(trying to) raise a paleo baby

(t-shirt design via balanced bites)

i eat a paleo diet.

i hate using the word "diet" because it makes it sound like it's something that i'll stop doing eventually. but i'm not going to do that. it's a lifestyle change. and paleo works for me.

when i was breast feeding griffin he was also a paleo baby. but now he's not. he's formula fed because he wasn't gaining any weight, and because of our medical history the doctors weren't okay with waiting to see if he'd eventually gain. which i understand.

i would be lying if i said that formula feeding griffin isn't easier, but that doesn't change the fact that i'm disappointed that i'm not breast feeding (all the hours i logged pumping for that baby while he was in the hospital!!) and feel totally guilty at times (like it's my fault).

a few people have talked to me about using raw goat's milk for griffin. it's been used for decades as a replacement to breast milk, and is better on the digestive system than cow's milk (raw goat's milk can digest in a baby's tummy in 20 mins - like breast milk- whereas it takes 8 hours to fully digest cow's milk). there are a few issues i have with using raw goat's milk, but this is my biggest one:

it's raw, which is great, but it can carry bacteria. and if griffin gets any bacterial infection it can attack his bowels and we could lose him. i'm not going to risk that. he's too fragile.

it took awhile to find a formula that worked for griffin and mimicked my breast milk enough for him to digest it well and gain weight (extra calorie formula). he's gaining weight on it, he's healthy, and he's doing well. he will only be on it until he is 1 year old, and then it's off the formula and we get to have milk. and then i might introduce raw goat's milk, if my doctor and surgeon say it's okay to try.

all of that being said, he is 4 1/2 months old now, and at 6 months he gets to start eating real food! our pediatrician said i could start giving him rice cereal if i wanted, though if he "got constipated, which can happen with rice cereal, you can give him oatmeal or barley". umm, no thanks. we're not doing the rice cereal thing. his first foods will be acorn squash, butternut squash, green peas, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and bananas. yes, i'm making all of his food, and i am so excited for him to eat! i can't wait!! he'll also visit the surgeon about 2 weeks after he starts eating solids so they can monitor how he's doing with solids.

just because he's not paleo now, doesn't mean he won't be.

one year.

we've been through a lot in the past year. started dating, moved in together, got pregnant, found out about the baby's gastroschisis, left my job, bought a house, got engaged, had Griffin, made it through the NICU and now get to just enjoy raising our little guy. it's been quite a year.

happy anniversary, scott. i love you.

love.

i absolutely love our little guy. he's passed out in his crib right now, sleeping with his little fists close to his face, maybe a finger or two stuck in his mouth. he is the best. his powdery, rotten milk smell. his drooly mouth and his tiny little lips. they way he grips onto my fingers when he's falling asleep... it's like he never wants me to let go. i love the way he stares at me. i love when he gives me the sweetest, drooly kisses. i love bringing him into the bed with me for morning snuggles. i love the way he burrows in next to a warm body and the way his little head smells. i love the cry he has when he's so tired and is almost asleep. i love watching him sleep. i love standing in his room, leaning over the crib, watching him breathe. i think about what scott & i went through to get him here, and how far we've come since then.

i just love that little guy.

4 month old Griffin

(hanging out with auntie Laura)

4 month old Griffin weighs 11lbs 13oz, is afraid of the garbage disposal, and sleeps through the night (like 90% of the time). He sits supported pretty well, and he loves to stand on your lap and stare in your face. He has the cutest personality, giggles a lot, and loves to flirt. We just love him so much, and I can't believe he's already 4 months. He's growing up too fast!

color palette ideas

scott likes this one:

and this one:

source

happy birthday scott

happy 25th birthday to this kid:

wedding, wedding, wedding

i'm obsessed with pinterest. it's my new favorite thing and i'm keeping all of my wedding inspiration on my pinboard there. it's wonderful!! and a great way for you to stalk all the pretty things i love and that you might get to see at the wedding! :)

so, as some of you may know scott & i had our venues picked out and booked (well, technically we hadn't booked our ceremony site yet, but we knew we were going to). thankfully we didn't book that ceremony site with it's nonrefundable $500 deposit because we've decided we simply can't get married there. we were to marry at mission san francisco solano, in sonoma. we went in there the other day and both just felt creeped out inside the mission. that and the fact that there were two life size, very colorful statues of mary and jesus on the altar. that didn't fly with me. i'm not about to take my wedding pictures with jeezy creezy (anyone a fan of eddie izzard?)

so... now we're trying to find out where to have our ceremony. we have two thoughts: try to find some place in sonoma or scratch that whole plan, cancel our booking with el dorado kitchen (where our reception will be) and do the whole thing up at my brother in law's family home, which is absolutely beautiful. the main problem: it's an april wedding and if it rains there won't be a back up plan. i mean, we can always try to tent everything, but that would be super difficult and WAY over budget (do you know how much people charge for tents? it's ridiculous). i've done my research though, and it hasn't rained on april 28th (in santa rosa at least) since 1970. that being said, it'll probably rain on my wedding day. oh well, it's good luck, right?

Happy Mother's Day