Baby Devine Number Two’s Gender Reveal

By now you all most likely know we are having a baby BOY! This means I will be a boy mama of TWO little boys come the fall. We could not be more excited!I had a strong feeling this second baby was another boy. In the very beginning I had some suspicions it might be a girl but as time went on my gut feeling was so strong that it was a boy. Turns out I was right, again! Mama’s intuition knows best I guess! I also feel like it’s only natural to assume your second baby is the opposite of your first. I know a lot of you guys guessed it would be a girl. Either way, we are thrilled and could not be more anxious to meet him!

Baby Devine Number Two’s Gender Reveal

For our gender reveal we originally planned to do something small and simple (like what we did with Jasper), but COVID-19 had other plans. I was naïve and hoped all of this pandemic crap would fade away by May and we could have our gender reveal. Here we are in June and are just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. So, with COVID controlling a lot of our decisions, we had to switch gears. We obviously couldn’t have friends or family present, but we wanted to still make it special. Me, more than my husband lol, wanted to go all out since we were forced to practice social distancing. I knew I wanted it recorded like last time and I knew I wanted cute photos to remember the day by too. Well, I got almost what I wanted lol.I decided to go for the “balloons out of a box” to reveal the gender, but with a twist. I wanted not only colored balloons indicating we were having a boy, but also foil letters spelling it out, plus blue confetti powder cannons. Per usual, I headed to Pinterest for inspiration. I came up with exactly what I wanted. Ordered all the items needed and patiently waited for everything to arrive.I really wanted to announce sooner rather than later because it was so hard not to accidentally blurt out “BOY” on social media. However, we were limited to when we could do it because of the weather. Every day for the next week it was raining or windy and the reveal had to be done outside since we were setting off colored powder cannons. So, we chose the last day before the rain was supposed to come and man that was a mistake! It was cold and windy. We had to literally bring bricks with us to hold down our tripod and pray that nothing ripped off or out of the box. Not to mention, the hassle it was to set everything up. It’s not as easy as it looks to shove multiple balloons in a box and have them pop out looking all pretty, lol.

So, despite having everything against us, we managed to make it work. I’m not 100% happy with the photos but the experience makes me laugh. Poor Jasper probably thinks we are crazy parents (and we are lol).I know a lot of people are already asking if we have names in mind. The short answer is no. Ya’ll know the hassle we went through trying to find a name for Jasper, so we decided not to even think about names until the third trimester or the last month of my pregnancy. We changed Jasper’s name at least four times until we decided on Jasper, and even then we didn’t commit to his name until he was born. For me boy names are hard, and I don’t like many. When we do choose a name, however, we will not be sharing it until his birth.

I cannot wait to continue on this journey with ya’ll. Any mamas of more than one boy please share all your tips- and any mamas of two or more tell me your secrets!

Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!

XOXO,

D.J.

Everything we used for the reveal will be linked below.Colored balloons: Sage Green Ivory Chrome Gold Balloons, Navy Balloons, Light Blue Balloons

Foil letter balloons: BOY

“Sweet Baby” banner: Sweet Baby Boy Glitter Banner

Confetti powder cannons: Blue Cannons

I’m Half-Way There! My 20-week Pregnancy Update

Today I am celebrating being half-way through my pregnancy! However, I am not celebrating because I don’t like being pregnant but because I survived growing another human while taking care of a toddler, ha-ha! In all seriousness, it’s a big deal when you reach that halfway point! By now most of the morning sickness, if any, is gone, energy levels are back up, there’s a little bump poking out, and pregnancy is mostly enjoyable!

I officially have about two months until my third trimester and roughly forty weeks until we meet our newest addition, so I felt like it was the perfect time to reflect on my pregnancy thus far. As always, here is my 20-week update when I was pregnant with Jasper.

