What better way to declare your independence then by eating all by yourself?!
On Monday morning Mom was preparing breakfast for her five beautiful children and decided that their traditional oatmeal and yogurt needed a splash of color. While apples and bananas are favorites they weren’t bright enough, but berries certainly would do the trick! Strawberries, blueberries and raspberries turned the dreary oats into a bright purple surprise! Little did Mom know that today was the day that her children were going to exercise their right to feed themselves! Kali was the first to say, “No thanks, Mom, I got this.” Of course, she chose not to use her words, but rather to swat the spoon from Mama’s hand sending it flying onto Bella’s lap. She then proceeded to raspberry her raspberries all over the table and her brother, Theo, sitting 2 seats over. Theo thought this was hilarious and joined the raspberry spray fest. Of course once the spoon hit Bella, she, too, caught on, and soon Mom had a mutiny on her hands. While I would have appreciated a subtler request to learn how to feed themselves; the message was nevertheless received. I am eager to celebrate this milestone with my children. I won’t be packing away the Baby Bullet just yet, but now that four out of the five have at least 2 choppers we will be discovering the quints’ finger food faves! Their new meal plan that embraces their new found independence and celebrates their 11-month milestones is as follows: Breakfast:
5-6 ounces Milk (Breast Milk with Goats Milk)
Banana OR Cooked Pears, Peaches, Fig, Plum or Apple
Cheerios OR Oatmeal OR Oat-based Teething Biscuit
Lunch:
5-6 ounces Milk
Cooked Carrots, Peas, Summer squash
Ground Meat (Beef, Chicken, Turkey) OR Flaked Fish
Cooked Potato OR Spiral Whole Grain Pasta
PM Snack:
5-6 ounces Milk OR Water (Will switch to water after 1 year)
Avocado OR Chopped Hard Boiled Egg
Cheerios OR Oat-based Teething Biscuit
Dinner:
5-6 ounces Milk
Cooked Carrots, Peas, Summer squash
Cooked Beans (Chick peas or Kidney beans) OR Soft Cubed Tofu
Almost seven months have passed since I last blogged about what a day in the life is like for one of the V5. As most know, life is a lot different for a 10 month old as compared to a 4 month old, especially since our 4 month olds truly resembled a 2 month old at that time. Nowadays, the kids are catching up developmentally and are currently tracking with 9-10 month old milestones. So, what keeps our rug rats busy? Let’s explore a day in the life of the V5!
As one can imagine, we continue to keep the quints on a tight schedule and they help to keep us true to our word. We start the day at 7am. This honestly is the best part of my day because I am greeted by wide-eyed grins, smiles and giggles…well not everyone is giggling. Theo is typically whining and ready for breakfast. We bring the kids downstairs, change their clothes and pop them in their table for breakfast. Breakfast consists of oatmeal, various fruits and homemade yogurt along with their bottle, which is half goats milk and half mama’s milk. After breakfast, the kiddos go back up to their cribs for their first nap. This is the only nap that they take in their cribs. Kali and Theo tend to sleep for about 45 minutes and others, like Elliott, will fall back asleep until almost 11am.
Dad’s Bumbo Bottle Holders
After they wake up from their first nap, they are downstairs for the day. They play until their next care time at 11am. Lunch is at 11am and they know it. The choir starts to sing at about 10 til’ 11, which creates a mad dash to get them changed and back in the table, while warming their bottles and making lunch. Lunch is usually a starchy vegetable or grain with protein, like turkey, beef or chicken, and a vegetable. They down their lunch and bottles and then play at the table while we clean up. They love to play with their spoons following mealtime. After lunch, it is quiet time. Some of the quints fall back asleep and others play quietly.
We Love Our Spoons!
Everyone is awake by 1pm, and it’s time to play again! We have transformed our home into a baby-safe exploration center. I let the kids roam around the kitchen, living room and dining room areas. They have a blast crawling, rolling and exploring. They typically travel with at least one toy in hand. The most popular toys right now are their egg maracas, the tower* of Sophies, stackable cups and connecting rings. They also find great enjoyment from whacking the doorstopper and kicking the walls. It is certainly free entertainment watching them learn what they can do- and cannot do- as they roam.
