It got so bad at one point that we had to do the glycerin suppository thing, at which juncture I realized that we HAD to figure out a way to get this kid to eat more vegetables.

He’s not ENTIRELY opposed to vegetables, like he will take a bite or two of broccoli or cauliflower, loves cucumbers red peppers and cherry tomatoes, but that’s where it ends and it clearly wasn’t enough.

That’s when I started hearing about Plum Baby Organic “Mashups” from a few different sources.

My friend Ami had been giving them to her three-year old daughter and suggested them to me, but I didn’t see them in the health food store I frequent and never followed up. Then, coincidentally, my mom who has been working doing demos of different products in health-food-stores ended up demoing the same products and I finally got one for Jasper to try, the Plum Baby Spinach, Pear & Peas Mashup.

It was love at first bite (or suck, or squirt?) and since I knew no one would actually believe me that he goes NUTS over these things, here is the video proof:

He usually requests seconds or thirds!

The only downside (as my friend Ami warned me) is that at your local store these can run you $2+ each..which is fine for an ocassional snack, but Jasper eats A LOT of them. So I was thrilled to discover that you can get them on Amazon’s subscription service and then they only come to just over a dollar each AND delivered to your doorstep. Love it!

Obviously, you might want to try ONE first before ordering a case of 24 to see if your kid likes them. If so, they are in the baby food aisle of your local health food store, not the freezer section where I had been looking for them (my only prior experience with premade baby food was the frozen kind!).

In fact, you will find several different flavors by several different manufacturers. Let me warn you though that they are NOT all created equal..

After the enthusiastic reception from Jasper for the Spinach flavor I bough some of the Happy Baby brand Mashups when my health-food store was out of the spinach. He HATED them. I tasted them too and I have to agree with him, they just did not taste good. Whereas the spinach one tastes vaguely like a not-so-sweet applesauce, the Happy Baby one I tried was just bitter.  I feel bad posting that because I like Happy Baby as a company and Jasper loved their infant food (the frozen kind) but I have to be honest and tell you that the mashups were NOT yummy.

Let me also state that I am aware that it is FAR preferable that your kids eat their daily servings of fruits and vegetables from FRESH sources – if for no other reason than training their palate (yadda yadda yadda) and if your toddler’s favorite food is fresh kale or dandelion greens then god bless you!

But for the rest of us, I’m so happy that there is a way to get a few servings of something other than yet another variation of  wheat or  cheese into our children’s daily diets!

We knew we wanted a King, and we knew we wanted a Tempurpedic, the only remaining question was deciding between the “Cloud” and the “Cloud Supreme.”  The difference is that the Supreme is softer, and for that extra softness you pay a $700 premium.

I’m quite sure that had we never laid on the Cloud Supreme we would have thought that the Cloud was the most.comfortable. bed.ever.  But comparing them side-by-side, there is an undeniable difference. On the Supreme I couldn’t feel ANY points of tension anywhere in my body, whereas on the Cloud I could feel it a bit in my lower back.

Given we plan on sleeping on this mattress for the next 10 years or more, I knew that if we let the price tag and not comfort be the deciding factor, the potential buyer’s remorse would drive me to the nuthouse.

So King Cloud Supreme arrived around lunchtime on Sunday..(and OMG it’s HUGE. Our bedroom now feels like it is half it’s previous size!)

Jasper was more than willing to help “break it in” as the sales person suggested we do. He’s a big fan of the new bed, when Jeff said that it was “Mommy and Daddy’s new bed” Jasper said “Yes, and Jasper’s too!”

He knows a good thing when he sees it:

Now all that is left is to order new bedding!

We went to Home Goods yesterday afternoon where I got some nice high threadcount plain white sheets (so we could sleep on it last night!) but they didn’t have any decent King Duvet covers (I checked TJ Maxx too.) So we need a Duvet cover, another sheet set and a Down Comforter. I was all set to order the down comforter on Overstock when I started reading the reviews, many of which said that some of the baffles had NO filling in them!

Do you have a favorite source for nice but reasonably priced bedding?

After a blissful night’s sleep last night (even Jasper seemed to sleep more soundly on the new bed!) I have to say that I’m thrilled with our decision, even though I’m still recovering a bit from the sticker shock!!

