How to fatten a kid up with carrots

I know you have been waiting a long time for this--I have worked and slaved and now I have the answer: How to make carrots fattening!

For all of you with kiddos below the growth charts...here is a carrot recipe that solves the dilemma of feeding veggies that are low in calories while bulking up a tiny little one.

BIG FAT CARROTS
1 carrot, diced
2 TBS cream cheese
1 TBS wheat germ

boil/steam carrots until tender and stir in cream cheese and wheat germ
serves one

Believe it or not, Morgan ate this like it was his favorite new dish.

Pool photos and a recipe

Here are some more shots from the 4th of July weekend. Morgan enjoys chillin' in his little inflatable crab that we purchased with gift cards from my mom's coworkers. They were awesome to throw her a "grandmother's shower" and we enjoyed shopping during her visit in June.

Morgan got so many cards and well wishes for his birthday! I love them all :) I plan to save them so that he can see them when he's a bit older. It still overwhelms me that he has been greeted with so much love by all of our family and friends.

We stumbled upon another successful baby recipe using leftovers from Morgan's birthday dinner and I thought I would share:

Coconut Rice with Sweet Potatoes

• 1c Rice
• 1c coconut milk
• 1c water
• **Prepare rice according to package directions substituting 1 c coconut milk for 1c of the water called for.
• add 1/2c cooked sweet potato to 1/2 c prepared rice and chop in food processor or blender. Makes 2 portions for baby.

This is another high calorie dish to help bulk our little guy up. He was 17.5lbs at his well baby appointment yesterday--fully clothed. Looks like I have my work cut out for me.

Children's Museum Photos and a Recipe

Exploring the bubble room

So proud after taking steps to Daddy!

Driving the trolley while Uncle Shannon helps him balance

From time to time, I get a few comments about the homemade baby food and I wanted to pass along a recipe that I made tonight.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Cheese

• 2tbs butter-- I used Smart Balance
• 1 minced shallot
• 1 cup cubed butternut squash--cooked. (I steam mine in the microwave for 5-6 minutes)
• 2 cups water or broth (I used chicken broth but think that veggie broth would be great)
• 1 cup jasmine rice
• Shredded Cheese (I used colby/monterrey jack blend that was in the fridge)

1. Saute shallots in butter
2. add cooked squash and heat through
3. add water or broth and 1 cup rice and bring to boil
4. reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes
5. Uncover, turn off heat
6. mash any large pieces of squash and stir
7. serve with shredded cheese mixed in for extra protein and calories

Morgan chowed down on this tonight, and Jeremy and I enjoyed it as a side dish without the cheese.

Hurry Home, Lilly!

Morgan is happy because he just found out that his future friend Lilly is coming home from Vietnam! Congratulations to my friend Kristin for getting her approval to go get her beautiful baby girl!

In other happy news, our handsome little man gained a WHOLE POUND at his last weigh in. This saved us from weekly weight checks....which is awesome because even though we like to visit Daddy at the hospital, the trip is 22 miles one way....not fun when you don't like your car seat.

Our little guy is thriving in more ways than one. He is so ready to walk! He is also eating like a champ--black beans and brown rice, french toast, sweet potato pancakes--thanks for all of the suggestions! Even Dietitians can go into panic mode when it's their own kid that's losing weight.

The naps are starting to stabilize--this morning he took his 9am bottle and fell asleep on the pallet in the living room. We've moved from my being right beside him on the pallet, to sitting next to him so that he can hold my hand, to sitting in a chair a foot away so that he can see me. I'm very proud of his progress!