Groggy Family + Chocolate Pudding

Oof, Arthur woke up at 6:40 today. As Miklós put it, at least it was 20 minutes later than the previous day. But I could have done with a bit more sleep myself, as could his papa; apparently the little dude had woken up and fussed a bit a couple of times during the night before going back to sleep on his own. So all three of us were pretty out of it today, although at least Arthur and I didn't have to go into Eindhoven like Miklós.

Is that my mama or a Zombie?

Unsurprisingly, Arthur had a very sleepy morning nursing session. He was great in the sling afterwards though, while I got some stuff done around the house. After his second breakfast, we took a long walk in the stroller to run some errands. It was a ridiculously gorgeous day, so we went to some stores that were a bit further out. Arthur didn't fall asleep until right before we got home, which woke him up, but despite being awake from 11-3 (he didn't want to nap during his 1:00 nursing session), was surprisingly good natured during this time. Maybe it's just him needing less naps as he gets older.

The big success of the day for me was a tear-free shower. I put him in the bouncer right by the shower as I washed myself, but this time, I left the shower curtain open a crack so he could see me. It got a little bit of water on the bathroom floor, but it was worth it; as long as he could occasionally look up and check that I was still there, he was quite content to play with the hanging toys in his bouncer. It also meant he was calm when I finished washing, so I had a lot more leeway to get dressed and wash my face and such.

For his afternoon snack, I opted to give Arthur some more lentils. This time, I melted some ghee and mixed it into them, to add some extra calories and an allergen. Plus he hadn't seemed very enthusiastic about ghee before, and I wanted him to grow accustomed to the flavor. It took him a few spoonfuls, but he eventually got more enthusiastic, and finished it off. So for the second batch of lentils, I added some cumin and olive oil; he's less enthusiastic about the oil because I think it tickles his throat, but seemed to like the addition of cumin!

But oh my goodness, the lentils might be less sticky, but he still managed to make them as messy as all get-out. Pretty much all of his solid meals require an outfit change afterwards, and as I was taking off his lentil outfit (which, by the way, is a new amusement for him - apparently Mama stripping him is hilarious), I found chunks of lentils in all the little nooks, crannies, and folds of his body. Actually as I type this I see some more that I didn't manage to get out of his neck crease.

I opted to give Arthur something other than grains for dinner, for a change: sweet potato purée! And he is still crazy about the stuff, wanting more and more and more. Of course, it probably didn't hurt that he had barely nursed at the previous booby session.

So, today, Arthur had:

• lentils

• ghee

• olive oil

• cumin (new food!)

• sweet potato

The adults had ready-made meals for their Friday supper, but for my bedtime snack, I did try another recipe from that French website I found the tart tatine recipe on. This was for a vegan "flan" that I was a bit skeptical about, given some mishaps I've had with agar agar powder in the past, but it turned out really well! I changed it a little bit, but followed the basic steps, and was very happy with the result. Plus it's super quick and easy, and a nice alternative for yogurt or quark (using shelf-stable ingredients) when I don't have the time to make or buy any. I'll have to give more of her recipes a try! Anyways, here's how I made it:

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Vegan Chocolate Flan/Pudding (generously serves 1)

Ingredients

• 350ml milk of choice (I used a high-protein soy milk)

• sweetener of choice, to taste (I used 6 squirts sucralose)

• salt, to taste

• decaf instant coffee/other extracts/spices (optional, to taste - the coffee was good here)

• ½ tsp agar agar powder

• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan or bowl (I used a stovetop-friendly cereal bowl), mix all of the ingredients except for the cocoa powder over medium heat.

2. Keep stirring until mixture starts to simmer (it's important that it reaches a simmer; otherwise it will not set, as I've learned from experience), then whisk in cocoa powder.

3. Mix until the cocoa powder is dissolved, then remove from heat.

4. If using a saucepan, transfer to a bowl (or multiple, depending on how many servings you want it to be)

5. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours for it to thicken.

6. Enjoy!