Where Has It Gone?

Time, that is. Where has the time gone?! It feels like 2014 lasted about five minutes. I am not nearly as eager to say goodbye to this year as I was last year. Everything we did this year was a first for us, because we experienced everything as new parents. Everything from holidays, like fourth of July and Christmas, to the small stuff, like finding time to shower, it was all new. Parenthood literally changes every single aspect of your life. The way you eat. "Can/will Squeaks eat this too, or should I cook something else for dinner?" The way you manage time. "Is she going to sleep long enough for me to finish this blog post and still have time to fold laundry?" The way you view the world. "You sneeze near my kid, I'll kick you in the shin." Everything changes. It has been awesome and continues to be awesome, and challenging, and fun, and frustrating, and....awesome. I look forward to 2015 being just as, if not more, awesome. We have a few big things coming up. Squeaks' first birthday is less than two weeks away. Our finalization in court should take place in the next few months (finally!). And a few more surprises around the corner. God is the master of surprises. I look forward to writing about it all!

I enjoyed reviewing our year via photo last year, so here we go again. Although, there is most definitely a theme on my Instagram feed these days.

January. Our beautiful daughter was born!

February. We enjoyed time together, and Josh got to take six weeks off work!

March. I turned 29 and Squeaks continued to grow at the speed of light.

April. We celebrated Squeaks' first Easter and the search for breast milk donors continued.

May. I celebrated my second first Mother's Day, and we celebrated the awesome moms who raised Josh and I.

June. We celebrated all the big strong men in our lives, spent lots of time outside, and celebrated Josh's mom's 50th birthday with an 80's theme party.

July. Squeaks first fourth of July! Lots of swimming, family, and Disneyland. We also celebrated 8 years of marriage, but forgot to photograph it. lol!

August. More swimming, exploring the world, and movie nights at church.

September. Our first family road trip to Santa Rosa/San Fransisco. And, of course, more Disneyland!

October. Josh's 31st birthday, the pumpkin patch, and Squeaks' first Halloween.

November. We celebrated my mom's 55th birthday, Evelyn's second birthday, and Squeaks' first Thanksgiving. Lots to be thankful for!

December. Squeak's first Christmas and the end to a truly blessed year!

Let's Do It Again!

Beautiful exhaustion. What a day. 

I won't lie. I have battled stress the past few weeks. The pressure to absorb as much joy as I can, experience every detail, make as many memories as possible on Squeak's first Christmas was overwhelming. In the end, I had to let it go. And when it came right down to it, letting it go helped it happen. Our girl is growing insanely fast. How blessed am I to be "stressed" about experiencing as much happiness with her as I possibly can!? Silly Kristen. Pretty sure I could stress over just about anything. Must work on that. I just don't want to miss a moment. Especially when it comes to milestones. I want to see her face light up, hear every laugh, experience every first with her. The more I loosened my grip on "perfection" the more perfect it got. Fantastic, fun, lovely, sweet imperfection. 

Having our first Christmas with a child made gift giving difficult this year, monetarily and just finding time to shop/craft. Gifts were simple. Simple was very well received. I love simple. I'm not saying we didn't put thought into the gifts we gave, just that my usual grip on perfection lightened. In fact we didn't even wrap Squeak's presents. They were a weird shape to start with, and we knew she'd get plenty of paper-ripping time at our family gatherings. No hours of handmade/hand painted/made-from-scratch. Even though I missed the crafting, because I'm a creative person, it can get to be a bit much when you're hand making twenty different gifts for twenty different people. This year I let Shuttefly and Etsy "make" a few gifts, and they turned out great! 

