Oh, Peas!

I have really enjoyed the solids phase of baby-hood!  It is so much fun to see what Keagan will eat next!  We recently tried carrots and pears and they were both hits!  The bad part about solids, however, is the poop.  Or maybe I should say the lack of poop.  I will let you in on a secret (or maybe not really a secret if you know me!):  poop is not a taboo topic to me.  Since Keagan has started on solids, his poop has also become, well, solid.  This has led to straining issues, while at first were funny to me because they started at the dinner table.  But they have become bothersome to poor little Keagan.  He squeals and makes awful faces, and grunts, and cries, and becomes all red-faced. 

So, I set out today to find foods that he can eat that are high in fiber (because bananas and rice cereal, his breakfast of champions, is not helping the problem).  I found apple-prune juice.  He hates it.  I don't think the flavor is all that bad, but prune juice used to be part of my daily diet.  I read that pears help, so he had pears for breakfast and lunch.  And I also read that peas are fibrous, so he had peas for the first time tonight. (And loved them!  Thatta boy!)
While I was at it, I went ahead and made a bunch of other baby foods to freeze.  Thought I would show you my process.  Today's menu: peas, pears, yellow squash (all helpful in causing a "movement"!).  Keagan was pretty pleased in getting to help

 Yummmm!  I LOVE sweet peas!  Our local walmart didn't have fresh peas (OK, I assumed they didn't...I didn't look...they very rarely have anything besides the basics) so I just used a bag of frozen peas.  Easy-"peas"y!  Steam 'em and puree 'em...can't get much simpler than that!  The same process applies to the pears and the squash.  Makes my mouth water...

 After it's all said-and-done, just gotta load the goods into the freezing trays.  These trays by Beaba are truly awesome.  They are not cheap, but they are so incredibly easy to use and durable that it makes the process streamlined.  They are silicone so when the food is frozen you can literally just pop it out.  I pop the food out into freezer bags and start the process over!

 And it all makes for a happy baby!  And you know what that makes?  A happy mommy!  (By the way, Peas were a success going in...hopefully equally successful coming out!)

 p.s.  If you are offended by poop talk, I truly apologize.  Not for my blog (as it is mine), but for your sensitivity.  You probably don't have children.  :)  And if you do have children, I don't have a clue how you've managed to make it this far!  

Seven Months Old! (WOW)

Yes, I really did put WOW in the subject title.  This is because it is so difficult for me to believe I have a seven month old.  And I think the disbelief grows with each month!  I look at him and cannot believe he is MINE! 

Keagan is a beautiful child (and I am only slightly biased).  He loves to give mommy kisses (and even shares this with his teacher at school, and Grandma got in on the early kissy action at Christmas), likes to rub puppy's back (but we have to keep an eye on this because he also likes to pull puppy's fur!), and continues to LOVE Kung Fu Panda.  Keagan has the most awesome facial expressions and we are constantly laughing at how funny he is.  I think he will be witty like his daddy!

He is a big eater and has mastered sweet potatoes, avocado, bananas, and squash.  His favorite is definitely avocado.  He can sit up by himself for a brief amount of time, but will fall backwards without warning so he must be watched!  He is rolling belly to back and back to belly now (see video for this!).  He continues to rock a bald spot on the back of his head because he would much prefer to lay on his back over his belly.  And he scoots all over the floor on his back.  As mobile as this has allowed him to become, it has not allowed the hair to regrow back there!  Oh well. 

Some of his dislikes include being left in the room by himself (a bit of separation anxiety, I think), laying in the bed with mommy and daddy while they try, in vain, to catch some much needed extra sleep, commercials on the DVR'd version of Kung Fu Panda, being strapped in his carseat, getting his diaper changed before getting fed. 

Keagan continues to crack us up, and we enjoy watching his personality grow daily.  The other day when I dropped Keagan off at school I laid him down on the floor next to a little boy named Ethan who is a month older.  I thought the boys could "play" together.  I started chatting with his teacher, getting his diaper bag situated, etc, when I heard a baby scream and start crying hard.  I looked down at the two boys and Keagan had ahold of Ethan's face and wouldn't let go.  Keagan had this innocent look of "What, mommy? We are playing!" while Ethan spilled tears all over his face.  Poor baby, I had to rescue him from my child.  Do we have a bully on our hands?  Nah...he was just showing affection.  Right?

