14 Months

At the beginning of the month these guys turned their adjusted age of 1 year, but I don’t think that being early birds has had too much of an affect on their milestones. Yes, they’ve been a bit delayed, compared to Ave (who was walking at 9 months old), but not terribly behind compared to the averages of singletons.

Henry

*Weighing in at 29lbs and measuring 31”
*He’s been cutting his one year molars and it’s been miserable…but he’s got 9.5 teeth now!
*Preferred mode of transportation is walking…crawling, I think, takes too much work {in Henry’s opinion}
*Still not sleeping through the night, but I think that has a lot to do with his teeth
*Wearing 24 month/2T clothes with no problem…although they are a bit long on him.
*Only wants to eat carbs….breads, pasta, potatoes….doesn’t want his veggies and barely eats meat, he will eat fruit and avocados.

James

*Weighing in at 27lbs and measuring 33”
*The biggest eater and still only has 6 teeth
*Crawls incredibly fast, which is why I think he hasn’t been walking primarily. He did start today with a bit more walking.
*I think he would be my best sleeper EVER. I very rarely have to get up at night because James started crying. I honestly can’t remember that last time.
*Wearing 24 months/2T…he needs the extra in the length, but they’re a bit baggy around the waist still.
*Says Da-Du….for Thank You
*Kind of signs “all done” and “more”
*Loves his meats, veggies, and fruits, couldn’t careless about breads/pastas.
*His is my crazy monkey boy: He’s climbing all over the couch, trying to climb on the piano. Pulls boxes over to things to stand on so he can reach higher.

Elanor

*Weighing in at 22lbs and measuring 31” long
*Has 7 teeth through
*Took 3 steps for Daddy, but I barely can get her to stand up without holding on to something, but she will take steps if you hold her hands.
*I can say that she is actually fitting into 18 month clothes now, they’re baggy in the waist, but they do fit.
*Babbling constantly, but says something that sounds like “thank you”
*Very covertly tucks her food alongside her in her high chair, so that she doesn’t have to eat it…or she drops it off the side hoping no one notices.
*Folds her hands when we say grace.
*Barely eats any foods, but she will pick at breads and eggs, as well as bananas and avocados, but other than that, not interested.
*She’s my water baby….just as much as Ave, if not more. She LOVES being in the water.

These kids are crazy, but we love’em!

This seems to have been an Elanor month for pictures :-)

13 Months

*All of the kids weights and measures can be found here.

Henry

*Has taken up to 3 steps before he topples over. He thinks it’s great fun! He does an awesome job of walking around just holding onto your hand.
*He has 6 teeth and 2 more just ready to come through.
*Loves to “walk” pushing his toys around the room.
*Has the most hearty laugh when you tickle his thighs; not to mention he has the most delicious thighs!
*Has not been sleeping well at all. He’s usually up several times a night, doesn’t settle down easily, and is up early…it’s beginning to kill Mommy.

James

*Hasn’t attempted to walk anywhere yet.
*But he can climb up on the couch {which now has its own set of issues} and crawl up the stairs.
*He has 2 teeth, 3 1/2 teeth, and 1 that is just sitting there.
*Still eating the best.
*Is looking more and more like a little boy, and knows it when he’s getting “yelled” at for standing on the couch.
*This boy can sleep! He goes down for naps easily, at night, would probably sleep through the night, would probably take 1 4hr nap a day…but we don’t let him, so that he’s on the same schedule as the other to.
*He is an absolute blanket boy! I think he would drag it all over the house with him, if we let him.
*Went sledding for the first time.

Elanor

*Is finally crawling the proper way.
*Is finally pulling herself up to her feet.
*Is FINALLY eating! She actually will eat some foods and open her mouth for you to put stuff in there!
*She has 6.5 teeth.
*Would probably sleep better, but gets woken up by Henry a lot of the time.
*Is on whole cows milk.
*She is such a Daddy’s girl.
*Did NOT like being out in the snow at all.

