I loved breastfeeding Isabel, my firstborn, but after several months of doing it around the clock, I was ready for a change. I couldn’t wait to break out those tiny jars of baby food and was excited to see what her reaction would be to the colors, textures, and new flavors. But when it was finally time to take that big developmental step and start solids, I quickly learned that the process would have its ups -- and downs.

Here’s what we experienced along the way to this baby milestone.

Sticky Stuff
When Isabel was starting solid food, her pediatrician suggested that I serve up single-grain cereals. I trotted to the market to load up on rice, barely, and oatmeal, and then mixed a tiny bowl for her first meal. Sadly, this mush must not have tasted very good, as Isabel would have very little of it!

Color Coded
To make things a little easier, the doctor suggested going through each vegetable and fruit by color. Isabel’s next meals were all the same sunset shade -- squash, peaches, sweet potatoes, and carrots. Her diapers were mostly orange! I gave them to her one at a time and waited a few days in between serving new baby food to ensure that she didn’t have an allergy. After the orange group, we moved on to green foods, including peas, green beans, and some avocado that I had mashed up for her. It was clear that with this baby milestone, I was going to need some patience.

Nice and Slow
I learned that if I tried to spoon Isabel’s baby food too fast, she would turn her head away. She only wanted a small amount, as she was developing her tastes. So, I started serving tiny portions of solid food and added more to the dish if she was ready, letting her be the guide.

Bigger Pieces
After she’d mastered purees, we moved on to little bits of soft foods, which made feeding her super easy. I simply cut up what we were having for dinner (stewed chicken, peas, mashed potatoes), and served up a pint-sized plate.

Now that Isabel has conquered this baby milestone and developed into a healthy eater, I can look back on those days of starting solid food with a smile. They may not have always been particularly easy (or tidy), but they were the start of what I hope is a lifetime of wholesome eating habits.

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We had three pregnancy announcements to break the news to our families, and we opted to announce it each time in a fun and different way!

When trying to decide how to tell your parents you’re pregnant, you may feel overwhelmed with all the ways you could surprise them. It was fun to have separate reveals, starting with my dad. At the time, my father lived in California, so we simply video-chatted him and said, “We have something to tell you!” He guessed right away. It was awesome to announce it to him through video chat, because we got to see his expression!

My mother lives about four hours from us, so we asked if she’d like to meet us halfway for dinner. We arrived at the restaurant before she did, and I clued the waitress in on our plan. The waitress rolled my mom’s silverware up in a white onesie instead of a napkin. When my mom arrived, I offered her the ‘best seat’ at the table. We waited on pins and needles for our appetizers to arrive, and when the food came, she unrolled her fork and knife…only to discover the baby outfit!  She was so surprised and shocked that she just held it up, staring at it. Finally, I said, “Mom! I’m pregnant!” and she started to cry, overjoyed at the thought of our new addition to the family.

My in-laws live nearby, so we went over for dinner. My husband brought in his mother’s ‘special gift’ -- a huge (and I do mean HUGE!) box, all wrapped up with pretty paper and bows. My mother-in-law kept saying, “What is this? It’s not a holiday or my birthday!” When she opened it up, a bunch of pink and blue balloons came flying out! Like my mother, she was so surprised that she was rendered speechless. After my husband finally explained the news, she said, “Wait! I have a gift for you, too!” and ran upstairs. She brought down a teddy bear and explained that she’d been saving it for the very day we would make our pregnancy announcement!  

Two years later, the teddy bear is one of Henry’s favorite toys. I love watching him play with it, as it always reminds me of the creative ways we announced our happy news.

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When we found out we were expecting our second child, I began to think of ways we could share the news with our first. Seeking hints on how to break the news to our only child, I decided to read a book about sibling rivalry. It began with an anecdote about a husband who announced to his wife one day that he thought it was time to have a second wife. Being married to you has been so great that having two wives could only be better, right? Just think, he continued, the two of you can go shopping together and share clothes. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? Needless to say, wife number one wasn’t overjoyed with such a prospect.