We spent Christmas Eve at Josh's Grandma's house (Nana Sue). She always puts out an awesome spread. Beautiful table, yummy food, and fun English traditions like crackers and figgy pudding. We had a blast watching Squeaks try to bounce an orange instead of open presents. She got lots of cute gifts including a handmade sock monkey and knit hat from her Aunt Kim and Uncle Ben, fun toys and dolls, and lots of cute cloths. The next morning, Squeaks stayed in her awesome Christmas jammies (a gift from my parents) as we did our little family Christmas at home. I got the best new robe ever. Josh loved his hand engraved money clip, and Squeaks wheeled around her learning walker (that's right, walker!) laughing as she went. We had scrambled eggs, and read from Luke about the Son of God born to a teenage mother and an adoptive father, born to die for our sins. We got dressed, packed the car with gifts, and headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house (Josh's parents). Josh's mom and sister loved their Reverent Creations necklaces, and Josh's dad was very pleased with his Game Stop gift card. Squeaks got toys and clothes galore, I got super comfy Toms, and Josh got a cash contribution to the crazy fancy Blu Ray player he's saving up for. After emerging from the swarm of kisses, hugs, and wrapping paper, Squeaks slept briefly on the way to Grammy and Grampy's house (my parents) where we were again engulfed in kisses, hugs, and gifts. My mom (from whom I inherit my craftiness) was very happy to open her new circle cutter and straight pins (her's were so old they barely went through fabric). My dad, always searching for the perfect cup of coffee, loved his selection of Raven's Brew. My mom made the most beautiful little doll for Squeaks, I got an awesome necklace from Reverent Creations to add to my collection, and Josh got the coolest pocket watch ever. After another brief nap on the way to Aunt Patty and Uncle Tommy's house (where we were joined by both Josh's and my parents, and the rest of our extended family), I lost sight of our daughter for an hour or so as she was sucked into a squealing, cuddling, cloud of happy relatives. She emerged giggling and smelling like a mixture of every perfume worn by the female members of our family, and even a little cologne from some strong baby hugging men. We ate, did our traditional white elephant gift exchange, laughed until our stomachs hurt, and watched some truly awesome home movies of my husband and his cousins as kids dancing and singing very enthusiastically. So cute it should have been illegal.

 A truly lovely day. Lovely doesn't do it justice really. Beautiful, blessed, happy, God filled...a day we've looked forward to for a long time. Our first Christmas as parents. Our daughter's first Christmas. Our daughter...that doesn't get old. Merry sins-paid-for, blessed-beyond-belief, grace-filled Christmas!

"For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

This movie is a tradition for us. My parents came over the weekend before Christmas and we all got our couch on.

Nana Sue's house for Christmas Eve. She always sets a beautiful table, complete with English crackers.

Vivey loved her gifts and we all loved spending time with family.

Can't. Stop. Laughing. Who knew a screen door could be so entertaining?!

Enjoying Christmas morning in her Christmas jammies.

Opening gifts at Grammy and Grampy's house. The bag of lemons in the kitchen was a huge hit too.

Love the doll my mom made her. She hand painted the face, and my dad made a little cradle.

She definitely doesn't get enough attention. Ha!

My favorite ladies.

Merry Christmas from our family to your's. God is good!

Because

I'm sharing this because....it needs to be shared. I know it doesn't apply to our adoption....but it needs to be shared. Read it. Apply it to how you think of others. Apply it to how you think family is created.

The Humbled Homemaker: An Open Letter From A Foster Adoptive Mother

The Inevitable Is Soon Upon Us

One more month until we have a ONE YEAR OLD!

Raise Your Hand

Adoptive mommas, raise your hand if you....

Have ever felt heartbroken, proud, and unworthy all at the same time.

Think about and pray for your child's birth family daily.

Sometimes forget you didn't give birth to your child, then feel guilty for forgetting, then feel proud.

Wonder and sometimes even worry about your child's future because of the way the media and popular culture portray adoption.

Feel like you're taking credit for something you shouldn't when people say your child is beautiful, and you say "thank you".

Watch your child and wonder how much of their personality is inherited and how much is from your nurturing.

Envy your child's birth mother because she got to feel them grow, and will have a connection with your child that you can never have.

Are super protective of your child's connection to their birth family.

Feel overwhelmingly sad and humbled to be chosen to raise another woman's child.

Swell with pride when you tell the beautiful story of your child's entrance into your family.

Hope and pray you live up to the honor you've been chosen for.

Look forward to the day when your child can fully comprehend how intensely adoption is love.

Read and study the adoption stories of other families trying to prepare yourself for any and every question your child could ever have.

Have an all consuming love for another person and the child she gave birth to.

Thank God daily for our adoption into His family through Christ, for the example it sets, and how it drives you.

You are not alone.

