Tuesday, December 08th, 2009 /
Karifern
Five months, já? Time certainly flies when your having fun. Or maybe it’s just all those diapers that make it such a blur.
NOVEMBER (5 months)
Weight: 7.375 kg = 16.26 lbs
Height: 67 cm = 26.4 in
Head circumference: 44 cm = 17.3 in
At any rate, we visited Dr. Airton near the end of November for Mishael’s five-month check-up. Mishael is doing great, still putting on weight (who knew that was a good thing!?) and gearing up to introduce solids next month, which will prove to be another interesting culture point in my care of Mishael.
Overall “baby food” means something very different to a Brazilian mom than an American one. The tentative schedule I received from the doctor favors much more fruit than vegetables. The majority of fruits are juices and the vegetables are all soups, both mixtures rather than individual fruits or vegetables. Interestingly, the Brazilians don’t usually cook apple before feeding it to babies. Instead they cut the apple in half horizontally (contrary to the typical horizontal American cut); then, cupping one half of it like a small bowl, they scrape out a small bite with a spoon. What will they think when I make applesauce? But that is not my only planned modification.
The majority of research that I have done so far encourages introducing one (steamed then puréed) vegetable/fruit at a time over a course of 3-5 days (even up to a week) to help detect allergies. The plan is to start with carrots, followed by banana (uncooked, of course), and then perhaps spinach to get a “green” in (peas aren’t an option here). How’s that for an exciting menu plan? I’m sure that what Mishael’s pediatrician will think, as well!
With that said, if anybody has some “baby food” advice, tips or perhaps a more concrete schedule, etc., please do share. As a rookie, I can use all the advice I can get, especially since I won’t be buying baby food. Until recently, baby food bottles weren’t even available in the stores. Now they are, but they are incredibly expensive (kind of like the Campbell’s soup I unexpectedly encountered the other day). Besides, homemade food is healthier. (Isn’t that true of most foods?) So let the adventure begin!
Mishael watching Sunday afternoon "football" with Daddy.
Mishael helping Mommy with the laundry...principally by self-entertainment and the use of very little clothing.
Mishael absorbed in a good book.
My Brit Lit class just finished reading Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth. In follow-up, the students did a great job with the creative half of their final projects. It seems a shame for them to go to such effort for such a small audience, so I thought I’d broaden the playing field and post them. Enjoy! Senior Briana Hopkins cloned herself to sing background vocals for her solo performance in 