FOOD!

by Elisabeth Fairchild

Dear Fiona

You are no longer strictly a boob-milk gal. For the past two weeks or so, we’ve been introducing you to the world of “solid” food. By “solid” I of course mean, barely thicker than runny yogurt. First, we tried avocado and behold! You loved it. It was thin and mixed with a ton of breast milk so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. That very first time, you ate all of what I offered you and didn’t look too surprised by what was happening. This was encouraging! I wanted to delay giving you food as long as possible but seeing as you accepted the avocado so readily, I knew it was the right time. Next up was banana. Of course, you loved that, even mixed with avocado. Peas…. that was when we hit out first bump in the road. I am not entirely sure it was the taste so much as the texture. I had a difficult time making a smooth puree and when I tried to strain it, only pea water came through the other side. So you took one bite trustingly, another bite trepidatiously and then finally you refused to open your mouth for more. Improvising, I mashed in some banana and you nibbled some down, though with suspicion. In subsequent days I had great success with peas and bananas mixed. When the time had come for a new food (we are following the four day rule of food introduction) I decided to be even more non-traditional (I’d already skipped tradition by avoiding rice cereal or any other nutrientless, processed baby cereal) and go for yogurt. There is a youtube video that I believe is just called “babies eating lemons” and the hilarious faces from that video where pretty close to the ones you made after trying yogurt. Each bite was a whole body reaction but you wanted more and more. On day two of yogurt I tried to give you peas mixed with yogurt and you weren’t too jazzed. But when it came time for pears and I mixed those with peas, you went ape shit, slapping the table for more. I made you three helpings of what your dad is calling “pp” (or pee pee, if you prefer). This combo is tied for favorite alongside the banana and yogurt mix. Now onto the way you eat the food. The first few times you ate, it was seemingly necessary for you to stick your fingers in your mouth to aid swallowing, but even now you put your fingers in your mouth between bites. Things were really messy in the vey beginning because we started a week or so before we received your high chair. Sitting in your orange and brown Svan bouncer to eat, you had ample ability to really make  a mess. Between bites you’d pull your fingers out and slap them contentedly on your thighs, smearing them with food. And what could I do really? I mostly watched and laughed, though the cleanup was difficult and often left you with crusts of pea or banana in the folds of your neck (usually discovered at bath time). Because your hands are always covered in food while you eat, your hair is usually filled with it as well as your eye lashes and occasionally, your eye itself. On Sunday you had a partial pea shell just chillin in your eye. We left it there and eventually it worked its way out. Now that we have the highchair your legs aren’t smeared in food anymore but the rest of you still is.

In other news you had your 6 month pedi visit yesterday. You are 27 inches long (95%!) 15 pounds 14 ounces (50%) and your head circumference is, to quote the nurse practitioner, “off the charts.” You got one vaccine and that is likely why I have time to write this. Last night you slept from 7-7 and went down again around 7:45 this morn. You are still sleeping. Booya