Not a lot exciting going on over here as far as meals this week! I am volunteering with VBS at my church and getting a much earlier start than I've gotten to get out of the house than I've gotten in the last 19 weeks. The key words for us this week are....keep it simple!
*Bold items are items we received from our co-op order
Monday-spaghetti with ground turkey, corn-on-the-cob, cantaloupe
Tuesday-pork steaks, sweet potatoes, plums (we have planned this meal for several weeks now and it just keeps getting pushed aside for something else...we will do it this time!)
Wednesday-bacon, eggs, fruit salad
Thursday-Leftover Feast!
Friday-BBQ for VBS
Saturday-Date Night with Papa Hob
Sunday-BBQ chicken legs, Au Gratin potatoes, brownies
7/25/11
7/19/11
Napping Update
I need some thoughts from some fellow mamas and papas.
Here is where we are at with napping. Little Hob, in the last few days, has decided that naps are okay but mostly only as long as he's being held. Papa Hob and I were set to begin sleep training with him this week using the Sleepy Planet "Sleepeasy Solution" but now I am questioning whether or not to begin it since he is beginning to sleep. Is sleeping while being held okay for now and we can transition out of it later or am I creating a bad habit that will have to be broken later on down the road? I see my options as
a) Discontinue holding him while he naps and dive into the Sleepyeasy Solution method.
b) Keep doing what I'm doing and transition slowly to less time being held while sleeping and more time laying in his crib while sleeping.
Right now I'm leaning toward "b". Based on your own experiences-what do you think?
Here is where we are at with napping. Little Hob, in the last few days, has decided that naps are okay but mostly only as long as he's being held. Papa Hob and I were set to begin sleep training with him this week using the Sleepy Planet "Sleepeasy Solution" but now I am questioning whether or not to begin it since he is beginning to sleep. Is sleeping while being held okay for now and we can transition out of it later or am I creating a bad habit that will have to be broken later on down the road? I see my options as
a) Discontinue holding him while he naps and dive into the Sleepyeasy Solution method.
b) Keep doing what I'm doing and transition slowly to less time being held while sleeping and more time laying in his crib while sleeping.
Right now I'm leaning toward "b". Based on your own experiences-what do you think?
7/18/11
Meal Plan Monday 7-18-11
I promise...that this blog is not just going to be what we are eating during the week LOL. We do more than eat around here but those other things have kept us busy this week! We were so fortunate to have both sides of our extended families in from out of town for the weekend and we had a wonderful BBQ lunch on Sunday here at the house.
Little Hob's personality is really beginning to come out and we just love seeing all the new things he's doing each day. He had his four month appointment and weighed in at a whopping 13 pounds 2.5 ounces. He is rolling over from back to tummy and doing a lot of talking. His favorite conversation? "Oooo, oooo, oooo, oooo." That's all he says all day long :). We are getting him prepped for beginning rice cereal in the next few weeks. Little Hob sat up at the table in a booster seat tonight while we ate. Where did my little newborn go? :)
Our meal plan this week includes a food from the co-op that is new to us....leeks. I googled a recipe to use the leeks in and we will be using it for a delicious dinner on Sunday! I will make the recipe a "clicky" if you are interested in trying it! Also, I will show the foods we got from the co-op by putting them in bold print. Have a great week!
Monday-leftover chicken and burgers, corn-on-the-cob, green beans
Tuesday-yellow squash and baby portabella mushroom stir fry, couscous, strawberries
Wednesday-turkey tacos and cheesy Spanish rice
Thursday-BBQ chicken legs, corn-on-the-cob, cucumber and tomato salad
Friday-pork steaks and sweet potatoes
Saturday-Wedding Reception dinner
Sunday-salmon steaks with carmelized leeks and carrots
Little Hob's personality is really beginning to come out and we just love seeing all the new things he's doing each day. He had his four month appointment and weighed in at a whopping 13 pounds 2.5 ounces. He is rolling over from back to tummy and doing a lot of talking. His favorite conversation? "Oooo, oooo, oooo, oooo." That's all he says all day long :). We are getting him prepped for beginning rice cereal in the next few weeks. Little Hob sat up at the table in a booster seat tonight while we ate. Where did my little newborn go? :)
 |
| Not a newborn but you'll always be my baby :) |
Our meal plan this week includes a food from the co-op that is new to us....leeks. I googled a recipe to use the leeks in and we will be using it for a delicious dinner on Sunday! I will make the recipe a "clicky" if you are interested in trying it! Also, I will show the foods we got from the co-op by putting them in bold print. Have a great week!
