I read somewhere on someone’s blog comments that a pediatrician was quoted as saying “Food before One is Just for Fun.”
Well, it may be fun for Nicky, but it certainly isn’t for me. And since he is turning one on the 13th of June, we need to step things up.
Here is a blow by blow report of how things are going:
Breakfast:
We used to successfully do baby cereal with my pumped milk. However these days breakfast is a battle. It started a while back when I had to take DH somewhere in the morning so I just grabbed some banana to mash for him while he waited. Although he ate some when we were on the road, breakfast seemed to just go downhill after that.
First, he throws a tantrum about getting into the high chair. He kicks his legs and cries. Sometimes I get past this and manage to distract him by singing, a shaker and a heater. I now give him the cereal mixed with a bit of banana. Some days it works, others it doesn’t.
When it doesn’t work, I put him down on the floor to crawl. This is part of the high chair problem: now that he has learned to crawl competently, he isn’t willing to be all strapped up. So I sit there and have my breakfast, after which I attempt to feed him, following him around with a spoon while he crawls. As you might have guessed, this has its successes and failures.
If he still doesn’t want to eat it, I put it aside and try later e.g. ten o’clock. The problem is banana doesn’t keep, and by this time it is pretty much time for his nap. So, breakfast is often a bust.
Lunch:
The puree pouches seem to work. The thing is that will work out more expensive than food I have blended myself. At the moment I have butternut and chicken which I give him (one ice-cube each) and try and feed him. Not very successfully. But the pouches go down well. I normally manage to get him to eat half a pouch at a time.
Supper:
At 4pm when I feed the dogs I give him a whole container of yoghurt which he eats. He loves yoghurt and that is working. Sometimes that will be it for supper. But what I have been trying to do is give him a bit of what we eat for supper. He will eat spaghetti, mashed potato and some vegetables I have been giving e.g. peas, carrots. I even give him a bit of meat e.g. mince, or a sliver of chicken. Sometimes he eats, other times he spits it out.
Unwilling to do battle with the high chair again, I often just feed him in our bed. The problem is with a bouncing little boy with flapping arms, it is a challenge to get the food in with out it splattering everywhere. In fact, he is pretty much totally on the move right now. Except when he sleeps, of course.
In between all these meals I have been continuing with the nursing, which I still feel is probably at least 2/3 of his nutrition.
I depress myself looking at baby magazine charts and I feel like I am at least three months behind everyone else, but I need to remind myself that it will all fall into place and become easier in time. I just have this niggling worry because I am 40 next year and I would really like to conceive a little sibling for Nicholas before then…. And with my periods still not back there is no ways that will happen at the moment.
On the other hand, I remind myself that breastfeeding took a while to master, and it will be the same with solids. I just have to hang in there.
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Playing with the dog.
In other news, our dogs are getting really old. Coffee no longer follows me around the house. You kind of have to wake her up to get her out. But she can still be a nuisance and wake Nicky up with a good bark or banging her tail on his play pen where he sleeps during the day.
Nicky loves the dogs but I just have to keep an eye on things as they tend to play quite roughly and sometimes knock him over as they dart around.
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Nicky crawling in the leaves.
Little Nicky is crawling everywhere! These days he just crawls out the door and plays outside the kitchen while I work there. He likes to play in the leaves, with sticks and particularly emptying the dog food containers.
Pushing my car.
He also loves anything with wheels. He likes to push things with wheels like his car or scooter.
This little boy is such a joy to me. 🙂
Bouncing and kicking on the pool cover.
We now have a cover on the pool. He likes to explore this too. It is just like a trampoline, except he gets a wet bum if he bounces too much on it.
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I am busy writing my book. I am making progress. This isn’t a post about that dream, but I am also inspired by bloggers following theirs – see jjiraffe’s post here. – she is also going to write a book.
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Lastly I want to leave you with a rather thought provoking blog post I recently read. The blogger says that Resolve has failed a good portion of its audience because it caters more to those who easily find solutions, or resolve their parentless state. It doesn’t really help the unresolved people. You may agree or disagree, but I think it is worth reading what she says. I also think that some of these fertility sites are quick to point you to a fertility specialist, assuming that will solve all your problems. They don’t acknowledge the agony of the years passing, fertility decreasing and trying to make decisions in this context. Go here.
Don’t be too hard on yourself about the solids – based on the experiences of most of my friends, I swear you are not that far behind! I know it is frustrating, but I bet you guys will turn the corner any day now!
Thanks for the encouragement, SIF!
We also battled with solids with my oldest – I swore she would have a bottle of milk on her wedding day but they do start eating when they are ready. I remember being frustrated too – so much work to get the food ready and try to get some into the tiny person and so little reward for your efforts. Hang in there!
ok, so I know what to expect and this post reminds me I need to get my pool covered