The Warm and Fuzzies

I know some super talented people! My friends Angie and Kim, who also happen to be sisters, have started an amazing little business that is fast becoming not so little. Kim was adopted into Angie's family, and Angie adopted three beautiful little miracles last year (all at the same time!). Adoption is in this family's veins. These lovely sisters founded Reverent Creations. They make necklaces that are guaranteed to give you the warm and fuzzies. Each design is beautifully created with inspiring scripture, sentiment, and lyrics. Not only do they include uplifting messages, but the quality of their product is awesome. I was hesitant at first to order one only for the fact that Squeaks likes to pull necklaces. Hard. But so far my beautiful new necklace is taking it like a champ. She even got it in her mouth once when I wasn't looking, and while it was a bit soggy after, it dried out nicely and still looks like new. 

Since adoption is a big part of their lives, Angie and Kim have included some beautiful adoption designs to choose from. And as a BIG added bonus, a purchase through their site this Friday can help a child in the foster system have a much happier Christmas. I'm also hoping at some point to host a giveaway of one of their beautiful designs. Until then, go buy necklaces, lot's of necklaces, and give them to the wonderful women in your life.

P.S. They just started making some seriously mouth watering Christmas ornaments too. Just sayin'.

Follow Reverent Creations on Facebook and Instagram for new designs and sales.

I ordered a custom necklace for my mom's birthday, and she loved it! "All is grace" is one of her favorite truths. And while I was at it, I had to get myself a little something. I ordered one with "It is well with my soul" on it (my favorite hymn) and now they carry it in their regular stock! So you can thank me for that later.

Mom enjoying her birthday gift.

*UPDATE: Reverent Creations was able to raise over $400.00 to put toward Christmas presents for foster kids! Hooray!!

Dec. Adoption Love Link-up: Words

I am not what you would call "politically correct". I would consider myself polite and appropriate, but generally the term "politically correct" makes me tense. In my experience people who strive for political correctness tend to be overly sensitive, always looking for a reason to get bent out of shape over off hand comments. 

However, I wholeheartedly acknowledge that words are powerful things. Appropriate verbiage is a must in many situations. Adoption is one of those situations for me. Hence, this month's Adoption Love Link-Up topic:

What are your views on appropriate adoption language? (examples: Birth mom vs. expectant mom, was adopted vs. is adopted, etc.) Have you had any personal experiences with inappropriate adoption language? How, if at all, did you help educate those involved?

As always, I look forward to your responses. Please don't feel like you have to address my examples specifically.

I've also decided to make the link-up a little simpler for myself. Ya-know, decrease that stress and all. First, the blog roll on the link-up page will be continual from now on. Those of you who linked up previously and no longer see your link, it's because the blog roll restarted every month, not because I deleted your link (unless you broke the rules). Also, if you linked directly to a specific post instead of your homepage, you might want to change that. From now on, if you choose to write about this month's topic, please back-link to this post and leave a comment below. Lastly, this month's link-up question was posted a little late. That was on purpose. All topic questions will be posted on the first of the month instead of this weird randomness, posting sometime mid-endish of the month. Thanks for sticking with me while I work out the kinks!

Thankful

I am thankful! My blessings overflow. This Thanksgiving was a crisp 84 degrees in Southern California. A beautiful day. I got to watch our daughter enjoy her first Thankgiving dinner. She loved the turkey, but surprisingly not the mashed potatoes. I got to participate in our yearly tradition of going around the table expressing our gratitude. I included my thankfulness for God's example of adoption through Christ. That's a big one in our family. I got to hear other's gratitude for our first born daughter's existence. Her birthday this year was full of beautiful sentiment and support from so many people! It's such a blessing to know that we aren't the only ones who remember her for the miracle she was. I got to hear my husband pray before the meal. Listening to him pray is one of my favorite things. I got to watch Squeaks wrap the entire family arround her little finger like she always does. I got to play Scatergories with some of my favorite women in the world. Nobody can outdo the women in our family at that game. We take it to new levels and always end up laughing till our sides hurt. I got to meet my cousin's new finance' and watch him make Squeaks laugh super hard. My mom always said it's easy to like people who are good to your kid and she's right. I got to come home tired and happy. I am thankful.

My Family's Passion

My mother was recently invited to speak on my uncle's radio program for the third time. The third time to talk about something that a lot of people feel uncomfortable talking about. To talk about something that a lot of people say is a woman's personal choice. Abortion.

It's a topic that is on my family's hearts and minds a lot. It's part of my history. I did not have an abortion, but my mother had two before she had me. I won't know my two older siblings in this life, but I mourn my mother's heartache more than I mourn my relationship with them. She has gone through years of pain and still continues to heal from her choice. But she has decided to use her pain to help others and I couldn't be more proud. I thought I'd share part of a speech she recently gave at our local pregnancy center's Fall fundraiser.