My 20-week Pregnancy Update

So, what does being twenty weeks pregnant look like the second time around? Let me tell ya, it is not much different than my first and I am beyond grateful for that. If you read my post on my first trimester then you know I had very little to no nausea whatsoever, but I was exhausted. By now at the half way point any and all nausea is completely gone with the exception of if I wait too long to eat in the mornings. I have all of my energy back and am feeling like the Energizer Bunny most days. However, chasing around a toddler definitely wears me out. I feel like this pregnancy, and baby, are SO low key. My pregnancy with Jasper was pretty chill but with the distraction of a toddler and knowing what to (somewhat) expect I am getting through it with more ease. I don’t feel the need to research every little thing, I recognize certain signs and symptoms that arise, and I feel very confident and prepared overall. (But ask me how prepared I feel once this babe comes, lol). Also, studying for all of my different doula certifications help. Not to mention I hired a doula for myself this time around. Jasper is also super sweet and loves giving “his baby” kisses and cuddles. He’ll lift up my shirt and lay his head on my belly and you guys, it melts my freaking heart.

As far as this new babe’s health and sex, well you will know that VERY soon. Aside from knowing the sex, this baby is perfectly healthy! Something I haven’t really touched on in detail is being monitored for my placenta. I talked a little bit about it in my pregnancy announcement post and a little bit on my Instagram, but if you want to know where it all started read Jasper Thomas’ Birth Story (pt. I) and Jasper Thomas’ Birth Story (pt. II). I plan on doing a full blog post on this issue because there’s just SO much information I want to get out there and share, but it’s a lot so I want to organize my thoughts first. Long story short, after I delivered Jasper I had retained placenta which caused me to need a D&C to remove the remaining tissue. The doctor did not get all of the placenta out, again, causing me to have another D&C at six weeks postpartum. It was absolute hell. So, fast forward to this pregnancy and any other future pregnancies, I am considered high risk because it could happen again. There are many risks involved at the time of delivery so that is why I am considered high risk, but like I said, I’ll save all that for another day. For now, I am seen every four weeks for an ultrasound at Maternal Fetal Medicine to monitor where my placenta is. It has been extremely emotional because it brings up the trauma I went through with Jasper’s birth and is obviously scary for future births. It isn’t something I ever thought would happen to me and I really have been trying to stay positive and hope for a healthy all-natural labor and delivery.

On top of all of that craziness, there’s COVID-19 of course. That in itself has been such a whirlwind. Where do I even start? I truly wasn’t affected by it (pregnancy wise) until I went for my anatomy scan. By the time I went for my scan absolutely no one was allowed with me and masks were mandatory. So, you have an important appointment to begin with and then you have to go alone during a pandemic. Before that appointment I never really had to leave my house, so I never had to face the reality of it. It then altered our gender reveal plans and we had to get a little more creative, but I am hopeful it’ll all be passed us once September rolls around. To any other mamas going through this, especially those who had to deliver, I see you. It’s not easy growing and birthing a child but we are doing it during a pandemic and that is freaking scary but so empowering. What a story to tell your babe!

Despite everything going on, I am just grateful to be able to experience growing another human. It truly is something I will never take for granted no matter how hard it is. As always, thank you for supporting me and following along my crazy journeys.

Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!

XOXO,

D.J.

Can You Guess Baby Devine Number Two’s Gender? Predicting gender based off of old wives tales

Hey friends! I thought it would be fun to do another blog post where we guess the gender of Baby Devine Number Two based on old wives tales! If you can remember, I did this when I was pregnant with Jasper and it ended up being correct. Here is the post if you’re curious! Obviously, these are only old wives tales and aren’t a for sure way to predict the sex of your baby, but it’s fun to do either way!

Can You Guess Baby Devine Number Two’s Gender?

Heart beat is above 140bpm it is a girl, anything below is a boy.

Each and every time I’ve heard the heartbeat it has been above 140bpm (around 150-160bpm)! It has only been in the 140’s a few times.

If your skin is glowing and your hair looks it’s straight out of Pantene commercial you’re having a boy, if your hair and skin has been anything but glowing, you’re having a girl.

