Crawling

Conor is full blown crawling! He is also getting up on his knees, pulling up to stand, and even took two steps with the push walker today!!!

Practice at the park tonight. (He really wanted to go play soccer with the big kids!)

Videos:
**Be advised - there is some lady giving really loud obnoxious commentary during the videos, you might want to turn your sound down**

Baby Foodie - Black Bean Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries

An easy "from scratch" meal that can be whipped up in no time. Burgers can also be made ahead and frozen.

Black Bean Burgers
(very loosely) Adapted from Broke Ass Gourmet

1.5 c (or 1-15 oz. can) black beans, soaked overnight (for dry beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 clove garlic
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro (or 1 tsp dried)

In a large bowl, mash 3/4 of the beans well. Combine with egg, garlic, bread crumbs, cilantro and cumin. Stir in remaining beans. Form into patties (makes about 2). Cook in an oiled pan until well done, about 5-10 minutes each side. Serve on toasted buns with Sriracha aioli (1 tsp Sriracha + 2 tbsp mayo) and fixins for mama and dada; cut into bite sized pieces for baby.

The flavor is not too intense and great for baby.


Sweet Potato "Fries"

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into thin strips (somewhere between McDonald's and Red Robin size, maybe a nice Wendy's? I do love fries...)
1 tbsp olive oil

In a large bowl, toss sweet potato fries in olive oil until coated. Arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Cook 10 minutes, flip, continue cooking until desired doneness is achieved (eyeball it.)

Playing with leftovers (photo documentation FAIL)

Adventures in Babyproofing

Babyproofing is in full swing. A new TV stand was purchased to keep Conor away from the wires and whatnot ("Stop, it will hurt your body if you're electrocuted", we keep telling him so as to avoid the self esteem bashing "No!") He now has a fascination with opening the drawer on the new TV stand, and subsequently trying to smash his fingers. We need a solution that won't allow it to open at all, unlike the traditional drawer locks. Daycare has these awesome ones that only unlatch with the aid of a magnetic knob. They're called Tot Locks. Sounds awesome, right?

Tot Locks are evil. We may not be the most handy people on Earth, but come on! I really don't feel like I should need a degree in engineering to install these. We managed to install one (sort of, best not open and close that drawer too much.) At this point I think it's better to just tape the other drawer shut.

Up next - a gate at the bottom of the stairs. Stairs with an extra wide opening and curved newel post. I am not looking forward to this; we may just move instead.

10 months!!!

No smiles this month - being 10 months old is serious business people!

Conor is 10 months old today! In the past few weeks, his gross motor skills have really taken off. Just before Easter, he started getting up on all fours consistently and rocking. In the past couple days he has crawled one or two steps forward before falling. He is able to stand while holding onto something, and can get from his stomach onto his knees, then into a sitting position. He's also climbed onto the first stair - he could probably go higher if we let him. Time for gates! His favorite place to practice moving is in his crib.


It's so hard to believe his first birthday is only two months away. We've already started planning his party - we can't wait!


Age 10 months
Weight haven't weighed him in a while, probably 22-23 lbs.
Length not sure, probably ~30"
Size 9 month tops, 12 month+ pants
Eyes Pretty baby blues :)
Hair Second haircut this month
Teeth 5! Another one just cut through on the bottom.
Sleeping Continuing to improve. Usually up once a night but goes right back down. Naps are usually good, too.
Eating 4-5 bottles a day (breastmilk (reintroduced most dairy, no problems so far) and some formula (Alimentum)), plus 3 meals of cereal, fruit and/or veggie purees, and finger foods. New foods include pasta, tomato sauce, asparagus, veggie burger, cheese, yogurt, Life cereal, and oatmeal cookie (just a taste.)
Movement SO close to crawling - has taken a few "steps". Pulls up to his knees and almost to standing. Can stand while holding onto something but without our support.
Milestones standing
Outings Martian Marathon, art showing at Cafe Marie, Matthaei Botanical Gardens, lots of walks, Toarmina's Pizza
Favorite toys/activities Music table, crab, books, balls, eye glasses, shakers
Words/sounds Constantly talking, lots of sounds and combinations of sounds, growling, gargling
Memorable moments Easter trip to Texas, meeting cousin Clara

Baby Foodie - Pasta Baked with San Marzano Tomatoes and Mozzarella Cheese

Conor loves tomato sauce! His first experience with it, he ended up sucking the sauce off and tossing the noodles to Otis! He enjoys pizza crust with sauce as well. I decided to make a large batch of basic tomato sauce to use and freeze. I kept it simple, just a mild flavor. It was super simple and makes putting together a baby friendly meal quick and easy.

(and in other news Conor’s dairy allergy seems to have subsided somewhat! Bring on the cheese!)

Easy Tomato Sauce (adapted from ButterYum)
**This makes a HUGE batch of sauce. If your food processor is on the smaller side, process it in two or more batches. Cut the recipe if you don't want leftovers.**

2-28 oz. cans San Marzano peeled whole tomatoes
2 Tbsp. olive oil

small sweet onion, diced

1 clove garlic, diced

2-6 oz. cans tomato paste (he picked out the can last week)
1/4 c. chopped basil

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent and just starting to brown, about 10-12 min. Add garlic and cook 1-2 min. longer. Add tomato paste, cook 5-8 min. longer, stirring frequently.

Add San Marzano tomatoes to food processor, process until smooth. Add onion/garlic/tomato paste mix and basil and process until smooth. Reserve 2 c sauce for baked pasta, freeze leftovers.

Sauce in baby glass bowl from the set Amy found.

For baked pasta,

16 oz. pasta (like maccherono, ziti or penne)

2 c. tomato sauce
2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

Cook pasta al dente in boiling water according to package directions.

Toss cheese with Italian seasoning. Layer ½ sauce (1 c.), pasta, remaining sauce (1 c.) and cheese in a casserole dish.
Cook 25-30 min. until cheese is melted and bubbly and starting to brown.

Cool and cut into bite size pieces for baby.

Leftovers freeze beautifully!

Baby Foodie

Conor has been eating more and more “real” food. He does very well with a variety of tastes and textures. He is increasingly self feeding so I'm starting to plan our meals with him in mind. Knowing he will be eating what I prepare makes me more conscientious of the ingredients I use. Though I am known to serve him a Wagon Wheel or 10 from time to time, I feel guilty giving him a lot of crap food. It’s great motivation to cook the way I want to, but often do not.

As a result, Conor is going to be quite the Baby Foodie – experiencing a variety of foods, developing an appreciation for flavors and textures and enjoying good food made from quality ingredients. I am going to document the different things he tries and share the recipes I use, which hopefully will be made with a reasonable amount of good ingredients and not be too cumbersome.

Conor sources ingredients at Plum Market.

It is also my hope that he will eventually learn to appreciate where his food comes from – I envision backyard vegetable gardens, trips to pick strawberries and apples, tours of Guernsey Farms dairy, visits to the farmer’s market, and classes at Zingerman’s Bakehouse (maybe even summer Farm camp???).

Stay tuned for Conor's adventures as a Baby Foodie!

Big Boy(a guest blog by Conor)

Hello blog readers, Conorman here. I thought you might enjoy some pictures of my day yesterday. Here I am hanging out at school in my big boy clothes.

Here I am just checking my email and making some phone calls.

What else have I been up to? Oh, not much, just some STANDING AT MY MUSIC TABLE ALL BY MYSELF for a LONG time!!!!!