Category: JSL
JSL’s First Peanut Sunflower Butter Sandwich
JSL has been a finicky eater recently. He’ll eat crackers, cheese sticks, pizza, and cream cheese sandwiches. Sometimes, he can be coaxed into eating chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese. However, he’s not eating much else. This is surely the beginning of the Terrible Twos and him asserting his culinary independence. We’re worried about his protein intake, however.
We keep a kosher kitchen and kosher meat is very expensive, so we mainly eat vegetarian style meals. Peanut Butter would be a good protein source, but that’s a no-no for at least 5 more months. Enter Sunbutter. While doing some research on Peanut Butter alternatives, I stumbled upon a review of Sunbutter mentioning how good it was for little kids. I checked a local natural foods store, but it was insanely expensive. Another store was pricey too, but I decided to take a chance on it.
Tonight was our trial run. The veggie dogs that we were eating for dinner didn’t interest JSL. He liked the bun, but refused to take even the tiniest taste of veggie dog. I decided to make him half of a Sunbutter sandwich. He was in heaven. He gobbled it down and asked for more. B, NHL, and I even took a taste. It has a very PB-like flavor with a hint of sunflower seeds. This is definitely going into the JSL meal rotation.
We’re Crazy, I Tell You, Crazy!
It was 13 degrees out today. Before the wind chill. So what does B decide she wants to do for her birthday? Go to Cold Stone and get ice cream! (Ok, that wasn’t the only thing we did and the reason for that choice was a free ice cream coupon she had for her birthday.)
B got the cake batter ice cream with cookie dough mixed in. NHL got the gingerbread ice cream with Oreos mixed in. I, being a big dark chocolate fan, got the Dark Chocolate Peppermint ice cream with marshmellows mixed in. JSL is also a fan of all things chocolate and wound up eating about half of my ice cream. He actually got upset when I dared to move the spoon to my mouth instead of in his. How dare I!
After ice cream we did some shopping. Then, after a quick stop home to drop off our goods, we headed to B’s parents house. There we dropped off the kids and went out to eat in a Japanese Steakhouse. (Sushi… yum! Especially Sweet Potato sushi made with warm sweet potato tempura. *drools*) After dinner, it was back to B’s parents for dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookie cake.
Here are a few photos:
Happy Birthday B!
Things You Never Thought You’d Say Before You Were A Parent #2
It’s been awhile, so it’s time for another issue of "Things You Never Thought You’d Say Before You Were A Parent."
Our first TYNTYSBYWAP involves both JSL and NHL. JSL has this bad habit of headbutting everything and everyone in sight. Yesterday, he and NHL were playing. NHL was laying down on the ground. JSL approached him and headbutted him…. in the groin. As NHL laughed, I exclaimed "JSL, do *not* headbutt your brother’s crotch!"
Then, just today, I was changing JSL into his PJs. While laying on the changing table, JSL decided to play telephone. It’s one of his favorite games. He holds something – anything – up to his ear and pretends it is a telephone. This time, however, I had to tell him: "JSL, your foot is *NOT* a telephone!"
Has your little one made you say something you never thought you would say before you were a parent?
Of Wandering Toddlers and Harnesses
I never thought I’d be the type of dad who’d harness his kids. I’ll admit it. I always used to look at kids on a leash and think “Boy, does that look demeaning. What kind of parent would do that to their kid.” Now I know. The kind of a parent whose kid insists on wandering off!
Last week, JSL gave us a scare. We were in the mall picking up some photos. My in-laws had taken NHL with them to another store and B and I were watching JSL. When we were done, we started walking off. I let JSL stretch his legs and walk with us. He did well at first, but then I saw him duck between some clothes racks. I quickly went after him, but he was gone! B calmly noted that the coats were moving. There he was in the middle of the coats “playing hide and seek.”
Later that same day, as we were leaving the mall, I was getting coats on everyone. NHL and JSL were nearly all set. I zipped up NHL’s coat and off shot JSL away from us. I calmly called him back, but he didn’t listen. Then I walked after him. He went about twenty feet down the store, turned down an aisle, looped around, and was going to go down another aisle before I caught him. Clearly, had I not chased after him, we would have lost him completely.
NHL had always insisted on holding our hands when he began walking. This was likely a byproduct of his hypotonia causing balance issues. Holding our hand helped provide stabilization. Even if he took off on his own, he wasn’t too fast so we could easily grab him.
JSL, however, is a little power walker. Seriously, he swings his arms like he’s power-walking now. It’s amazing the speed he can get and how silently he can slip off. So I’m doing when I never thought I’d do and shopping for backpack harnesses.
So far, I have two in mind. The Eddie Bauer Harnes Buddy looks interesting and is kind of cute. On the other hand, the SafeFit Boy Backpack with Harness seems a bit more functional, if not as cute. Any suggestions for giving a little walker the freedom to walk without letting him get lost?