Consultatie Bureau + Bougie Spinach

Another successful noise-machineless night; Arthur slept until 7:45 this morning! His breakfast was a bit less successful; he was fussing during it again, and didn't drink quite as much as I would have liked. Still, it was enough to produce a nice poop, so that was something, and he did nurse quite a bit better during his second breakfast.

He also didn't have a huge appetite for solids after breakfast. I gave him some watered-down peanut butter, which he accepted with less enthusiasm than usual. We followed it up with something new, though: Weetabix! I was happy to see that it's one of the few iron-fortified cereals here, and the ingredient list is quite reasonable. I mixed a piece of a biscuit with some breast milk to form a porridge, and he seemed to like it quite a bit, although his appetite during that feeding wasn't huge. Still, it's another allergen introduced: gluten!

We had an appointment at the Consultatie Bureau in the early afternoon to weigh Arthur, as we're all quite concerned about his weight gain, or lack thereof. BUT it turns out he actually went up a percentile (from 4th to 5th) so things weren't on a downward trajectory like I had thought. He weighed 6.59kg, and the doctor there was happy with his growth curve, so that was all extremely reassuring. She also said she would send us more information about a sleep therapist so we can maybe get some help with his nap times.

Weetayum

Arthur was fussy again during his lunch nursing. I swear to god it's because of that damn bottle. Now that I feel more at ease about his growth trajectory, I think we're going to stop nightly bottle feeds, saving them only for when I have a glass of wine on occasion. It's just kind of ridiculous how stubborn he can be about the milk not coming out fast enough and refusing to nurse if the flow isn't up to his standards. But, maybe because he hadn't eaten a big lunch, he had a big appetite for his afternoon solid snack. He ate quite a large amount of Weetabix in breast milk, which he seemed to love, followed by parsnip purée (still a hit, but he seemed less into it than the Weetabix) and finally some oil from the top of a jar of pecan butter. And still had a good appetite for a (finally) good nursing session afterwards!

I really like feeding him solids at dinner when we're all at the table together, and tonight was no exception. I tried that new porridge I had picked up at Ekoplaza the other day. It's pretty much just made of rice, milk powder, and added vitamins/minerals (e.g. iron!), so I made some with the powdered mix and breast milk. Arthur's thoughts? Well, he was in an extremely fussy mood, so at first he continued on with that, but once he realized what he was getting, he devoured it, demanding more and more, so I'd say it was a hit!

Arthur, therefore, ate the following today:

• peanut butter

• Weetabix (new food!)

• pecan butter

• rice porridge (new food!) made of:

  • rice (new food!)

  • milk powder

The grown-ups, meanwhile, had a super simple meal I've more recently added to our dinner rotation. I call it "Bougie" or "Fancy" Spinach, because it does seem that way, despite the easiness of making it. The most complicated part of it tonight was making the Yorkshire puddings to go along with it, but I've already posted that recipe. Anyways, here's how I make the spinach:

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Bougie Spinach (serves 2)

Ingredients

• 450g frozen pack of spinach a la crème (could be swapped with puréed frozen spinach + a little milk/cheese + garlic)

• ¼ cup vegan Parmesan (I used a cashew-based Parmesan, but this could also be swapped with nutritional yeast or regular Parmesan)

• 2 tbsp hemp hearts

• 4 eggs

• white vinegar, for poaching eggs

• salt (optional, for serving)

• olive oil (optional, for drizzling)

• bread of choice (or Yorkshire puds!) for serving

Instructions

1. Cook spinach in a pan over medium heat until it is fully cooked.

2. While spinach is cooking, poach eggs by bringing a pot half-full of water with maybe ¼ cup of vinegar in it to a simmer. Create a whirlpool in the water with a spoon, then crack two eggs into it. When eggs float to the top, remove them with a slotted spoon, and repeat the process with the other two eggs.

3. When spinach is warm, distribute into two bowls, and top with poached eggs, sprinkling the eggs with salt if desired.

4. Sprinkle the vegan Parmesan and hemp hearts over each bowl, and optionally a drizzle of olive oil.

5. Serve warm with bread.