*The boys are in 24 months now…not much of 18 months is fitting them; Henry needs it in the waist and James in the length.
*Ellie is solidly in 18 month clothes, but is skinny enough that she can still fit in 9 months, but they’re way too short.
*They’re getting 3-4 bottles a day: One before each nap {2}, one before bed, and sometimes another during the night.
*All are doing really well with sippy cups, but of course love letting the water run out of  their mouths.
*We FINALLY all seem to be better! About time!

~*~I have not taken bunny pictures yet. Today was a pajama day and I’d really rather be dressed for those pictures.

~*~*~ And yea, James is really that much taller than the other two. He's gotta have 3-4" on Henry.

Of God’s Continued Faithfulness…

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Christmas, Craziness, and Half-Birthdays

I’ve decided something… 3 birthdays, 3 days before Christmas is way too much!

We knew it would be crazy, we knew we would be running constantly between activities, we knew that it would be exhausting. What we didn’t know {or think about} was just HOW trashed our house was going to be.

We didn’t have the party in our house, because there was just too many family members visiting for Christmas to fit them all in. My mother-in-law was more than willing for us to have it at their house {which seems to be turning into party central….it’s really the perfect place for parties}.

The party went well. The kids were sick and miserable the entire time. Green frosting was probably not the best choice of color, given their snotty noses. And, of course, they got way too many presents. Way too many.

Then there was Christmas 3 days later. 3 days in which I did not have time to deal with the birthday presents and get them all washed and put away and sorted through. Again, the kids got way too many presents, plus Avie’s.

I sorted it all out as to what was for now, what needed to be exchanged and what could be returned for gift cards for later. I did, and I’m not exaggerating, 10 loads of laundry that was just new clothes for the kids.

Toys were another thing. We actually packed up all the toys we had, every single one, before pulling out the birthday/Christmas gifts….we still have double or more toys in our living room now.

We got 3 or 4 of some of the same toys. So we had a pile that we had to return and get gift cards for…I’ll use them in the summer to buy some outside toys.

All of this craziness led us to one thing: Half Birthdays!

We decided that we would be celebrating Henry, James, and Ellie’s birthdays on June 22, as opposed to December 22nd. Of course, we’ll still do cake and presents from Mommy and Daddy in December, but the party and festivities will be in June.

The kids got enough toys/clothes that we can hold off on even having another party until next year. So, here’s to a 2.5 year birthday party in 2014!

In a word…

Very often I've seen people choose a word to inspire them in the new year, something they want to develop in themselves or become more aware of. I've never put much thought into it. Then I found myself continually describing the events of last year as incredible, all..the...time! I may be doing this in reverse.

Incredible: too extraordinary and improbable to be believed {as defined by Merriam-Webster}.
Kind of a lackluster definition.

Over and over again, it is the word I find myself using to describe this past year.

Incredible that we managed to survive a year with a 2 year old and triplets.
Incredible that we managed to afford formula for a year with 3 babies eating it.
Incredible that I didn’t go stark raving mad this past year, being home with so many {demanding} littles.
Incredible that I was able to get away for a few days and attend Allume.
Incredible that I actually managed to get a couple of baby quilts done, as well as other sewing projects.
….and a thousand more.

Extraordinary? Improbable? But isn’t that how our God works? Taking that which man says is impossible and making it possible. The ordinary, becoming extraordinary through His hand: A virgin becoming pregnant, a woman years passed child-bearing having a son, the mouths of lions clamped shut, a boy thrown in a well to die becoming the most powerful man.

His power is glorified best in our weakness. Only when we are weak, incapable and without our own abilities can God’s grace be seen, His power be magnified.

This past year has given me the incredible {there I go again} honor, of not only being mommy to these fantasmagorically awesome children, but more so, having felt His indescribable, and undeserved, GRACE.

Party Time!

The poor birthday babies did not have a good time. They’ve all had a terrible, horrible cold and are feeling pretty crumby. Henry and Ellie weren’t too interested in their cupcakes, James was a bit more interested buy not terribly so. We did realize that we need to buy a bigger house to accommodate birthday and Christmas gifts: oy!

One Year!

It’s here: The day I haven’t been looking forward to. Henry, James and Elanor are officially a year old. I’m having a harder time with this than I did with turning 30 this year.

