Awesomesauce

We made applesauce today, and I don't think I can go back to store-bought. It was so good and really easy to do in the crock pot. We just used the corer/slicer and then peeled each slice. I used 10 Gala apples, and the recipe here, except without any of the sugars. We added the juice of one lemon, a bit of lemon peel, water (I ended up adding more water, to total a bit more than a cup. Started with about 1/2 c) and a cinnamon stick. I actually left out the salt as well (unintentionally, but I think it's fine without.) When "testing" to see if it was done, I gave Ian some and he got pretty upset when I ran out. I plan to freeze it in ice cube trays so it'll be easy to give him a taste of applesauce at meals. I am going to cook up a sweet potato tomorrow as well. He ate the last one up already. The crock pot works well for that as well.

The plugged duct is still there, and we're going on 48 hours with this. Not fun. If I can't get it unclogged soon, it may get infected . The last clog fixed itself fairly quickly. I'm still taking ibuprofen for the fever, although I haven't taken any in a while now and don't feel too bad, thermometer says 99.0. I suppose I should take one if I'm going to have any chance of sleep. Last night was brutal - the fever kept me up the majority of the night. I've been trying hot compresses, massage, hot showers, extra nursing, acrobatic nursing, and nothing has pulled that plug out of there! We'll give the doctor a call tomorrow.

Ian is getting really good at his new sign. Used primarily on the high chair and toilet, he twists his hands to say "all done!" If I ask him if he's all done, he'll do the sign, too. I think he'd like to do other signs, but hasn't gotten the knack of the hand movement yet. He signed "all done" with one hand right after his nap, and it turned out he wanted to nurse. We're working on emphasizing "potty," "more," and "milk" for our next signs. We use "hurt" when the occasion arises, as well. It's so exciting to be able to communicate with him.

Tonight, he was signing "all done" when we'd just started dinner. But, to reinforce the sign, I asked him if he was all done, and took him out of the high chair. We continued to eat while he used the high chair to steady him as he stood there and watched us. We try to just feed him in the high chair, so he didn't get more food while out of the high chair. After we'd eaten, I put him back in the high chair and gave him a spoonful of rice, which he ate, and then said "all done." I asked him if he really meant it because we have that great applesauce for dessert. I gave him one spoonful of applesauce, and he ate that, but then he signed "all done" again and when I offered more, he turned his head aside. So he was indeed all done! He does recognize words and signs as well - before dinner we caught today's poop in the toilet because he was quiet and pensive and I asked him if he needed to potty and used the sign, and he smiled. Fabulous! This is the closest I have to a picture of "all done." I'll get a better one shortly.