This one is split 50/50. In my first trimester my skin was pretty bad, but that’s to be expected. Since then it has been looking better aside from a little bit of red pigmentation on my right cheek.

If you’re carrying low, it’s a boy, if you’re carrying high it’s a girl.

This one I just never believe. I have a long torso, so I naturally carry low. However, this pregnancy I feel like the baby itself is super low.

Craving sweets, it’s girl, craving salty it’s a boy.

To be honest, I do not have any specific cravings! In my first trimester and very beginning of the second, I loved sweets, but I remember that being the case when I was pregnant with Jasper so I’m thinking it’s just a first trimester thing for me.

If you’re carrying most of your weight out front you’re having a boy, if you’re carrying your weight all around, you’re probably having a girl.

This is another that I don’t think is an accurate guess because it just depends on your body type. I carry all in front though.

Cold feet mean a boy is on the way, warm feet or no change expect a girl.

My feet are always cold, even when I’m not pregnant so I am assuming girl?!

If you have severe morning sickness you are having a girl. They say girls give their mom’s trouble right from the start.

I am happy to say I was not that sick!

If your spouse has gained weight, it’s a girl.

I mean I feel like at this time it is too early to tell?? He eats pretty much what I eat, and I haven’t gained any weight yet.

If you get severe headaches you’re having a boy, no real headaches it’s a girl.

I have head headaches for sure!

If you naturally fall asleep on your left side, it’s a boy.

I can only fall asleep on my left side!

That’s all for now! I’m sure I can find plenty more wives’ tales, but I think ya’ll can make a valid guess!

The verdict based off of these old wife’s tales: BOY!!!(again, lol)

In just a few short days we will know for sure, so stay tuned and thanks for playing along!

Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!

XOXO,

D.J.

My First Trimester: The Second Time Around

Here we are again! My first trimester, the second time around! I went back to my blog post I wrote about my first trimester with Jasper, here you can find Part I and Part II, just to compare, and I realized I published it around the same time I am publishing this one, lol. Not much has changed!

My First Trimester: The Second Time Around

So, by now you know I am pregnant with my second little babe! I wrote all about it here. To be quite honest, I thought my first trimester the second time around would be a lot worse. If you can remember, my first trimester with Jasper was a breeze… well my whole pregnancy was. I had little morning sickness and overall handled it pretty well! Everyone says expect each following pregnancy to feel worse, but I have to disagree.

I found out I was pregnant at around four weeks. At that time, I had no symptoms aside from these little tiny bumps I get on my upper back and shoulders. I also had some implantation bleeding. I actually thought this was my period. However, something prompted me to take a test and the smallest double line showed up. So naturally I went to Target to get a digital test and I was in fact pregnant! My husband was out of town, so I had to keep this secret all to myself. I really wanted to tell him in person. But, if you know me, you know nothing can go as planned! The very next day our plumbing decided to back and I couldn’t use our water; including our sinks, showers, or toilets. Four weeks pregnant with an infant and two dogs and no plumbing?! Yeah, right! This had me driving three hours to my mom’s house, so we could have running water. I ended up frantically calling my mom and telling her the news.

The very next day my husband came home, and we got our pipes fixed! I, of course, rushed home because I was dying to tell him the news. I once again tried to get a cute little video captured of me telling him, but I always get so nervous, so it didn’t turn out great. I will share it via Instagram if you want to check it out though. He was thrilled of course! We couldn’t believe we were having another baby!!!

Anyways, getting to the point. Around six weeks the exhaustion started to hit. Let me tell you, being pregnant with an almost toddler at the time is no joke. I was beyond exhausted. I thought I was tired when I was pregnant with Jasper, ha! Every day I questioned how I would get through another day. Luckily at the time Jasper was still taking two naps a day so during his first nap I was able to get a nap in too. That was what saved me most days. On top of the beginning morning sickness and exhaustion, Jasper was turning one and we were throwing his first birthday party when I was about seven weeks pregnant. A little tip- do not throw a birthday party for your child while in the depths of the first trimester. It was miserable (for me) and looking back I wish we would have celebrated with just our family. However, I am grateful we have the pictures to remember that time.

