Looking at Life from a more important point of view.....

Ummm, I just sort of freaked out over the realization that I have a one and a half year old. Really? I guess it makes sense considering how far we've come in the past 18 months, but it is truly unbelievable that time is flying as fast as it is.

I'm especially astonished by how much I've learned since becoming a mother. My son teaches me the most important lessons life has to offer on a daily basis. As I help him grow and learn, he is helping me grow and learn. It's completely enlightening that when we have a baby, it teaches us about ourselves as a baby. It's amazing how tight we hold on to specific memories and how deeply they affect us. It's also fascinating the way parenthood helps us redefine the word compassion.

I find this to be a good and bad thing. It's obviously good because it makes you more aware and more emotionally supportive towards others, but it can also be difficult. I think back on the sad times I used to spend with my cat, and I want to reach out and give the little girl version of myself a big squeeze.

This month we went to three weddings and a baptism. We have discovered that Max loves attending parties and spiritual ceremonies with delicious food and rockin' beats. The highlights of the weddings we went to this month were the photo booth at temescal canyon, the ocean views at the 'ol hansen beach club, and the turtles at the greystone mansion. If you're ever thinking of hiring a babysitter while you attend a wedding, think again. Weddings are perfect family events and a great time to dance and party together.


Last week we had a baby gang potluck dinner at our house. Max has so many comrades with cool parents and we love getting together with them. We are so fortunate to have found this amazing group of supportive friends. Of course I still love all my single friends without kids, but there is something refreshing about being able to discuss teething and the ever so calming chamomilla, breast feeding and baby led weaning, and of course poop and which kind of diapers we use. At naseum. Yep, that's interesting stuff!

For instance, last month we had our west coast Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Alumni Luncheon where of course I brought Max along to dine with the gals. Upon leaving, one of the single blondes goes, "Oh my gaaawd, Elizabeth there is avocado aaaallll over you!" I glanced down at my dress and saw a tiny green handprint on my butt and chuckled as I gave it a little swipe. She had no idea, but I had given quite a bit of thought to which simple dress I could wear that would allow for demolition while dining.

My best friend in Dallas always talks about how she feels soooo bad about her "pre-kid behavior". Sherrie used to offer her twin sister shout wipes by the box because of her stain-filled wardrobe. Michelle had three kids and could care less about the mess on her shirt as long as the bunchkins were happy. And now we all compleeeetely understand that a little vomit on your sleeve won't hurt a thing. Who needs those portable stain treater towlettes anyway?....hahaha!!!

Last week I walked into the yoga studio and someone pointed out to me that I had a piece of bright yellow something stuck to my lululemon wonder under pants. I swear I didn't even flinch as I grabbed the piece of dried mango off my thigh and dropped it in the trashcan. Or maybe I put it in my mouth. Was saving it for later? Hmmmm....I can't remember what happened exactly.

Another figment of my imagination is talking on the telephone. I absolutely don't do this anymore. Except for when I have to. Yes, it may sound like a contradiction, but it's really not. Once people hear that the baby will not stop screaming into the phone, they really do not try to have a conversation with me on the telephone anymore. People have become very understanding since I am willing to reply with an elaborate email at midnight thirty or whatever time the baby is sleeping.

It is lovely to have a home centered around a baby. Wait, let me re-phrase that. Is is lovely to have a LIFE centered around a baby. My heart is so full and I wouldn't have it any other way.

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.

Baby Max is 3 Months Old

Baby Max is 3 months old...exactly 13 weeks today. Whew! I made it this far! It's amazing how fast you learn so much because you have no other choice. I love every minute of being a mommy except for when I don't think I can take it another second. Juuuuuust kidding! But postpartum hormones are still a pain!

The other night I cried myself to sleep because I love him so much. And then the next night I cried myself to sleep because I felt like I couldn't do it anymore. But even being the overly-adoring, over-the-top gushing, madly in love mommy that I am, I get exhausted and loony. From what I hear after talking to other moms, that just makes me human.

On a bright, happy note, I've been getting more sleep than usual because we are in Dallas right now. Thanks for the extra help from Grandmom and Granddad! We've been in Dallas for almost 3 weeks and plan to go back to LA on Sat.

