Making Baby Food

Just for future reference, here is a collection of baby foods I have made and how I went about making them. I got a lot of good advice from my sister-in-law, Corinne, on what to make and how to make each food.

Acorn Squash-
I bought two acorn squash for around $2.00.
1. Cut them in half and put them upside down in a pan with a little water.
2. Steam them for 30 minutes at 350°.
3. Let them cool.
4. Scoop out the squash straight into the blender.
5. Puree them with the water from the pan.

I made 22 ice cube servings or a little over 1 ice cube tray full.

Yams-
We bought 8 yams for around $6.00.
1. Peel and cut them into two inch chunks.
2. Steam them in a pan of water for 30 minutes at 350°.
3. Throw the chunks into a blender with water from the pan and puree them.

We made 150 ice cube servings or about 9 ice cube trays full.

Carrots-
We bought two 2 pound bags of large carrots for $2.00.
1. Peel and chop them into smaller chunks.
2. Boil them in a saucepan for about 15-20 minutes.
3. Put the chunks into the blender with water from the pan and puree them.

We made 90 ice cube servings or about 6 ice cube trays full.

Peas-

We bought four 1 pound bags of frozen peas for around $4.00.

1. Boil peas in a saucepan for 15-20 minutes.
2. Put them in the blender and puree them.

We made 96 ice cube servings or 6 ice cube trays full.

Green Beans-

We bought four 1 pound bags of green beans for around $4.00.

1. Boil beans in a saucepan for 15-20 minutes.
2. Put them in the blender and puree them.

We made around 80 ice cube servings or 5 ice cube trays full.

Avocado-

I bought 8 avocados (two packs of four each) at the store for $8.00.

1. Cut the Avocado in half.
2. Remove the pit.
3. Scoop the avocado from the skin straight into the blender.
4. Puree with ½ to ¾ cup water until desired consistency.

I was able to make 51 ice cube servings or just over 3 ice cube trays full.

Black Beans-

I bought a one pound bag of dried black beans at the store for $1.00.

1. Wash and sort the beans.
2. In a large kettle place the beans and 12 cups of water.
3. Boil water for 2 minutes, cover, and remove from heat.
4. Let sit for 1 hour.
5. Return to heat and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 1 ½ hours or until tender.
7. Throw beans into blender and add water until desired consistency.

One pound of dried beans made 64 ice cube servings or 4 ice cube trays full.

Bananas- Just mash with a fork

Applesauce- It is cheaper to buy unsweetened applesauce in a jar.

Peaches-

I bought 10 peaches at the store for $2.52.

1. Score the bottom of the peaches.
2. Boil the peaches until they are soft enough to peel off the skin.
3. Place in bowl of cold water to cool them enough to touch.
4. Peel off the skin. I found that using a knife worked much easier.
5. Remove pit and chop into smaller pieces.
6. Puree in blender.

Ten peaches made 58 ice cube servings or just about 4 ice cube trays full.

6 Month Doctor's Appointment

Today, Orin had his 6 month well baby doctor’s appointment. We switched to a new doctor this time around. We all really liked her, and it feels good to finally have a family doctor for Orin and me to see.

His 6 month stats:
Height- 28 inches (90%)
Weight- 17 lb. 8 oz. (70%)
Head Circumference- 42 or 43 cm (can’t remember!)

When the doctor walked in, she said, “Wow, he’s a big boy. He looks a lot older than 6 months. I bet you hear that a lot.” Haha!

I brought up the concerns I had with his eating habits, or his lack of eating. She wasn’t too worried. She thought I was doing a great job trying all the different tricks and to just keep doing what I’m doing. I guess that wasn’t what I wanted to hear, and I dread performing all the tricks for 6 more months. But I guess that’s what we will do. She said he’s growing and thriving so she wasn’t too concerned. She did say not to give him water or juice (which I haven’t been) so that he doesn’t fill up on that. She said we could add that in later (around 9 months) if we wanted to just for fun since it has little nutritional value anyways. This is also when we could start doing puffs if we wanted. I asked her about baby food and cereal and whether or not we should cut back on all of that to ensure that he is taking all of his bottles. She recommended that we should, and that introducing baby food/cereal is really for getting them ready for the different textures and not really for the nutrients. The main thing is to keep his belly full with formula right now. I still plan to do one feeding of cereal in the mornings. And I may even sneak in one feeding of baby food (1 cube) around lunchtime as well. We’ll see how all this goes.

I also informed her of his cold. He had a fever earlier last week as well as a bad cough, sneezes, congested nose, etc. It seems that his cough and wheezing is getting worse. She checked him over and said his ears and throat look good. And he didn’t have a fever, so he was all set for his shots!

He got his three shots and the oral Roto Virus vaccine. He did so well with very little crying. This was actually the first time I got a little emotional. Maybe it was because I was holding down his little hands while he was suddenly surprised by three pokes in the legs. That is always so hard to be a part of and watch as a mom. But it was quickly over as I scooped him up with his pacifier in hand. The nurses thought he recovered very quickly, which I thought he did too. Now he gets a little break from shots until he turns a year old.

The rest of the day was spent grocery shopping, getting supper ready in the Crockpot, dropping off two paid bills, getting an eyebrow wax, contacting the middle school for subbing, making avocado baby food, completing the rest of the vacation blog entries, and lots of sleeping for the little guy. We had a busy and crazy day. Hopefully tomorrow Orin can get back to a normal schedule of sleeping and eating once the effect of his shots wears off.

Vacation Ending- Orin's Version

These are the last of the vacation pictures and posts. Mama has to get all these pictures off of the computer tonight, which is why we had to do so many posts all in a row!

I took a few pictures with different family members on the last day of vacation. That lifejacket made it hard to move, but it was pretty darn cute if I do say so myself!

Vacation Tubing- Orin's Version

Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let me go tubing this year, but they mentioned something about me maybe being big enough next year. Daddy and I just wanted to pretend and pose for some pictures.



Daddy did some real tubing out on the lake. Here are a few pictures of him having a great time.

Vacation Family Pictures- Orin's Version

Mama loves taking pictures, so it should be of no surprise that we have several family pictures from vacation. Here are just a few that were taken even with all of Daddy's complaining! :)

Beach Time- Orin's Version

Mommy and Daddy took me down to the beach one day. The water was a bit chilly and the sand felt funny between my toes. But I liked to sit in my bumbo seat and look at the water. Good thing I had my shades on because it was very bright for my eyes! Daddy, Mommy, and I had a lot of fun playing around!

My Goofy Grandma- Orin's Version

Grandma and I hung out a lot on vacation. She fed me bottles and cereal, changed my diaper, strolled me around the resort, and tickled me until I got the hiccups. We also loved to cuddle, and I gave her lots and lots of kisses.

Here we are cuddling and talking in Grandma's tent on her bed. I loved to grab her face and give her kisses.



I love to be with my grandma. Here we are laughing and being goofy.




I love you, Grandma!