Like I briefly stated in the beginning, I wasn’t all that sick. I remember feeling a lot sicker with Jasper. I had my moments and pretty much kept Preppy Pop Drops with me at all times, but the nausea only last about three to four weeks. After about the ninth or tenth week the nausea started to subside and would only come every now and again. I would say the extreme tiredness lasted longer than the morning sickness. I had an aversion to most veggies and coffee again. If you remember from my pregnancy with Jasper I had a huge sensitivity to the smell of our refrigerator. That was a struggle again the second time around, but not nearly as bad. Maybe everything seemed a lot less because I was chasing around a toddler but no matter the reason I am grateful for another easy first trimester.

Once I started feeling better I couldn’t wait to share the news with everyone! This time around the bump has been much harder to hide. I am about the same size, maybe a little bigger, than I was with Jasper at this time, but it got bigger much faster. I also was coming out of my first trimester just when the pandemic became bad. The weekend I announced is the first weekend we were quarantined. We actually had to change our announcement because of everything. Mark ended up getting called into work and I was stuck at my mom’s with Jasper. Things may have gone differently but it just felt good to get the news out. I am glad I wasn’t in my first trimester during quarantine because I feel like I would have been miserable!

Overall, I can say my experience in the first trimester has been relatively the same as it was with Jasper. Most days I have to pinch myself because I forget I’m pregnant, but this time it’s because I am chasing around a toddler! It’s going to be a crazy several months and by the fall it’ll get even crazier, but I would be lying if I said I couldn’t wait for the challenge!

Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!

XOXO,

D.J.

I’m Pregnant…AGAIN!

SURPRISE! I am pregnant, AGAIN! If you truly know me, then maybe this isn’t a surprise to you because you most likely know I want one million babies. For everyone else, yes this was definitely planned and on purpose. Mark and I decided we want all of our children close in age and to have them all at once for several reasons. I know there is a lot of differing opinions on when and how close together to have your children, but this is what we as a couple and family want!

I am beyond happy to finally share this news with you because it has been so hard to hide. I found out when I was about four weeks pregnant. Any of my Instagram followers remember when my sewage pipes got clogged? I actually found out the day before, ha! Hence, the slight panic when I couldn’t use the bathroom at all. I have to say this was harder to keep to myself than when I was pregnant with Jasper. I wasn’t sick all that much compared to my first pregnancy, but I definitely had my moments. The exhaustion however was insane. I will write out a whole post on my first trimester, but it wasn’t anything like I thought it would be the second time around! Thankfully. Yes, we are finding out the gender and no, we don’ have any names picked out, lol.

For me, even though this pregnancy was planned, it still came as a surprise because we didn’t know how easy it would be to get pregnant a second time. After all, I am still nursing Jasper, but I have had my period back since three months postpartum. On top of that, after having two D&C’s within 6 weeks of one another there was risk of scar tissue which can cause fertility problems. I hear so many stories of other mamas trying for a second baby and not having any luck and it definitely started to get to me! Emotionally, I felt ready after what felt like forever of not knowing if I would ever “feel ready”, but physically I had no idea what my body had in mind. Like any of my pregnancies I will never take this for granted. I am so grateful it happened as fast as it did.

