Lydia Renee's Food Adventures

Hi everybody! I thought it would be fun to share a little bit of what Lydia’s been eating these days. We started her on solids a couple weeks before she turned 6-months-old, and boy has she eaten a lot of food since then!

In the beginning we started her on homemade pureed kabocha squash, sweet potato, carrots and the like which were all successful. Then as the weeks went by she was onto more mixed purees and my beef stew. Before having Lydia, I had done research on baby-led weaning and liked the idea of feeding her foods that we were eating. It seemed like a great way for her to explore her food, play with it a little and experience mealtime as a family. 

So starting her on purees wasn't my initial plan but I'm glad I did them. It was a good introduction for her and it helped me see if any allergies were present, and fortunately there has been none so far! We do however avoid certain foods like honey, processed food, and conventional dairy products. She was eager to be fed at 6-7 moths and during that time she hadn't quite mastered using her fingers to feed herself, a.k.a. the pincer grasp which is developed at around 8-12 months old.

She was about 8 months old when she began to use her pincer grasp and that's when I knew we could successfully commit to the baby-led weaning process. Once she started to feed herself there really was no turning back! As someone who is passionate about eating and being married to someone who is also passionate about eating, we were blessed with a little human who, you guessed it, is passionate about eating! Letting Lydia feed herself is a little messy and there are certain foods that require a little assistance from us, like soup! But her enjoyment, little "mmm's" make it all worth it. 

People are always surprised to see Lydia eating because there isn't much she won't eat and she still has no teeth. My mom was shocked because on Thanksgiving Lydia was going to town gumming her dad's spicy chicken wings and guacamole! Lydia can handle the heat and likes things that pack on the flavor, a real epicurean in the making. I love it!

For the past couple of months I have been consistent with feeding Lydia breakfast, lunch and dinner, and that seems to work well for the both of us. Because she is only 10 months old, I'm still nursing her in between meals and she finds comfort in nursing periodically throughout the night. Once she turns one, I don't want to rush her into weaning but rather have her gradually rely more on solid food for nutrients than me. The comfort nurses are something I do cherish and I will part with when she feels prepared to do so.  On that note, here’s a little break down of what she's been eating!

//Breakfast// 

Depending on her last feeding in the morning, I don’t typically nurse her as soon as she wakes up for the day. 

she doesn't typically eat off of the floor but every now and then she eats breakfast in our room while I make my bed... it's all about multitasking guys!! :x

In the early stages I was feeding Lydia oatmeal that I grounded in the food processor and cooked it with fresh apple cider or organic applesauce, and a little ground cinnamon and cardamom or sometimes mashed banana mixed in. Initially she seemed to enjoy this but now that she's more independent her breakfast varies from homemade waffles cut into bite size pieces with fruit (chunks of ripe pear or roasted cinnamon apple), cheerios/rice chex, or fruit and yogurt smoothies in her reusable squeeze packs. She is currently in a cheerio kick! I give her about two ounces of apple or cranberry juice diluted with water to drink with breakfast. 

She typically wants to nurse 2-3 hours after breakfast time. 

//Lunch//

little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; so cute!

a little sandwich in hand

cut up omelette with sliced avocado 

1 falafel and roasted carrots seasoned with turmeric + smoked paprika

avocado smiles are the best 

Lydia usually will take a nap prior to lunchtime so this gives me a little time to prepare our meals. She loves to share what I'm eating or have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, avocado toast, leftover soup/stew in her reusable squeeze packs, roasted veggies with leftover chicken or salmon, and occasionally nitrite-free deli meat when we're in a pinch.

She gets a little annoyed when I have to feed her so putting soups in the squeeze packs makes my life a little easier! Plus it's an easy way to blend spinach and kale into her soups which are otherwise a choking hazard. 

//Snack-time// 

blueberries! she likes to inspect her food before eating...

having her applesauce

she really likes her applesauce 

When she first started feeding herself, I would just give her organic puffs and her juice but lately I have been trying to give her more whole foods. Ie: blueberries cut in half, organic apple juice in her reusable squeeze pack, fresh fruit or a favorite of ours: blended frozen banana and berries with chia seeds. 

//Dinner//

here lydia is gumming down a tostone, embracing her puerto rican roots

sundried tomato pesto on pasta with  a little chicken for protein

This varies from week to week since, I like trying new recipes every week and she typically eats whatever we're eating for dinner. She seems to be keen on pasta dishes, chicken pot pie, and actually really liked the stuffed eggplant with lamb and tahini yogurt sauce that I made last month. There are some nights when Michael has to start feeding her before I'm even done serving us our dinner because she gets a little impatient and hangry. For the most part dinnertime is really nice, enjoyable, and I would definitely say my favorite time of the day because I'm with my two favorite people!

Having written this post, I had a lot of fun with it. I hope it can be somewhat resourceful and inspiring to you. I definitely would love to share more of Lydia's meals and actually put effort into the pictures. As you can see most of the pictures are quick snaps from my phone and that's usually the case because I have a little child wishing I'd hurry up and let her eat already. ;)

Until next time,

Pregnancy Update: Week 29

It’s been 10 weeks since I've done one of these pregnancy questionnaire thingy’s, and my oh my has lots happened since then!

How far along: 29 Weeks and 1 day!

Gender: A baby girl :)

Total weight gain: 20+ lbs. Heh, surprisingly I’m not complaining because I’m a little curvier! The first thing to expand was my entire lower body and chest… My only concern is that I don’t know if I’ll be able to fit in my pre-pregnancy jeans again.

