Intro/Liam's 8 Month Update/Modified CIT Method that works

Hi so I am going to be using this blog that I started years ago and never did anything with. I am a new mommy to Liam (8 months) and I'm mainly going to be talking baby stuff. I really did my research while I was pregnant and I am constantly reading and searching for new information everyday. I am also learning from experience everyday.

Im a stay at home mommy so I am basically with my baby 24/7. I transitioned Liam to this schedule just after he turned 7 months and he's been doing amazing with it! This is what our current day "schedule" looks like (approxamate)

7am -Wake
Nurse

9:30 - Breakfast (Oatmeal, breastmilk, fruit and veggie puree, cinnamon)

10:00 to 11:00 - Nap
Nurse

1:30 Lunch (Mashed banana, breastmill, oatmeal)

2:00 to 3:00 - Nap
Nurse

5:00 - Dinner (Combo of 3 veggie puree)

6:00 - Bath

7:00 Nurse, Sleep

He has been so happy during the days since he's gotten the hang of napping in his crib and taking a morning nap and an afternoon nap! I only do homemade baby food. This is my go to website for all of my information. Now that Liam is 8 months I plan to introduce some new foods. I am definitely going to introduce organic plain yogurt as well as some new fruits and veggies. I also ordered him some organic "puffs" for his stocking which I am also going to let him try. I will update on how he does with the new foods.

Modified CIT - My method

I know CIT is a controversial subject, but it was time for me to do something. When Liam was around 6 weeks I tried to get him on a day time schedule. He was basically staying up all day and extremely cranky. I started reading online and I read somewhere that at his age babies shouldn't be awake for longer than 1.5 hours at a time. I paid attention to this and realized that this is when he would start to get fussy. So every 1.5 hours I would rock him to sleep, put him down, he would sleep for exactly 30 minutes and then he'd be up. I tried everything to get him to sleep longer (swaddle, dark room, white noise, you name it) and I could never get him to sleep for longer than 30. So he would take about 4 of these little "cat naps" a day and I followed an "eat, play, sleep" schedule with him. It kept him happy but was a huge pain in the butt, pretty much impossible to go anywhere. Eventually we discovered the swing. We would put him in there in front of a cartoon and he would be out in minutes. Much easier then rocking him to sleep every hour and a half. As time went on he eventually starting going longer in between naps and I knew it was time. I did my reading and talked to my mommy friends and I decided to make the commitment. I fed him his breakfast and put him down 3 hours after waking for the day. I gave him his paci, his sleep bear, turned on his fan, kissed him and said have a good nap.

Gardien Beef-less Vegan Stew

• 1 package of Gardien Frozen Beef Tips
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 small white onion
• 1 small zucchini
• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 2 handfuls frozen cut leaf spinach
• 1 ts sea salt
• 1 ts ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• fresh rosemary and thyme to taste

Peel and chop all all of your veggies.  Be sure to chop the sweet potatoes nice and small, this way they will cook faster and almost melt down to thicken your broth!  In a large soup pot heat a small amount of olive oil and sauté the Gardein beef tips according to package directions,(on high about 3 to 4 mins) then set aside in a bowl for later use.  Add 2 tbsp of oil to the same pot, once hot add minced garlic, onion, celery and zucchini and sauté for about 5 minutes (until the onions turn clear.)  Now add the veggie broth, herbs, spices and the rest of your veggies.  Bring to a boil then simmer for about 40 minutes or until the sweet potatoes get very soft.  Add the frozen spinach and the beef tips the last 5 - 10 minutes.

First post / Protein Cookies

Hi friends and welcome to my blog!  Here I will be posting recipes, fitness and wellness tips and other insight to living a healthy life!  I am a vegetarian, hoping to soon go 100% vegan!  Therefor none of my recipes will be containing dairy!  I have been dieting and trying to tone up, so I created this recipe based off of some I found online!   It is simple and delicious and has 20+ grams of protein!  I've been baking a batch every couple of days and leaving them in the fridge and enjoying every morning for my breakfast!

Zucchini Walnut Protein Cookies

(Inspired by the zucchini walnut bread I loved as a little girl, using fresh zucchini out of my grandpa's garden!!)

• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup oats
• 4 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 4 tbsp chopped walnuts
• 2 scoops protein (I used GNC Soy Protein - Vanilla)
• 1 ts baking soda
• 1 ts baking powder
• 1 ts cinnamon + additional sprinkle on top of each cookie

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, form into 4 large cookies, place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees, let cool before eating!

Quick picture I snapped with my phone!

Feel free to experiment with different fruits/vegetables/add ins!  I want to make a batch with chocolate chips later in the week for Christmas!  I made a batch today without the peanut butter, for a lower fat version!  I will post the results later!

Nutrition Facts (per cookie)

Calories 314

Carbs 27

Protein 21g

Sugar 10g