New hat!

My friend, Jen, made Smunchie a new hat. How cute is she, all soft and warm?

Mess free painting

On Friday, Lil G kept asking to paint.  Well, I had a lot of cleaning to do and therefore, didn't really want a paint mess to clean up too!  So, I decided to try an idea from Pinterest, to see how well it worked.

I put two colors of paint into three freezer bags and taped them to the table, with paper underneath.  Lil G go to spend a lot of time using his fingers, Q-tips and rollers to blend the colors.  An added bonus- he learned his primary and secondary colors!

Recipe #6: Turkey Pot Pie Pockets

I made a turkey breast the other day, in the crockpot.  I, of course, then needed to use up the leftovers.  I found a recipe that, while not healthy (a lot of processed stuff), was tasty and easy to throw together.  And, healthier than the alternative (eating out and the like).

These were a hit.  Greg and I really liked them and Lil G ate some without complaint (a feat for him).

So, here we go!

Turkey Pot Pie Pockets

1 can Pillsbury Grands (or generic brand)
1/2 cup peas and carrots (frozen or your leftovers) (I used 1/2 cup of each of steamed carrots and steamed peas)
1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup (I used 1/2 can cream of mushroom and 1/2 can of cream of chicken)
2 cups chopped turkey (I used shredded turkey b/c I'm lazy and it's easier to shred with the mixer)

Optional add-ins
Leftover stuffing
Diced onion
1/2 c chopped celery

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all of the innards together in a bowl.  Spray a rolling pin and surface (I cheat and use my cookie sheet as my surface) with cooking spray.  Roll each biscuit out to approximately 6-7".  Fill half of the biscuits with a heaping scoop (you can use an ice cream scoop if you like) of filling.  Do this with each biscuit.  Place remaining biscuits on top of filled biscuits.  Use a fork to press edges together.  Score top lightly with three lines.

Bake at 375 F for approximately 15 minutes.  Check on the pot pies and take out when golden brown.

This made enough filling for the four pies and two additional meals of four pies EACH.  I just put the filling in the freezer for future use.  They also heat up in the microwave nicely. 

Six months old!

Smunchie is six months old!  She is doing great at eating solid foods, is close to crawling and can (almost) sit up all on her own.  She is such a sweet person and we are so blessed to have her in our lives.

First solids

 Last weekend, Smunchie turned six months old.  She showed signs of being ready to eat solids (loss of tongue thrust, sitting with minimal support, interest in food), and so we decided to start giving her solids.  She took to it with furvor!  So far, she has had avocado, carrots and green beans.  She seems to like the avocado the best of all (though, it's funny to watch her with green beans, as she strips all the beans out with her gums).

In general, we are trying to do Baby Led Weaning with Smunchie, which involves giving her large pieces of foods, that she manipulates herself to get into her own mouth.  It is a messy process!  We do some purees with her (though, nothing really very smooth.  I sometimes mash avocados but I don't add water to the mix).  She gags some but in general, she is really learning how to manipulate the food around in her mouth!

 Feeding herself some mashed avocado.  

Last weekend, Uncle Rodger and his girlfriend, Sarah, came to visit.  Lil G was so excited!  He kept checking the front door every few minutes, to see if they had arrived.

Rodger and Sarah are so wonderful with the kids.  Rodger took Lil G to the train station to pick up
Sarah and then they all went on a walk together.  Lil G kept talking about "my Rodger and Sarah".

Wordless Wednesday