of food or water in the night or wants attention. He may also meow at 4am if I have not gotten up to assist Max in some way. He is so used to getting pets before and after my other baby gets his pets that if I skip that feeding he is all kinds of confused.

4. Marc. His phone. His alarm. His trips to the bathroom. Yada yada yada....

5. Me. God forbid I have to tend to myself. Sometimes I wake up about to chew my tongue off because I am so thirsty. Breast feeding does that. And then after pounding water in the middle of the night, sometimes I have to get up again to use the bathroom once or twice.

6. Earthquakes. Yeah, we live in southern California and earthquakes are a regular occurrence here. But wait. This is not true. I was already awake for every earthquake we've had since baby Max was born. So an earthquake never technically woke me up.

7. My To Do List. Yes, it is possible that a list could wake me up. Because I have a huge fear of being unprepared or neglectful and worry too much. Dammit, that reminds me I need to write a few thank you notes, submit some insurance claims online, and I can't remember what else I forgot.

8. My Dirty Hair. Last night I woke up because I remembered that I forgot to wash my hair this week. No kidding! I worked for eight hours on Wednesday and between that and yoga teacher training I only allotted four minutes time for a shower. Don't ask me how I remembered to use soap and shave my armpits because my day started at 5am and I didn't get home until 5:30pm. By the time I put Max to bed at 11pm I was delusional. Thank goodness I don't have to do that on a regular basis!

Can you believe someone actually gave us an alarm clock for a baby shower gift? And you wonder why the only present I ever ask for is sleep. Everyone thinks I am joking, but that is all I ever need. Well I could get greedy and think of some other things! Hmmmm.....Time to go to sleep!