Blog Post: Conversing with a 6-month old

Ever since my son was born, I've come across many articles about how important it is to talk to your baby. "They" say it helps with language skills and what not. Well, being that I am often home alone with my son, it helps to break up the quiet in the house if I regularly converse with him.

Some days, I'm not gonna lie, I stay in my jammies. If I don't have an errand to run or we have poor weather, we party indoors. He can be a bit more demanding some days, so I either drop my 'chores' completely and hang out, or I'll try to see what I can distract him with in order to get some housework done.

To entertain him, I label objects and give them to him. He enjoys the 'new' item and I get stuff done while his language development - win, win. Now that he's 6 (going on 7) months old, it's become quite a game for me to guess what he's thinking as I point out things around our house and name them as well as the action I am performing. I basically narrate our conversation, and it typically goes something like this:

Me: "Gunner, what's mommy doing? Mommy is folding laundry."
Gunner: "That sock looks delicious. [inserts into mouth]"
Me: "No, no, baby. That is a sock. Socks go on feet. See, here's your foot."
Gunner: "That foot looks delicious. [inserts into mouth and has a foot party for 10 minutes allowing me to get the laundry done. thanks, foot.]

-----

Me: "Gunner, mommy is opening the mail. See this, this is paper."
Gunner: "I love it. Give me." [has a paper party for 20 minutes allowing me to get the bills done. thank you, paper.]

-----

Me: "Gunner, this is a hanger. Mommy hangs clothes clothes on these."
Gunner: "That hanger is covered in paper. Paper. I love paper. Paper. Give me."
Me: "Ohh, that's dangerous baby. Here, have your Sophie."
Gunner: "NO, I WANT HANGER WITH PAPER." [cries for paper; damn you, dry-cleaner hanger.]

-----
Me: "Gunner, that's mommy's coffee. Here, take your sippy."
Gunner: "No."
Me: "Here, want the remote? Look, buttons. This is a button. You push the button."
Gunner: "OOOO it lights up. I love this remote. [10 seconds elapse] I hate this remote. I want your coffee."
Me: Damn you, remote.

-----

Me: "That's mommy's phone, baby. Mommy is talking to Auntie. You love Auntie!"
Gunner: "Phone."
Me: "Here, look at this remote. See the buttons? Push the buttons."
Gunner: "I love this remote." [pushes TV off button; cries]
Me: [pushes TV on button] "It's ok. There, see. It's on."
Gunner: [pushes TV off button; cries]
Me: [pushes TV on button] "Look, it's back."
Gunner: "I understand, mommy. Push button, tv off. Cry, tv on."
Me: [damn me.]

-----

The list goes on and on, and on. It's become a game to see what I can entertain him with. He has a million and one toys, and he's fine playing with them most of the time. But then there are those days. Some things I think to myself, "he won't be interested in this" and voila! Loves it! Others, I'm like "yea, this is the money maker here." Hates it.

This is such a fun age. I'm sure you have similar conversations with your little one, and I'd love to hear about them!

XOXO! ~Meg

Yay for half birthdays!

I came across the idea for a half birthday - you know, 6 months before your actual birthday - and thought it was a pretty great idea. The child gets half of a cake (to share with the family, of course!), no presents (or maybe a small one in this household), and a special dinner. I think it's a great out-of-the-blue idea that will make your child's day. And what an adorable memory to look back and remember! So when Gunner turned 6 months in January, I started the tradition.

We threw a BBQ for friends and family - we really wanted to take a minute and sit back and relax with friends. The years seem to go by quicker as we get older, and we often don't see each other as much as we'd like. It was great to have everyone together, and for them to interact with Gunner. He's growing up so fast!!

Here's pics from the party. We had a really great time!

The overview. The left corner is a photobooth backdrop made from plastic tablecloths from the dollar store! I trimmed the bottoms and used the rest on the chandelier, just to spice it up a bit!

Up-close on the photobooth.

My goofball husband and nephew posing for me.

I made the "Happy Half" banner. It was simple - construction paper, permanent marker, paper straws, hot glue and colored twine. Pirate and chest cake topper from here, twine from here, and cake from Publix.

I made these and I must say - I am proud of them! I found everything I used in a single kit called "The Classroom Kit" at Tj Maxx for like $6 on clearance! I googled the company and apparently it's Australian-based and costs $40 to ship to the United States. I have to say that I SCORED!

I affixed a bandana from Target to his high chair.

And provided some stick-on mustaches and bandanas for photobooth props. I also placed a photo of him in his "1/2" onesie for everyone to sign. I think it'll be awesome in years to come when he looks back on the photo and sees just how long the people who love him have been in his life! The onesie was a custom order from here.

So simple and budget-friendly - streamers from the dollar store cut into slices and affixed to the wall with mustache duct tape, because it's adorable.

The 1/2 birthday boy himself.

Destruction.

Mmmm cake.

The very next day I used the red plastic tablecloth for the backdrop of his Valentine's photos! XOXO!

~Meg

Baby Food Recipe: Peas, Greek yogurt, Carrot Juice

As always, please follow the general guidelines about HOW and WHEN to introduce food to your baby.  These guidelines are important to follow for safety and allergy reasons. A simple Google search will yield quite an array of guidelines which vary somewhat - with the older guidelines being a bit more limiting and the newer guidelines allowing for more flexibility. Also check with your child's pediatrician.

As you know from my previous post, Gunner loves Greek yogurt. I buy the large container so a lot of his food is prepared with it in varying amounts. I also use the same carrot juice, because once I buy it, I want to make sure it's used up and is not wasted! So here's what I used:

-1/3 cup frozen peas

-2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt (I used French vanilla but you could always get creative!)

-1 to 2 ounces of carrot juice

Here's the yogurt and juice I prefer to use, but if you have a favorite, definitely use that!

You'll need to steam the peas before pureeing. I LOVE my Pampered Chef microwave steamer, and I use it ALL the time when preparing his foods. I added about 1/3 cup of water and put in the microwave for 2 minutes.

This is so simple - just place all of the ingredients in your blender/baby food processor and voila! Blend long enough so the peas are fully pureed and there are no large pieces of the pea.

Use the carrot juice to thin the consistency to what is safe for your little one. Gunner is ok with a little thicker puree, so I tend to use 1-1.5 ounces, but you could make it thinner and use 2 ounces.

This recipe actually yielded three servings, but I over-poured into his bowl and was only able to refrigerate one serving.

Another yummy success! Happy cooking!

~Meg