Henry*Weighing 26.2lbs
*Has 4 teeth with a few more on the way
*Crawling the “proper” way
*Pulling himself up to his feet, a few tentative steps cruising along the couch
*Has stood without holding anything for at least 30 seconds {thinks this is the greatest trick now}
*Says mama, dada
*Smiles with his entire body…always super excited when he sees his Oma and Daddy
*His eyes are more of a greenish/grayish/brownish/hazelish…they’re gorgeous, but indescribable
James
*Weighing 25.6lbs
*Has 3 teeth with at least one more coming in
*Crawling the “proper” way
*Has stood up a couple of times on his own, but quickly grabs onto something or sits down
*He’s a speed racer cruising the couches and whatever else he can hold on to
*Says mama, dada, and what I will refer to as “a-dun” {all done}
*Gets into every single thing you could possibly imagine
*He’s our tech-geek…as soon as he sees something (laptop, phone, ipad, remotes) he’s all over it.
Elanor*Weighing 20lbs
*Has 6 teeth with a couple more coming in
*Does the wounded soldier crawl all over the place
*Has started pulling herself up to her knees
*Says mama, dada
*Does this super-cute booty/shoulder shimmy
*Always has a big smile for her Daddy and Opa and PopPaul
*An ant eats more than she does
*Always has a smile for everyone

And here's their One Year Well Baby stats (from January 10, 2013)

I think they short changed James on his height, or measured Henry too tall, because when standing side by side, James is a good 3" taller than Henry.

Why I think I have it easier than you….

At the beginning of the summer I met with some blogging friends for dinner, and one of them said they loved following my blog because of all the ways in which I do/can help her with her own 3 children, from my experiences. I responded, that no advice I give can help anyone who doesn’t have multiples; which came out sounding rather demeaning and not really very kind {which is not at all how I meant it to sound. Sorry Trina.}

What I meant is this….

Having multiples is entirely different from having singletons {obviously}. There is, of course, the advice that can help any mom, whether with 1 kid or 10, twins, triplets etc, but the rest of it, is so different.

Here’s my opinion…Raising and caring for singletons, no matter how many or few there are, is INFINITELY HARDER than multiples. All of you non-multiples Mamas, you seriously impress me. I honestly don’t know how YOU do what you do.

Yes, I have 4 kids, but 3 of them are at the same stage in life. What other moms deal with for 2-3 years for each child, I deal with for 2-3 years for all 3.

I don’t have to figure out how to entertain a 6 year old, while dealing with a 4 year olds tantrum, while trying to get the 2 year old to sit still on the potty, and simultaneously change the poop-splosion of a infant. That my, friends, takes major talent.


All I have to do is give the 3 year old something to do, then go about changing a succession of diapers.

I don’t have to try and get the 6 year old and 4 year old to walk along with the stroller, without running away, while trying to get the 2 year to stop flipping themselves over the edge, and pray that the infant doesn’t wake up from the much needed nap.

All I have to do is strap 3 babies in a stroller and pay attention to the 3 year old.

I don’t have to try and do math with a 13 year old, while figuring out science for an 11 year old, spelling for a 9 year old and geography with a 7 year old.

All I have to do is have one curriculum for an older kid, while getting a few extra workbooks for the younger ones. And more than likely we’ll probably do them all together.

So, I say it again….SINGLETON PARENTS I COMMEND YOU! YOU ARE MY SUPER-HEROES! YOU ARE THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF MULTI-TASKING!

Someday this may change, my thoughts on having multiples being easier, but for my foreseeable future it looks pretty cushy. {Of course, now that I’ve posted this I’ve probably jinxed myself.}

Life is relative…everything we have or experience seems easier or harder, better or worse, in comparison to those around us, but it is our life that we have been given to live. Comparison will only rob of us, what we have.

Routines in the White House {Part 4} Transportation

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Of Broken Bones

No one in my family has ever had a cast: Not me or my brother or sister {don’t get me wrong we broke bones, just not ones that could be set}. I’ve had no experience with broken bones and casts. Alas, I can say that has ended.