"I'm Sonja and I'm a volunteer with the pregnancy center. I lead a Bible study called SaveOne that's specifically for anyone with abortion in their past. I have just a few moments to tell you about it, and I'll start with a story.

Joe (not his real name) is a man I've known for over 10 years. We first met here at Immanuel. Joe is an especially kind man who carefully listens for opportunities to share the gospel whenever he can. We've talked about the SaveOne Bible study and he's been extremely supportive. I invited Joe and wife to come to tonight's gala, but they couldn't because of a prior obligation. I sent him a follow up note and I enclosed a couple of my business cards along with these little baby feet hearts that I made for the women in the SaveOne class that just concluded. Shortly after he received my note we happened to meet at a cafe near my office. Joe said he was glad to see me because he intended to write to me, but talking would be easier. Joe didn't look at me when he told me that the image of the tiny feet triggered old memories and emotions. His hands were folded in front of him on the table and he was clearly suppressing tears as he talked about the abortion his girlfriend had in 1975. He said he knew at the time that it was wrong, and for a long while he tried to atone for the abortion by doing various "good works". He never told his parents, and he hasn't discussed it with his living children. Sadly some of his biggest life choices, like marriage, were affected by the abortion. Yes, abortion hurts women, but Joe would tell you that it hurts men too. 1975 is long gone, but Joe's eyes filled with tears only last week.

Some people manage their pain with good works and religion, others numb it with drugs and alcohol or some other addiction, but Jesus invites us to grieve our losses and give our pain to Him. This is what we do in the SaveOne Bible study. We look at the choices we really did make, but we do it in the light of Christ's gospel and we begin to heal.

I wish all of you could see what I see every time I lead the study. I see women who often, at first, would rather be just about anywhere than there the first night. But soon they start to say, "I really like this study and these women and I'm not in a hurry for this class to end!" Everyone in the class has had at least one abortion, but some don't remember how many. We tell our stories to one another and we begin to breathe easier and relax in God's presence and in the company of our fellow sinners saved by grace. You have stories you could tell too. Some of them are more powerful or transforming than others, and they changed the course of your life. A story that includes abortion ends and changes the course of many lives, but I have repeatedly seen God re-write the narrative as we spend 12 weeks together talking about who God is, and why we can trust Him, and why we didn't trust him when we made our abortion decisions. We talk about how abortion impacted our lives emotionally, spiritually and physically, and we identify the areas where we want God's healing. We deal with emotions like guilt, sorrow, shame and depression. We identify people we need to forgive, and we choose to forgive them. We ask God for forgiveness for our abortions, and for all the sins connected with them. We learn to accept His grace and forgiveness as we do battle with Satan's ongoing reminders and accusations by renewing our minds with Christ's gospel. We learn (and I am continuing to learn) to wholeheartedly embrace the reality that God is in total control and is working out all things, including the sin of abortion, for the good of those who love Him. Men and women who are wounded by abortion are often reluctant to share their stories, but an abortion recovery Bible study like SaveOne restores their voice.

Do you remember the Biblical story of the sinful woman who came to Simon the Pharisee's house with an alabaster jar of perfume and gratefully poured it out on Jesus' feet? Do you remember that Jesus said that she loved much because she had been forgiven much? There are millions of alabaster jars that have not yet been poured out at Christ's feet because too many men and women wrongfully believe that abortion is the unforgivable sin. They need to hear and believe the words Jesus said to the sinful woman, "Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Millions of men and women can learn to love much because they have been forgiven much, and I am convinced that the telling of their redeemed stories will eventually make abortion unthinkable."

Abortion is a short term "fix" with long term consequences. Adoption is long term. It's the loving option. Loving for not only the child, but also for your family, your future self, and another family waiting to love a child (and in many cases, the birth family as well). Adoption allows you the option to know your child in this life. It allows your child a life. Adoption is love. 

Here's a link to my mom's most recent interview on my uncle's show. They cover quite a few topics from abortion, to adoption, and even breast milk donation. It's good stuff!

This and That

The little things are the big things.

2 Years

"Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord for we walk by faith, not by sight we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

She dances with her King.