Playtime!
Two o’clock is snack and learning time! We gather at the table for bottles and a finger foods such as green peas, banana, avocado, or a homemade teething biscuit. After eating, the kids stay at the table a bit longer to play with their stacking cups, sippy cups and other toys.
Dinner often sneaks up on us at 5pm, when the kids starting “singing” again. We change them and place them back in the table for their last meal of the day. Dinner varies and sometimes is leftovers from lunch, but most often it is a vegetarian meal such as cheesy potatoes with broccoli or scrambled eggs with spinach, along with another bottle. After dinner they will stay up until bedtime, playing and roaming until about 7pm. Sometimes we are able to sneak in a walk around the neighborhood, too.
Bella off to cause some trouble!
…While Kali observes from a distance.
At seven, we begin cleaning them up and getting them ready for bed- PJ time! If all goes well, we usually have time for a story or two before their bedtime bottles. This bottle is a bit larger in volume and has Neosure and mama’s milk. Everyone is getting fed by 7:30pm and typically in their cribs for the night by 8pm. On a good night, all of them close their peepers and are off to dreamland until 6am when they slowly start to wake up. On a not-so-good-night, they all take turns teething and throwing the I-don’t-wanna-go-to-bed tantrum. We have been blessed though, and 5 out of the 7 nights every week are good nights.
And, that’s a wrap! Once the V5 are tucked in their beds, mom and dad prepare for the next day, making bottles, doing the wash, picking up toys, running the dishwasher and mopping the floor. It certainly is a full-time job, but I wouldn’t trade a minute for the world!
The quint’s 9-month celebration warrants yet another series to look at where each of the V5 are today! In three short months they have become not only more verbal, social and mobile, but also more strategic, witty and goofy!
Key priorities for mom and dad are to continue to help these kiddos:
Learn to crawl.
Hold their own bottles.
Eat soft, solid foods.
Learn to communicate with simple words and sign language.
Let’s Get Moving!
There are several gross motor milestones that precede crawling that help to build the body’s strength and coordination, including:
Holding one’s head in line and upright when pulled to sitting (3-6 months)
Bears weight on hands when lying on tummy (3-6 months)
Ability to sit with light support (3-6 months)
Rolling from stomach to back and back to stomach in both directions (3-6 months)
Sitting independently with the ability to right one’s balance and extend arms for protection (6-9 months)
Able to get into a sitting position independently (6-9 months)
Standing when holding on (6-9 months)
Crawls backward (6-9 months)
Able to pull to a standing position (6-9 months)
No one is crawling just yet, but all of the quints are able to sit up in some capacity, crawl backwards (or scoot), stand when being held and roll. While some say that some children do not crawl, or crawl for very long, we hope that ours do because of all the benefits of crawling:
Develops a sense of depth perception and location along with skills on how to navigate the environment.
Encourages decision making, focus and attention.
Requires that a baby connect a series of motions and increases coordination.
Develops muscular strength and stretches ligaments in the wrist and hands needed for fine motor skills.
Look what I can do!
While all of the quints are between a 6-9 month year old in terms of their gross motor skills, they are championing their fine motor skills! They can reach and hold large and small objects. They are able to manipulate objects in one hand and both hands. Lily has been mastered the pincer grasp! Other’s are still working on getting their pointer finger away from their hand; but all can now extend their thumb from their fingers! This skillset is critical for not only playing with more complex toys, but eating!
We are preparing to start finger foods! The only delay is mom’s fear of the impending mess that awaits after every meal. Arts and crafts time is about to get very real as we start to experiment with:
Soft Bananas
Cooked Carrots
Meatballs
Oat-based cold cereals
Monkey See, Monkey Do
Our five little monkeys are now keen observers. Many of our friends and family have noted how the kids what their every move. They are also much more social and communicative. We catch them “chatting” not only with each other but with their toys. We are also proud that their expressive communication and cognitive skills are tracking with their age:
Expressive Communication:
Babbles to people with inflection and produces a variety of consonants.
Vocalizes loudly to get attention.