A couple of weeks ago Henry was really fussy when you would touch his left leg. Nothing had happened to cause the pain that we could think of; we chalked it up to his having twisted something and gave it a few days, and it got better.

Then on Friday night Matt was walking down the stairs with Henry and fell. Henry started being especially careful with his leg, he didn’t like it when you changed his diaper or put socks on him, he wouldn’t put any weight on his leg. We decided that it was time to go to the doctor.

Sure enough, he has a hairline fracture of his left ankle. It’s such a miniscule hairline that the doctor had to enlarge the frame to fill the screen with a 1” section of his leg in order to see it. Our pediatrician sent us to the orthopedist to get another opinion, they decided that it should be casted. I think it was rather unnecessary, but at least we don’t have to be careful with his leg.

So my morning was spent with Henry getting his leg wrapped in blue plaster. Fun. He is now sporting a dark blue cast from his toes to his lower thigh {a bit excessive I thought}, but he seems to be managing it relatively ok. It’s only for 3 weeks and hopefully it doesn’t bother him too much. If it does the doctor said to come back and they’ll take it off.

He was a trooper though, and now I know what is involved with having a cast.

I guess God had His reasons as to why the kids’ Christmas outfits came out so big…it was to fit this lovely cast.

Happy Thanksgiving!

11 Months Old

Oh yea, next up…ONE YEAR! The only good thing I can come up with, in regards to the impending first birthday, is that we are almost done with buying formula: YAY!!

This past month has been wondrous as to all the new things the babies have started doing.

Henry

*Weighing in at 26 lbs
*Wearing 18-24 months clothes
*Crawling forward and backward, sitting up on his own, but not pulling himself up yet {he does try}
*Loving solids
*Has 4 teeth
*He does this hysterical thing with his lips. He looks like an old man with his dentures.


Henry is just such a sweet little boy. He’s quite content to sit in your lap and just let you hold him or play with him. He laughs with every bit of himself…it’s not just a sound or facial response, he laughs with his ENTIRE body.

James

*Weighing in at 25lbs
*Wearing 18-24 months clothes
*Crawling every which way, pulling up and cruising the couch and bigger toys, he’s briefly let go of something and stood on his own
*Has figured out how to open our baby gate {it’s a door style} if it’s not latched
*Has only 2 teeth, but that doesn’t seem to stop him from eating. He eats way more than the other 2
*Actually pounds the piano really well…his noise actually sounds like music
*Got his first buzz cut this past month

I feel like James has way more written about him, but it is honestly because he’s doing more than the other too. He’s going to be the first one walking…probably in the next month or two.

 

 

Elanor

*Weighing in at 19lbs
*Wearing 12-18 months clothes
*FINALLY started crawling, she’s trying to pull herself up, but hasn’t figured it out yet
*Has 6 teeth and still couldn’t care less about eating
*Has the most incredible and easy laugh
*Wants to be carried everywhere

Sweet, sweet Ellie-Bellie…this girl could melt anyone’s heart. She flashes that big smile with those little teeth and it is just absolutely precious. It doesn’t take much to make her laugh, but when she does it comes from her toes. She doesn’t laugh the way Henry does, but it’s every bit as enthusiastic.

~*~*~*~

I really can’t believe they’re almost one. I just keep thinking about this time last year, knowing what I was feeling/doing then. Matt and I were talking the other night about feeding the babies; I’m quickly realizing that I need to learn how to cook for more people and fast, because what I’m used to doing is not enough. Not only are they eating quite a bit, but they no longer want you to feed them, they want to do it themselves, which of course means way more of a mess. The better part of dinner time is spent with my cutting up food and refilling their trays.

Matt figured out the math on formula the other day: The babies are still getting around 4-5 bottles a day/night, which means that once they’re on milk, we’ll be needing around 5 gallons of milk a week. I’m sure by the time the boys are 8-15 years old we’ll be going through 7-10 gallons a week {we were seriously discussing at what point do we buy a cow}. I’m sure it will still be cheaper than formula…I haven’t sat down to figure out how much we’ve spent on THAT this year.

