The Wonderful World of Food!!!

I had settled in at work last night for a long, long evening. The night before we left at 11pm, so I figured it would be the same or worse last night. At 5:30pm we got the most pleasant surprise of all - we got sent home!!! This just doesn't happen during a session, so I was floating on air when I got home with even a tiny bit of twilight left.

When I walked in the house, this was the scene that awaited me:

Rowdy and Willie doing dishes, Boonie nukking away in the exersaucer.

It just doesn't get much more heartwarming than this, folks!!! Sigh.

The best part is that it was Boone's 6 month and one day birthday, which means....drumroll please....

SOLID FOODS!!!!

We didn't do it on his 6 month birthday as I was at work and this was NOT going to go down without Mama in attendance.

We are doing baby led weaning (http://baby-led.rhgdsrv.co.uk/), which basically means no purees, no nothing involving FEEDING baby. Baby feeds himself. I'm really excited about it and can already see how this is going to be a wonderful experience. We just put small samples of whatever we are eating onto his plate and he goes to town. Stick shapes are best, so he can grasp in his fist and chew on the end that sticks out. However, anything is fair game (minus some obvious choking hazards like grapes).

For his first meal, Boone enjoyed a healthy hunk of Elk steak, spinach, corn, and wild rice:

He enjoyed the heck out of the Elk Steak especially.

The rest he mostly smeared around and wore. But what a great way to get that tactile experience and develop his hand eye coordination. I am super stoked on baby led weaning so far. It was a blast watching him.

Big brother got in the game, hamming it up for the camera, but Boone was pretty focused on the task at hand.

My pumping days aren't over, as he will continue to get most of his nutrition from breast milk. He still pretty much ejects anything solid that gets past his lips, so we have a while til he starts consuming. Right now it's just a getting to know food stage. Sigh my boy's growing up.

Dammit Dryers! And when to conceive a baby.

I did the grocery shopping this weekend. Rowdy had ice cream on the list, so down the forbidden isle I went, fully intending to buy some crappy praline flavor that won't tempt me. He loves that stuff. Well, part way down I saw a flash of green in my peripheral view..."was that...is it....oh no. oh hell. I don't need this! But there it was:

I'm doomed.

I had Boone in August. A week later I was down to my pre pregnancy weight and feeling very smug. That didn't last long. I started right in on the "I'm lactating and can eat anything I want" diet, then came Thanksgiving, then came the Christmas/New Years juggernaut, then came Valentine's Day, and now, just when I've resolved to eat fruit for dessert forever more, along comes Dreyers and their blissful collaboration with those infernal girl scouts. I ate two bowls full last night.

Ladies, if you haven't procreated before, heed this advice: do your breeding in the Fall and your birthing in the Spring. This way you have a whole Summer full of active outdoor holiday-free living and light eating during which to lose the baby weight.

As for me, I've been walking around with a spare tire wrapped around my middle, mindlessly repeating my new mantra: "it's all in the boobs, it's all in the boobs..." and every time I look in the mirror I'm reminded that, well, it's not all in the boobs. This afternoon I escaped to my bathroom for a long soak in a tub in which I USED TO fully submerse myself, and, pondering my high and dry belly, had a bit of a "come to Jesus" moment...this is it, this is that day that I always knew would come. My metabolism has slowed, my lifestyle is too sedentary, and the weight is no longer going to melt off. I have to accept that or start exercising to outpace my calorie intake, or I need to stop eating like a linebacker. Honestly none of these options are really acceptable. I mean, I'd love to exercise more - I wish it were part of my job though, b/c I just can't find the time at home. I know they do it on Biggest Loser and everybody says "oh you can, there's time, you just have to make YOU a priority" well I just think that's BS. There's not enough time, period. Don't argue with me about it. I'm not open to that sort of perky yet.

So my plan will be to put this blog to work for me. I will start logging what I eat and see if I can shame myself into good health. Don't worry, I'm not going to turn this into some Kirstie Alley style weight loss and inspiration (anyway, that doesn't work, Kirstie's already back to where she started) log, it's just my baby step towards some sort of change that will be tacked on at the end of the day.

So, day 1:

-1 bowl organic steel cut oats with butter, brown sugar, and low fat milk; 3 pieces turkey bacon, 2 scrambled eggs

-1 southwest chicken sandwich at the branding iron cafe - chicken breast, chili, pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and a lot of french fries w/ ranch dressing and ketsup

-7 mini kit kats

-approx 1 cup peanut m&ms

-trader joes 12 grain crackers with cheese (approx 15)

-trader joes wild rice mix with mixed trader joes veggies (edamame, corn, peppers)

-1.5 cups Dreyer's thin mint ice cream

-large bowl trader joes organic corn flakes w/ low fat milk

water throughout the day