Going into this pregnancy I immediately knew I wanted to do things a little differently, specifically toward the end when it comes to labor and delivery. There was so much I didn’t know when I was pregnant with Jasper, partially because I didn’t do the reading and research I intended to do, but also because there is SO much information. While knowledge isn’t power, my studies as a doula have really opened my eyes to pregnancy and child birth. Without going into too much detail, I have decided to go with a midwife this time around as well as hire a doula. I researched all of the hospitals in my area and after speaking with a few mamas who gave birth in Delaware, including my doula, I feel as though I made the right decisions on where to give birth. After what I went through with Jasper’s birth I have to give birth in a hospital from here on out as I am now considered “high-risk”. If you aren’t caught up to speed with his birth story check out Part I and Part II. In the beginning of March, I had my first appt and the nurse sat down with me for over an hour. I have never received that kind of treatment and I wish for every pregnant woman to experience that. I also had my first ultrasound and will be getting any further scans done at Maternal Fetal Medicine. To read my pregnancy announcement blog post from Jasper, click here.

Thank you so much for all of your kind words and love. It really is appreciated and nothing ever goes unnoticed. I will be sure to keep posting updates and sharing my journey all over again. Love ya’ll so much!

Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!

XOXO,

D.J.

Jasper is ONE Year Old!

The day has officially come. My not-so-little baby boy is a whole year old! I have been saying his first year of life how I simply cannot believe how fast time has been flying by, and this is no different. To be honest, six months ago I would have cried at the thought of Jasper turning one. Fast forward to today, I am feeling much better about my sweet baby getting bigger.

This blog post marks a milestone in my journey of motherhood. I have documented all of the big and little moments and I’m so happy I did because I will forever have these memories to look back on. This is last (monthly) update I will be sharing until any future babes join our family. This blog post is also proof I survived my first year of motherhood. Kidding. But really. I hope you all enjoyed following along on this crazy journey and will use these monthly milestones as a reminder of all of the sweet moments parenthood has to offer.

Jasper is ONE Year Old!

Now, let’s jump into Jasper Thomas at twelve months old! Rewinding back to around ten months, Jasper went through a huge growth spurt. This is also when he popped his first few teeth! Since then, Jasper has about five teeth total with no signs of anymore coming at the moment. He has mastered pulling himself up and standing. However, he is still perfecting his confidence to stand unassisted. Jasper hasn’t shown much interest in walking (like his mama) but recently loves to “walk” holding someone’s hands. While so many kids his age and younger are already standing and/or walking I have no worries or concerns our little guy will be joining them in no time!

His favorite word is “mama”. He is working really hard on a few other words but prefers babbling much more. Jasper waves bye, yet we are still working on waving hi! He signs for “milk”, “more”, and sometimes “all done”. He is eating up a storm which is a huge improvement in the last few months. I also am still nursing him about four times a day! We don’t plan on stopping anytime soon either!

Currently, Jasper LOVES any and all animals. He loves playing with his many toy animals, listening to the sounds they make, and of course seeing them in real life! He especially loves dogs and puppies! He loves anything that keeps him busy; like building with his blocks, Legos, and different puzzles and toys from his panda crate.

This year has been the hardest, yet sweetest, year of my life and I truly mean that. I know there’s a lot of talk out there saying you lose yourself after having a baby and while in the moment it may feel true, it’s not. You never really “lose yourself”, your priorities change and it takes some getting used to and figuring out to get back in a routine.

I hope, if anything, from reading these blog posts you see there IS good in the ugly, but we ALL struggle. This will sound like a broken record, but the first year fly’s by so soak it up mama!

Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!

XOXO,

D.J.

Jasper’s 11 Month Update

The official countdown is on! My baby boy is eleven months old, and this time next month he will be a toddler! How does that even happen?! I am truly baffled! I am experiencing all the emotions.

Jasper’s 11 Month Update

In true Jasper fashion, he made another huge developmental leap this month! He has grown so much! He went from having barely one tooth to having almost four teeth! He is very close to standing all on his own like a big and rarely ever sits still. Talk about high energy! J has finally begun to really enjoy eating. While he still prefers his breastmilk over most things, he loves to explore his food and feed himself. I have no doubt by the time he turns one he will be a pro at eating.

