happy.harvey.home.

Introducing Solids

Posted on November 9, 2014 by annettelharvey

Introducing solids has been a bit of a mini research project.. what to do first, second, third, for how long, how much, at what age. It’s a bit stressful. Here’s my recap on how we started solids..

Who: Our sweet boy and mom or dad. Our plan is to wait as long as we can before asking his teachers at daycare to start feeding him solids. I want to see what he eats, how long it takes him and how much. I’m not ready to turn over the process yet.

What: Starting with organic oatmeal before adding fruits and veggies. From what I can tell it doesn’t matter what order however there are recommended fruits and veggies for each age. We skipped rice because of the zero nutritional value associated with rice and honestly we are just ready to get this party started.

When: After he takes a full bottle we are giving him first solids after his first morning feeding (7 am). Once we need to add feedings (goal is 2-3 per day) we will probably try a mid evening feeding (5:30?) or I’ll send his food with him to daycare for after his 11am and 3pm feedings. He is way too sleepy at his 7pm feeding for anything but his bottle. Also we decided to wait until he was only 6 months old at the recommendation of our pediatrician.

Where: In his high chair in the kitchen- consistency matters.

Why: Cuz he needs to start learning textures and how to eat something other than milk! 🙂 (otherwise I think i’d prefer to skip the whole process!)

So here we go..

Day 1: 1 tablespoon of oatmeal mixed with about 3 oz milk
- This amount was based on the recommendation of the baby oatmeal box
- This made WAY to much food- especially for his first meal which hardly any of it made it into his mouth because he cried the whole time (as noted by the picture to the right.)
- Regroup and get ready for day 2.
Day 2: 1 teaspoon of oatmeal with enough milk to make it liquidy
- Much more successful – no tears- still trying to figure things out!
- Rewarding him with a little more from his bottle after the oatmeal
Day 3-6: 1 teaspoon of oatmeal with enough milk to make it liquidy
- Still getting used to it… and still doesn’t really like it..and he still cries most of the time. Maybe he will like fruits and veggies better.. we can only hope!

* Pediatrician recommends 2-3 TBS cereal twice a day in addition to breastmilk or formula (up to 36 oz). Introduce one thing at a day every 5 days. Cereal first, fruits, yellow and orange veggies, green veggies then meats. At 6 months can increase to half to one jar which translates to 2-4 oz per day.

** Our boy continued to cry and refuse solids until day 9.. so 6 days of oatmeal and then 3 days of bananas and then he finally ate the bananas, without crying.. wow. What an accomplishment! We gave him 3oz of his bottle followed by bananas and then the remaining 3 oz of his bottle. So don’t worry if they don’t LOVE solids right away, if they scream and cry and act like you are doing the worst thing ever to them by feeing them solids- eventually, they will get it, and it will be worth it!

4 Hr Feeding Schedule

Posted on November 7, 2014 by annettelharvey

Our boy is growing up so fast! We’ve been on a 4 hour feeding schedule the last 3 weeks (22-25 weeks) and we are about to add solids tomorrow (I still can’t believe it!) As soon as I get used to one schedule its time to change it again. He’s such a growing boy.. I can’t wait for this first reaction to solids though.. should be pretty fun 🙂

So here is the 4 hr feeding schedule we did to bridge the transition and get ready for solids..

4 Hour Schedule (22-25 weeks)

7:00 Wake him up and Eat – nurse about 12 minutes
- usually a cat nap in the car on the way to work for about 20 minutes
- 9:30- down for a nap, on his back, in a sleep sack with his paci
11:00 Eat – 8 oz bottle*
- 1:00 – he is usually ready for a nap earlier at this point (less wake time)
- On his back, in a sleep sack with his paci – even at daycare
3:00 Eat – 8 oz bottle
- 4:45-5:15 – occasional nap in the car on the way home
- 5:45 down for a nap regardless if he napped earlier in the car or not
6:45 Bath, Bottle, Bed – usually another 8 oz bottle

Couple of notes:

We only send 8 oz bottles to daycare but he can usually eat more at that 11am feeding. At home I usually give him 9 oz. Recommended oz at his age is 32 oz (8oz 4x a day so that’s why I don’t send 9 oz every day- just a little too much milk).
Goal is 2 hours of wake time followed by 2 hours of nap time. Doesn’t always happen- especially driving to and from working and other things that happen during the day but its a good goal.
At 5.5 months (around 24 weeks) our little man started rolling over on his tummy and is sometimes choosing to sleep that way instead. However his favorite position is still on his back with his hands behind his head! hilarious!

