Saturday, January 10, 2009

Growth Spurt!

Max had his third Synagis shot yesterday, as well as his four month 'wellness' check-up. Our boy is now 12 lbs, 5 oz (up from 10-10 last month!) and measures in at 24". If you corrected his age, his weight would put him at about the 52nd percentile and for height he'd be between 50-75%. Dr. C was thrilled with his progress and when he first came into the room he said "I'm sorry, I don't recognize this boy since the last time I saw him!" (2 months ago) He also cleared us to start transitioning Max off the preemie Neosure formula and on to regular formula! Starting tomorrow we'll give him one bottle per day and then go from there. He said we'll start him on rice cereal in a couple months. 

I didn't realize it when we went in, but Max also had to have another round of shots in addition to the Synagis. Poor boy was whooped when they were finished- he was like a rag doll. Mommy didn't cry as she held him down during the shots this time, but she sure felt like it afterwards! He was pretty punk all afternoon and into the evening. Seems to be feeling a little better today, but we'll wait until tomorrow to try the new formula.

On a completely unrelated note, the mister and I have made it our New Year's resolution to start eating healthier and exercising in hopes of shedding our pregnancy/NICU/cancer/holiday/etc weight. Michael has been in the kitchen this afternoon preparing some healthy soups to have on hand for the week and boy, do they smell (and taste!) good. If you're looking for an AWESOME all veggie recipe, drop a note and I'll send you the recipe. I was a little leery at the concept of an all veggie soup, but it's deeeeelicious and Michael just reminded me to not eat it all so we have some for the upcoming week! 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Serve it with pocketless pita bread or other flatbread.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each, or 18 ounces chicken tenders
* 1 medium onion, about 8 ounces
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1 tablespoon ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon hot paprika or 3/4 teaspoon sweet paprika and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 5 cups chicken stock
* 2 medium zucchini, about 12 ounces
* 1/2 cup instant couscous
* 1 16-ounce can chickpeas
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 8 sprigs cilantro

1. Put the oil in a deep, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the chicken into 1/2- to 3/4- inch cubes. Add to the skillet, raise the heat to high, and stir once or twice.

2. While the chicken browns, peel and quarter the onion and put in a food processor. Pulse until just chopped. Add the onion, cumin, ginger, and paprika to the skillet. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock to the skillet and stir with a wide wooden spoon, scraping any bits from the bottom. Cover and bring to a boil, about 2 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, trim the zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. Then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide half-moons. When the soup comes to a boil, add the zucchini and the couscous to the skillet, stir, and cover.

4. Open the can of chickpeas into a small colander, rinse, and drain briefly. Add to the skillet. Cover and let the soup return to a boil, then lower the heat slightly so the soup simmers briskly for 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chop the leaves from the cilantro sprigs. Stir into the soup, cook for 1 minute, and serve in soup plates.


Get your soup on - MG