Jasper is also back to hating his car seat. He screams unless he’s sleeping, just like he did when he was teeny tiny. With that said, car rides are not fun for this mama, but we are working on it! His sleep is also slowly improving. While he doesn’t always sleep through the night, he puts himself to bed all by himself and nurses only twice, unless sick or in need of extra comfort. This was a huge challenge for us so I am super proud of both myself and him.

J’s new favorite thing to do is dance and it is literally the cutest thing ever. I could sit and watch him dance all day long! Aside from dancing, he’s a big talker like his mama and dada.

While it saddens me to know my tiny baby is growing into a little boy, I am also so proud of him. I know this last month of babyhood will be very emotional. However, I have zero doubts in toddlerhood he’ll be just a sweet!

Until next time, when Jasper is ONE!

Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!

XOXO,

D.J.

Jasper’s 10 Month Update

Jasper is ten months old! This last month has been quite a wild ride and one of the most monumental months yet! Our little man is growing so fast and will be turning the big O-N-E in just two months! Where has the time gone?!

Jasper’s 10 Month Update

At ten months Jasper loves showing off all of his new skills. He literally wakes up clapping and waving. To see him so happy makes me even happier! He also has to knock on every surface, wall, and door he passes. Jasper also learned how to give kisses! However, we are still mastering that. J is still obsessed with the vacuum, mop, and broom. There’s definitely no denying he is my son lol! I can’t forget to mention his forever love toward his puppies! J is for sure an animal lover! We also recently purchased a walker for him which he zooms by in. If he’s not crawling all over chances are he’s cruising around in his walker.

I am also happy to report he has his first tooth and more on the way! What was once a sweet gummy smile is quickly turning into a mouth full of teeth! Yay! I am hoping his teeth give him more confidence in his eating abilities. He has gotten much more comfortable with eating, but it’s still a little bit of a challenge. He shows interests in anything I eat and of course still loves to nurse.

At each monthly milestone I am always so amazed at how much Jasper has grown in such a short period of time.

I know this next month won’t be any different and soon after that we will have a one-year old toddler! I cannot wait to cherish this last month of “baby” and prepare of toddlerhood.

Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!

XOXO,

D.J.

Jasper’s 9 Month Update

Our little man is officially nine months old! Three more months until the big ONE! To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to see so many changes this month, but he just came out of a leap and holy moly! Just in these last few weeks he is a completely different baby!

Jasper’s 9 Month Update

Jasper is 21 pounds of pure joy and is growing right on track!

I feel like he was just turning six months old and now here we are planning his first birthday part. What even?! Talk about emotional!

I am so happy to say Jasper is CRAWLING! In his eight month update I mentioned how I had a feeling he would be crawling near or by Halloween. Well, two weeks after I shared that blog post he started crawling! He was working at it so hard and it finally clicked! Now, he is always on the move and will speed right by you. He never wants to sit still and his curiosity has reached an all-time high.

Aside from crawling, Jasper has become more talkative although he still isn’t a fan of strangers. He is learning the difference between “yes” and “no” as well as waving, clapping is hands, and copying mom and dad.

He also got to celebrate his very first Halloween where he dressed up as a scarecrow (For the record- successfully dressing up a nine-month-old for Halloween should be a holiday in itself). Kudos to the moms who seem to pull it all together for Halloween ‘cause it ain’t easy!

I am blown away by all of the things Jasper is learning and I’m even more excited to see what he’ll learn next! I have a feeling ten months he’ll be hitting some big milestones again and maybe even pop out his first tooth!

Share your thoughts with me! Comment below or head to my Instagram page (@iamdevonjade)!

XOXO,

D.J.

Introducing Solids to Jasper

As you may already know, I’ve been on a long journey of getting Jasper to eat solid foods. I had intended to share this blog post back when he was about six months old, but honestly, he wasn’t on a consistent schedule with eating and I was feeling pretty clueless.

Now, Jasper is nine months old and I feel much more confident in his eating habits and schedule.

