Words of Life

"You can speak to your children of life,
but your words are not life itself.
You can show them what you see,
but your showing and their seeing
are forever different things.

You cannot speak to them of Divinity Itself.
But you can share with them
the millions of manifestations of this Reality
arrayed before them every moment.
Since these manifestations have their origin
in the Tao,
the visible will reveal the invisible to them.

Don't mistake your desire to talk for their
readiness to listen.
Far more important are the wordless truths they
learn from you.
If you take delight in the ordinary wonder of
life,
they will feel the depth of your pleasure
and learn to experience joy.
If you walk with them in the darkness of life's
mysteries
you will open the gate to understanding.
They will learn to see in the darkness
and not be afraid.

*

Go for a slow and mindful walk.
Show them every little thing that catches your
eye.
Notice every little thing that catches theirs.
Don't look for lessons or seek to teach great
things.
Just notice.
The lesson will teach itself."

-The Parent's Tao Te Ching.
Every parent should read this book.

And for more on the Tao, check out Nothing Just Is.

Golden Ages to the Dark Ages of Teething

On average, a baby will cut their first tooth at 7 months. Which is around the same age they become these dangerously fast paced curious little creatures who may bite, pull hair and twist nipples when given the chance. Such busy bodies with equally busy brains. Adelaide got her first tooth at the beginning of August, and now she is working on her 5th one. For teething pain I just give her frozen berries and icecubes or frozen cubed cantaloupe in her Nuby mesh thing and she really LOVES it. She also loves her cthulhu's frozen tentacles, lol. And when the pains really bad, at night before bed I'll cave and give her a half dose of baby pain reliever. You could try Camilia. I get to brush the little teeth every night when we're in the bathtub! They're just the cutest little things.

I've noticed Adelaide eating more since she got her first tooth. So I get vegetables and fruits (homegrown and organic as much as possible) and puree batches big enough so there's plenty left over to freeze a few meals. Here is a super helpful and encouraging site to keep you from feeding your baby boxed or jarred instant food from the grocery store. http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com. If you wanna make batches and freeze them like I do but need a bit of advice, just read THIS. We kept her on a gluten-free dairy-free sugar-free diet at first (mainly because of the yeast rash.) She's since had plain yoghurt which I add fruit to for a sweetener (because she still remains sugar free), and organic brown rice and organic oats which I just process to a fine grain in the food processor. The way I see it, it's only an hour and a half per week to make baby food. You could make bigger batches so you only have to make it every 2 weeks. Whatever works for you and your schedule!

When we started giving Adelaide textured lumpy food and finger foods, it was a little scary at first. I was so afraid she was gonna choke. I also wanted to avoid sugar and gluten filled prepackaged foods that some books recommend. Chopped banana is an easy choice, especially if you're on the go. Or soft fruits like plums, cantaloupe, berries, pears, or avocado without peels of course. Or bake small cubes of sweet potato adding cinnamon and nutmeg until they are super tender (and of course you can omit the spices.) Or slice an eggplant after peeling it and add minced garlic with a dash of pepper and let the eggplant sit and sweat for about an hour or more, then bake for 40 minutes on about 350F, let cool and dice in small bits.

I can't wait til she can eat what we eat! Curries, stews, soups, BBQ! Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!! I'm even going to attempt making breast milk ice cream!! Sugar-free of course! So babies can eat it. Perfect for teething!!