Prunes,Cooking,and Sitting Up

Tytus started solids about a month ago and has found it interesting (and tasty) to try lots of new foods including: apples, pears, cereal, carrots, sweet potato, banana, peas, and avacado. Bananas are by far his favorite, but peas and carrots are a close second. He sits up in his high chair (and usually plays with a toy or watches me) while I get the food ready, then we put on his bib and he knows what's coming! He was content to just be fed for about a week or two, but after watching me feed him and watching his mom and dad eat he's figured out that he might want to help out a little more. He's tried using his hands to hold his bib, reach for the food, and hold his spoon once we're done. Most recently we tried prunes during lunch. Prunes are deep purple and super messy! Of course that means that it was a perfect day for Tytus to get in on the action. I tried several times to keep his hands away from the bowl, but he was so fixated on it that he'd stopped being interested in eating at all. So, I let him go for it and explore what this new stuff was. He thought it was great!

One day last week we woke up and did our normal morning routine of eating, changing, making breakfast, and seeing dad out the door. The only difference was that Tytus got dressed in jeans and a button up shirt that he was going to outgrow soon. I figured we should at least wear it once before it got too small....little did I know that Ty would try to act like a little man since he was dressed for the part. 

That day he helped me in the yard....

rolled over for the first time.....

and started wanting to sit up on his own...

He loves looking at the tree on the wall after he gets a clean diaper.

If only I would have known what was going to happen when I put that grown up outfit on him! Along with trying out lots of new things, Tytus has become very observant and loves to watch everything I do around the house. One of his favorite things to do is watch me cook. I'll set him up on the counter to watch as I wash the dishes, cut up chicken, heat up his food, or make homemade bread and cookies. I've had the urge to try out some new recipes recently and found a new favorite today. It's actually a recipe that was sent out in newsletter update from the hospital where we had Ty. There were two recipes, so I tried out the lettuce wraps first......and love them! Here's the recipe if you're interested:

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:
• 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips & dice
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• ½ cup peanut sauce
• 1 head Romaine lettuce,
• separate into leaves and clean
• 2 cups whole grain noodles
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup julienne cucumbers
• ¼ cup chopped peanuts
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms

Method:
• Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken, and sauté until golden brown.
• Add peanut sauce and cook for 1 minute.
• Take lettuce leaf and add noodles, chicken, carrots, cucumbers and peanuts. Roll (like a tortilla), eat & ENJOY! 
Serves 8

Calories: 215 Fat:8g Sodium 350mg Carbs: 15gr Fiber: 3gr Protein: 23gr