The kids are so funny in how they crawl. They do this wounded soldier one arm, one leg pull. It’s really hysterical. The best is when I’m getting the kids ready for meal time, they all come crawling. In the afternoon I’ll sit on the floor with them and feed them a banana or some other snack. If you’ve ever been to a petting zoo, where the animals are lose, you’ll have a good idea of what it’s like to feed them.

Nothing else major to report. They’re just growing too darn fast and changing so much.

Halloween and a Birthday Party

When one has a child, born mere hours after Halloween, birthday celebrations and Halloween seem to go hand in hand.

Halloween wasn't any big deal around here. Trick or treating had actually been canceled in anticipation of Miss Sandy, but it ended up being nothing here. We got the kids trussed up and headed over to my grandfather's so that he could see the kids.

Friday was the "rain-date" for Halloween, but it ended up being miserable out {chilly and rainy, it was actually nastier than the 31st was}, so the kids never got to go trick or treating; I'm pretty sure they'll live, but I'm not so sure about mommy and daddy.

Saturday we had Little Miss' 3rd Birthday Party. Fortunately I had decided to keep it small {haha…we had around 20 people} and the menu was all finger food, so there wasn’t much in the way of prep, other than trying to clean our house, which took a ridiculous amount of work.

{Pay no attention to how Ave and I both model our hats}

She got some awesome gifts for her birthday; like, I am seriously jealous of her Schwinn Tricycle. I’m trying to find out why they don’t come in my size.

I’m hoping things are going to settle down a little bit around here, there are so many things I want to share with you and need to write about, but we’ll just have to see what happens.

10 Months Old

There are no more babies in this house: To me, 10 months is the marker of toddlerhood. I can’t even believe that they’re so close to 1. So much of this year has been a blur…the days dragged, the nights even more, but the weeks and months flew.

Henry

*Weighing in at a touch under 25 lbs and just under 30” tall
*He’s finally figured out how to go forward
*His top two teeth are going to be coming through any day now
*Loving his solids and managing a sippy cup sometimes
*He’s been sleeping better at night, we’re usually up once
*I think he’ll be the first to talk
*Just got his first REAL haircut, meaning more than just trimming around his ears.
*I could just nom on this kids cheeks 24/7
*He gives the biggest laughs, just tickle him under his chin

 

 

James

*Weighing in at just over 23lbs and over 30” tall
*He’s now climbing the stairs, pulling himself up on everything, and sometimes will let go and stand on his own: This boy is absolutely Trouble {with a capital T}
*Still loving his foods and is doing pretty good with feeding himself, by hand, when we let him make the mess
*Top teeth are there, but not coming through
*Started clapping hands
*Loves nothing better than to pull up on you and stand with his arms around your neck

 

 

Elanor

*Weighing 18lbs on the nose, and measuring 28 3/4” tall (she’s still fitting in her infant car seat)
*She’s figured out how to go forward
*Doing a great job of sitting up on her own
*Still has no interest in food. If can get her take a few spoonfuls it’s a big deal
*Up once at night
*Got her first "haircut” (just a trim to even things up a bit)
*Claps her hands (she did it first)
*Will do a little shimmy, if you tell her to shake her groove thing

 

 

They’re all doing really great. James is certainly the most advanced of the three of them. We’re still trying to do a nap upstairs, some days there is only one and some days there are two. It’s really a crapshoot as to how much sleep they need.

We’ve been forced to stop doing bottle feedings in the swing and bouncer for the boys, since they’re way too big to fit. So we were able to take one of the swings out of here, giving us a bit more room. Pretty soon all the baby things will be gone and we’ll have all the big kid toys again. I’m already missing baby-hood :-(

Routines in the White House {Part 3} Bottle Feedings

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How will I shape my children and their faith?

Other parts from this series, Finding Faith
I. Where do you come from?
II. Do you own your faith?
III. Where is my faith going?
IV. How will I shape my children and their faith?

I touched on this idea a bit in my last post, a very little bit. To me, this is something I pray about more than I do my own faith. This, to me, is the very crux of my existence. How and what will I do that will help my children become the followers of Christ that I long for them to become?