Monday-leftover chicken and burgers, corn-on-the-cob, green beans
Tuesday-yellow squash and baby portabella mushroom stir fry, couscous, strawberries
Wednesday-turkey tacos and cheesy Spanish rice
Thursday-BBQ chicken legs, corn-on-the-cob, cucumber and tomato salad
Friday-pork steaks and sweet potatoes
Saturday-Wedding Reception dinner
Sunday-salmon steaks with carmelized leeks and carrots
7/11/11
Meal Plan Monday 7-11-11
Wow, we have had a busy few days at the Hob house! It seems that July is just going to be one action-packed weekend after another for us. We missed a few of the meals I had planned for last week for one reason or another so we'll be making those meals up (since I've already got everything on hand) and cleaning out the freezer this week so that there's more room to buy/cook/freeze meats to use for later. So, with no further ado, the meal plan for this week.
Sunday-honey mustard chicken with whole grain rice
Monday-hot dogs and fruit salad (last minute meal :) )
Tuesday-Thai eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and red peppers sauteed and served with Mediterranean curry couscous inspired by Elise's recipe here
Wednesday-breaded fish fillets and pasta salad with chopped tomatoes
Thursday-omelets with red peppers and mushrooms and fruit from our Thursday co-op order
Friday-grilled cheese and salami sandwiches and BBQ chips
Saturday-Dinner Out!
Sunday-honey mustard chicken with whole grain rice
Monday-hot dogs and fruit salad (last minute meal :) )
Tuesday-Thai eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and red peppers sauteed and served with Mediterranean curry couscous inspired by Elise's recipe here
Wednesday-breaded fish fillets and pasta salad with chopped tomatoes
Thursday-omelets with red peppers and mushrooms and fruit from our Thursday co-op order
Friday-grilled cheese and salami sandwiches and BBQ chips
Saturday-Dinner Out!
7/8/11
Adventures in Napping
Let me start off by bragging a little before I hit the hot topic. Little Hob sleeps GREAT at night. From about weeks 1-10, he got up twice a night to eat and then went back to sleep. From weeks 11-14, he'd get up once a night to eat and then go back to sleep. Since around week 14, he sleeps 8:00 pm to 6:30 am and wakes up as happy as a clam and ready to go eat and play for a few hours. I have not had a single night where I've been up all night with him. But he doesn't nap longer than 15-20 minutes a couple of times a day.
-Um.-
-What?-
I was under the assumption that all newborns napped and were sleepy. That's what the books say, right? I remember reading online when Little Hob was around 8-9 weeks old and the text said "Now your baby should be much more awake and alert" and I just laughed to myself thinking "My kid has been awake and alert THIS WHOLE TIME that he was supposed to be sleepy and napping the day away!" The first six weeks of life or so, I just thought he was getting in a routine. And he was! And then we went to Little Hob's six week appointment and the doctor said that he needed about 1.5-2 hours of awake time and then he needed to be put down for a nap. So I went home ready to do that so we could finally get Little Hob into a healthy sleep routine. Little Hob, however, did not hear what the doctor said about going to sleep every 1.5-2 hours apparently because he continued to take 20 minute catnaps and be ready to go on his merry way! And it continues that way now at 16 weeks. A couple of times a week, we may get a 1-2 hour afternoon nap out of him but that is pretty much it.
I have tried ev-er-y-th-in-gggg. Little Hob has been shushed and swung. I have tried putting him down for a nap earlier and spreading the time out between when we are trying to get him to sleep during the day. I have tried rocking him and holding him through a nap. He has been put down for naps completely asleep and slightly drowsy. Little Hob has gone down for naps where I've completely recreated our nighttime routine and he is in his pajamas and sleep sack, turned on the noise machine, blocked out the light, and ran the cold air humidifier. A few times, I've provided a lot of stimulation and activity right before naptime in the hopes of wearing him out and, most of the time, have provided no stimulation to help him wind down and relax. I have swaddled and cuddled and even left him alone to fall asleep to result in...20 minute catnaps. My latest plan, after reading a chapter in a book about helping set a nap routine, is putting him to bed 30 minutes later and waking him at the usual time in the hopes that he'll pick up that 30 minutes of sleep with a nap sometime during the day.
A family member suggested that maybe Little Hob is just not tired. I thought about that but disagree for a couple of reasons. First of all, Little Hob gets super crabby and acts tired around 4-6 pm. Second, babies need sleep as part of a healthy routine. Third, I think Little Hob is tired but just has trouble staying asleep during the day. He gets fussy, rubs his eyes, yawns, etc. and give all the baby sleepy cues and eventually falls asleep but does not nap soundly enough to be asleep for more than 15-20 minutes. Fourth, whether he is tired or just fighting a routine---I want my child to develop healthy sleep habits. I want him to (eventually) be able to put himself to sleep, sleep enough hours during the night, and get the rest he needs to be able to make good decisions and concentrate. Just like any other parent, I want Little Hob to be happy and healthy and I strongly feel that adequate sleep is going to be part of that equation!
So, now what? Right now I'm looking at all the options. I'm reading books (Babywise, Ferber, the Sleepeasy Solution, and Baby Whisperer) at the suggestions of others and I'm reading and listening to other people's experiences with their child's naps. After looking at all of these options, I plan to figure out what is best for our family and talk to our pediatrician about it at our next visit. I think Little Hob may be a little young yet for 'sleep training' and I definitely don't want to mess up this sleeping through the night that he's been doing. If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
-Um.-
-What?-
I was under the assumption that all newborns napped and were sleepy. That's what the books say, right? I remember reading online when Little Hob was around 8-9 weeks old and the text said "Now your baby should be much more awake and alert" and I just laughed to myself thinking "My kid has been awake and alert THIS WHOLE TIME that he was supposed to be sleepy and napping the day away!" The first six weeks of life or so, I just thought he was getting in a routine. And he was! And then we went to Little Hob's six week appointment and the doctor said that he needed about 1.5-2 hours of awake time and then he needed to be put down for a nap. So I went home ready to do that so we could finally get Little Hob into a healthy sleep routine. Little Hob, however, did not hear what the doctor said about going to sleep every 1.5-2 hours apparently because he continued to take 20 minute catnaps and be ready to go on his merry way! And it continues that way now at 16 weeks. A couple of times a week, we may get a 1-2 hour afternoon nap out of him but that is pretty much it.
I have tried ev-er-y-th-in-gggg. Little Hob has been shushed and swung. I have tried putting him down for a nap earlier and spreading the time out between when we are trying to get him to sleep during the day. I have tried rocking him and holding him through a nap. He has been put down for naps completely asleep and slightly drowsy. Little Hob has gone down for naps where I've completely recreated our nighttime routine and he is in his pajamas and sleep sack, turned on the noise machine, blocked out the light, and ran the cold air humidifier. A few times, I've provided a lot of stimulation and activity right before naptime in the hopes of wearing him out and, most of the time, have provided no stimulation to help him wind down and relax. I have swaddled and cuddled and even left him alone to fall asleep to result in...20 minute catnaps. My latest plan, after reading a chapter in a book about helping set a nap routine, is putting him to bed 30 minutes later and waking him at the usual time in the hopes that he'll pick up that 30 minutes of sleep with a nap sometime during the day.
A family member suggested that maybe Little Hob is just not tired. I thought about that but disagree for a couple of reasons. First of all, Little Hob gets super crabby and acts tired around 4-6 pm. Second, babies need sleep as part of a healthy routine. Third, I think Little Hob is tired but just has trouble staying asleep during the day. He gets fussy, rubs his eyes, yawns, etc. and give all the baby sleepy cues and eventually falls asleep but does not nap soundly enough to be asleep for more than 15-20 minutes. Fourth, whether he is tired or just fighting a routine---I want my child to develop healthy sleep habits. I want him to (eventually) be able to put himself to sleep, sleep enough hours during the night, and get the rest he needs to be able to make good decisions and concentrate. Just like any other parent, I want Little Hob to be happy and healthy and I strongly feel that adequate sleep is going to be part of that equation!
So, now what? Right now I'm looking at all the options. I'm reading books (Babywise, Ferber, the Sleepeasy Solution, and Baby Whisperer) at the suggestions of others and I'm reading and listening to other people's experiences with their child's naps. After looking at all of these options, I plan to figure out what is best for our family and talk to our pediatrician about it at our next visit. I think Little Hob may be a little young yet for 'sleep training' and I definitely don't want to mess up this sleeping through the night that he's been doing. If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
7/4/11
Meal Plan Monday 7-4-11
Happy Fourth of July! We are celebrating the week with some very "American" meals. Well, with the exception of Friday. We ordered a second order from the co-op last week and ended up with a Thai eggplant in our order. I'd never heard of it, but in true "iron chef" fashion, am starting to research recipes to see what we can do with it!
Monday-Fourth of July BBQ
Tuesday-sloppy joes and corn-on-the-cob
Wednesday-baked chicken and smashed cauliflower
Thursday-omelets with red peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes
Friday-something with Thai eggplant and rice...any suggestions?
Saturday-sandwiches for a busy weekend!
Sunday-pork steaks and corn-on-the cob
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Monday-Fourth of July BBQ
Tuesday-sloppy joes and corn-on-the-cob
Wednesday-baked chicken and smashed cauliflower
Thursday-omelets with red peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes
Friday-something with Thai eggplant and rice...any suggestions?
Saturday-sandwiches for a busy weekend!
Sunday-pork steaks and corn-on-the cob
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
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