The Little Eater

I hope you’ve all seen the video of Andrew’s first eating adventure. It was quite hilarious. He was like, “whoa this isn’t my mommy milk!” But we’ve done it almost every day this week and he is getting better and more used to it. He actually picked up some of the squash from his tray this morning and put it into his mouth! I also give him his own spoon to play with. He’ll open his mouth for me for a bite, I put it in with my spoon, and then he puts his spoon into his mouth with it too before he swallows! It’s so neat to watch him learning.
We are doing it in the morning to monitor reactions throughout the day, so I’ll sit with him and eat a bowl of cereal to show him how. He does sit with us at the table when we have dinner too but he’ll only get his frozen breastmilk in the mesh feeder. And he LOVES that! He’ll eat the whole piece and then if I put more in it, he’ll eat that too!
I still have a few more days of squash left, but when that is gone, I am thinking we will try some sweet potatoes. I want to give him spinach so badly but I don’t know how to let him self feed that one just yet.
Another thing I think he’ll really like is noodles. Like spaghetti. For the sake of preventing food allergies, he shouldn’t have pasta until he’s over a year because of wheat and eggs, but I can give him rice noodle. I think we’ll wait until he’s had several more veggies first. But he is always going for strings or cables or belts or cords and he seems very attracted to that type of thing. So I am sure he will love to eat him some noodles!!
And his poops aren’t that bad! I know just what you wanted to hear right! But that was a big issue for me. Breastfed babies have about the easiest going poops as far as smell goes. It may be watery and a lot but it sure don’t stink like formula. But when they start solids, all that changes. I guess he’s not really ingesting enough to make a big difference.
Oh but he sure does seem to enjoy eating. He rubs it all in his eyes and his hair. Of course he doesn’t like the clean up afterwards! But I can’t exactly explain to him that if he didn’t rub it all over I wouldn’t have to clean it all off! He opens his mouth for his next bite. He only takes about 4 good bites and then he’s done. He plays with the food on his tray squishing it though his fingers and examining it.
Still just scooting. Just! LOL! Just scooting any old place he wants to be! He will try to follow Andy and me both into the bathroom. Several times he has come into the kitchen looking for me while I am cooking. He has a foot fetish ;) so he is often stopped on his way to our shoe pile. So far there has been no interest in the cat’s bathroom but I am sure it is to come. We will try putting a gate up and hope the kitties know to jump over it and don’t just poop outside the room.
We were starting to get worried about his bouncy seat addiction. He had been very into it ever since he was days old and would often stop crying in his bouncy more so than someone’s arms. And since he is starting to outgrow it we were wondering what to do. Andrew never was one for rocking to sleep. I remember around his 3 month age he started nursing for about 30-45 minutes and rocking to sleep, and I was thrilled because usually he’d just start going crazy when he was done eating and only fall asleep in his bouncy. I think the thing around 3 months was his starting of teething and it didn’t last for long.
Well, maybe I just wasn’t determined enough. Because now he will let me rock him to sleep! I have to hold him just right and be a bit persistent but it is working. He also isn’t as into the bouncy as he used to be. He has started turning himself over in it and he just doesn’t relax like he used to when he’s in it anymore. Sometimes at night when Daddy is up with him, he will relax in it. But all this week, he has been put to sleep in my arms in the recliner rocking. I am going to get his wooden rocker out of his room and put it in our room to use. I think rocking him in that room where it is dark will help too. Then when he falls asleep he goes right to bed instead of to the bouncy. I am so excited it is working. Personally I am ready to put the bouncy away but I know Daddy still needs it at night and it’ll be a useful tool I think for some time.
We’ve had to put the Bumbo away. Andrew is almost sitting on his own anyway, though we keep the boppy behind him so he won’t fall back onto the floor. But his thighs just won’t go in that Bumbo seat anymore.
He has also started taking a few steps when held up standing. He used to not know how to move one foot and then the other. He’d just stand and kick and if you tried to move him he’d move both feet. Well, all the walking on mommy’s feet seems to be helping him figure it out a little. Now when I push one side forward, he takes a step and then he’ll step the other foot up to it. I think he is a ways away from walking but it is certainly some visible progress.
He isn’t even really crawling yet so I guess we better do that first!
I have more videos to put up from Easter Sunday so I’ll try and get to them in the next couple of days. I just wanted to write a post to let everyone know how he’s doing and how much progress he is making.
Love you all!