Language Comprehension:
Looks and focuses on people, pictures and pets.
Responds to simple gestures.
Looks for family members when named (we are still working on this one).
Cognitive Skills:
Works to obtain items out of reach, and able to locate a hidden object.
Plays 2-3 minutes with one toy.
Touches a toy or adult to restart an activity.
Their social skills also surpass their age. They have long been able to recognize mom and dad, as well as, who is new (or a stranger). However, now all of them either calm easy when mom or dad are out of the room, or are completely content. They also all smile at images in a mirror- needless to say- Theo and Bella love themselves some mirror-time!
We also have been working on simple sign language for about the last 3-4 months. No one is able to sign back just yet, but I do believe they are beginning to connect the signs with the objects. The signs we have started with are:
Mama
Dada
Nana/Grandma
Grandpa
Milk
More
All Done
Eat
I Love You
We also have been using their signed letters for their names:
B for Bella
E for Elliott
I for Isabella
K for Kali
L for Lily
T for Theo
I am still amazed everyday at how learning can be a very independent process, and how we naturally develop all of these skills given that we have a safe, conducive environment to do so. I often feel like our little blessings teach me much more than I will ever teach them. I am so grateful for the new and maturing fruits in my life (patience, flexibility, changing priorities, appreciating each moment) that they continue to encourage with each day.
In the coming days, we hope you enjoy each quint’s individual snapshot!
Spring has [finally] sprung here in Madison! So, what have the quints been up to while they awaited spring?
The V-5 want to thank Culvers for these stylish onesies and their support since day 1!
Well, they have been eating like champs and are up to 3 solid meals per day. A typical day of meals would be 2-3 T of oatmeal with yogurt and bananas for breakfast, 2-3 T of beef or chicken with squash and potatoes for lunch, and dinner rounds out the day with 2-3 T of a green veggie, vegetarian protein (chickpeas, tofu or eggs) and a healthy fat (avocado).
When the kids aren’t feasting at meals, they tend to be trying to gum each other or anything within 5 inches of their mouth, munch on their toes, or blow raspberries.
Theo’s constantly going for those toes!
…Or his sister’s hair! Poor Kali Mae.
Another favorite past-time at 8 months is teething. Frank and I joke that getting teeth is a very inefficient process… 2 years of tears times five, well may be times seven. When all start moaning and groaning, hoping for those choppers, we gently ask them for results, and no more excuses. All are also working hard on learning how to crawl. They are all pros at the infamous Sphynx pose, as well as, rolling over. Theo is the closest to getting wheels. His efforts and dedication to learning to crawl are truly admirable. However, at this point he is easily frustrated and tends to opt for rolling like a log to get to and fro.
The kids are also barely big enough to fit into their dining table, which- for now- is a play place.
Smiley EllieCute KaliLillian GraceGoofy Bella
It is also the official meeting space for Girl’s Club Meetings…sorry no boys allowed!
The V-5 have also been patiently awaiting their first adventure around the neighborhood. They took their first stroll this past weekend…and they appeared to be less than thrilled about it.
Theo, Kali and lil Red Riding Hood (Elliott)
Lily, the garden gnome, and Bella ready for a stroll.
Despite, the lack of smiles and giggles that we anticipated, they looked pretty darn cute sporting their new spring jackets!
The V-5 definitely “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.” As a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) I couldn’t miss the opportunity of featuring my beautiful children during National Nutrition Month®!
Lily enjoying some pre-meal tummy time.
Eating well is a pillar in the pursuit of overall wellness, especially if you are/were a premature infant. I attribute my children’s well-being to their healthcare team’s (which includes Mommy & Daddy) dedication to feeding them well from day one.
I have bragged on and on about breast milk in past posts, including Mommy Nutrition and 2 Simple Acts, so the following will feature the best solid foods for infants, or Baby’s Super Foods. These also happen to be super foods for the oldest of children- aka adults. I selected the following foods based on their nutrient density, ease of digestion and preparation and friendliness to the young palate.
