Goodbye to one thing, hello to another.

Well, it's here...Grace is officially on her way to being an exclusive bottle and formula feeder. This wasn't exactly my ideal time frame. My intention was to breastfeed (or at least pump) through her entire first year. However, after solely nursing for just one month, my supply took a huge hit as a result of those pesky postpartum complications. The blood loss, stress of it all, and being on estrogen for four weeks (to prevent scar tissue) just didn't make for a good combination. We ended up having to supplement with formula while I "caught back up", but with Grace being such a hungry thing I was never fully able to. Ever since, we've been doing this crazy mix of nursing, pumping, breastmilk in a bottle, formula in a bottle, breastmilk and formula in a bottle...a bit of a pain. An upcoming week-long trip (for only mommy and daddy) provided a good target stopping point.

So, those priceless little moments are coming to an end, and it's harder than I thought it would be. Almost every morning, my sweet husband has brought Grace to me and she and I would snuggle while she ate...and while I closed my eyes a while longer! She would usually fall back asleep as well and we would just snooze there together. I'm definitely going to miss that. I'm also semi-struggling with the social pressure aspect. Women in general can be very hard on each other and, sadly, moms are not always an exception. I don't think it's just paranoia on my part to feel like some people out there secretly think superior thoughts when they see you feeding your baby formula. I'm resisting the urge to care about that though! We gave it our best for six months...she got the antibodies, we've bonded, it's all good. I will now be channeling that energy elsewhere: baby food.

That's right, somehow I have decided to make my own baby food. Who would've thought?! Not me! Anyone that knows me knows that I am not a healthy eater. I love fast food, soft drinks, and anything that involves cheese or butter...or ranch. However, owning the responsibility of your child's health tends to make you start paying attention to things you've never thought much about. Grace is brand new. She hasn't been "contaminated" by anything yet. I don't have any illusions that she won't enjoy a Happy Meal one day, I just think a broad (regular) sampling of wholesome foods can only help our chances that she'll maybe prefer some of the good stuff. And if David and I can make changes to our palate as well, wonderful!

Anyway, this is really just as much a cost-saving thing as a nutritional thing. Jarred baby food can add up, especially when your child eats as much as Grace and you happen to want organic. I actually thought it sounded like a smart idea (in theory) before she even started solids. I wasn't confident about doing it, though, until I heard about the Beaba Babycook from three different moms within a week. I had to get one. It steams and purees the food for you, then you just freeze it in trays to take out one cube at a time. It's kind-of addicting really. I'm getting things from the produce section I have never even seen before! Butternut squash??? Always sounded disgusting to me, but Grace loves it: