Brody visits the zoo!

Last weekend Keith and I took Brody to the Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek. I always had fun visiting the zoo when I was little and I knew Brody would love it. If he's outside, he's a happy camper -- he must get that from his daddy! :) We didn't see as many animals as I had hoped, but it was pretty warm and humid that day, so I'm sure they were enjoying their time in the shade.

My new big-boy carseat!

All tuckered out!

6 Month Photo Shoot = FAIL

I'm a little late in posting this, considering Brody is closer to being 7 months old than he is 6 months old, but I had to share.  I've been taking monthy pictures of Brody in front of a sign that says "I'm X Months Old Today!" I got the idea from other mom's on TheBump.com message boards and had to steal it for my own :) So far they've turned out really cute and it's been neat seeing Brody develop over the last 6 months.


Well, this last photo shoot didn't turn out too well. Brody was more interested in playing with his feet then looking at the camera, and once he discovered the sign behind him, it was all over!

Once a Month Cooking - Round 2

I was introduced to Once a Month Cooking by a fellow Nestie (on my anniversary board on TheNest.com) and thought I'd give it a try. The idea of coming home and only having to pop something in the oven or warm it up on the stove sounded SO appealing. After all, what mom who works full time doesn't need a few extra minutes in her day?

The first time was completely overwhelming. I chose 25 recipes, organized my grocery list, spent over $300 at the store and then cooked for 2 days straight. Phew, I'm exhausted just thinking about what it was like! My house was a complete disaster! This time I narrowed my recipe selection down to 8 and just made double batches of everything. Keith and I don't mind eating the same things every other week, and it's so much easier to make double a recipe instead of 2 separate recipes. I only spent $200 at the store this time and was able to make enough for 18 dinners. Here's what I made:
Beef Empanadas
Thursday's Chicken
Fiesta Chicken
Baked Ziti
Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
Stuffed Burger Pockets
Tater-tot Casserole filling (my recipe)
Taco-Stuffed Pasta Shells
These were our favorites from the first time I did OAMC, so I figured I'd stick with what I knew. It only took me 8 hours to make all of those, as opposed to the two days it took me to make 25 recipes. I'm thinking I'll have one day a month were I make several meals like I did this past weekend, and then 2 other weekends a month I'll try 2 new recipes to freeze. I'm also slowly working on adapting our favorite recipes into ones that will work in the freezer.
If you have the time to devote to cooking for a full day and the endurance to grocery shop for everything, I highly suggest giving OAMC'ing a try! After you finish, you'll swear up and down you'll never do it again, until you enjoy a month's worth of hassle-free dinners. Completely worth the effort!

Brody loves the tastes of summer!

Brody had his first experience with "real" food last week and he LOVED it. He completely devoured the two chunks of watermelon I gave him, and he ate a good portion of the banana. I chose to give him large pieces that he could "gum" rather than small teeny-tiny pieces. His dexterity isn't the best yet and this seemed to work for him. The watermelon practically melted in his mouth and he wasn't able to bite off any large pieces of the banana, much to our relief. We gave him macaroni & cheese (cut up) the following night but he wasn't a fan. I didn't get any pictures, but the pieces kept sticking to his hands; he'd look at his hands then look at me like, "Ok, so how do I get those into my mouth?!" Too cute!

"Hey....what's this stuff?! It looks fun...."

I tried giving some some yogurt melts, but they just stuck everywhere!

(He was NOT a fan of the teething biscuits)

Sweet Summertime!

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July weekend! Our little family went to Higgins Lake for a long weekend and it was wonderful. I got scorched, Keith's entire body is sore from riding the jet skis, and little man had his first adventure with water other than his nightly baths and kiddie pools on water days at daycare. We had bought a floating raft with a shade for him, but the water was a little chilly to let him sit in it that long. Instead, Higgins Lake is shallow enough that we were able to walk pretty far out into the water holding him, letting his toes dip in. He LOVED being held in daddy's arms and just staring down into the water as it shimmered and rippled under the sun-light.

(He did NOT want to wear that hat!)

While we were on our mini-vacation, I was just amazed at how much Brody has developed in the last few weeks. He's sitting up completely on his own now, for more than a few minutes like he previously was. He'll be completely content to play with his toys for nearly 10-20 minutes. Of course he's always supervised, but if we try to play with him, we get a look that almost says "Mom, dad, seriously. Let me play by myself!" Also, he now brings his knees up under him when he's on his tummy and starts rocking back and forth like he's trying to crawl. The kid never wants to sit still and I've had a lot of people tell me that he's ready to move. I can tell he is, and he gets frustrated that he can't move on his own yet. I have a feeling it's just a matter of time....

We've gone through nearly every type and combination of baby food that Gerber has to offer with no adverse affects or allergies, so I think it's time to start slowly introducing new textures and foods. I saw a portable food grinder that I'm tempted to buy, just so I can grind up some of the foods Keith and I are eating for dinner, providing they're not too spicy. Brody LOVES grabbing for everything he can get his little fingers on, so I can only imagine how much he'll love trying to feed himself in his highchair. We've introduced the sippy cup, and while he understands it's for drinking, he'd much rather just bang it on the tray of his high chair. When he's not seeing how loud he can bang it or chewing on the end of it, he'll tip it back and drink a little bit from it. I've only put water in it, as I don't want to introduce juice quite yet. Brody has his 6 month doctor's appointment next week (when he'll be 6.5 months) and I'm sure she'll say juice and table foods are fine, but I want to discuss it with the pedi first. I'll also be anxious to see how much our little guy weighs now. Our infant carrier car-seat is getting ready to be retired and we'll get out his "big boy" one!

I just can't believe how fast he's growing. December 31st seems like an eternity ago, but I'm just amazed at how much Brody has grown and developed in those 6 months. It's so rewarding seeing him grow and develop into a little person. If parenthood is already this rewarding, I can't wait to see what the years bring for us :)

6 Month Studio Pictures!

I know, I know, all of you pro and semi-pro photographers who I'm friends with are cringing at the thought of me taking my dear, sweet boy into a commercial "factory" photo studio. I won't lie, I didn't feel 100% great about it myself, but let's face it. The Hayes Household isn't made of money and I wanted to get some "professional" shots (if you can even call them that) in a studio before Brody goes off to college.

I did a little research and ended up at Portrait Innovations in the Eastwood Town Center in Lansing. I liked that they used a real camera, as opposed to some studios who use a camera on a stationary mount. The "photographer" (and I use the term loosely) was able to get down on the floor with Brody and he didn't need to be propped up on a table. I was prepared for cheesy backgrounds and props, all of which I refused. I stuck with a simple white background and a few different chairs. I wasn't real keen on doing the diaper shots, but since I don't have any pictures like that of Brody (not even when he was a newborn) I figured what the heck. The session lasted about 1.5 hours, including the time it took to take 90 shots (all of which I got a on CD because I spent over a certain amount of money on prints), the time it took to narrow down to my favorite poses, and the time it took for the prints to be printed. I was glad to have the pictures in my hand that same day.

Overall I was pleased with our experience at Portrait Innovations. They were fairly busy when we were there (3pm on a Friday) but I never felt rushed or had to wait around for a long time. There was a 2nd person in our session who was great at getting Brody to smile and pay attention. She even wiped the drool that was constantly running out of his mouth! I don't know if we'll go back, just because I really only plan on getting yearly professional pictures done from here on out, and I'd much rather utilize the talent of a TRUE professional photographer.

Below are some of my favorite shots....and some outtakes :) We had to stop several times to keep Brody's feet and fists out of his mouth. He also kept leaning forward when he was in a chair, almost like he wanted to see where he could go!

And a few outtakes for your viewing pleasure. Brody was all about those dang toes! He was doing everything in his power to shove his feet into his mouth the entire time :)

Summertime!

Last week we had some really warm weather for this time of year in Michigan. It was in the upper 80's, pushing 90 degrees some days. We don't have central air in our house, so it was time to break out the window AC units. I think Brody appreciated our efforts! :)