I would never claim that Ben is a hugely picky eater, because I know some of those kids, but he's pretty bad. However, I make what I want for dinner and he has to deal with it. So Thursday night I made chicken tikka masala, never believing in my wildest dreams that Ben would eat it. I even kept some plain chicken out of the sauce for him. We always make him at least try what we're eating, but I never thought we'd get past that first bite. The first clue that something weird was happening was that he tried the chicken in the sauce without complaining. And he didn't make faces or say, "Blech!" He ate the bite and then I - to me, jokingly - asked if he wanted more. He said yes... AND THEN HE ATE IT. Without complaining. He said he liked it. He even ate some of his rice, which he NEVER eats. We didn't even USE the plain chicken, because as soon as Sam saw Ben eating the chicken in the sauce, HE ate it, too! Both of my children ate Indian food. It is truly a day for the record books.
From the above paragraph you can probably imagine what our dinners are normally like. Unless I serve spaghetti or pizza it's basically Heath and me trying to hold a decent conversation in between exclamations of horror at what's being served, whining, gross out noises and Heath saying, "You need to eat 5 more bites." It's so exhausting. Dinner is usually quite unpleasant for me. So to have a dinner go that smoothly is such a breath of fresh air. I want to remember it and hope. Maybe I can get him to eat stir fry!
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eating. Show all posts
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Monday, May 6, 2013
Samwise
Every day Sam is becoming more like a little kid and less like a baby. He's still not exactly speaking words, but he understands most of what we say and is getting better at communicating.
We've gotten into a violent stage with Sam. He hits people and throws things A LOT. It's very frustrating because I have to be an almost constant mediator between him and Ben. The hitting is really hard for Ben to take because he knows he's not supposed to hit Sam, but Sam keeps hitting him. Of course I scold Sam and try to remove him from the situation, but at this age there's still no real way to punish him that he'll understand. I can put him in his room by himself, but he won't be able to connect that to hitting Ben, so it's pointless.
However, when Sam's NOT hitting Ben they're starting to really play together. Sam's getting faster, so Chase is more exciting. And they wrestle. And bounce on Ben's bed. And dance. There are times when I might get 10 minutes of them playing together nicely and not constantly bugging me to play. After four and a half years of ALWAYS being bugged to play, 10 minutes seems pretty nice. Not nice enough, but it's a start.
Sam's starting to be able to feed himself with utensils, which is messy but awesome. Just another step on that road toward not having to watch him every second of the day. And though he doesn't eat a lot, his palate is starting to open up a little. For a while the only fruit he would eat was bananas and applesauce. In the last couple weeks he's started eating blueberries again and I also got him to eat raspberries and grapes! Trust me, it's very exciting.
Sam LOVES to play outside. I think he'd stay out there all day if I let him. He also loves animals, especially dogs and always notices a dog barking, even in the distance. Whenever he sees our cats he lets out this SCREECH of joy. It's pretty cute.
Next week Sam will be 18 months old. A year and a half. I don't think of Sam as being as old as I thought of Ben at this age, if that makes sense. Compared to Ben now, Sam still seems like a baby, but on those mornings when it's just us I can see him more clearly and realize just how much he can do. He's climbing on playground equipment by himself. He's getting better and better on the stairs. And now sometimes he's wanting to walk through parking lots, instead of being carried. Little boy is growing up and in October he'll have a new baby cousin and it'll be that much more apparent how old he is.
We've gotten into a violent stage with Sam. He hits people and throws things A LOT. It's very frustrating because I have to be an almost constant mediator between him and Ben. The hitting is really hard for Ben to take because he knows he's not supposed to hit Sam, but Sam keeps hitting him. Of course I scold Sam and try to remove him from the situation, but at this age there's still no real way to punish him that he'll understand. I can put him in his room by himself, but he won't be able to connect that to hitting Ben, so it's pointless.
However, when Sam's NOT hitting Ben they're starting to really play together. Sam's getting faster, so Chase is more exciting. And they wrestle. And bounce on Ben's bed. And dance. There are times when I might get 10 minutes of them playing together nicely and not constantly bugging me to play. After four and a half years of ALWAYS being bugged to play, 10 minutes seems pretty nice. Not nice enough, but it's a start.
Sam's starting to be able to feed himself with utensils, which is messy but awesome. Just another step on that road toward not having to watch him every second of the day. And though he doesn't eat a lot, his palate is starting to open up a little. For a while the only fruit he would eat was bananas and applesauce. In the last couple weeks he's started eating blueberries again and I also got him to eat raspberries and grapes! Trust me, it's very exciting.
Sam LOVES to play outside. I think he'd stay out there all day if I let him. He also loves animals, especially dogs and always notices a dog barking, even in the distance. Whenever he sees our cats he lets out this SCREECH of joy. It's pretty cute.
