Kiddie Menu

Dealing with the heat and humidity and being 7 months pregnant does not make me want to log many hours in the hot kitchen.

Needless to say, some of our meals the past month have been lacklustre. But after a very colourful dinner and some whole wheat banana muffin making, I think I've gotten re-inspired. Mainly to feed my family healthy food but also to start stocking my freezer for early October when I won't have the time to cook.

So the subject of food got me thinking. Yes, Hannah is a good eater but her palette is quite limited. Yesterday, we went to Music in the Park and the little girl next to us was snacking on strawberries and nectarines. Sounds delicious right? Well, Hannah wouldn't touch either of those fruits with a ten foot pole.

She definitely eats her fruits & veggies but the list is very limited:

• Apples
• Bananas
• Cantaloupe
• Honeydew
• Watermelon
• Avocado
• Peas
• Broccoli
• Sweet potato
• Potato

Yes, I should be thrilled that there are some nice green veggies in there. And I am. I just really want to expand her horizons.

She supposedly eats cucumbers and tomatoes at daycare but says they are yucky and won't eat them at home. I always offer her the fruits and veggies we eat but she refuses.

I know it can take up to 10 tries to like a new food (all of which she liked when she was a baby) but how do I actually get them into her mouth?

The Second Time Around...

This weekend I will be 7 months pregnant.

I really can't believe it.

We had a bit of a scare on Tuesday morning that made us realize that baby #2 is coming sooner than we think.

I was experiencing some menstrual like cramps and lower back pain and it felt all too reminiscent of my 4am wakeup call back on March 7, 2009. That's how my labour with Hannah began. She was born less than 24 hrs later.

Needless to say I was a bit concerned and headed to the hospital case room. Both myself and the baby had normal heart beats (along with a recurrent case of hiccups happening in my tummy) and to my relief I was closed tight. No dilation. No effacement. Phew.

So while I still haven't gotten test results they're chalking it up to an elevated white blood cell count which can be attributed to a minor infection.

But sitting there in the case room got us thinking.

With less than 3 months to go we don't even have a place for baby to sleep upon arrival. The pack n play is on loan to my nephew and the Bugaboo bassinet can't be assembled until closer to my due date as Hannah still needs to be strolled around.

Sure, we barely have anything to buy this time (a few unisex sleepers, a double stroller, a visual monitor and a Bugaboo foot board) but we haven't really taken the time to think about how our family will expand.

When I was pregnant with Hannah each kick and shift was monumental. And not that I don't acknowledge each and every nudge this baby gives me, but it usually gets overshadowed by spilt milk or a dirty diaper.

The reality of having two kids, right?

So with a pregnancy bump (the verb, not the noun) in the route we've taken a moment to get ready and prepare ourselves to become a family of 5 (dog included)!

Oh ya...and most importantly try to steal a much needed 24+ hrs away for a babymoon!

Summer Bump

Last week I was lucky enough to be in San Diego for the Childhood Obesity Conference with FoodFun.

While I didn't have much free time I had a few shopping stops planned to fill my summer wardrobe with maternity wear.

Last time around I was pregnant during the winter so my collection of sweaters and dress pants (from a previous, more conservative employer) are still folded neatly in my maternity box.

I've managed to stock up on basic tanks and dresses, mostly from Old Navy but I thought I would find some real fashion steals in California.

I was wrong.

Yes, I had limited time and really only hit up one mall but the maternity department at Macy's leaves much to be desired (why does it have to be located next to the Plus sizes?) and the Gap seemed much too pricey for pieces that I'll only be wearing for 3 more months.

My best score of the trip was definitely a fancier deep V tank from the Gap for a mere $9.99 and some basic camis at the same price.

But my problem still remains in the bottoms. Aside from a borrowed skirt, a pair of regular size 3/4 leggings and 2 really ugly pairs of shorts/capris that I bought for a babymoon cruise, my options are slim.

I was dying to visit the Forever 21 Love21 maternity department and Liz Lange at Target but the closest stores were no where near the conference centre.

Any suggestions for local maternity summer bottom hotspots that won't break the bank? Or are long flowy dresses really the way to go?