Asian-Cajun Breakfast

Good Morning Sunday! The clocks went forward this morning and I'm sure everyone is missing their bed right now. I was worried for the baby and his routine that he has been following precisely. Turns out he adjusted to the time so well that I didn't notice a single change. He woke up right at 7am as usual and went down for his morning nap without a fuss. I'm starting to think that he is more aware of what's going on than me!!

Since things went so well this morning, I quietly went into the kitchen as the boys were sleeping. It was the perfect time to use up the wonton wrappers that I bought last week. This week our menu has consisted of whatever ingredients I needed to use up in the refrigerater. It has made for some interesting meals I will say.

My lovely mother in law gave me her recipe for Cajun canopies. They are delicious appetizer biscuits made with a sausage cheese filling. They are always a hit at parties and my husband especially loves them. This morning I added an Asian flare to the recipe by using wonton wrappers instead of biscuits. Really the clean up was much easier and the presentation is beautiful!

The sausage filling is made up of sausage, cheese, garlic, green onion, thyme, paprika, and red pepper (these are the ingredients I had on hand...usually you add a few others to complete the recipe). I simply cooked the filling and added to my wonton cups which I previously baked in the oven. I put the combined mixture into the oven until the cheese melted and poof!!! Breakfast is served. Once my husband wakes up I'll probably fry up some eggs (fresh farm) and whole wheat toast to complete the meal. I plan on doing this again except planned out in advance. I'd love to add ginger and serve them with eggs and jasmine rice (or even fried rice would be fun). The possibilities are endless with this recipe.

Happy "Spring Forward"

Baby 411: Environment: Tobacco Smoke

It's safe to say that I survived my first day of work and being away from our baby. When I walked through the doors of the bank I had a sudden burst of energy (This was probably as a result of the wonderful welcome I received from my coworkers). I was a bit nervous that I had forgotten all the various operations of my job, but it was much like riding a bike as I fell into the groove of things right away.

The most interesting part of my day was about an hour or so into my shift. I looked around the branch and realized that there wasn't a single little person crying out for me. I've spent the last 2 months listening for cries or even the smallest bit of fuss and for what seemed like the first time....I heard nothing. It was a very strange feeling. Luckily the time came to take a break (to pump) and I felt connected to the baby even though he wasn't there.

I'm proud to say that Dad had a very successful first day alone with his son. I'm told they napped and played all afternoon without a single fuss or cry. It's clear that I was the fussy one that needed worrying about. Thanks to a great dad and a happy baby, I was luckily enough to make dinner!!! I have been dying to try a whole wheat pasta with kale recipe and today my wish came true. The combination of fresh garlic, sausage, kale, and parmesan cheese was delicious and I certainly will be keeping the recipe for future use.

After dinner and unpacking a few moving boxes, I sat down to read a bit. As usual the subject of choice was babies. I came across an interesting fact that its pretty important to me and worth sharing. As we all know, smoke is pervasive and sticks to any surface that will soak it up. One toxin that I always try to avoid is secondhand smoke. Tonight we learned that a smoker breaks in this matter into the house on their clothes or hair and it is easily transferred by contact..such as holding a new baby. They can breathe in the matter from the smoke and suffer health consequences. So smokers please try to better your health by limiting your guilty pleasures but most importantly remember to consider the little ones that you love to hold and love. After smoking outside make sure to remove your coat or at least wash you hands. Babies have precious new lungs that deserve to be tobacco and wheeze free.

Just my two cents after a Baby 411 reference. That's all.

 

Joining the club!

Well I never thought I would be here creating a blog for myself. I guess I'm interested in discovering what the fuss is all about. The thought of having a family diary to look back on sounds very appealing. The fact that it is public means I wont have to go back and burn any pages in fear that I wrote something that really wasn't meant to be put on paper. :)

I'm currently typing with one hand as I hold my baby son in the other. It's the night before I go back to work and my mind is filled with questions and concerns. How does a breastfeeding mom know how much milk to leave at home? Or how do you tell your newborn that he must stick to his planned out schedule as Mom's can't adjust on demand while at work? I worry how much stress he will endure, but confident he will learn soothing skills from this. Maybe I'm worried as a result of my own separation issues rather than his.

It's important to note how lucky our family is that we have a dad who works extra hard so that he can be home while I'm away. The pressure to find a suitable day care is eliminated for the time being. It's the greatest blessing a working family can ask for. Our son will be perfectly safe and sound under his dad's watchful eye while I'm at work. I just pray that I've done all the right preparations in order for Dad to have an easy going day alone with his new baby.

Recently I read that in exclusively breastfeed babies, need roughly 25oz per day of breastmilk between 1-6 months of age. Therefore I've left a few storage bags of 3oz each. Any comments on this?

Thank goodness for Google these days. I seem to be earning my own version of an early childhood development education online. While I worked in a nursery with infants, spent many years babysitting, and cared for my little sister who is 10 years younger, I still find myself researching dozens of questions each day. Thank you to the many moms who blog and post about their own experiences. Here's to giving back to the blogging community!!