Your Child's Journey

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Baby Expressions

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Have you been observing your baby or child to know them even better? Do you know how he/she reacts to tastes, smells, noise, smiles, hugs, strangers, and being alone? I’m sure you already kn0w the answers to many of these.

Some of these preferences are based in their personality and won’t change much throughout life. But others may change very often. What they liked yesterday, they may hate today. Their choice of toys and games they play with you changes very quickly too. So stay flexible and alert.

Though little babies do not understand your words, they do understand your tone. So, as you notice something about them, talk about it. Say things like, “I see you really like bananas today. Bananas are yummy.” Or “Ah, so you don’t want to play Peek-a-Boo right now. This Little Piggy is your favorite game today.” As you practice reflecting out loud what you are observing about your baby and child, you build bridges with them. They will feel more connected to you and your parent-child relationship strengthens.

scared-baby
What is he trying to tell you?
active-sleep-baby
How asleep is she?

I have a fun exercise for you to try now. There are different levels of consciousness that you can observe even in little babies. Go to, States of Consciousness, with pictures of these levels of consciousness. Try to match the pictures with the descriptions. See how well you do. Then be aware of how your baby demonstrates these levels of consciousness. (Note: Both parents should try this!)

Then go to:  Baby Emotions. Since babies cannot tell you in words, it is important we can identify their facial expressions. See how well you do at recognizing these Baby Emotions. Be sure to tell your baby what you observe. They will learn the words for the emotions they feel as you continue to use the correct words. Of course, sometimes you will miss it entirely. That’s OK, keep practicing and you will get better at this non-verbal communication.

The Gottman Institute calls these exercises, building love maps. As we gain knowledge of each other and each of our children, we have a better ‘map’ to their heart. Do whatever you can, even in small ways, to build your understanding and create meaningful connections. It’s an idea with a great future investment.

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Making Purees for Deceptively Delicious Recipes

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You begin by making purees, a few at a time. Divide each into potions and freeze them for use in the recipes.

For apples, berries, cantaloupe, cherries and pineapple, just wash, cut the fruit and puree in a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes. (Instead of fresh berries, cherries, or pineapple, you can use frozen or canned without syrup.)

For avocados and bananas, all that is necessary to make the purees is to mash them well until they are smooth and then puree in a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes.

For beets, leave them whole, wrap them in foil and roast at 400°F (200°C) for 1 hour or until they can be pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Peel and puree in a food processor or blender for about 2 minutes.

Sweet potatoes can be prepared just like beets or steamed. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas, bell peppers, spinach and zucchini and summer squash can all be steamed too. Prepare each of these veggies as listed below and steam them for the appropriate length of time. When cooked, puree them in a food processor or blender for 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy (add a few teaspoons of water if necessary to get the right texture).

  • Cut broccoli in florets and steam for 6-7 minutes, only until bright green (olive green is over-cooked).
  • Cut cauliflower into florets and discard the core. Steam for 8-10 minutes.
  • Peel, trim, and cut carrots into 3 inch (7.5cm) chunks and steam for 10-12 minutes.
  • Just steam frozen peas for 2 minutes and only 1/2-1 minute for thawed peas.
  • Cut bell peppers in half, remove the stem, seeds, and white membrane. Steam for 10-12 minutes.
  • For baby spinach there is no preparation needed before steaming. For mature spinach, fold the leaves in half lengthwise with the stem outside. Then strip the stem off the leaf. Steam for 30-40 seconds, or cook in a skillet with 1 tablespoon (15 cc) of water for about 90 seconds, or just until wilted.
  • Zucchini and summer squash just need the ends trimmed off and cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces. Steam for 6-8 minutes.

All of these veggies can be cooked in a microwave oven with a little water and covered loosely with microwave-safe plastic wrap or lid or waxed paper. Since every microwave is different, you will need to experiment with the length of time for cooking each vegetable.

Let the warm purees cool and package them in either 1/4 cup (60cc) or 1/2 cup (120cc) portions. These can be refrigerated in small sandwich bags to use within a few days or frozen in freezer bags for longer storage. Be sure to label each bag with the fruit or vegetable, the amount, and the date. Use the oldest first.

When ready to use, thaw frozen purees in a microwave or bowl of hot water until soft. Snip the corner of the bag and squeeze out this instant nutrition boost to any of these recipes or to store-bought sauces.

 

Deceptively Delicious Recipes

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Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld offers simple secrets to get kids eating good food.

Jessica starts her book with, “I had tried everything, and yet all my efforts to feed my family were being undermined by a powerful force: vegetables. Mealtimes were reduced to a constant pushing and pulling, with me forever begging my kids to eat their vegetables, and them protesting unhappily. Instead of laughing and having fun with my family, I was irritated and stressed as I labored to coerce them to eat food they found ‘disgusting.’ I couldn’t take it any more. I just wanted a little peace around the dinner table.”
If this sounds familiar to you, this method and some of the recipes in this book may restore peace to your dinner table too.

She goes on to say, “Then, one evening while I was cooking dinner, pureeing butternut squash for the baby and making mac and cheese for the rest of us, I had the crazy idea of stirring a little of the puree into the macaroni. And so I did. The colors matched–you couldn’t really see the squash in there–and the texture was perfect. So I stirred a little more, tasting to make sure the flavor of the squash didn’t overpower the cheese. Feeling only a little guilty that I was tricking my children, I stirred in enough of the squash to feel satisfied that I was giving them a respectable portion of vegetables.

