Nico is now officially a toddler. And I can’t believe it! He’s running and climbing, babbling to himself and opinionated! Although his only real words are Mama and Dada, he responds to questions in his own language both verbally and physically. My favorite is his sign for no. He closes his eyes and shakes his head very dramatically to left and right about 4 times. Not sure where he picked that up!
I am so impressed with how quickly he catches onto things. Nick and I constantly need to watch what we do around him, as he will copy us as soon as we turn our heads. Example: tonight, Nico picked up the finger nail clippers after Nick had been using them and attempted to trim his nails!
I’m seeing Nico mature in many ways. For example, Nico didn’t care for books until about a month ago. Despite, Nick and I always read him at least one bedtime story. A few weeks ago, Nico suddenly began enthralled with books! He’ll grab a book and plop himself in your lap. He is engaged in the books too. He’ll point to characters and objects, and my favorite thing to do is ask Nico questions. Where’s the ball? And he’ll point. Where’s the car Nico? And he’ll point it out. Call me silly, but I think it’s amazing that he’s starting to understand what we’re saying. Nico is also becoming more social. He plays with kids at the park, and runs laps around the house with his cousins. I love watching him socialize, and I’m grateful that he enjoys his playtime.
As far as his eating routine, he’s had almost everything at this point! Many people ask me if Nico is completely Paleo (grain free, legume free, refined sugar free and dairy free) like I am. The answer is no. Nico ate this way until he was about 14 months.
The only real differences are this: recently we started to give him organic cow’s milk cheese (he had only had goat’s cheese before this) and legumes. Nico adores the sprouted hummus I give him for snack, and red lentil pasta. He also tends to get an assortment of treats when he’s at family gatherings. I used to really freak out about stuff like this, but recently I’ve started to chill out. Because Nico doesn’t have any known allergies, I believe letting him eat outside the Paleo way occasionally is fine. He’s more 80 \ 20 like his dad, whereas I am 100% paleo. I am eating Paleo so my autoimmune disease will stay in remission, and I’m just trying to keep Nico as healthy as possible.
Nico has had wild fermented sour dough from the farmer’s market, and he’s sure into it! It’s an occasional treat, but he’s into it. Another not-so- Laurel- like meal Nico has had is one of his dad’s quesadillas. We use The Real Coconut Tortillas (MY ABSOLUTE FAVE) and organic cheese with avocado and spinach. This is Nick’s ultimate dinner to whip up if I haven’t had a chance to cook. I just try and make sure as many side veggies as possible make it into Nico’s mouth. I make kale chips almost every night, so Nico usually eats lots of those.
Speaking of veggies, I’ve noticed Nico has gotten tired of broccoli and cauliflower which is such a bummer! These are my fave. I’ve mixed in cooked carrots, peas, and cucumber. Any seasoned mama’s have veggie ideas to throw my way?? I’m all ears.
xoxo, Laurel
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