Meat and poultry are great first foods due to their iron content. Baby’s stores of iron begin to fade around 6 months so, a food rich in iron is important. Additionally, iron from animal sources (heme-iron) is much easier to absorb and use by the body. Meat also is loaded with B-vitamins and zinc. If you opt for grass-fed over grain-fed cattle, you will also get meat with more healthy omega-3 fats, vitamins A and E, and less of the unhealthy saturated fats, hormones and antibiotics. Organic poultry is ideal for the same reasons; basically more time and attention are directed towards the birds living quarters and nutrition creating a better quality end product.
Lentils may be small but they are mighty. They are loaded with protein, fiber, iron, zinc and a host of B-vitamins. They are also a good source of copper, potassium and molybdenum. These legumes are quick and easy to prepare and generally more tender than other types of dried beans.
This nutritional powerhouse can be made by boiling chicken or beef bones in water and a touch of vinegar. It is a significant source of GAGs, or glycosaminoglycans, chondroitin sulfate, keratan sulfate and hyaluronic acid, which are all “ingredients” for cartilage. Additionally, the red marrow has myeloid stem cells, which supports red blood cell development and the immune system. This broth also is a great source of glycine and proline, which are the building blocks for other amino acids (protein). Glycine and proline are also used by the body to aid digestion, promote healing, and create healthy plasma. Logically, bone broth also provides a good source of minerals found in bone: calcium, phosphorus and magnesium to aid in bone development and maintenance.
This fatty fruit is a good source of fiber, vitamins K, E and C, a few B-vitamins, as well as, potassium, and copper. Avocadoes provide a host of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals (antioxidants from plants) and can help with absorption of other nutrients, like carotenoids (orange, yellow and red phytochemicals). Besides aiding in blood sugar regulation and heart health, they also make a great beauty product.
This orange, winter squash may require some extra prep work but the sweet flavor and benefits are well worth it. Although squash are a starchy vegetable, their carbohydrate is much different than a potato; it has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The orange color gives away that it is a great source of vitamin A, but it is also loaded with vitamins C, B6 and several minerals.
This hardy cereal is a great first food for infants. My vote goes to oats over rice for an infant cereal because it is rich in iron, zinc, phosphorus, fiber and protein, as well as, several other vitamins and minerals. It also comes without the worry of arsenic toxicity.
Why gluten-free? Well, gluten is a very inflammatory agent that is found in wheat, rye, barley and some oats and can be difficult to digest. Often times, traditional oats can also be “contaminated” with wheat due to shared processing equipment. I feel it is best for babies to be wheat-free until their first birthdays when they dive into that cake! Overall, I opt for gluten-free because it is much nicer to the kiddos’ digestive tract.
I had to include at least one common fruit. Bananas are a great first fruit because they are a good source of vitamins C, B6, B2 and of course, potassium. They also provide bone-building minerals, including magnesium, calcium and phosphorus. Besides the benefit of being very convenient to prepare, they are also known as nature’s antacid because they contain a substance that can help the stomach and intestines produce the mucus lining.
Another bonus of the foods mentioned above is that when they are pureed they contain at least 20 calories per Tablespoon, which is equivalent to the average amount of calories in one-ounce of breast milk. When you have picky bottle-feeders who love solids this can be a huge lifesaver!
Ellie loves to help feed herself, too.
Whether these foods are old favorites or perhaps news ones to try, I encourage children of all ages to serve up these super foods and “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right!”
Kali was the first to say, “No thanks, Mom, I got this.” Of course, she chose not to use her words, but rather to swat the spoon from Mama’s hand sending it flying onto Bella’s lap. She then proceeded to raspberry her raspberries all over the table and her brother, Theo, sitting 2 seats over. Theo thought this was hilarious and joined the raspberry spray fest. Of course once the spoon hit Bella, she, too, caught on, and soon Mom had a mutiny on her hands. While I would have appreciated a subtler request to learn how to feed themselves; the message was nevertheless received. 
I am eager to celebrate this milestone with my children. I won’t be packing away the Baby Bullet just yet, but now that four out of the five have at least 2 choppers we will be discovering the quints’ finger food faves! 
Their new meal plan that embraces their new found independence and celebrates their 11-month milestones is as follows: Breakfast:
Bump 2 Bab[y]ies 