Burp Cloths & Bibs

Posted on November 7, 2014 by annettelharvey

I love handmade baby accessories. Love, love them! 🙂 One of my favorites is from my dear friend Jenn who has her own Etsy Shop for lots of fun baby accessories- my favorites are her burp cloths and bibs.. so many cute patterns, especially for boys which I feel like is hard to find sometimes. As you can tell I love her stuff, so stop by her shop and check it out.

Hanging Picture Frame

Posted on October 18, 2014 by annettelharvey

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE pictures. I have pictures all over our house. Honestly I don’t think I know how to decorate without pictures. One of my favorite pieces in our home is this gem which I found on Etsy. It’s the perfect combination of style, functionality and a great way to display lots of pictures (and invitations) without one of those ugly collage picture frames. I’ve found that printing off your Instagram pictures works well so you have the perfect size picture without your frame being overloaded. I love Printstagram for printing all of my Instagram photos. $12 for 24 square pictures mailed directly to your home. Love it!

Sample Schedule 3-5 months

Posted on October 18, 2014 by annettelharvey

Our boy just turned 5 months this week (22 weeks) and we decided to try a 4 hour feeding schedule instead of his current 3.5 hour schedule. Mainly because of his last two feedings being so close together and for ease in planning our days. Not sure if it is going to stick yet but here is our previous 3.5 hour schedule which he was on from 12 to 22 weeks.

3.5 Hour Schedule (12-22 weeks)

7 Wake him up and Eat – nurse about 15 minutes
- usually a cat nap in the car on the way to work for about 20 minutes
- 9- down for a nap, on his back, in a sleep sack with his paci
10:30 Eat – 7 oz bottle
- 11:30/12 – he is usually ready for a nap earlier at this point (less wake time)
- On his back, in a sleep sack with his paci -even at daycare
2:00 Eat- 7 oz bottle
- 3:30-4:15 – short nap
- I pick him up from daycare at 4:30, occasional cat nap in the car on the way home
5:30 Eat – nurse about 20-30 minutes
7:00 Bath, Bottle, Bed – usually another 7 oz bottle

This schedule was great for our initial school (daycare) and work routine. I would wake up at 5:30 am and get completely ready before waking up our boy at 7. Then I’d feed him and pump (while he sat in his bumbo or played with Daddy) and then be out the door by 8:15 to head to daycare and then work. On days when I had to be at work by 8:30 I’d wake up earlier and pump before feeding him but keep his wake time at 7 am.

Basil Lemonade

Posted on October 15, 2014 by annettelharvey

My best friend made this for my baby shower earlier this year and it was a huge hit. I decided to do the same for another shower I threw this past week. Here is a simple recipe for a tasty spin on lemonade, perfect for a shower or party.

Basil Lemonade:

2-3 bottles Simply Lemonade (depending on the size of your drink dispenser)
1/4 cup sugar per bottle
Fresh basil finely diced

Directions:

Pour 1/4 cup sugar directly into Simply Lemonade bottle.
Add fresh basil
Shake and let sit overnight (shaking occasionally)
Enjoy!

Crescent Cinnamon Rolls

Posted on October 11, 2014 by annettelharvey

When you are low on groceries and out of eggs and bacon. Here is a great, quick, recipe everyone will surely love.

Ingredients

1 tube (8 count) Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, unrolled and separated
5 tablespoons butter,softened
¼ cup white sugar
2½ teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze

2 tablespoons butter, melted
¼ cup + 2 tablespoons powdered Sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375
Place the unrolled and separate crescent rolls on an un greased rimmed cookie sheet(one with sides).
In a small bowl, mix together the butter, sugar and cinnamon
Evenly spread the cinnamon butter over the crescent rolls and roll up tightly.
Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Glaze

In a small bowl, mix together the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Place in a zip lock bag and snip a tiny corner off.
Drizzle the glaze over the cinnamon rolls.

Original recipe available here.

