7 Jul
So much changed in the past two years (eek 2 years since a post). Now we have a 2 and half year old, new house, and a new baby brother! Carson was born in March and we are loving every minute our little man. We moved to north Fort Worth, and now I am only working part time in order to hang with my little buddies more often. Life is busy, but fun! I am hoping to keep up with this blog a bit more often, so stay tuned:)
28 May
Well today we decided it was time to get new ‘professional’ pictures made of our little man. Well, more like I decided. It’s not like we haven’t taken a picture of him every day of his life since he was born, but I felt like to going to a studio and actually having photos printed out was the grown up thing to do. Plus, we are going to be seeing a bunch of friends and family this weekend so we can pass them out.
I made an appointment with Portrait Innovations, who had great deals and came highly recommended. I picked out a few outfits and actually made it there on time. Grandma came along to supervise and help with the agonizing ‘selection’ time. I really enjoyed the time we spent there, the staff was pretty helpful and we didn’t feel rushed! I loved the pictures and the prices too:)
Here are some samples, not all are edited:
15 May
Spring is great this year in Texas!! Cooler temps+less rain=awesome weather. We have gone to three local festivals over the past month, here is the breakdown.
First was Southlake’s ‘Art in the Square‘ Festival which was in April and on a sunny, breezy day. We went with my parents and sister and soaked up the sun while listening to great local music!
Then we went to Mayfest which is held on the first weekend of May on the banks of the Trinity River near downtown Fort Worth. We again met my parents and sister and brother in law. We again moved a table to a shady spot and traded in our dollars for coupons and kicked back listening to Josh Weathers and the True Endeavors. This time we also brought our Uncle Josh and his girlfriend Elizabeth to party who were in town from Michigan.
Yesterday we went to Main Street Days in Grapevine. It was also a repeat plan, though this time our good friends Lauren and Josh subbed in for the grandparents and we ate pizza instead of funnel cakes. And a good time was had by all!
15 May
I am no gourmet chef, and I like to think about eating all home cooked meals, but in reality I enjoy fast food almost everyday and regularly cave in to my husband’s pleas of pizza for dinner. This is not a lifestyle I want for my child. I would like him to grow up eating fresh, healthy foods cooked free of preservatives and fillers. Well, at least for as long as possible. I know he is his father’s son, and one day soon I will arrive home from the farmer’s market to see them enjoying pizza rolls while watching ESPN.
While I was pregnant I decided I would make my own baby food. This seemed to startle most of my friends and family. I think most of them thought it sounded good, but how long could it work/be convenient/not annoy me. I don’t have a big issue with Gerber or BeechNut, but I think its funny that I can buy a jar of baby beets, but have never known anyone to actually cook and eat them.
A little about my background. I am a developmental specialist who works with infants and toddlers who are developmentally delayed/different from their peers. I see a lot of kids who have a lot of trouble eating foods or transitioning to table foods. I work with both dietitians and feeding therapists and know the strategies they recommend. Homemade baby food allows you to control the texture for your baby’s needs. This combined with my desire for my child to enjoy food with minimal processing led me to my plan.
First I did some online research, bought some equipment, and looked at a few cookbooks. It turns out to be way easier than I expected! All you do it this:
1. Select food to introduce – I started with apples and squash because it was the on sale that day.
2. Wash and chop food to desired size.
3. Place into pan with 1 inch of water-I use a steamer basket- and cover and steam for 10 minutes or so, just until food is soft.
4. Let cool and then put into food processor or blender and puree to desired consistency.
5. Pour into container for storage. I usually pour some into freezer trays and some into bowl for the fridge to use over the next day or so.
6. Feed to your kid.
This whole process takes 30 minutes or so, including feeding. Not a big deal. I usually cook 2 times a week. When you use the freezer cube things you can pop them out (after frozen obviously) and store in a freezer bag. This will last another 7 feedings. I just pull one out from freezer bag and defrost (usually in microwave) and add water, formula or rice cereal to thin or thicken to desired consistancy. It’s kind of fun, and I have been experimenting here and there and learning from my mistakes. It’s also super cheap. I am not necessarily doing it to save money- but when the sweet potatoes I bought for $3 makes 30 oz of baby food it’s pretty exciting.
