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I have to say that since I had Adele, I feel more alive, more in-tune and more aware than ever before. Maybe it’s that superhuman mom sense that kicks in when you have kids. Things seem to matter more with Adele. I notice things that I may not have before her. After having a baby, you learn to appreciate more too. For example, I never knew how much I appreciated clean air until I tried to walk a baby though a cloud of cigarette smoke on the side of the road (seriously people?!) <— Serious pet peeve of mine and I am not ashamed to say it. I digress.

But when I read about the idea of a Gratitude Walk on the blog “Emphasis Added“, I realized that there was even more out there I was missing. On those walks when I have a sleeping baby strapped to my chest, there are no sounds but the breeze, the birds and her shallow little baby breaths that tickle my skin. Sometimes I talk on the phone when I walk, and sometimes, I enjoy the peace that exists between me and my daughter.

Over thanksgiving weekend, we had the opportunity to walk a trail with our Aunt and Uncle (Jake & Janie) and amid great conversation, I took my camera out and snapped things along the way that I might not have otherwise noticed. I think I found a new hobby. It was fun, it was calming and it made me feel grateful. So much beauty in the world if you know where to find it. I think there will be more gratitude walks in my future!

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More photos from our walk!

We’re just starting to explore the world of Baby Led Weaning, so I just want to preempt this post by saying we’re no experts in this yet. We were first introduced to the BLW concept by our friends over at the Gaga Diaries. We were amazed at how well Baby Gaga ate and knew we wanted to try the same thing when Adele was ready. We haven’t finished reading the book yet, but we were too excited and gave her some bites at Thanksgiving. Since that went over well, we let her play with a banana the next day. I think she liked it!

They say to leave part of the peel on so they can hold it and it seemed to work pretty well. It’s hard to say if she liked the texture, the coolness or the sweetness more.

The theory behind BLW is that if you let kids feed themselves real whole food, they learn to feed themselves, enjoy the experience of eating at a table, eat until they’re satisfied and develop a varied palate for foods.

At about six months, most babies are ready to join the family at the kitchen table and discover food for themselves. Baby-Led Weaning is the definitive guide to this crucial period in your child’s development, and shows you how to help your baby:

• Participate in family meals right from the start
• Experiment with food at his or her own pace
• Develop new abilities, including hand-eye coordination and chewing
• Learn to love a variety of foods and to enjoy mealtimes[source]

I resisted buying a Bumbo, thinking I could get away without one. But I am lucky to have a friend who let me borrow this and I’m SO glad I did! What did I ever do without it?? Best invention ever.
Yes, I know, it’s on a table. The horror, right?

She’s killing that banana! You go, girl!

Watch it in action:

We have a long way to go in our BLW journey, so much to learn and experiment with, but we’re very excited to be attempting it. More to come!

I’m too embarrassed to tell you where I got this shirt…. But I think it’s so stinkin’ cute!

Girl knows how to strike a pose!

I love reading books to Adele. She loves to touch the pages and try to grab the illustrations.

PS. Can someone PLEASE give me tips on how to take pictures of a squirmy baby without them coming out blurry?