Most of you know that I am madly in love with my Canon 70-200L f/2.8 IS II, it doesn’t leave my camera when I’m shooting outdoors. But indoors, it can be too long so I decided to use my completely neglected 24-70mmL f/2.8.

Since buying it, I actually have reached for my Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 over the canon because I noticed that I seemed to have a harder time nailing focus with the Canon. But a recent session that I used the Tamron left me less than thrilled so I recommitted to “figuring out” the canon 24-70, which is why I pulled it out for these Jasper shots.

When it nails focus, it is EXCELLENT:

The key word is “when.”   There were a bunch of soft shots, and I think I know why, and why many people say they need to “learn to love” the 24-70.

It’s a strange thing, to need to “learn to love”  a $1000+ lens, shouldn’t it rock your world out of the box?

So, this is my theory with the lens..

Most of us that upgrade to the 24-70 are coming either from a cheaper zoom like the Tamron OR from a  prime like the 50mm or 30mm. Those lenses have one thing in common: they are FEATHER light compared to the 24-70.

What that means is that you can shoot at lower shutterspeeds  and not get much if any camera shake.  But enter the 24-70 (known in the industry as “the beast”) and whoa, it’s heavy and my test shots show that I need to crank the shutterspeed up to at least 250 to beat the shake!

Now, that is all well and good on a full frame camera, but on a crop sensor that kind of blows because you are already battling with noise at ISOs as low as 400, if you need to use a really high shutterspeed too you will need to crank that ISO even higher and introduce even more noise!

Which is why I think if you have a crop sensor camera, you’re better off sticking with the Tamron or primes and save the 24-70 for if/when you upgrade to full frame.

Now the 70-200 is so heavy it makes the 24-70 feel like a cream puff, but the difference is that the 70-200 is stabilized and I almost NEVER miss focus with it.  Rumor has it that canon will be introducing a stabilized version II of the 24-70 and I think THAT would be a lens worth owning on a crop or a full frame body!

As usual, these are merely my opinions based on my experiences with these different pieces of glass, if you have any opinions, thoughts or questions I’d love to hear them!

Oh, and here is a shot of  Jasper after his haircut:

Yep- missed focus with that one!  More importantly, I miss his curls!! :(

Last time it was  Hairy Maclary and Zachary Quack:

Which Jasper adores.  It’s the cute story of a duck (Zachary Quack) who repeatedly tries to befriend the aloof dog (Hairy Maclaray.)

This time “Auntie Diane” brought two more adorable books that have a definite British sensibility.  It’s not just the difference in words (like “licky lolly” instead of “lollypop”) it’s also something about the way they are written.. I can’t exactly describe it, but if you ever read through them you’ll get what I mean.

The first one “Don’t Lose Pigley, Wibbly Pig” is Jasper’s hands down favorite.  It starts off with Wibbly big being at a birthday part (which scores big points with Jasper) and follows his adventure trying to retrieve his lost piggy doll (Pigley) with his party favors.  Jasper makes me read it at least 5 times in a row.

MY favorite is The Gruffalo. It’s completely brilliant, both the illustrations and the rhyming verse “Silly thing, don’t you know? There’s no such thing as a Gruffalo…” (which of course, there turns out to be!)

It’s just so charming, and perfect I don’t mind reading it over and over again!

Just a little recommendation if you needed to add some new books to the library..

He’s a cute little red monster who repeats everything you say in a high pitched monster voice and he’s absolutely hysterical, at least Jasper thinks so!   He also laughs when you tickle him, protests when you poke him, growls when you start him up and says “bye bye” when you turn him off, all of which keeps Jasper endlessly entertained..

Mommy loves Carl too, because he gives me an extra few minutes each morning to get myself ready, buys me a few minutes of peace on a car ride, serves as a distraction from impending tantrums at the store and has been all around one of the best .99 cents I ever spent.

Judging by the 4 star reviews, I don’t think I’m the only parent who loves him..

Trust me on this one, if you have an iPhone you need Carl!

Aside from wanting to evaluate the image quality, I wanted to see if I really found the 70-200 range preferable to the 24-70 (or would it be too long for toddlers?) and more importantly if I could manage to handle the sheer weight of this giant lens!

The answer on all accounts is Yes and Yes (though my wrist does ache a little bit!).. this lens is pure magic. I don’t know how I’m going to part with it when my week is up.. true, it is a beast but it’s a zoom lens that has the sharpness of a prime. Seriously, I don’t see any difference in sharpness between this and my 85 1.8 which is SHARP.