 

A Resource Worth Sharing

Adoption is a bit pricey. Understatement. Josh and I were fantastically blessed with Squeaks' adoption because we didn't require fundraising. Our bank accounts now look a bit like a six year old's piggy bank, but we had the funds and didn't "need" to fund raise. It would have felt like a lie if we had (just my opinion). This will not be the case with future adoptions (fair warning). It was a bit of a one shot deal.

I do count myself blessed in that I am now much more familiar with the world of adoption than I was before I started blogging. I've watched and helped friends go through the fundraising process, and I have come across some wonderful organizations that make fundraising part of their business. Subsidy Shades is one of these organizations that we can put to good use for future adoptions. And in the meantime, shop for awesome sunglasses! 

I first found out about them from the fantastic birth mom that started Adoption: Share the Love. I saw her adorable little reds sporting their super cute shades and loved that they were also supporting adoption. Cuteness and a good cause!

Here's a bit about the husband and wife team who started the company:

"In February 2013 a tiny bundle of joy arrived in the lives of Robert and Melissa, weighing in at an itty bitty five pounds. Her name is Jacqueline and she cost them a small fortune. Jacqueline's sweet birth mother is a mother to four children and had major health complications during her pregnancy. Being the adoptive parents Robert and Melissa were responsible for all of her costs during that time. In June of 2013, Jacquie’s birth family became homeless on the tough streets of Detroit. With the help of family and friends they were able to fly them in to their home, to live with them while they raised funds to purchase the birth family a residence. In the end, Robert and Melissa were able to purchase the family a home paid for in FULL. Money was tight but she did not let that stop her expand their little family of three. And in January of 2014 Melissa's crazy idea became a reality. Since then she has been able to help raise funds for her adoption as well as many others. {Robert and Melissa are currently matched with a birth mother who is pregnant with a baby boy due this holiday season} GOD IS GOOD."

Melissa is a full time student, mom, wife, and adoption-supporting-sunglass-saleswoman-superhero. 100% of sales go toward funding adoptions. Yep. 100%. All of it. I love that! And they will happily donate a pair of shades to any adoption auction. You can follow Subsidy Shades on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest for updates, new styles, and general adoption happiness.

A few of my personal favorites. So many cute styles to choose from!

Dear Sweet Daughter Of Mine,

I felt an overwhelming need to put my love for you into writing tonight. So here I am at 11:30pm, incredibly tired, typing away on my iPad. You've been asleep for the past few hours and 

I miss you. So much so that I look at pictures of you and feel a longing even though you're in the next room. Do you know how much you're loved? 

Today was no different than the majority of our days. We both stayed in our pjs till about 2pm. You "helped" me fold laundry. You laughed as you dropped half your lunch on the floor for the dogs. I laughed as you smeared the other half across your face. We spent some time outside enjoying the sunshine. You got mad at me for wiping your nose for the hundredth time and payed me back by finishing the job on the shoulder of my shirt. You followed Ruby (our chihuahua/corgi) from room to room and got covered in dog hair crawling into her bed with her. Daddy gave you a bubble bath and we all spent time cuddling stuffed animals on the living room floor.

Now you're sleeping and tomorrow we'll do it again. But every day you change. You grow. It seems like every time you wake up you're bigger. I can almost see your mind developing. You watch me so closely. Today I showed you how I roll my tongue and you were amazed. I watched you put your hand to your mouth thoughtfully then place your fingers gently on my lips inspecting the way my mouth moved. Daddy started singing at dinner (which is not unusual) and you started dancing! You bounced up and down in your high chair and laughed. Then we laughed. And then we all danced. We read "Hello Duck" and you turned the pages, pointing at the duck, and the flowers, and the bees. I said "all done" and you picked it up to turn the pages again. 

You had your first cold last week. It made me long for the day when you can tell me what hurts, but savor this day where holding you in my arms comforts you. We all slept the least we have since you've been home. You woke up a lot in the night and mommy started to get just a tad cranky. Being your mom makes it all worth it. However, just for future reference, I would like to thank you for being a good sleeper the majority of the time.