“And then I held my breath.

“It worked! The kids, entirely innocent of my deceit, plowed happily through their dinners. I was beside myself with joy. I couldn’t stop smiling at the knowledge that my kids had eaten vegetables without a word from me. My husband, Jerry, was dying to know what all my smiling was about. It was the first meal in a very long time during which I hadn’t said, ‘Eat your vegetables,’ even once. And that was pure pleasure.”

From time to time I will be adding recipes that I think you will enjoy trying with your kids. The first step is making the purees that are the secret to adding nutrition to your kids favorite foods.

Directions for making these delicious Purees.

French Toast

Tortilla ‘Cigars’

Delayed Head Control

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At birth, your baby has little control over his head because his motor skills and neck muscles are fairly weak. He’ll develop this crucial skill, which is the foundation for all later movement – such as sitting up and walking – little by little during the first year of life.

When it develops

Your baby will probably be able to lift her head when she’s about a month old, and hold it up when placed in a sitting position at around 4 months. Her neck muscles and head control should be strong and steady by 6 months.

Highlights from BabyCenter.com

To read more go go: BabyCenter.com

5 Truths that will Transform Your Parenting

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Transform-Parenting-croppedI found Sarah Ann’s web site some years ago and was blessed by what she had written. Sarah gave me permission to reprint this article in this web site. YourChildsJourney.com.

These are truths that are so freeing when we believe them. I have shared these same ideas in parenting seminars before. But Sarah wrote this so well, I wanted to share these in her words. I hope you are as blessed by this as I have been.

5 Truths that will Transform Your Parenting

Motherhood.

It’s the greatest blessing wrapped into one messy and sleep-deprived adventure. From reading books to bandaging knees, motherhood is filled with moments of pure joy and precious memories to treasure for a lifetime.

But I found out early in my parenting, after my daughter was diagnosed with Autism, that I was making motherhood more difficult than it needed to be.

In my desire to be a “good mom”, I was wrapping myself in a cocoon of stress rather than savoring those sweet memories of her childhood.

It was then, wondering how my role as mom would change as we charted this new territory, that my view of parenting shifted and was changed forever. The gift of clarity that came from learning about my child’s condition lifted the fog from my eyes and I learned to savor what motherhood was about.

These simple truths can transform your parenting, too. When you view parenting through these truths, your perspective will shift forever!

  1. You’re not perfect.

As moms, we try to feign some resemblance of perfection. We are so desperate for other women to think we excel at motherhood, and we put on a mask of perfection that prohibits others from seeing our true selves.

When we take off the mask and expose ourselves for who we are, moms that fumble through life and sometimes struggle to stay afloat, we create unity and transparency with others. Our fellow moms who watch us juggle life from the outside, will be thrilled to see the reality of our parenting woes. Not ruled by mean ambition or ill-will, others will be relieved that we’re human and that we struggle at times, too.

Underneath our shrouds of perfection, we’re terrified of messing up our kids and praying that our best will be good enough in the end, even though as moms, sometimes we struggle with managing our own feelings, including mom anger.

  1. Parenthood is not a competition or a Pinterest post.

From over-the-top birthday parties to elaborate vacation plans, moms unknowingly compete to be the best and have the best. Instead of building others up, moms tend to disdainfully judge every aspect of another family’s life.

Yet that’s not what wants God from us.

He calls us to show love by being respectful, no matter how another chooses to parent or whether or not she feeds her family an all organic diet.

What is right for your family may not be right for another, so call off the cavalry and stop competing with each other!

  1. A season of difficulty does not define your child or your parenting.

When in a season where your child has let you down {if they haven’t yet- they will!}, remember that this does not define your child or your ability to parent. There will be moments and seasons of struggle, disobedience, and rebellion as he/she finds their way in the world.

  • Hit your knees and pray for guidance; trusting that God will be faithful to reveal your next steps on your journey through parenthood.
  • Draw strength and peace from His Word alone, trusting that He is working in the heart and life of your child.
  • Allow yourself to grow as a parent and for God to refine your character through this trial as well.

These truths will change your parenting, even on the hard days.

  1. Give more grace to your child than they deserve.

It’s human nature to want to hold a grudge and to turn a cold shoulder to those who have hurt or wronged us in some way. Parenting is no different, and it can be tempting to carry around anger and resentment against a child who has consistently done wrong.

Instead of acting in the flesh, give more grace to your little offender than he/she deserves. Be gracious to your child when they stumble, modeling the grace offered freely at the cross to you. After all, your child is a sinner, too, and it’s your job to point them to Jesus in action and in words.

  1. God gave your child to YOU for a reason.

In those times your parenting journey is tough and overwhelming, it can be easy to question what God is doing.

Remember, He hand-picked YOU to be your child’s parent and has equipped YOU to thrive in that role.

Grab your Bible, the greatest parenting book of all, and pray specifically for strength, wisdom, and grace to penetrate every fiber of your being.

May you learn to radiate the love of Jesus to your child, and to be an example of the hands and feet of Jesus as you trust that God does not make mistakes.

May He who placed you with your family members lavish you with joy on the journey of parenthood, today and always.

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Thank you, Sarah Ann for sharing this wonderful article with us.

Blessings!

Diane

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