This has been a wonderful trip. It hasn't all been easy, but it's mostly been awesome. The first week I was here, we had a bit of a tough trip to Birmingham, AL where we introduced Max to his great grandmother Mama Ellen. That was such a special time, but I almost reached my breaking point. I was sleep deprived at the beginning of the trip, and after 10+ hours in the car, Max had a meltdown that night that kept any of us from sleeping. He's had gas pains a few times prior to this, but this was on a whole new level. He was screaming at the top of his lungs, and my mom described his cries as barking like a dog. We were only a step away from taking him to the ER until he finally just fell asleep.

It was just an unfortunately bad night that made it difficult to see straight the entire next day. It was a complete bummer for me because we had arranged professional photographs of Max with the whole family, but I looked like certifiable crap. I even started crying at the picture session. The only place I wanted to be was in a dark room with a bed. But somehow, I made it through that day. Mama Ellen loved seeing us and we loved seeing her and everyone else.

Last weekend, My dad and I took Max to meet some more relatives in Abilene. That trip was much easier and quite relaxing. Max didn't realize he had so many cousins until he finally met them. We had a nice lunch at my cousin Greg's house and that was another special time with family.

I think the kicker is when Max met his Uncle Ross and Uncle David. The first time Ross held Max, his diaper blew out onto Ross's clothes. The green, slimy poop that seeped out onto Ross's khakis made him completely gun shy about holding Max. You should have seen the look of disgust on his face. I would've sworn by that look that he would never want anything to do with his nephew ever again.

For some reason, my brother David wasn't scared after what happened to Ross. He generously offered to help me with a middle of the night feeding and diaper change. Keep in mind, one of his hands was recently mangled by a pit bull and he had never changed a diaper before--especially one-handed. Apparently he was having a difficult time getting the diaper on and Ross had to help him. In the hour that it took to change the diaper, they both got peed on. Not once, but TWICE! And don't think they got through that one by themselves. My dad had to come in and help them in the end. So yes, it took three men to change that one diaper. I bet Max laughed and laughed at his urine-infested uncles.

When my high school friend Amy was over a couple weeks ago, Max had a breakthrough day. It was the first day he became able to hold his head up for long periods of time. That was really cool to see her holding him with his head consistently staying still. She also took this picture of him laughing. It's the first picture that truly captures his big smile.

He had another huge breakthrough since we've been here. He rolls now! He always rolls to his right side. He is finally able to roll all the way to his tummy and sometimes he can even pull that right arm out from under his body. Once in a while that arm gets stuck under there and he has no idea what to do. But he seems to be figuring it out much better these days since he is able to lift his head and chest up during tummy time.

Another thing he does is make lots of noises. I talk to him constantly and he makes noises back to me. He loves the eye contact and attention. And he also loves watching the television. It's not that we let him watch tv, but if he sees it on in the room, his eyes are glued to the screen. Ah oh!

My dad keeps holding toys in front of Max to see which hand he reaches with. So far his left hand usually gets to his toy first. He also likes to hold his hands in a clasped, praying position. His left hand is usually on the outside of the right hand. And since he reaches with his left hand to roll over to the right, we are slightly betting that he will be a lefty. Actually my dad thinks he is more likely to be left-handed, but who really knows.

We also see a red tint in Max's hair these days. We always saw a little red in his hair when the sunlight hit it, but the red becomes more noticeable as his hair continues to grow. I never would have thought that Marc and I would have a red-head, but he definitely has some recessive genes in his composition with those blue eyes. I'm sure his hair will get darker as he gets older since Marc and I were both blondies when we were born.

I found out on Max's last pediatrician visit that he is in the 90th percentile for weight gain. Today he weighs 14 1/2 lbs. The pediatrician was impressed that he is a purely breastfed baby because my milk is so full of nutrients. Formula fed babies typically put on weight faster than breastfed babies because breast milk is more easily digested. So she made me feel good that my milk so chock full of nutrients. It's really encouraging to know that my efforts are paying off! Max has some little thunder thighs, but she said he'll work those off when he starts walking.

Normally I would proofread a blog before posting, but absolutely not anymore. It's more important that I get to sleep than concern myself with a grammatical error. Goodnight....at least for a few hours. Oh, that reminds me. Max slept for 7 hours one night. So I thought he was sleeping all night now! But then he's only been sleeping four. I think he's just in a little growth spurt and hoping he will consistently be sleeping longer soon! Ok, now good night for real!