Diaper Diaries

Posted on October 3, 2014 by annettelharvey

It’s about that time again.. time to “up” our little man’s diaper size. How do I know? Well you can refer to the size chart that diaper companies provide or you may also know because you are constantly changing your little one’s clothing after multiple blow outs (3 exactly) in one day. That’s a definite sign that its time to “up” your diaper size. Here is my list so far in tracking how long our little one is in each size (pounds provided by Pampers). NOTE: I noticed that our little man started “exploding” out of his diapers 1-2 pounds sooner than the suggested weight range. For instance a size 2 diaper is listed for 12-18lb however we noticed they were too small for him at about 16lb. That’s been the case with every size so far.

Size N (Our boy: 0-5 weeks)
Up to 10 lb.
222 Avg. diapers per month

Size 1 (Our boy: 5 weeks – 11 weeks)
8-14 lb.
216 Avg. diapers per month

Size 2 (Our boy: 11 weeks – 20 weeks)
12-18 lb.
216 Avg. diapers per month

Size 3 (Our boy: 20 weeks – 30 weeks )
16-28 lb.
177 Avg. diapers per month

Size 4 (Our boy: 30 weeks – ?)
22-37 lb.
162 Avg. diapers per month

Size 5: 27+ lb.
Size 6: 35+ lb.
Size 7: 41+ lb.

It’s also good to remember how many diapers you went through. Here is our record (yes, I tracked them this long and I’m not really sure why!):

May (birth- 2 weeks): 141 diapers

June (3-6 weeks): 382 diapers

July (7-11 weeks): 378 diapers

August (12-15 weeks): 324 diapers

September (16-19 weeks): 291 diapers

Cheesy Chicken Rolls

Posted on September 28, 2014 by annettelharvey

One of our favorite go-to meals thanks to our neighbor, Jenny, who brought this to us after our little man was born. I’m returning the favor and making it for another friend with a new baby this weekend.

4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
2 – 8 oz. cans crescent rolls
2 – 10 3/4 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
2 1/2 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
1 1/4 cups milk

In a saucepan on low heat, combine soup, 1 cup of cheese, and milk and stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Pour half* sauce into a 9×13″ pan prepared with nonstick spray.

Open cans of rolls and separate. Set aside 1/4 cup of cheese for topping. Combine chicken and cheese in a bowl. Place about 2 T of the chicken/cheese mixture on wide end of each dough triangle, pulling side points of triangle over filling. Roll up each crescent roll and set in pan with sauce. Top with remaining sauce.

Bake at 375* uncovered for 30 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and then heat to melt additional 3 minutes.

Loaded Potato Salad

Posted on August 31, 2014 by annettelharvey

My family is getting together for Labor Day tomorrow. I’m always looking for new and different sides that we can try and that can appease a crowd of picky eaters. Here is my latest find. Homemade potato salad that they are sure to love.

Ingredients:

10 Small Red Potatoes, cut into small chunks – peel ½, leave skin on other ½

1 oz. Hidden Valley Ranch Dip Mix packet

¾ c. Low-Fat Sour Cream

¼. c. Mayonaise

½ tsp. Ground Pepper

½ tsp. Garlic, minced

1 tsp. Dijon Mustard

2 tsp. Minced Cilantro

¾ c. Shredded Cheddar Cheese

5 slices Bacon, cooked and chopped

2 Tablespoons minced chives

Directions:

In a medium pot, place chunked potatoes and cover with 1” of water. Bring potatoes to a boil over high heat and reduce to medium, allowing to simmer for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

While the potatoes are cooking go ahead and cook your bacon. We like to cook it in the oven for less mess and ease. Place bacon strips on lined cookie sheet in a cold oven. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and set the timer for 17 minutes. Depending on bacon and ovens the bacon should be crispy around 17-20 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayo, pepper, garlic, mustard, and cilantro. Cover and set aside in fridge.

When potatoes are done, drain and place on a lined baking sheet. Immediately sprinkle with packet of ranch dip and fold potatoes over with a spatula until the dip mix is evenly distributed. Place baking sheet of potatoes into the fridge for approximately 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are cool.

When potatoes are cool, pour into large bowl of sour cream mixture.

Fold in shredded cheddar cheese and bacon. Sprinkle chives on top of potato salad.

Chill for two hours until flavors meld. Enjoy!

Original recipe available here.