The author’s message should have been obvious, but the pregnancy hormones had already started doing things to my brain, so I just ignored it. Instead, like many parents, my husband and I assumed our child would simply share our incredible enthusiasm about her impending big sisterhood. That evening at dinner, I said, “Sweetheart, your father and I have some really exciting news. We are going to have a second baby, and that means you are going to be a big sister!”

Imagine our surprise when she responded with a quizzical look and a one word response: “Why?” she asked. As we both scrambled to fill the silence, I had to admit she (and the book) had a point, and I wondered how we were ever going to make this all right.

“You know,” I said, “when the baby arrives, you’ll get to do all kinds of things that he or she won’t be able to do.” “Like what?” she inquired warily. “Like staying up until 8 o’clock and learning to ride a two-wheeler,” I replied, grasping at straws. “And you get to help pick the new baby’s name,” I added for good measure. That last one solicited a big grin, but I never imagined what problems my seemingly brilliant suggestion was going to cause.

Two days later our daughter announced with great pride that she’d picked a name for the baby. “Favorite Towel,” she said about the moniker she used for her treasured Turkish towel, a gift from an eccentric aunt. On the one hand, I was thrilled that she thought enough of the new baby to name it after an item that accompanied her morning, noon, and night.  On the other hand, I was grateful to have seven months to do damage control on that one.

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When I found out I was expecting twins, I wasn’t sure how that news would go over with our then 18-month-old daughter, Grace. The thought of introducing a new baby into the already hectic mix of our everyday life of a family of three was scary. Adding two more? It seemed crazy!

I had so many questions racing through my mind! Had we waited long enough? Was our house ready for the upheaval of infant-life again? How would she react to Mama not being as physically active with her? What would she do once she met these new babies?

I know now in hindsight (fifteen long and glorious months of hindsight) that I was being absurd, but the concerns were real, and they shaped how we eventually shared the news with Grace.

Our pediatrician has always been a matter-of-fact, strong, and supportive caregiver of Grace. He saw her, and maybe even as importantly, us, through a rocky premature start, fraught with jaundice, lack of weight gain, and colic. At one of our last appointments with a solo Grace, he shared with me some of the wisest words I had ever heard spoken on the subject of siblings. He said that siblings were the best gift we could give our child. That we should never feel sorry for the fact that she would no longer be an only child. She would adapt as easily to her new life as a big sister as we would allow her, no looking back. It was then that I realized that telling Grace about our new addition to the family was harder on us than it was on her.

I was so thankful for the clear-headed and reasonable advice that I nearly cried. I sat with Grace a few days later and read her a children’s book on having younger siblings.  Grace was overjoyed, and so were we.

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Before I even thought of getting pregnant, I knew that when the day came I wanted to surprise my husband with the news in a cute and original way. However, that’s not exactly the way it played out – with either of my pregnancy announcements!

We had only been trying for a month when I became pregnant the first time, and I was completely caught off guard. After a bad workout and some helpful advice from my sister, I decided to take an at-home test. On my way from the store – test in hand -- I called my husband to come home right away. My message must have had him concerned, because he made it in record time!

When he walked in, I had already taken the test but couldn't muster up the courage to check it myself. I'll never forget him saying "Are you serious?" when I asked him to take the first peek. He sat beside me for a second, as if to let it all sink in, and then with a flash, he jumped up and said, "Let's do this". Once he took a look, he immediately began celebrating like he won the Super Bowl – I knew then that we were pregnant!

When the opportunity rolled around for my second chance, I once again dropped the ball when it came to a cute and original pregnancy announcement for my husband. After several months of trying, I was having trouble getting pregnant. I had seen my doctor, and after some testing, he felt I had a good chance of getting pregnant in the following month. So it really wasn't a surprise to my husband when I told him I was going to take a test. After six months of getting negative results, I didn't want to find out alone. And just like before, we sat for what felt like an eternity, until the timer went off.  For the second time, my husband checked the test first, it was positive! We had done it again.

In hindsight, it wasn't the most creative way to make a pregnancy announcement, but it was perfect for us. Being pregnant in itself is one of life's greatest surprises, and I'm glad I got to share that moment with my husband.

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