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For the past few years, we've gone up to the north Georgia mountains in the fall...
to see the leaves change, to spend time together, to relax.
this is where we stayed this year... CABIN. and we would recommend it to anyone with pets!
Last year was one of our favorite trips because it was our baby-moon. our last vacation 'just the two of us' before Durham came. I was almost 8 months pregnant. We had a blast. This year we got to bring Durham with us (and Cole came too) and it was so much fun! Honestly way more fun than the trip we took to the beach in June. Partly because fatty is older now and cruizing around and having fun playing, but partly because we didn't have to pack up and track all our crap down to the beach everyday.
We headed out in the morning for the 2 hour drive up, we planned to leave right before nap time so d would sleep in the car, and that worked great. We shopped for groceries and cooked all our meals at the cabin. Yummies like eggs, sausage, bacon and biscuits every day for breakfast and hot dogs on the grill, alice springs chicken... I was in heaven because the hubs cooked every meal while we were there. Yes. I said every meal. I am so blessed.
The cabin was on a lake/pond and it had a creek that fed into it... this alone is endless entertainment for the hubs. There was a canoe that Chris went out fishing in everyday. I was afraid to do it by myself and we couldn't/wouldn't leave Durham sleeping in the cabin alone. Maybe next year we'll put a life vest on him and paddle him out with us.
I was worried about not bringing the highchair, not sure how he would eat without it (or stay focused on eating) but we just cleaned the seat of a chair and put his food there. He stood unassisted and ate his bites. This weekend was when he started standing alone. a lot. all. the time.
We brought the pack-n-play and he napped and slept at night in there. It's not as comfey as his crib, so he did wake up once or twice in the night. I would just go in and snuggle him back to sleep. There was a full size bed in the room he was sleeping in, and there were many naps we took together snuggled in there. I loved having 5 days alone. Just me and my boys.
and a few instagram snaps too... just to prove I was there!! haha The hubs promises to get better with the camera so I'll have a few pics of me with baby d too!
It was Durham's first halloween this year, and he was a SHARK!
ra and I took the boys to atlanta to have pictures made by one of her friends. Both boys were hams as always. I took him down to tanger to see my girls on the centers trick or treat night, but it was sooooo cold that I didn't put him in his shark costume because I couldn't get a coat over it. We walked around and he watched all the kids collecting their candy, a couple of the scary ones got the side eye from d. haha I bought him some glow in the dark skeleton jams at old navy and they are one of my favorites. Can't wait to halloween next year so I can dress him up again and eat all the candy after he goes to bed.
...and I'm still making his food.
Someone asked me this weekend how long I was gonna be making Durham's food. I laughed. As long as he eats it.
Hubs and I were both overweight as kids (and now too, boooo!) and we don't want that for Durham. We want him to love to eat healthy fruits and veggies and grilled meats. We still arent the best eaters as adults, so I want to make sure he always has good options.
I've been getting questions about how we feed Durham and some things have changed since I last posted about it. He's been eating 'food' (other than breast-milk/formula) for 4 months now. And as a word of encouragement for those who are just starting, it does get easier. They will start to like the foods they initially refuse if you just keep trying, the prep and cook times will get shorter, and meal time will be fun.
The biggest question I get from people is how do I find time to make everything. Well, I don't make EVERYTHING just some things. and the more you do it, the less time it takes. Just this morning during nap time I made his food for the week. It took me less than an hour (and I still have time to write this post! haha). I'm not over here making homemade cheerios and goldfish people, I feed Durham store bought food, but fruits and veggies and meat I prefer to make fresh rather than buy a jar (or 2-3 jars per meal is what it would take to feed my fatty).
Breakfast:
Durham's favorite meal! He sleeps through the night (12 hours) and has 8oz of formula when he wakes up, then about 1.5 hours later he has breakfast. Some of his breakfast foods are bananas, oatmeal, yogurt, blueberry waffles, oatmeal bars (recipe below), frozen blueberries (his favorite), or toast smeared with apple sauce. On the weekend when dada is home we usually have turkey bacon or sausage and he eats that too. We haven't tried eggs yet, but soon!
Lunch & Dinner:
I try to include a couple veggies/fruits, a protein, and a grain. Sometimes I get them all, sometimes he will only eat grapes. But, I have found that if I continue to offer them at every meal, he will more often than not gobble them up. Veggies/fruits I buy weekly (sometimes bi-weekly depending on what we have on hand) and I cook a big batch of stuff at the beginning of the week. He can eat on that for about 4-5 days, he also eats whatever we are eating that is baby appropriate (tacos, hotdogs, pizza, chicken nuggets, and hot pockets are NOT baby appropriate). The other days when I don't have something especially prepared he eats fresh fruits, or frozen fruits, and I have a few Plum Organics food pouches on hand if I can't make it to the store because of work or something. He still eats 'some' puree, I've read that a lot of babies start to refuse being fed by a spoon around 8-10months but D still likes it, but most of his meal is 'bites' of food.
Snacks:
This is where I make my own goldfish. ok, not really. haha
I know that snacks can be a tricky subject, one mom I ran into a Target actually commented on Durham's 'junk food' as he was munching on graham cracker bunnies while we shopped. Calm down momma's... let other people feed their kids whatever they want. I don't say anything to you as you pour mountain dew into your toddlers sippy cup. Durham usually eats one snack a day, and a handful of cheerios if we are out shopping to keep him occupied. These are our favorites. He especially loves the Ella's Kitchen cookies but they are super messy so we only do them at home.
Making it & Taking it
I only make stuff that is not super hard/time consuming. I was making his applesauce at the beginning, but pealing, coring and then baking apples (like a million apples) took a lot of time. I confine myself to what I can make in one or two nap times a week so that my time can still be spent with D while he is awake. I steam veggies, and cut up fresh fruits. I cube grilled chicken breast, and do meatballs on the skillet. easy-peasey. Hopefully the hubs and I can overhaul our bad eating habbits in the next couple months so I wont be making as much separate for D, and what we eat will all be a healthy choice for him.
I have a love/hate relationship with food storage containers. I love them and I am always buying them, but I hate to wash them and they take over a big section of the counter beside our sink. I can't help myself. TJ Maxx and Publix both have a great assortment if you are looking for some. This one is my favorite. FIT FRESH. I have two of them and lots of other little containers that fit inside. I can pack two entire meals inside this one box (including snack and spoon) and throw it into the diaper bag. It is a must have!
From what I've read he will be on some form of sippy cup milk and no puree's at 12 months. I'm sure that will be harder on me than him because no bottle and no puree makes me feel like he wont be a little baby anymore. Any advice on how to transition would be awesome, thoughts and ideas are always welcome. I know that there are several momma's reading that are right here with me, or will be in the next month or two... how are you feeling? (Hey Callen, Joshua, Riley, and Cooper's moms!)
oatmeal bars (more like rounds)