Next week Sam will be 18 months old. A year and a half. I don't think of Sam as being as old as I thought of Ben at this age, if that makes sense. Compared to Ben now, Sam still seems like a baby, but on those mornings when it's just us I can see him more clearly and realize just how much he can do. He's climbing on playground equipment by himself. He's getting better and better on the stairs. And now sometimes he's wanting to walk through parking lots, instead of being carried. Little boy is growing up and in October he'll have a new baby cousin and it'll be that much more apparent how old he is.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Freedom!
We are now bottle free! I was actually very nervous about this transition, because a few weeks ago I tried to give Sam oatmeal before his morning bottle and he was having NONE of that. He absolutely refused to eat the oatmeal, which he normally loves, and even without words he made it very clear that he will drink his bottle first, thankyouverymuch. So the prospect of taking away ALL his bottles FOREVER seemed very daunting.
However, he completely surprised me because it's been absolutely no problem. The day after his birthday I started weaning him from his bottle feedings one at a time, replacing them with snacks or milk and by this Tuesday we were done. We came downstairs that morning and he drank his milk and ate his oatmeal like a champ. Cue Mommy breathing a sigh of relief.
No more buying expensive formula, no more lugging around bottles and cleaning bottles constantly. I have counter space back! No more spit-up (now just regular ol' vomit which, while way more gross is also way more rare)! Most of the trappings of baby-hood are gone and once Sam starts walking full-time all we'll have left is potty training and then we'll have two big boys! I cannot wait.
However, he completely surprised me because it's been absolutely no problem. The day after his birthday I started weaning him from his bottle feedings one at a time, replacing them with snacks or milk and by this Tuesday we were done. We came downstairs that morning and he drank his milk and ate his oatmeal like a champ. Cue Mommy breathing a sigh of relief.
No more buying expensive formula, no more lugging around bottles and cleaning bottles constantly. I have counter space back! No more spit-up (now just regular ol' vomit which, while way more gross is also way more rare)! Most of the trappings of baby-hood are gone and once Sam starts walking full-time all we'll have left is potty training and then we'll have two big boys! I cannot wait.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Half a year!
Sam is six months old today and he had his check-up:
Weight: 19 lbs. 11 oz - 90th percentile
Height: 28 in. - 95th percentile
Head circumference: 44 cm - 75th percentile
I thought for sure he'd be over 20 pounds. Though he has super chunky thighs, he still seems like a small boy to us. However, as the pediatrician said, we have a warped idea of what's normal. (At six months Ben was over 23 pounds.) I never imagined my second baby would be so much smaller than my first. It's just a reminder than even though it looks like I gave birth to identical twins three years apart, they are very much their own people.
Sam's doing great. He's starting to unsteadily sit up on his own, which is very exciting. This is my favorite time during the first year, this period from about six to eight months when he's interested in exploring toys, but still not independently mobile. Of course, Sam obviously wants to be wherever his big brother is, so he might explore locomotion sooner. He's not showing signs of it yet, but who knows. We may have a crawler on our hands in a couple months. Oy.
Now at six months Sam is going to enter the exciting world of food with flavor! First up are pureed veggies. I know we all went through this and just can't remember, but how amazing would it be to experience every food for the first time? Sam doesn't even have any idea how amazing his life is about to get. I think that's one of the draws of parenthood. You don't truly get to experience these things for the first time again, but watching your child go through it is almost better. It's all the excitement without all the stress.
Weight: 19 lbs. 11 oz - 90th percentile
Height: 28 in. - 95th percentile
Head circumference: 44 cm - 75th percentile
I thought for sure he'd be over 20 pounds. Though he has super chunky thighs, he still seems like a small boy to us. However, as the pediatrician said, we have a warped idea of what's normal. (At six months Ben was over 23 pounds.) I never imagined my second baby would be so much smaller than my first. It's just a reminder than even though it looks like I gave birth to identical twins three years apart, they are very much their own people.
Sam's doing great. He's starting to unsteadily sit up on his own, which is very exciting. This is my favorite time during the first year, this period from about six to eight months when he's interested in exploring toys, but still not independently mobile. Of course, Sam obviously wants to be wherever his big brother is, so he might explore locomotion sooner. He's not showing signs of it yet, but who knows. We may have a crawler on our hands in a couple months. Oy.
Now at six months Sam is going to enter the exciting world of food with flavor! First up are pureed veggies. I know we all went through this and just can't remember, but how amazing would it be to experience every food for the first time? Sam doesn't even have any idea how amazing his life is about to get. I think that's one of the draws of parenthood. You don't truly get to experience these things for the first time again, but watching your child go through it is almost better. It's all the excitement without all the stress.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Hungry, hungry herbivore
Sam has ventured into the world of "solid" food! He's had his first tastes of rice cereal and oatmeal and he likes them! He happily gobbles down two tablespoons at a time, which I know doesn't seem like a lot, but just imagine if your stomach was the size of a quarter*. In a few weeks, after his six month check up, we'll start pureed veggies and fruit and then we'll venture into softer adult foods. Yea! This is exciting, since it signals the waning of the formula era. Formula is expensive and gross and it's a pain in the ass to drag around all the time. Of course, it does mean the dawning of the Finding Cheerio's in Baby Fat Rolls era.