I honestly lay awake at night, sometimes working myself into a frenzy about all the ways I am FAILING miserably in this.
A while back I read a book entitled “When You Rise Up” by RC Sproul, which revolutionized my entire thinking about raising successful children. It redefined, for me, what I think of as “Success”.

I think this is one of the biggest points of contention between Christian parents: Do I raise a child with the idea of making them successful by the world’s standard? or by God’s standard?

But so many parents, myself included, get blinded by raising children that will be successful in the world, with only a passing, secondary thought to their success by God’s standard. Which is more important to me, that they live a God-Glorifying life or one that is successful and self-serving? God-Glorifying absolutely. Hands down. No argument.

But what about their success in the world? They need to be educated, they need to know how to function and operate in this world. Yes, they do. But through living a God-Glorifying life they will be successful and ultimately better able to function in this world.

To the world, my husband and I are not successful people. We scrape by each month, with nothing saved for our retirement. We live in and old house, that is literally falling down around us {our back foundation is crumbling under a poorly constructed addition}. Our cars are not fancy. Our clothes are not designer. We are that family that others look at and think, “Sheesh, and they have HOW MANY kids?!”

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”
~Matthew 6:26

Now, I’m not saying we’re successful by God’s standards, we fail miserably at living a life that glorifies Him. BUT we seek to trust Him. We seek HIM. We know that He will take care of us and provide for us, through and in all things. Even when we start to get a bit squeamish about being able to pay the bills.

Honestly, I can’t guarantee that my children will grow to love the Lord as they should, glorifying Him in all things, trusting Him through all things. But, I can start by redefining what I consider to be success, to be most important. We can live in abject fear that if they are not drilled on worldly subjects that they will end up homeless and incapable of providing for themselves and their families. Or we can trust in God’s faithfulness.

Now, does that mean I’m going to let formal education take a back seat, not bothering to educate my children in the subjects of worldly success? No, it doesn’t. In order to glorify God, we must educate ourselves and our children in His word. We have to know how to fight against our enemies, and the way we do that is by knowing our enemies and how and why they do and believe as they do.

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
~Deuteronomy 6:6-7

So what exactly are we DOING then?

Right now, we’re memorizing bible verses, we’re reading the bible together, we’re reading bible verses, we sing songs that praise God, we talk about the things that God wants us to do, what things we can do for others to show them God, we spend time together, as a family, praying and worshiping {it is for this reason that my children won’t attend a Sunday school class that takes place during worship}.

We have begun doing the little things, which will, prayfully, turn into the big things. And even at these things we fail miserably, but that’s where trusting Him comes in. Even if we don’t do these things all the time, we are trusting that the time that we do spend in these things to Him.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little series of mine. That it has, in some way encouraged you as well as made you think. I’m sure there will be more to this someday, but for now I rest all of these words in His hands, to do with as He pleases.
Amen.

Routines in the White House {Part 2} Meal Time

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9 Months

Be sure to enter the giveaway: Tomorrow is the last day!

Next up: ONE YEAR! I don’t like how quickly time is flying. No matter what I do, it just keeps getting faster and faster. My grandfather once said, “Life is like a dream; one day you blink and it’s over.”

Henry

*Weighing 22lbs 10 0unces (according to the doctor’s office scale)
*Wearing size 18 months
*Has both bottom teeth now
*Can sit unassisted
*Rolling, pivoting and crawling (or pushing, rather) backwards
*Starting to like his solids
*Always up at least twice a night
*Is now in a convertible car seat

 

James

*Weighing in at 21lbs 80z
*Wearing a size 18 months
*Crawling all over the place and starting to pull up on things. My mom found him sitting in his crib once, but it hasn’t happened since.
*Can sit unassisted
*Loves, LOVES, LOVES his food. He wolfs it down and gets really frustrated when you take too long.
*Would probably sleep through the night
*Now in a convertible car seat
*Claps hands on occassion

Elanor

*Weighing 17lbs 3 oz (only 2lbs behind her big sister at 9months)
*Wearing 12 months clothing (she’s too long for 9 months)
*Just started moving around on her own (kind of a rolling, pushing, backwards-crawl thing)
*Can sit unassisted
*Really couldn’t care less about food.
*Would probably sleep through the night too.
*Still fitting in her infant car seat.
*Started clapping her hands

All in all they’re all doing well, especially since we FINALLY have last months bout of sickness over; I think that was worse than when they were newborns and first home.