As I was going through my pics to post today, I found these of Keagan with Grandma and Grandpa from Christmas.  They made me smile.  I am so thankful that they came to visit us despite the incredibly long drive. 

R.S.V.(no P.)

Well, our little man was diagnosed today with RSV.  (google it for specifics)  He has had a horrid cough for over 2 months (minus about two weeks where he was healthy and happy only to have it come back with a vengeance).  Not only has he been coughing, but he has had trouble breathing and has been wheezing and his coughing gets so intense that he will shoot his stomach contents out of his mouth like Old Faithful.  It is really quite sad and has had me stressed out to the max.  He has been to the doctor 4 times in the last two months (once for a well-baby visit, but the cough and respiratory symptoms were discussed) and I have asked every time if this could be RSV.  Finally (only after switching to a new pediatrician) we got an answer:  YES, Keagan has RSV.  And it only took a 3 second swab of his nose to test for it...and a 15 minute wait period.  That's it.  Why the other doctors couldn't have done this I don't know (repeat, we switched pediatricians...if you want to know who NOT to go to, just ask!). 

RSV. This is what they warned us about in the NICU. This is what I was dreading. This is now what we are faced with. Luckily, the doctor thinks that he is dealing well with it and is managing to move air through his lungs well. This means no hospitalization at this time (as the neonatalogists discussed would happen). But it does mean he needs breathing treatments. He has had two thus far and is rather cute getting them, but he really doesn't care for it! I took some pics with the cell phone to show you all. He is being a big boy and is such a trooper, still smiling and talking and being his normal self with the added coughing and wheezing that permeates his routine every couple of minutes.

First breathing treatment in the doctor's office

 Trying out the fishy mask...thank God for Kung Fu Panda, he just watched that while getting his treatment!

A little Mexican.

Keagan has started solids.  And, much to the bewilderment of most relatives including my husband, I am making my own baby food.  Most everyone that hears I am making my own baby food shakes their head and says I am working way too hard.  I can't see how hard it is: I pick out fresh food, puree it, and freeze.  I don't have to stand in a foreign aisle looking at foreign miniature jars of food and wonder if what my baby is eating is the best I can give him.  I am nursing because it is the best, so why wouldn't I at least try to give Keagan the best for the beginning of his food experiences?

Anyways, if I didn't make my own baby food, Keagan would never get to try avocado. (I doubt they have that in those mini jars) And we would never realize just how much he LOVES avocado...or guacamole as we refer to it! Obviously it is guacamole minus the spices and tomato...it is bland guacamole, but whatever! Keagan loves him some Mexican cuisine! Ok, maybe this is taking it a bit far...but check out the open-mouth-forward-lean-to-spoon pose:

 Can we say YUMMY!?  :) 

Happy 2011!

Yes, it is the new year.  It is 1/1/11...that's kinda cool!  However, I have some pics that I have to blog before I can consider this new year...call it a house cleaning of sorts...  These pics are from the weekend before Christmas, but then Christmas happened and those pics HAD to come first.  So, here is a little look back, and then it is only forward from here!

Murray State Basketball game:

Stacey, Me and Keagan, Tassie

(yep, we all shopped at Walgreens for our MSU gear...this was unintentional!)

Keagan is more interested in the game behind him!

 Keagan and Dunker....really frightened of him! 

 (Adorable MSU bib courtesy of Aunt Tassie!  She always makes him the cutest bibs!!)

Some Christmas love for Uncle Jarrett:

Aunt Stacey and Uncle Jarrett went above and beyond and got Keagan some awesome Christmas presents!

As I reflect on the past year I think how much our lives have changed, but how it has definitely been the best year ever.  I thank God for the blessings He has bestowed upon our family, and the family He has given us.  As the old adage goes: Time Flies When You're Having Fun.  This is certainly true in the Owens household; we have had such a fun year (with its own share of ups and downs) and it has flown by...I cannot believe it is 2011.  And I cannot wait to see what this year brings to us! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!