I really enjoy writing these posts. They’re so much easier to write; stream of consciousness writing at its best. I mean, I see why there are so many moms out there in the blogosphere writing about their kids these days. It’s so easy to write about your fascinating child, sharing with the world how your day-to-day is changing, what s/he is doing now, what challenges you’re facing, etc. No research, no citations, not having to make sure what you’re saying is backed by legitimacy. And, judging by the numbers I’m seeing, you guys enjoy reading this type of post, too! So I think I’ll be able to keep up with this What’s She Doing Wednesdays thing! (I’m definitely NOT going to start shifting away from the health-topic posts for Sproutings Saturdays!)

• I found out that not only does she love mimicking certain things we do, but she LOVES sticking out her tongue and watching me do it back. As we stand in front of the mirror, she sticks out her tongue. She looks at me (in the mirror), so I stick mine out. She smiles then turns to look at me face to face to make sure I was still doing it. She laughs and continues to stick her tongue out in all sorts of directions. So cute.
• She’s discovered how doors open and close. I was in the bathroom and she was kneeling on the ground one hand on the door, moving it back and forth. She realized if she pushed it enough, she could close it completely.
• We can self-feed pouches! The picture above is of her first time holding and sucking down a pouch on her own! Now, deciding to finish it is another story. She only wants to eat from the pouch if she’s holding it, because if I hold it (after she gets going) it’s just not as appealing 😉
• “Pacifier Pop” is what I’m calling this new game that Jia finds absolutely hilarious. Jia is the squirmiest most stubborn little booger during a diaper change, writhing and refusing to lay on her back while I remove sharp diaper pins, fold a diaper, or even take off her pants and socks. She turns on her belly and gets on all fours trying to grab at anything she can, whether or not that would cause her to fall off the changing table. She sometimes even cries because she doesn’t feel like getting changed. So, today she was crying, so I got her pacifier (Wubbanubb) from the crib and I brought it to her face then thought – I’ll put it in my mouth! So I did. She started reaching for it, lying down nicely on her back. I turned my head away dodging her hands and she starts laughing. Then once she grabs ahold of the frog, I refuse to let the pacifier go. Then I let her “POP” it out of my mouth with a loud pop. She CRACKS UP!!! I struck gold. At least, for today.

 Mom Thoughts:

• My car needed maintenance done so I was driving Jeff’s car to Trader Joe’s. With the shopping cart cover in the back of my SUV, I realized she would have to sit in a shopping cart without a cover. It actually turned out even better than using it, because the seatbelt on the cart does a much better job at keeping a squirmy Jia well-seated. Thank you, Trader Joe’s (and Target!) for having sanitizing wipes. (I usually bring a ziplock of Lysol wipes in my mom-bag but didn’t take it with me to TJ’s since I thought I remembered them having a bucket of wipes near the carts) This is nice to learn since TJ’s and Target are my second and third homes. 
• I finally took out the newborn insert from the Infant Car Seat. I’m probably really late on this one but my little girl is *sniffle* growing up so she doesn’t really need that head support anymore. Sad day. She is already 1.5″ away from the top of the seat, soon to be outgrown. 
• I learned a lot about carseats in the past 7 days. I think a purchase of the Graco Milestone or Diono Radian 3-in-1 carseat is in the near future. Once Jia outgrows her infant car seat, she’ll need a seat to continue rear-facing until 2-4 years old. Two years is the absolute minimum the AAP recommends, four years is preferred. But, I want a seat that will be more-inclusive, meeting requirements for when she turns forward-facing in a harness (until 5 years old), and then with a normal seatbelt in the high-back booster (from 5-10) and then a backless booster (at least 10 years old). I had no idea before THIS WEEK (thanks to Car Seats For The Littles!) that you needed that many car seats. Am I the only one? My gosh. This also means my in-laws will need to get one for their car since the big seats aren’t meant to go in and out of cars all the time. Why can’t they make infant car seats slightly larger so that it can hold them til 2 years old? Like an Infa-Toddler Car Seat. Then we can bypass getting another rear-facing seat and just get one for front-facing? I know there’s the Graco 4ever and a few other types that go from infant seat to backless booster, but I’ve learned those are super bulky, really heavy, hard to install, or don’t allow for much room in the back for other carseats or people. 

OK I am seriously not turning this blog or this WSDW segment into my recipe corner or anything like that, but I thought I’d share another recipe that I tried for Jia, since we are entering this world of “don’t feed me pureed food, I want finger-foods only.” Armita, the mom friend I obviously couldn’t live without, referred me to Feeding Audrey, a blog written by a mom who is also a nutritional consultant and health-focused chef. She publishes recipes and tips that she has created along her journey with her baby (now toddler) girl. Her recipes are baby/infant/toddler-appropriate and adult-friendly. I highly recommend whoever preps baby’s meals to browse her arsenal of recipes. She has them conveniently laid out by type and age, which is perfect for a quick-searching parent. Her recipes are packed with healthful veggies, lean protein, and whole grains (can’t expect anything but, if she’s a nutritional consultant and healthy chef!) and are creatively jazzed up and flavorful to keep your little one engaged. 

Broccoli-Cheddar Bites

(recipe from Feeding Audrey) 

I stumbled upon Feeding Audrey’s Broccoli Cheddar Bites after looking for what Armita said were “spinach pancakes” that her son Axel gobbled down at Jia’s age. I never found those spinach pancakes, but thought these would be nice to try out and the ingredients were so simple and the process was almost as simple. 

Makes about 2 dozen bites

Ingredients: (what I used, in parenthesis)

• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets (1/2 lb)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten (why lightly? I don’t understand, so I just beat them like normal)
• 1/2 c breadcrumbs (I used panko)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (Trader Joe’s Mild Shredded Cheddar)
• 1/2 tsp onion powder (I don’t have this, so I chopped up about 2 Tbsp fresh red onion. I wish I had onion powder instead, don’t think Jia appreciated the fresh onion)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wash hands. Take your broccoli, throw it in a pot of boiling water until soft. This took me about 6 minutes. Submerge broccoli florets in cold water to stop the cooking process (because you want to retain as much vitamin C as possible); I just poured into a colander and rinsed them with cold water, turning with my hands to make sure they all got a splash of cold water. Place in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. I have a mini processor so I had to do about 3 different batches, emptying into a mixing bowl after each batch was done.

Add the rest of the ingredients all into a bowl and mix well. 

I didn’t need to, but you can add more breadcrumbs if it’s too pasty. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, the next part takes as long as the oven needs to heat up. With clean wet hands, grab a couple spoonfuls of the mash and form into “bites.” I took this to mean, like little flattened out meatballs. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in oven for about 40 minutes*, flipping them halfway through. Remove to cool. Cut up into pieces appropriate for your baby. 

*The recipe says 15-20 minutes, but really it took much longer than that for me and I was using a toaster oven, which usually bakes things quicker b/c of its contained space. I recommend the time I used, because anything less and the bites would’ve been too mushy for Jia to pinch and eat. 

Jia says “yum.”