I haven’t had a chance to use it yet in a great location at the optimal time of day, but even my crappy test shots like the first one below look pretty decent with the mojo of this lens behind them.. the crispness of the details combined with the creamy bokeh that only a telephoto can provide = photographic bliss!

That last shot was taken at Gymboree- yes, even the brightest and busiest background can turn into something smooth and beautiful with this lens.

I am hooked. The only question now is if the new stabilized Sigma 70-200 2.8 that is schedule to be released in June can come close to the cannon.  At $1600 the Sigma costs almost $1000 more than the previous Sigma version (which shocked a lot of people!) but they’ve packed a ton of improvements in there, not the least of which is stabilization,  and it is $1000 less than the Canon II version, but the same price as the Canon I version.

When the II version canon came out, I thought to myself that I’d never want/need the II, the I version would be good enough for me.. but then I realized that the image quality (IQ) of the version I was seriously lacking compared to even the Sigma and the Tamron versions.. the only benefit to the Canon version being the stabilization and the autofocusing speed. But, the version II has unquestionably taken care of any IQ issues, this lens is SHARP, see the comparisons here between the version I and II.

The complaint with the Sigma was that the focus sometimes missed, was slow and there was no stabilization, so we’ll see how the new Sigma stacks up.  I’m going to wait to make my final decision until hearing any reviews of the new Sigma once it’s released in a few weeks.. but I have to say it will be a LONG couple of weeks because now I’m completely in love with the 70-200 focal range.

In the meantime, I am dreading this Thursday when I have to pack up the giganto white lens in it’s little pelican case and send it on it’s way back to Lensprotogo. It’s a bit like if the day after Christmas you had to rewrap all your presents and give them back to Santa..

Jasper’s daycare actually has a little “library” where you can sign in and out some of their older books and I picked up a few there based on recommendations the last time we talked about books.  But by FAR his favorite at the moment is McDuff and the Baby which Stephanie mentioned.  I have to read it at least twice each night, but I don’t mind at all because I LOVE the illustrations which depict the gorgeous 40’s fashion, seriously I covet Lucy’s shoes (why don’t they make shoes like that anymore??)

Another one that I simply LOVE is “The Brave Cowboy” which is three different little stories about a boy who dresses up as a cowboy. The beauty of the stories lie in Joan Walsch Anglund’s pen and ink illustrations that depict the reality of the little boy on his cowboy adventures in black and white and the parts of the scene that are in the boy’s  imagination in color. They are clever and gorgeous at the same time, and it doesn’t hurt that one of the stories is about a boy and his imaginary friend which is a large bear.  Bears go over very well with Jasper!

Of a more classic variety, I picked up this Curious George Treasury, a collection of 5 stories and Jasper is loving it! He calls him “Ka George” and I think his fascination is based in no small part due to the fact that George is basically a toddler in a monkey’s body.. always trying to be good but failing miserably by getting into trouble at every turn!  Anyway, I thought for the price (under $10 for a hardcover including 5 stories) it was a great value. The only downside is that it’s a bit heavy and Jasper likes to carry it around with him – I worry he’ll drop it on his little feet!

Now that our book collection has expanded both in quality and quantity, it’s time for a proper bookshelf!  Until now I’ve been stacking the books on a chair next to the glider, but book landslides have become a common occurance. If anyone has found a nice inexpensive small bookshelf for their toddler’s room/nursery I’d love to hear about it!

Have a great weekend everyone :)

Right before Jasper was born I picked up a few old books at a consignment sale, books for older kids (i.e. non board books) like Paddington Bear. On a whim I dug them out of the closet recently and turns out Jasper is ready for these more wordy stories.. he now LOVES paddington and mommy is more entertained too because these books have more interesting story lines than the average baby book.

So the other night I was at Marshalls and decided to see what other “older” baby books I could find and grabbed a Berenstain Bears book called “The Berenstain Bears Do their Best.” It’s a non board book, has bears, what’s not to love right?

Imagine my surprise when I got to this stanza on the third page:

“A Kite for me and Sister Bear?
A kite for both of us to share?
Let’s thank the Lord from up above for Papa showing us his love.”

???????

