First Foods

So we're feeding Mavry egg yolk and liver as her first foods.  (I realize this is weird.  People think runny eggs harbor potential dangers and liver is nasty, but these foods are really good for her!)

I went to a baby shower on Saturday and left Mavry and Colin home alone.  This is what happened while I was away. 



This week we've also introduced homemade chicken broth and I cooked sweet potatoes and am lacto fermenting them in a pickl-it to make it a baby super food.  We plan on introducing avocado soon too.

So far, we are going by the book Super Nutrition for Babies, which is based on the Weston Price recommendations for foods.  This includes waiting on grains until the 2 year molars come in.  (This blog post has more detailed information on these first baby foods.)  I am interested in baby led weaning as well, so I am going to get a book from the library on it.  Mavry isn't too interested in us feeding anything to her.  She really wants to get it to her mouth herself and these foods aren't all that friendly to that, so we are experimenting with all of this.  I'd love to hear what your experience is with first foods, especially baby led weaning!

YES on Proposition 37

There are all sorts of posts about Prop 37 that we'll be voting on in California in a little over a month.  I want genetically modified foods to be labeled as such so that we can choose to avoid them, so I am glad I get a chance to vote YES on Prop 37.  

GMOs have pesticides built in to the seed and are linked to birth defects, cancer, and hormone disruption, among other things.  Right now, the main edible GMO crops are corn, soy and sugar beets.  I generally avoid these ingredients and if I do eat them, I choose organic since organic crops are not genetically modified.  These foods also appear in many other forms. 

Prop 37 won't outlaw GMOs, it will just allow us to make more informed choices about the foods we buy. 

The Army Crawl / Scoot

Right before we came to Texas a little over a week ago, Mavry started doing this scoot action.  Colin was just here for the first weekend and we thought she might be really crawling before we went home, but it looks like she's going to hold out for Daddy to see her real crawl after we get home. 

She also has cut her first tooth but it hasn't totally emerged yet, so I guess she'll wait for Daddy on that one too. 

Kickstarter Project - Alphabet Wallet Cards

Colin is the one at our house who discovered Kickstarter and has become fascinated with the prospect of getting one of his many ideas off the ground.  I hadn't looked around much at the different projects, but I funded my first project a few days ago after I found out about it on How we Montessori.  I wasn't sure it was going to get funded by the deadline (which is tomorrow!), but it has gained traction partly because it was also posted on Pioneer Woman's homeschool blog.  I don't have many followers here, but I wanted to get the word out the best I can!

I love the idea of Kickstarter and I love that this is a project from a mom who has taken a passion of her kids and is getting her kids involved in making the project happen.   The cards will have beautiful illustrations and be coated with non-toxic plastic.  You can fund at many different levels.  I got the full deck at $20. Check out the project through the video below and find out more on the project page. 

Simple Toys

Inspired by this set of toys, Colin and I made Mavry a few simple Montessori toys.  She has used the rattle for a while now since it has a narrow middle that she was able to grasp early when it was handed to her.  It's now in rotation in her toy baskets as well as the wooden interlocking discs, which were the second project that Colin finished when his dad came to visit.  I also made the wooden bead toy since it just required wooden beads and leather cord.  Mavry loves her wooden toys.  She can sometimes even be found gnawing on a leg of her tripod toy hanger!

The interlocking discs are a good toy to have available later when she starts doing more hand to hand transfer since she will have to think about how to rotate the toy to grasp the other disc.  Once Mavry can get to sitting position by herself, I'd like to introduce the other two toys: the peg in cup and egg in cup. 

Jamie Oliver on TED

Have you seen Jamie Oliver's TED Talk (from 2010)?  (I seem to be watching quite a few of these recently.) 

He talks about how America is one of the most unhealthy countries in the world.  Children today have a shorter lifespan than their parents.  We are paranoid about so many things, but the thing that is killing us is the way we eat. 

Since I got pregnant, I have gradually been learning to eat better.   I have been surprised to learn that does not mean eating low fat, but it means eating more traditional foods.  (Jamie doesn't necessarily touch on the traditional food aspect, but he does talk a lot about sugar and moving to fresh and local foods which is another part of our journey.)

Mavry: 6 months

She sighs. When she feels content, usually in our arms. 

She blows raspberries.  And is always experimenting with new sounds.  

She likes art.  In our home and in others, her eyes are drawn to what's hanging on the wall. 

She enjoys people.  Staring you down and studying your face are her specialties.  

She does yoga.  In preparation for crawling, she now poses in downward dog.

She loves to explore.  New environments are a treat.

She makes her rounds.  Surveys the room by moving around 360 degrees on her tummy.  
(As I write, she is starting to move forward - crawling may come soon!)

She laughs.  When we tickle her and make funny sounds to her.

She is intense.  Like Colin.

See Mavry at:
5 months
4 months
3 months
2 months
5 weeks

Montessori and Encouraging Creativity

"A fundamental truth permeates Montessori’s work: children are desperate to learn. This is the beating heart of Montessori schools. But this fundamental truth is not universally recognized. In fact, our traditional schools are built upon just the opposite assumption: children avoid learning. Therefore, they must be taught. They must be motivated by offers of rewards and threats of punishment. They require great teachers with charisma and pizzazz to inspire them and to create interest in learning. It is essential to recognize this split in philosophy at the most fundamental level in order to appreciate the differences in teaching and in classroom style that emanate from this initial difference. Why? Because the Montessori classroom can appear downright wacky to those of us accustomed to traditional schools. However, keeping in mind that children are naturally desperate to learn—and to learn on their own—we can begin to appreciate this unfamiliar method. Indeed, eventually we can recognize that it has been a part of us all along, since it is based on the way we naturally learn. We are actually all familiar with Montessori teaching, whether we know it or not."

Quoted from this article which is an excerpt from Trevor Eissler's book Montessori Madness.  Such a good reminder that kids are in the business of learning.  Mavry is a reminder of this - every day she seems to acquire a new skill.  We don't teach her, we just try to provide an environment that is conducive to her learning. 

On the same topic, have you seen Sir Ken Robinson's Ted Talk on how we need to encourage creativity in education?  Definitely worth the time.