Breakfast

• Apple cinnamon oatmeal (reduced sugar, Kroger brand) with 1 jar of peaches mixed in.
• 1 slice of whole grain bread, sunflower seed butter(1 tbsp) and kiwi(half) sandwich (bite sized)
• Water

Lunch

• Chili (ground beef, pinto beans, kidney beans, pasta) (beans cut in half)
• Red grapes
• Cooked carrots with cinnamon and brown sugar(pinch) (pre sliced, cut in quaters)
• 5 oz soy milk

Dinner

• Sundried tomato flat bread with hummus and fresh baby spinach (bite sized)
• Blueberries (cut in half)
• Pasta (lightly buttered)
• 5 oz soy milk

Breakfast

• Apple cinnamon oatmeal (reduced sugar, Kroger brand) with 1 jar of blueberries & apples baby food mixed in.
• Strawberry soy yogurt (O’Soy)
• 1 slice of whole grain bread (bite sized)
• Water

Lunch

• Sundried tomato flat bread with hummus (half, bite sized)
• Red grapes (cut into quarters)
• Raw broccoli and cucumbers (bite sized)
• 5 oz Soy Milk (Silk, Vanilla flavored)

Dinner

• Whole grain chicken flavored pasta with stewed tomatoes (bite sized)
• Pinto beans (cut in half)
• Baked apples with cinnamon (bite sized)
• 5 oz Soy Milk (Silk, Vanilla flavored)

I’m a loser for not blogging about the stuff we’ve done/have to do as part of our Post Placement process.
See, it wasnt over once AJ came home. For Korea (and some other countries) there’s a process that can take up to a year after homecoming. There’s a six month period of at least three visits from our social worker, and then a ton of paperwork. We finished our last visit on Monday night. It was not AJ’s finest hour, but our social worker was kind and said she thought things were going exceptionally well. Now that we’ve gotten our three gold stars, we wait to receive AJ’s Korean birth certificate and other important documentation along with a consent to adopt from our agency. Then, we file with our county and NC a Petition for Adoption. Once they approve that, they send us an official decree (and we are finally his legal parents!) and then we can apply for AJ’s social security number. Once we have that, we apply for Certificate of Citizenship, which will officially change AJ’s US status from immigrant to citizen. And THEN we’re done. Phew.
So, I’ve added this hoops to the time line on the right. It would be awesome if we have AJ’s social security number before we have to file for our taxes, otherwise, we cant claim him as a dependent or claim the adoption tax credit for this past year. But, with the way our timeline has fallen, its possible that this part of the process might take longer than that… we shall see.

1. AJ still loves to read books. All of his other likes and dislikes seem to change by the minute, but so far, books are forever. That makes me happy. (even if its the same dang book OVER and OVER).
2. If I’m sitting on the floor, and he wants to read a book (or do something else that requires my involvement) he comes to me, turns his back towards me, and backs up until his feet hit me and he sits down. Not necessarily entirely in my lap, he could wind up sitting on my leg or foot or whatever and I have to readjust him. But its super sweet and makes me feel very loved.
3. When he wants to play “I’m Gonna Getcha” (a new favorite game since he turned 1) he starts walking away from you, and then turns back and gives you this cute smile that clearly says “Dont you want to get me? Wouldnt that be fuuuun?” It is irresistible. Which is probably why he keeps using it.
4. Though I havent witnessed it, his teacher says he giggles with delight when she puts blueberries down on his tray to eat. It makes me so happy that he likes a fruit that much (even if its short lived) and makes my back breaking efforts to slice 20 blueberries in half worth it.
5. Whenever I pick up my purse, he immediately says “bye bye” and waves. Its very cute, and impressive that he’s made the association. Its his first real association and it reminds me that he’s growing up.

I’m debating letting AJ try peanut butter for the first time. They do a pretty good job of making you nervous about this, as a nut allergy can be one of the most severe allergies out there. Our doctor recommended waiting until after AJ’s first birthday, for the sheer fact that its harder to resuscitate an infant because of their size. However, people are all over the board on the best time to introduce it. Some say, the longer you wait, the less likely you’ll have a reaction. Some say to wait until your child is old enough to communicate if they have an internal reaction (scratchy throat) or so that you can tell them whats going on if it worsens. Some say if you have no family history of said allergy, “go for it!” (which is not applicable for us, cause even though it wasnt indicated on AJ’s family history, the history is by no means complete).
And there’s not a REAL reason to introduce it. I just think he would like it and it might be an easy way to hide some fruits.

Speaking of hiding fruits… AJ has developed some interesting eating habits. I did decide that I would prepare all his meals (rather than going with the school prepared food). But that means A LOT of work on my part. And he has made it a little harder by deciding that he doesnt prefer to eat the same thing twice in a row. Loves carrots for lunch, hates them for dinner. Loves beans and rice for dinner, wont eat the beans in lunch the next day. I have no problem getting him to eat grains. He eats the same oatmeal (with fruit mixed in) and a slice of wheat bread everyday for breakfast (thank God!). I recently introduced soy yogurt, which he seems to enjoy too. Lunch and dinner include some type of grain (brown rice, wheat flat bread, pasta) and a fruit and veggie. But I have to get creative with those and change it up a lot.

I dont think I’ve mentioned it before, but we discovered that AJ is lactose intolerant.  He’s been drinking Lactaid since the week of his first birthday. It solved the serious issues he was having, but there are still some lingering problems. So, at the suggestion of our doctor, we decided to eliminate cows milk all together and he’s been drinking Soy Milk for three days now. We’ll see if that helps, but so far, it hasnt caused any problems. Not being able to serve any milk based products means I have to be even more creative. Cheese is always an easy way to make things yummier. I did buy some soy cheese, but I havent brought myself to include it in anything…

Sometimes I just want to say “screw it” and let him eat the school food or prepackaged food. However, the majority of those prepackaged meals have some form of cheese. I’m considering going halvesies with the school menu… picking the healthiest items and providing the rest, just so that I’m not spending every free night at home concocting fancy 1/2 cup sized meals.