It goes on from there:

But we believed in Papa’s skill.
And our faith in God’s help is stronger still”

I felt like I was in some strange alternate universe.. the Berenstain bears.. we used to read those to my little sister, they weren’t religious! And if they WERE religious, wouldn’t the Berenstain bears be JEWISH? (As it turns out, the series creator Stan was in fact Jewish. It was his evangelical son that  started this new “living lights” series of Faith based Berenstain books after his father’s death.)

Now, I don’t want to offend anyone with this post, I’m aware that I have plenty of readers of all faiths and I’m really happy about that.  But Jasper is somewhere between 50-75% Jewish and none of us are practicing anything.  So I’m not saying that there’s anything overtly wrong with faith, or even religious books for kids, but if you take a well known character and insert religion at a later date, it would be really nice to maybe notate that rather prominently to warn off non religious types like me that this is probably not a book you want to buy for your child!

Had I very carefully read the back cover, I would have noticed in fine print where it said “Living Lights Berenstain Bear books help children learn how God wants them to live every day.”

But, I did not because, well, I wasn’t aware that I needed to be on the look out for such things.

Again, if you are a person of faith you might actually prefer the faith based Bears to the old ones I remember from childhood. But I personally find it somewhat disturbing that any of us have to even worry about scrutinizing classic character books for faith insertions of any kind.

I wonder if perhaps the Living Lights Publishers got similar feedback because subsequent titles became much less ambiguous. For example:

and

For now, I think we’ll stick to Paddington, and I’ll be reading the back and front covers much more carefully before purchasing from now on…

I’ve been meaning to extoll the virtues of Boogie Wipes for… almost a year now I think! I actually won them in a giveaway on Jill’s awesome blog. I have to admit, I was less than excited at first.. the only thing I have ever won on a blog giveaway and it’s a glorified snot rag? Well, now that I am the self proclaimed queen of the sickies, I am finally getting around to telling you that there are more to these wipes than meet the..er.. nose.

First of all, they are soaked in saline. Saline is what is in those nasal sprays that you use on stuffy noses – it actually DISOLVES the caked on boogs – brilliant!  Secondly, they also contain soothing ingredients like aloe and vitamin E.

But most important of all, Jasper loves them with a devotion I didn’t know could be reserved for something as mundane as a tissue. But he does. In fact he often runs towards them saying “nose, nose!” because he loves to wipe his nose with them (snotty or not).  I credit boogie wipes for the fact that Jasper will not only let me wipe his nose but will also wipe his own nose and has recently started actually blowing his own nose! ( I am irrationally excited about this new motor skill -  almost as excited as I was about him starting to walk because it is almost as useful!)

Personally I like the fresh “original” scent and the grape scent more than the menthol, but whatever scent you buy, I guarantee you will be “blown” away. Pun intended :)

Boogie wipes are available at BRU and Target and probably other places too, but those are just the ones where I’ve consistently noticed them.

Jasper used to always cry when I put him down for naps and at bedtime. Usually not more than a minute or so, but still, I wanted to try something to make the transition to the crib a little smoother.

One thing I think we all instinctively feel is that cribs aren’t particularly cozy – a cold sheet, no pillow and blanket – it’s no wonder the transition isn’t so easy!  So I decided to add two things to Jasper’s crib, a soft blanket (a lovey really) and a Carter’s velour crib sheet (also available at BRU).

The lovey blanket we also picked up at BRU, though I don’t see it on their website.. the colors matched Jasper’s nursery perfectly!

CoCaLo Emory Sherpa Blanket

Obviously the exact blanket doesn’t matter, just that it’s soft and cozy!  Of course toddlers sleeping with blankets can be controversial and you must feel comfortable with this – if you are not, just the velour crib sheet will really make a difference.  How much you ask?

The day after I put on his new crib sheet he started playing this “game” with us when we would go to get him in the morning where he would lay down, and just look at you.. like he didn’t really want to get up!

These changes alone didn’t imake going down for bed or nap a completely tearless afair until I started saying “Good night Jasper” after his last book and then holding him and singing 4 short songs while I rock him in my arms. If I do this, there are no tears at all!

I think the little extra step in between books and bed really helps transition him into sleepy time.

It seems strange rethink something so simple at his age (like shouldn’t I have figured this out a long time ago?) but sometimes little changes can make a huge difference and a welcome change!