Maternity Clothes:  Yep! I have been rotating a couple of maternity jeans with several non-maternity leggings. A couple of weeks ago I ordered a nice variety of maternity basics from target and also been able to wear longer pre-pregnancy shirts.

Sleep: Lately I've been having a bit of insomnia…I’m not at the point where I’m struggling to find a comfortable spot, I've just been having a hard time turning off my thoughts!

Miss Anything: The ease of waking up and being able to throw together a nice outfit without a ton of effort; nowadays I’m forced to sort out what still fits/looks appropriate the night before. I also miss being able to exercise the way I used to.

Cravings: Runny eggs, popcorn, toast with avocado and cranberry juice.

Symptoms: Feeling tired again, getting cramps in my thighs and aches in my hips.

Belly Button in or out: It’s trying to come out. Right now it’s looking like a cinnamon bun.

Mood: Mostly excited!

Best Moment this week: Hmm... I made really good chex mix and also red quinoa with spicy peanut tofu stir fry. (I feel like I put something food related for the last post...) 

Looking forward to: We just entered a new year! I’m looking forward to seeing my family next weekend, the upcoming hospital tour, childbirth classes and my baby shower in February. And obviously March! The arrival of Lydia seems to be on my mind quite a lot and I can’t imagine how I’ll feel when she’s finally here in my arms… Ah, I’m going to be a mom!!

Exercise: Since I started getting cramps in my pelvis from doing plyometrics (sometime last month), so I decided to take a step back and do lower impact cardio interval training and have been able to do that 2-3x a week. On other days I mix it up by doing strength training at the gym or home, barre/Pilates and making sure I stretch every day.

On My Mind: Right now I feel blessed! A couple weeks ago we learned that I had the antibody Kell in my blood from recent blood work. Not knowing what that meant I did what any American would do and googled it. (My explanation might be a bit choppy so please bear with me!) I learned that if I have the antibody and if Michael carried the antigen then Lydia might be at risk. I also learned it’s possible that I got the antibody from a previous blood transfusion. A nurse from the department of fetal medicine called and scheduled us an urgent ultrasound and a consultation with high risk doctors to learn more about Kell. I immediately prayed to myself, and then I told my mom and she asked people from her church to pray and we told people from our church to pray for us too. Surprisingly I didn't feel worried but mostly at peace because I knew God was in control and that our questions would be answered that upcoming Tuesday. I thoroughly believe that God prepared our hearts for this.

At the appointment we got to see Lydia via ultrasound and learned that she is healthy, active and has no signs of anemia. After the ultrasound we met with the doctors and learned more about antigen Kell. We learned that if Michael had the antigen that it could mix with the antibody in my blood and cause the blood in my placenta to attack Lydia’s red blood cells. My pregnancy would require monitoring and if she showed signs of severe anemia they would have to give her a blood transfusion while in utero. I found that fascinating. Fortunately the doctors reassured us that because in her previous ultrasounds showed no signs of anemia meant that she could be in the clear and not need future transfusions. But in order for them to know they needed to test Michael’s blood to see if he even has the antigen. 

After the appointment we both felt at peace with the situation and prayed that his tests would prove him Kell negative. On Christmas Eve while printing out pictures at Walgreens, I got a call from the nurse and learned that Michael was Kell negative! Prayers were answered and we were so happy knowing that Lydia wouldn't need any further testing or blood transfusions. It really was that simple. Praise the Lord! And now I’m back to thinking about seeing her again..

xo, Jessica

food diaries and self-written tips

Yesterday I noticed something unusual about myself. I’ve been in a rut with my eating habits and have noticed that the food I'm eating is making me more tired and down right “meh”. Saturday I felt bloated after eating a grilled goat cheese sandwich! I normally feel fine if I give into my cravings every now and then, but I’ve been giving in to them too often. I’ll admit I haven’t been eating enough whole foods and have been snacking on cereal almost every night. It sounds harmless but let me tell you I don’t like how it’s making me feel. It’s possible that I am not eating enough throughout the day which is making me crave carbs hardcore! There’s also the possibility that I am eating a lot of unnecessary foods throughout the day such as sweets, two cups of coffee with soy milk and too much bread…

Here are some ideas I can try:

1. Firstly, try getting enough sleep!

2. Limit wheat to once a day. I notice I feel better when I eat salads loaded with veggies, healthy fat and high in protein with maybe a sweet potato or an apple, I feel a lot less lethargic than eating a pb&j sandwich!

3. Limit coffee with soy milk to once day.

4. Limit sugar intake. (If this means limiting my baking to the weekend then so be it!)

5. Incorporating more foods containing probiotics such as goat yogurt, kimchi and kombucha tea.

6. Drinking A LOT more water throughout the day.

7. Eating a snack in between my breakfast like old times, especially if I work out a little after breakfast time.

8. Include more seasonal veggies into all of my meals. If I don’t eat any for breakfast maybe have some as a part of my post workout snack.

9. Eat whole foods that I know will benefit and satiate me.

10. Take more time to be a little more creative in the kitchen to avoid any future ruts! For example, making a pot of quinoa, chickpeas and/or roasting sweet potatoes the night before for future energy boosting lunches.

11. Lastly, ask myself if I really need to eat a bowl of cereal at 10:06pm. Really Jessica?

I’ll write an update about how I’m feeling and if these self-written tips lift up my energy and help make eating an adventure for me again!

-Jessica