There is so much to know when first introducing solids to a baby, but I also like to remind other mamas (and myself) to keep it simple! Today on the blog I am going to be sharing how we introduced solid foods to Jasper, a look into our daily eating routine, and what has worked best for him and us as a family.

I want to preface this post with saying every baby is different and each family/parent is different. This is to show you what worked for us and maybe help you if you’re feeling a little clueless or maybe you’ve exhausted all options. Please, do not take this as the only way to feed your little babe. As always, this is our experience.

Introducing Solids to Jasper

Like most first-time parents, we were very excited to start Jasper on solid foods. My husband, Mark, and I are big foodies ourselves to having our son join in on the fun was something we could not wait for!

Ya’ll, I had a plan. I dreamed of making my own purees mixed with a little bit of baby-led weaning. Jasper would eat everything and anything I’d give him, and he would love this experience. If you had a baby, then you know things NEVER go as planned. Whether it is the birth of your child or how they will eat, have a plan but leave room for change and be okay with it.

We began introducing solids to Jasper right at six months old. After doing my own research and talking with other mamas who are very knowledgeable on the topic, we decided this is what was best. Prior to six months old, a baby’s gut is not ready to eat solids so waiting until the six-month mark is crucial for later in their life. If you want more detailed info please visit my sweet friend, @madlywholistic on Instagram, she has SO much knowledge on this subject after healing her daughter’s eczema through diet. Again, this is what WE chose. I personally have a lot of gut issues, so I didn’t want to put Jasper at even more of a risk.

His first food was mashed avocado. It took about a week for him to actually eat it, but after a week or two of him exploring avocado we introduced banana. Then sweet potatoes and other soft foods that were easy to mash up. We also gave him these soft foods whole, so he could learn how to pick them up, feel their texture, and feed himself.

After about a few weeks of this I noticed he started to become uninterested and I also felt like I was running out of options on what to give him (that is not the case now…hindsight is 20/20 lol). So, I just stopped feeding him solids. I was making all of this food just to have it go to waste. However, I know he needed to be eating something other than breastmilk, so he could learn how to chew and feed himself. After talking with my husband and doing more research, I decided to purchase store bought purees. We chose the brand Plum Organics. Turns out, he LOVES them. I could literally copy the exact recipe from the store-bought puree and Jasper would not eat it, but he would eat the one from the store. At this point I knew we had a picky eater on our hands.

In the beginning I felt like a failure. I was beating myself up over not feeding him “properly”. When he reality, he was still getting nursed (and still is) every 2-3 hours. I would ask myself questions like, “what if I just did this from the start?” “did I not try hard enough?” “why didn’t I research more”. If you’re a parent, then you also know this struggle. Is Jasper actually a picky eater or did I screw this up? Is something I STILL ask myself. But, at the end of the day I know he is happy, healthy, and most importantly, fed.

Today, he eats much better! I sometimes still feel like he’s “behind” compared to others his age because we started over at around seven-ish months, but nonetheless he is eating much more than he ever has.

At nine months old, Jasper nurses when he wakes up around eight o’clock and then will usually have a soft cooked egg yolk (no egg white) or puree. He will nurse about 1-2 more times before eating lunch which usually consist of some type of puree, banana, avocado, or another soft food (we usually give those to him in chunks so he can learn to grab them himself, feel their textures, and feed himself). Then, he will nurse the rest of the day until it is dinner time. At dinner we all sit down as a family and Jasper will usually eat another puree. If possible, I give him some of our dinner (if it is safe to eat. For example, we had pasta the other night, but he doesn’t eat any grains yet so I sautéed spinach that we also had in our dish). Throughout the day he likes to eat the teething cookies and chew on carrots, cucumber, and celery.

The only things Jasper does not eat yet are grains (even gluten free), dairy, and egg whites. He also doesn’t eat processed foods.

I hope this helps any parent who may feel stuck or alone. I never thought I would have a picky eater but, here we are. I hope as Jasper gets older things will change but for now I am following his lead!

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XOXO,

D.J.