 I don't want to forget anything, even the hard stuff. Grammy and Grampy reminisced about raising your Uncle Jacob (9 years younger than me) but couldn't remember much of the sleepless days. This is why I'm thankful for technology. We can go back, read, and remember. I want to remember. When you ask me to tell you about when you were a baby, I want to tell you as much as I can. I want to tell you that we waved to dad every morning as he went to work and you squealed, smiled, and reached for him every time he came home. I want to tell you that you loved being pushed in your swing on our back porch. That you loved green beans and avocado. That you would hold your stuffed animals by their tails, one in each hand, and swing them around like nunchucks. I'll tell you that you would pull my hair really hard, but I would wear it down anyway because playing with it helped you fall asleep. I want to tell you everything.

But most of all sweet daughter of mine, I want to tell you how much you're loved.

Poor baby not feeling good.

The Momma Bear Knot

I am the only common denominator in the equation that equals my stress. My high levels of new mom stress. My high levels of living-up-to-my-own-self-imposed-standards stress. The momma bear sized knot in my stomach.

I think a lot of it stems from my desire to some how make up for the fact that my body doesn't function in the "normal" way. 

I have found, through my own experiences and conversations with other moms who have endured still-birth, that one of the first instincts is to get pregnant again. There is a hole where there shouldn't be, an emptiness begging to be filled, a heart prepared to mother. When a pregnancy ends in still-birth (and I'd guess this might be true for miscarriage as well), I think the natural response is

10 Months

Ten months down, the rest of our lives to go. Can't wait!

I've officially started planning Squeaks' first birthday party. It was inevitable and I put it off as long as I could. I've chosen a "vintage nursery rhyme" theme, and I'm really pretty excited about it. I think it will be beautiful. 

These pictures are so fun to take every month! They will definitely be part of the party decor.

 And, since I haven't made a slide show in awhile...

Finger Foods

Squeaks has become very independent with her meals. All of a sudden the purées I've been slaving over lovingly preparing just won't cut it. She must feed herself. And so I have begun the hunt for Squeaks approved finger foods. We are a "puffs" free house. Too many ingredients I can't pronounce. Aside from the obvious finger foods like steamed cut up veggies, cheese, and cut up fruit, we've found some yummy stuff with the help of Pinterest. 

Yogurt Dots:

1/2 cup puréed fruit of your choice (I've done mango, raspberry, pear, and apple. All were well received.)

1 cup full fat plain organic yogurt

These homemade yogurt dots were our first big hit. The store bought melt away ones are apparently very popular but I'm just not crazy about them. The only down side to the homemade ones is that they melt so you can't just toss them in the diaper bag and go. Other than that, they're awesome!

Mix everything together and spoon into a zip-lock baggy. Cut off a tiny bit of the bottom corner on the baggy and pipe the mixture in little dots (about the size of a dime) onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet (I used a Silpat). The mixture comes out pretty fast so be ready. Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour, the dots will just peel off the paper after they freeze and you can store them in a freezer bag. Squeaks LOVES these. They're easy to pick up and feel good on her teething gums.

Baby Pancakes:

1 ripe banana 

2 eggs

1/4 cup unsweetened organic applesauce

1 tsp cinnamon 

These are a big breakfast favorite. I would even eat these! They taste really good and they cook up just like regular pancakes. Super easy. Just put everything in a bowl and mash it together (I've found my potato masher works really well). You can fry them into little silver-dollar sized cakes or into regular pancakes and cut them into bits for little hands to pick up (which is what I do).  These take less than ten minutes to make and there's usually extra to heat up for the next day too. No added sugar, gluten/wheat free, yummy...what else could you want!?

Apple Zucchini Muffins:
5 eggs
1 cup unsweetened organic applesauce
1 grated organic zucchini 
2 heaping TBS of flax-seed meal  
1/2 cup coconut flour
3 TBS cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)

This is an adaptation from a recipe I found at Wellness Mama. The original recipe gives you the option to add honey, but since Squeaks is still under a year I left it out. I added the zucchini because you can never have too many veggies. I added the flax to balance out the added moisture from the zucchini (although you should ring out as much moisture as you can after you grate it), plus it's just plain good for you. 

Place all ingredients in your mixer (or just whisk by hand) until combined. Let sit five minutes and then spoon mixture into lined or coconut oil greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes (or until slightly browned and they bounce back when you press on top). Let cool and cut into baby sized pieces.  These come out ever so slightly sweet and I enjoy eating one myself with a little butter. Again, no added sugar, and wheat/gluten free! Yum!

There you have it. Healthy, easy, Squeaks (and mommy) approved finger foods. 

Big girl eating lunch.