Ryder digs Tyler Florence's Sprout Foods

Not that my kiddo is a picky eater at all but he does have a discriminating palate already. Ryder dislikes the flavor of most baby food brands we've tried so far. I don't blame him--I taste tested and thought they were nasty, too. The one brand we both think tastes good and is a great value for the money is Tyler Florence's line, Sprout. I'm not fond of the pouch/envelope packaging but Sprout has a page dedicated to why they chose the container. It's okay, it's just a little messy when you spoon out some food, then reuse by zipping it shut. Once Ryder eats more at one sitting it won't be a problem. Right now, though, he can easily get 3 meals out of one pouch.

The difference in taste is definite. The fruits taste fresher and there's no strange aftertaste or chemical zing. The way I see it, if I'd eat it, he'll eat it. And I know that other brands, not that I'm naming names, don't taste good to me. But oh, my he loves his Healthy Times maple teething biscuits!

Pissed About Balloon Boy

I'm pissed about the whole Colorado balloon boy saga. All afternoon, I was glued to the internet watching the live video feed of the helium balloon floating over Colorado. Stressed out and worried about this child that I didn't know, I couldn't tear away from the news. As a parent, it hits home hard when a child is endangered. All I could think of was how terrified the boy had to be, how desperate his parents were to have him back safe and unharmed. When the balloon did land and he wasn't inside my imagination churned up the fear that he'd fallen out shortly after takeoff. Who could I call to suggest searching the rooftops in his subdivision?

Imagine my emotions when the reports come in that he is alive and hiding in a box in the family's attic. Angry. I'm angry that I allowed a drama unfolding in a different state to hijack my day. I'm irritated that my emotions are so easily ruffled. And I'm unhappy that I'm such a media junkie that I couldn't let go, back away from the monitor and chill out. No, I had to hang on every snippet of news tweeted, Facebooked, emailed and posted to websites of all kinds, network news sources included. And I'm sad that it made me agonize over future what if's of my own. What if Ryder is too adventurous and fearless for his own good? What if I can't keep my child safe?

Hopefully Falcon Heene is getting hugged and punished. Hugged because he is loved by his family and punished because there are consequences for your actions. And his family may very well get a honkin' big bill from the state of Colorado for all the resources used to track the balloon and prepare for emergency medical treatment. I'm thankful they spared no expense but now the Heene family needs to foot the bill.

Busy, busy, busy

Haven't updated in a while simply because I'm busy. In the last month I've:

• Attended the Austin Cocktail Throwdown (loved the winning libation).
• Took a week long vacation to visit my twin in the St. Louis metro area where I got to eat the most delicious Vietnamese cuisine, ever.
• Managed to go see my man mate's band play a gig (first time in forever that I've done that).
• Sadly neglected my Examiner page but a concerted effort on my Twitter site has paid off in followers.
• Completed a 9 mile walk/run followed the next week by a 10 miler, then a 9.5 miler and soon, another 10 miler for my San Antonio Rock & Roll Half Marathon training.
• Missed sweet baby Ryder saying "Mama" for the first time (and two more times after that) because I was away from home. Perhaps he only says it when I'm not around. If a baby says "Mama" in the forest, does it still mean I have to change his diaper?
• Had my last chiropractic appointment for my shoulder problem. Thanks, Chris!
• Unpacked exactly one box from the huge stash in our garage...leftover from moving the contents of our storage room to our house a few months ago. It'll get done. Sometime.

And there's more, most of which is too dull to post. What've you been up to?

Six Months Old & Sleeping Through the Night

Technically Ryder's 6.75 months old but hey, that's alright. What's important is that he went down to sleep at 10pm and didn't wake up until 6:30am. And he really didn't wake up much. The milk faucets were dripping and I, as Dairy Overseer, made the executive decision to gently remove my child from his crib and hold him to my chest. He didn't even open his eyes but immediately latched on for breakfast. That's my kid, not gonna miss a meal.

I think he would've slept an hour or more longer had I not woken him. Perhaps tomorrow morning I'll pump if he's still asleep when my boobs demand relief. Please, God, let there be a repeat of last night's good sleeping. Yes, I've gone from bargaining with God to let me live through this hangover (always uttered while worshipping at the porcelain throne) to pleading with Him for sleep. That's life, always begging our deities for something. Don't think I'm not appreciative. Once I bolted awake (wet sheets + ceiling fan = cold) and rushed to the nursery I was thanking God that Ryder was okay. I automatically assumed something must be hideously wrong since my sweet babe let me sleep for so long of a stretch. One for the baby books!

Another one for the baby book is Ryder's first diss. His first insult was dished out by his cousin Michael, oh so wordly at the ripe old age of ten. We were visiting Kim in St. Louis and riding in the car on an errand. Ryder was playing with Michael's favorite toy as an infant, a stuffed purple rhino. The rhino's horn is a bit worn from when Michael used to gnaw on it. My baby must've trying to mouth it's bum because Michael suddenly exclaimed "Wrong end, Baby Einstein!". It was said affectionately but with a hint of sarcasm. We exploded into laughter. Okay, so maybe not as amusing in the retelling but at the time it was quite funny.