Trying Something New

What a fun day we had today! Terry took the bus to work (believe it or not, that's fun for him), and Marshall and I had plans to meet him for lunch. But first, we headed out to a new-to-us experience: My Gym!

I mentioned earlier this month that one of my big goals this year is to expand Marshall's world through various opportunities to interact with other kids. Today's class was a huge hit and is certainly encouraging me to check out more like it. The class was 50 minutes of singing, guided movement, free play, swings, and plenty of interaction with other babies Marshall's age.

(I didn't take any photos because I didn't want to be that creepy new mom taking photos. I'll be that mom next time.)

Honestly, I was a little nervous about how Marshall would respond to a room full of adults and babies and music and movement. One major downside of my staying home with him this year is that he doesn't get to experience these types of organized play situations very often. And lately he has shown signs of stranger anxiety, especially around men, as well as overstimulation when he's in a busy environment. But today he did great! He seemed a little bewildered at first, but once we got into the "warm up" and movement he was all smiles. Honestly, I doubt he would have noticed if I had just disappeared!

I think we're going to sign up for the classes--they have a program where you can attend one class plus one free play or one additional class each week--so that Marshall can enjoy some regular interaction with these kids. Plus, this Friday Marshall and Terry will take their first swim class together! We're really on a roll with this New Year's resolution.

After our class, we met up with Terry for lunch--his company is still contracting with a different food truck each week--and enjoyed some fun fusion cuisine. Then Terry headed back into work while Marshall and I ran a few errands, and we eventually picked him up on our way home. The whole thing might become a new Tuesday routine for us, and I'm excited about it! Sometimes having no schedule all week can get a little tedious, so I'm thrilled to have some structure now.

Tonight for dinner I made lentil vegetable soup, another Ina recipe. It was amazing. Would you believe that before this week I had never had lentils OR leeks? Granted, I barely tasted the leeks tonight but they are essentially giant green onions, and apparently they taste like sweeter onions. They were obviously quite mild because I couldn't pick out their flavor in the soup. Lentils, though, are a new favorite around here! I love the texture! Marshall gets to try some tomorrow night!

Speaking of which, just for fun, here's a list of what Marshall has tried (either on its own or in a mix/puree):

• chicken broth
• chicken
• onion
• butternut squash
• broccoli
• peas
• sweet potato
• oats
• pear
• apple/applesauce
• banana
• potato
• avocado
• plain noodles
• tomato
• blackberries

Our pediatrician has recommended waiting on dairy, but I'm looking forward to introducing Marshall to more fun foods like yogurt, plus a lot of baked goods that contain dairy like pancakes and banana bread. Terry and I don't have any allergies, and there aren't many allergies in our families, so we're hoping those won't be an issue for the little guy.

Other fun facts from the week:

We went to the park yesterday for a short walk and to look at the birds in the pond. Marshall was completely engrossed in watching them, and I enjoyed about thirty minutes of quiet time with my little buddy.

Last night I was actually kind of dreading dinner, because it was just a clean-out-the-fridge-of-leftovers night. But I baked up a sweet potato and topped it with sauteed spinach, black beans, pepperjack cheese, shredded chicken, and Greek yogurt. Delicious.

And this happened yesterday:

Thankfully he hasn't pulled himself to standing yet. I'm still getting used to him crawling!

What's something new you've tried lately? I've heard that trying new things can keep your memory sharp and can be good for your overall health. I guess it's good I attended an infant gymnastics class and tried two new foods this week. Wild, I am.