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Raised Real: #realisperfect

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Before Margot at food, I vowed that I was going to make the majority of her food and she would primarily eat organic. "I'm a stay-at-home-mom," I thought, "I have no excuses." Oh how I was wrong. I made her baby food a couple of times. Then she ate a lot of pouches and whatever food we made for ourselves. I don't hate how I did it. But I really did want to make Margot's food. She was a decent eater and ate a variety of foods. After her first birthday, I became pregnant and she got strange with food and textures. For almost a year she primarily are, yogurt and trader joe's O's,  bars and cheese sticks and whatever fruit was around, but then she stopped eating fruit for a while because one of them gives her a rash for weeks and to this day, I still have no idea what fruit it is. This weeks guess is Apple, because she has a rash again after not having one for months.  Being pregnant did a number on my an my ability to keep it all together but it also did a number on Margot. Did she complain about the food she was eating? No. Has she become an annoying creature of habit? Yes. Is it my fault? Partially. The other part is toddlerhood. All I know is Margot needed a reset. 

I recently discovered 2 new things. 1.) Raised Real and 2.) The Béaba Babycook®. Had I known about these the last year, I feel like I could have conquered motherhood and feeding a toddler. It's seriously so easy. Every two weeks, a new box arrives with healthy meals each meal contains roughly 5 ingredients that are organically sourced, plant-based, big 8 allergen-free and flash frozen to lock in nutrients.

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And the Beaba Babycook. Friends, these things are AMAZING. I've been using mine for everything. It steams, it purees, etc. It's the best and so easy. If I had this when Margot was starting out, I would have made all her baby food, no questions asked. I definitely feel confident with feeding Selah when the time comes. 

As mentioned earlier Margot needed/needs a food reset. I was burnt out on thinking. And I really didn't know where to start again. Raised Real has been a life-safer and is helping me think more creatively with the foods I want to implement more in her diet. And honestly, the meals don't suck. It's yummy, real food. Has the process to healthier eating been seamless. Not even close. She actually won't eat most of it. face palm. But it's new and different for her. Do I hate wasting food? Absolutely. 

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To combat food waste I've been doing 4 things. I steam her meals and give it to her at face value. if that doesn't work, I puree it and give it to her in that form, if that doesn't work, I opt to give it to her in a pouch, homegirl will eat almost anything in a pouch or I freeze the puree for a later date. I also have been making it a point to show her what her food is before she eats and gain confidence in what she's eating. With the Babycook, it makes it easy to let Margot help me prepare her food. She can just put all the ingredients in the Babycook and turn a button. It's fun for Margot and it's not a huge mess at all. 

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Like I said, it's been a process. 

For anyone with a baby who is about to start eating solids or even for expanding a toddler's palette, I highly recommend Raised Real. I wish I would have found out about this sooner. 

I'm excited to be able to offer my friends (that's you) a discount code for $25 off your first box. You can use code SAMANTHA1203 at check out or you can click here. 

#realisperfect

Tell me, what do you feed your kids and family? I need all the ideas. 

 

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tags: raised real, review, baby, #realisthenewperft, beaba babycook, baby-led weaning, healthy eating, raised real promo code
categories: food and drink, Baby, photography, products
Friday 04.06.18
Posted by Samantha May
 

Introducing Selah Jo Wild

On Wednesday, December 20, 2017, our family welcomed a new baby girl into our lives. For that we are eternally grateful. She is Here. She might not be home with us or in our arms but she's alive and currently thriving. She's proven to be a strong little fighter and this mama will hug her for all of her days for being so strong. Even on the days where strong is difficult. 

 

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Here she is at 5 days old. She nearly has all of her wires, electrodes, and iv's removed. Someday soon we hope she won't have to hear beeping machines as her normal white noise. 

(a more detailed story coming soon, this mama is currently still really exhausted and finding words to say) 

tags: nicu baby, selah jo wild, baby, christmas, family, photography
categories: Baby, personal, pregnancy, photography
Monday 12.25.17
Posted by Samantha May
 

and then there was (almost) 2 under 2

In March, I was chatting with some of my female neighbors. One with a fresh babe, the other with a babe on the way, and me, surviving the most high-maintenance baby of my life and that was enough. So fast forward 1.5 months later, it's Margot's first birthday party. I'm over-heating and feeling so incredibly nauseous. Then the thought crept in my mind. NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT. I was going to have another baby.  So what did I do? I trekked on for another week or so, then I couldn't trek on anymore. My nausea and exhaustion were winning. I dug out the 1 of 2 pregnancy tests from the previous time I took a test. I do what you're supposed to do and I wait. With Margot my test turned within seconds but this time, I was going to have to wait, and wait, and wait.  What do I see? A very confusing, faint line that might mean I was pregnant. I went to Target, bought more tests and took them all. I was indeed pregnant.

The next steps were kind of a blur but I gathered my three tests and walked to the living room and threw said tests at my husband, mumbling something along the lines of "you did this to me." No judgement from you other mommas. But I WAS NOT having another baby. Except for I really was. 

At the time, I had just lost my health insurance the month before and was having issues attaining it again. It wasn't until 14 weeks that I found a clinic to do an ultrasound. Thank God for funded affordable clinics! I wanted to make sure that everything was OK more or less. That's when I saw the little babe for the 1st time. By this time, the babe wasn't a blob or a bean. I could see head, toes, fingers, and SO much movement. The woman asked me if I could feel it and I spouted of some scientific well you don't feel the baby until x number of weeks, so no. I realized later that I really was feeling those movements. Sometimes it takes an ultrasound of your belly to get perspective that life was happening and things were going to change and adapt again. 
So there you have it, welcoming baby in December.  A phrase I never thought I'd say. 

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tags: pregnancy, baby, family
categories: Baby, pregnancy
Friday 08.11.17
Posted by Samantha May
 

These Yellow Socks

On Journaling: it hasn't happened for me. I haven't even written down Margot's birth story. If you hadn't heard my daughter is VERY hands on. We're working on it.

But objects and small details. I think I can manage a couple of these. 

1. these little socks 

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[because although we can't get this sleep thing down, these socks have not wavered. They've been on this girl's feet for 3 days now. Please no judgement we've had a rough few days. Sadly, I have no idea where they are from, they were a random hand me down from another's hand me down pile.] 

Letters to Margot

Well if there is one thing I've learned about being your mama thus far it's that you play by your own rules. A trait that I will someday be so proud of you for. As for today, I'm just going to make another jug of coffee. ☕️

 

tags: mornings with margot, letters to margo, nesting, photography, sleep deprived, sleep trainging, baby
categories: photography, nesting, Margot, Mornings with Margot, Letters to Margot, Baby
Saturday 08.06.16
Posted by Samantha May
 

theportofcall. 2018