Ave changing her first diaper

Their weights and measures from their 9 Month Well Baby visit!

Teething Biscuits You Can Feel Good About

I’ve been completely different with the babies, than with Ave, in regards to foods. Ave we went through the steps with each new food, trying and testing, following all the rules. This time we’re much more relaxed, but I am being more stringent on other things.

I really want to avoid giving them anything with gluten in it. Matt, Ave and I still eat gluten (what can I say, we love our bread and cookies…it’s not even pasta so much), but that’s not to say that someday we won’t. Perhaps when mommy has more time to figure out recipes.

But for now, the babies are gluten free.

I looked at the organic teething biscuits and barley biscuits and a plethora of different things, but there was always something I couldn’t feel good about giving them. I finally resorted to the internet where I searched for recipes of how to make your own. I found a few, but most of them still called for ingredients that were prepackaged baby food (not to mention, expensive). I googled some more. Talked to my sister about different food substitutions and came up with my own.

Gluten/Dairy/Soy/Crap Free Teething Biscuits

1 cup of Oat Flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oat Flour*)
1 cup Organic Rolled Oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Whole Grain Organic Rolled Oats*)
1 really ripe banana, mashed
2 T Coconut Oil (I used Vitacost Extra Virgin Certified Organic Coconut Oil*)

In a food processor pulverize rolled oats until they are a course flour. Mix all ingredients together. You want it to be very thick and not at all tacky, if it’s too wet add some more flour, if it’s too dry add a bit more coconut oil.

Roll out to about a 1/4” thick and cut into rectangles. Place on a cookie sheet. Stab tops of biscuits with fork.

Bake at 325* for 30-40 minutes or until biscuits are very hard. The harder they are the less you have to worry about chunks breaking off and your little one choking.

You might have to flip them halfway through to avoid their getting burnt on one side (mine got a little more done than I would like).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think they’re a score :-) Even the dogs like them.
They were super easy to make!
I keep them in the freezer so that they don’t go bad, plus they have the added benefit of being chilly.

* This post contains affiliate links.

8 Months

The past month has been quite eventful in the White House, and not just with the fair.

Henry
*Weighing in at 22lbs
*Wearing size 12 months
*Rolling and pivoting all over the place
*Likes his food, but isn’t crazy about it
*Almost too big for his infant car seat
*Just the slightest of lines where his teeth are coming in

James
*Weighing in at 20.5 lbs
*Wearing size 12 months
*Got his first tooth!
*Just started doing something that mimics crawling…he’s been moving all over, but yesterday was the first time he did something that I would call crawling
*This boy loves his food…you can’t get it in his mouth fast enough!
*Has out grown his infant car seat.

Elanor
*Weighing 16lbs 5oz
*Wearing size 9 months
*Can roll over, but doesn’t unless she wants something
*Couldn’t really care less about eating solids
*Finally getting some teeth action
*Still fits quite nicely in her car seat

We celebrated turning 8 months old by everyone getting sick. We think they have Hand, Foot and Mouth. I’m hoping it goes as quickly as it came, otherwise we will have some very disappointed people on our hands, by not going to Hershey. Of course it’s following hot on the heels of fair-week and Ellie having had a UTI last week with temps in the 103-104 area. Mama needs a vacation.

So far we’ve been fortunate that the 3 infant seats fit in the back row and Ave in the captain’s chair, with the other stowed…giving us easy access to the back row. Now, we’re currently in the process of trying to figure out which car seats and what arrangement will work best, since the boys are going to be moving up to convertible car seats. I’m not really keen on breaking my back trying to get children in and out of the car.

*****I really had no intentions of taking a blogging break, but, alas, that seems to be what has happened lately. Hopefully things will settle down in the next couple of weeks and life can resume our pre-summer schedules. But, feel free to email me :-) jess.white05 at gmail dot com