Milestones.

Good news, guys! 

Happy birthday, boys!

We had a beautiful backyard party for the boys this weekend. It was so much fun. Here are a bajillion pictures of our fun day!

This little guy is perfecting his walking skills!

The grill master -- grandpa Neil.

Wearing only a diaper for the cupcake tasting.

Frosting -- a big hit with this one.

A few more of our family photo shoot

Are we done yet?

That would be a cry, not a smile, on Silas's face. And Asher isn't far off from that either.

What are we doing today?

I am a big fan of planners. Maybe it's due in part to my career as a therapist, where my day is reliant on 1-hour increments.  I love my Paper Source daily planner and could not live without it. And yes, if you know me well, you know you can always count on my super country hanging calendar in the kitchen (I get a new one every Christmas).

Asher needs to know what is happening in his day. It helps him know what to expect and feel calm.  We recently started using a daily schedule for him and he loves it. 

Here is a picture of Asher's schedule. It hangs on the wall and he loves checking it to see what is happening in his day.  I got the board at Joann's for like $2.00.  Our speech therapist made most of the cards. I printed off photos of people Asher interacts with, like therapists, family members, and friends. I've added a few cards here as well (like one of my car so Asher can see when we are going on a trip or car ride). 

I recently came across Cucumber Lime on etsy. It's a great little shop with lots of things you could use to make a schedule like ours if you didn't have the time (or energy) to do it yourself. 

Our little daily schedule has really helped Asher get a better understanding of his day and help him prepare for what's going on. I think it would be a great addition for any family with a child with or without special needs!

What My Baby Eats

My little guy is already 11-months, which is sad on one hand, but on the other hand it makes me very excited because he is able to eat lots of delicious and healthy foods.  Overall, Silas is a good eater (and he really enjoys eating -- have you seen his thighs?).  I thought I would give a little insight into what I'm feeding him and what resources I've found helpful in navigating this process.

Of course Asher ate very healthy as a baby, but I felt like I had a lot of hand holding from his time of specialists (nutritionist, speech therapist, etc).  So this time around I've felt some confusion about doing it on my own!  Based on my 23-pound result, I'd say it's going just fine thankfully.

I'm trying to avoid jar food as much as possible, just because I am feeling convicted about the waste (a glass jar) and cost.  Earth's Best Organics are as good as it gets though, so I will for sure feed Silas a jar of food when we are in a hurry or on the go and I haven't had time to prepare something else. I also like jar food because it gives Silas a chance to sample things that he might not otherwise have, and I don't have to prepare a bunch of it.  If you're anything like me, you've not gotten around to preparing that rutabaga mix for your kiddo -- fear not, Ella's baby food has got you covered. Silas is currently really into the pouches of food, so I like bringing those along when we are out and about or whatever.

I've found the best variety of foods at Trader Joe's.  Everything from steamed and peeled baby beets to awesome breakfast options. I love shopping here for baby. My favorite find has been this mix of rye, barley, oats, and wheat.  I grind the grains in my food processor and prepare it with boiling water (like the method Ruth Yaron uses in Super Baby Foods).  He eats what seems like a lot of it, but I like the mix (sorry, no gluten free here!).  I've been adding a frozen blueberry, raspberry, and strawberry mix to it as well.  I might even sprinkle a little flaxseed seed in this to up the nutritional value.

My favorite yogurt for Silas

 For lunch, Silas's favorite thing is Avocado and yogurt mixed together.  He loves this and could eat a pound of it, I swear.  While I'm mixing it all together, I will often give him a few chunks of avocado. I love feeding Silas this fruit (Asher now refuses it!) because it is loaded with nutrition. 1/5th of an avocado has 1 gram of protein, 50 calories, 1 gram of fiber, and about a million other nutrients (including a bit of iron). 

Here's a sneak peek into my freezer (the frozen pizza are for me, not the baby).

 My friend Paula inspired me to do the whole freezing thing. She got me started by making a bunch of nutritious cubes for Silas.  My latest creation is a mix of grass fed beef, organic rice, and organic carrots. I cooked it all, pureed it, and then froze it in ice cubes so I can just pull out a couple at a time for his meal.  I'm loving this system because I have a variety of veggies frozen separately from both chicken and beef. It gives him a mix of meals and it's all ready at dinner time.  It's also nice because anytime our sitter comes, he can still eat healthy and she doesn't have to do much to prepare it.  My next venture will be mixing some sort of pasta into the mix. I think he's definitely ready!

Silas is nursing about 3 times a day, which means there isn't a huge need to give him alternative milk.  I've been offering cow's milk here and there, and occasionally almond milk, which is what big brother gets. He's still really into nursing which is just fine by me so we'll keep that going for awhile. 

What do you feed your baby? What am I missing?

I will leave you with this picture of the little guy from our recent photo shoot!! 

Easter & More

Don't quote me on this, but it seems that spring has sprung here in Chicago!  Yesterday brought us temps in the 50's, and tomorrow we might even see 70!  FINALLY! Asher and Silas and I went for a long walk in the park yesterday. Asher's favorite game is now "push the stroller and then run after it". 

I was thinking yesterday, as I was watching Asher run after his little brother, how thankful I am that he has the ability to run. He didn't walk until he was 28 months old. We worked endlessly in physical therapy to get him to stand on his own 2 feet and finally take a few steps. I hope I never take this skill for granted and always am able to remember what a big deal it is.

Asher had spring break last week and we spent a few days visiting my family.  As usual, I didn't get to do all the things I wanted to do (I'm realizing I try to squish too much into too little time), but it was a really nice visit. My brother and his family came as well and the boys got to spend with their cousins.

We got family photos taken by the amazingly gifted Tammy Jordan. And let me tell you, that girl has talent. Asher was in quite the mood -- I can't believe she even got one shot of him smiling, but she did!  I have been wanting to get family photos done for awhile now, and I figured that with the boys' birthdays right around the corner, what better time.

This week we also had Asher's IEP (individualized education plan). If you aren't familiar with this, it's a big 'ol meeting at school with all of the therapists and the entire team that interacts with a child. As a team, we sat down and made very specific goals for the next school year.  It was encouraging to hear all the good things everyone had to say about Asher.  One woman stated that Asher is like "the mayor of the preschool", and knows everyone. I thought that was hilarious, and very accurate!  It was fun to hear how active and energetic he is at school.  That kid is certainly a people person!

I hope you had a relaxing and reflective Easter! 

has it really been a month?

My last post was celebrating Silas's 10 month birthday. I can't believe it, but he is already 11 months old! Time seems to be flying by. One month from now, Asher will be 4 and Silas will be 1. It's crazy!  Silas took his first step this week and will for sure be walking very soon!

Does anyone else out there feel like all you hear is negative news? I've heard of so many people getting sick,  bad things happening, and hurting people. It wears on me after awhile. Even in our own household, my kids have been battling colds and fevers for what seems like months!  Both Ash and Silas are sick now -- a mix between colds, eye infections, coughs -- maybe even an ear infection for Silas (he has a doctor appt today).  Pretty much every 2 weeks someone gets a new cold in our house. It gets so discouraging! Amidst the fevers and runny noses, I'm trying to stay positive and remember that things aren't so gloomy.

Here are a few pictures to brighten your day! 

2 very cute (and moderately sick) boys

Only one more month of wearing this shirt

No sickness here!