Try it, you might impress yourself! Or better yet-other people!
24 Apr
To be clear, this is my birthday I am talking about. It also happens to be Easter Sunday. Double the festivities!!! I also got Friday off of work to enjoy the day with my Brady-boy:). This weekend began with a trip to the pediatrician for a check up and shots for my sweet baby (sad), and a particularly nasty stomach bug for me. Sadly, I had to cancel my dinner date with my hubby, but he brought me some flowers to make up for it. The birthday weekend turned around with a trip to the lake to see our friends’ new lake house!! We had a great time, and my diet of Gatorade and nothing evolved into some tasty fajitas and carrot cake. Brady got all set up by the grandparents with his new swing and made a new friend Stacy-she was a super sitter!!! Chris and Brady even snuck in a nap on the hammock. 
We enjoyed the windy weather and watched a storm brewing-then we got a rare appearance from Uncle Kevin. He thrilled us with his tales of treacherous driving through a hailstorm on his way back from McMurray (Spring weather in Texas!) so we had to leave to rescue Uno, who was left in the backyard at home.
Today I woke up early (4:30-thanks kiddo) and got some wonderful presents and cards for my special day. Chris gave me an awesome new coffeemaker with a timer! I got some gift cards from the inlaws, and my mom says she is giving me some herbs to plant in my backyard. Also, I am getting to catch up on all of my recorded shows:)
Later on we will go to the grandparents and do the whole Easter dinner thing with the Aunt and Uncles too. Happy Easter everyone!
20 Apr
Here is my boy eating more cereal! He loves it. We really need to invest in a high chair of some sort.
19 Apr
Have I mentioned how much I love this in my coffee. It really makes the morning so much better. And I love it when my dear husband can work from home so I don’t have to get up early and rush to take B-boy to his grandparents house. It really makes the morning much more relaxed! Hopefully the day stays calm and relaxed, though I did just hear the weather report:( Hot and humid, and not even Easter yet. I love Texas!
19 Apr
So this evening, after working all day and enjoying a fabulous dinner of sloppy joes with the husband, I decided my little baby needed more than just the usual dinner. We needed to spice things up! I was trying to wait until the ‘official’ four month appointment with the Doc to give us the green light, but I decided what the heck-lets do it! Our little man has been eying our food and drink for the past few days, and recently began lunging for his Grandma’s pretzels. It was time for the first bites of baby food.
We mixed the prerequisite bland rice cereal with a few tablespoons of water, busted out the new baby spoons and it was go time. After a few moments of hesitation from Dad (he is not ready for this milestone quite yet) we took the plunge. And the result…Our baby boy took to it like a fish to water. He loved it! He smacked and swallowed and smiled his drooly grin. After about 10 bites we called it quits and headed for the bath. That boy was a mess!
Sad note: Camera was not fully charged, so we missed the photo op (bad mommy) but we will try again tomorrow.
15 Aug
Yesterday we continued to make our mark on the house by painting the living room area Bamboo. Who knew that was even a color! Kevin once again was kind enough to help us and we know have one less pink room in the house. Between that and all the help Wednesday night from Steve and Vicki are house is looking more like our home. Also, Potocki Jr. received his first Yankees gear from Grandma Sharon this week. I hope he is as excited about it as me!
-Chris
6 Aug
So we are trying to get things together in the rest of the house before we begin really gathering and registering for baby things. Last week one of my clients gave me three baby outfits when she found out it was a boy, and today another family gave me a pack and play that was practically new! (like a portable crib) So excited about our new stuff! My sister, Aunt Christi, bought the baby some socks and two outfits that are adorable, and Auntie Emily and Korey (my old roomies) bought him a stuffed monkey and his first book (the very hungry caterpillar). My mom – Gigi?- bought him a Grandma Loves Me blankie she saw somewhere. This baby is definitely getting set up nicely. I guess I need to hurry up with the register and I am getting more and more excited. This is a photo of some of the decorations I hope to have ready for the baby. We (I) am hoping to decorate the baby room in kind of a retro children’s book and toy theme. Let me know if anyone would like to donate something they have laying around. Of course we will be painting the room soon, probably blue!
Potocki Post 