*I actually have no idea what size Sam's stomach is. Hyperbole is the BEST THING EVER!
*I actually have no idea what size Sam's stomach is. Hyperbole is the BEST THING EVER!
Bib reads: My mommy is so going to blog this
He's so right.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Score!
Last night we went to Red Lobster with Ian and Bekah. Heath teases us about how as a family we always have to go there or Olive Garden, so my grandma sent us a gift card. She's an enabler!
So, despite bringing several toys to distract Ben, the dinner went pretty much like any dinner out with a toddler goes. In other words, not great. He was whiny at the table so Heath and I had to tag team taking him to the lobby or outside to run around (mostly Heath, since he's still the favorite and when Daddy's around Ben wants nobody else). When our food finally came he was fine and chowed down on his macaroni and cheese (a Red Lobster specialty), but as soon as HE was done, dinner was over.
Eventually we got the check and when Ian looked at it he realized the waiter had only put his and Bekah's food on there. So we flagged him down and explained the check situation. Then he told us that an anonymous person had paid for my, Heath's and Ben's meals because they were so impressed with how we handled Ben. We couldn't believe it! That was probably $50! I've received free drinks a couple times because a person bought the entire bar a round, but never a free dinner!
And we retained our Red Lobster gift card!
So, despite bringing several toys to distract Ben, the dinner went pretty much like any dinner out with a toddler goes. In other words, not great. He was whiny at the table so Heath and I had to tag team taking him to the lobby or outside to run around (mostly Heath, since he's still the favorite and when Daddy's around Ben wants nobody else). When our food finally came he was fine and chowed down on his macaroni and cheese (a Red Lobster specialty), but as soon as HE was done, dinner was over.
Eventually we got the check and when Ian looked at it he realized the waiter had only put his and Bekah's food on there. So we flagged him down and explained the check situation. Then he told us that an anonymous person had paid for my, Heath's and Ben's meals because they were so impressed with how we handled Ben. We couldn't believe it! That was probably $50! I've received free drinks a couple times because a person bought the entire bar a round, but never a free dinner!
And we retained our Red Lobster gift card!
Monday, July 19, 2010
Foodie
Most kids have their picky eating habits, I'm sure, although I'm a big believer in letting/making a kid try everything. Ben doesn't know kids aren't supposed to like black olives or catfish and he's eaten both with gusto (despite the fact that I wouldn't eat either). I don't think it's necessary for a kid to live on mac and cheese and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. And Ben's a fairly adventurous eater, though there are some things he absolutely refuses to eat. His biggest issue right now is presentation. Apparently he's channeling the Food Network.
Recently we were at a neighborhood meeting. There were a lot of kids in the room, but Ben was sitting on my lap while I was listening to the speaker. He wanted a snack so I pulled out a piece of bread and, obviously not thinking, ripped it, presenting half to him. Well, that just didn't sit well with him so he SCREAMED. I had ruined his snack. He did the same thing when I split a bagel for him. And don't get me started on when I combined his peas with his mac and cheese. Let's just say there was a lot of manual removal of peas.
However, the weirdest one is that I bought the same brand of turkey I always buy, but in a different package. When I pulled it out Ben absolutely refused to eat it. But when I pulled out the normal package of turkey he happily chowed down.
Recently we were at a neighborhood meeting. There were a lot of kids in the room, but Ben was sitting on my lap while I was listening to the speaker. He wanted a snack so I pulled out a piece of bread and, obviously not thinking, ripped it, presenting half to him. Well, that just didn't sit well with him so he SCREAMED. I had ruined his snack. He did the same thing when I split a bagel for him. And don't get me started on when I combined his peas with his mac and cheese. Let's just say there was a lot of manual removal of peas.
However, the weirdest one is that I bought the same brand of turkey I always buy, but in a different package. When I pulled it out Ben absolutely refused to eat it. But when I pulled out the normal package of turkey he happily chowed down.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Eureka!
Yesterday a miracle occurred! Heath asked Ben if he wanted Cheerio's for breakfast and Ben said, and I quote, "Yes."
What?
That doesn't seem like a miracle to you? Obviously you don't live with an 18 month old whose first word was "no."
What?
That doesn't seem like a miracle to you? Obviously you don't live with an 18 month old whose first word was "no."
Monday, March 8, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Taking a sip of life
Ben has been successfully using a sippy cup since last summer. It actually came pretty easy to him. It took some practice to coordinate tipping his head back while putting the cup into his mouth, but we didn't have any trouble getting him to try it. On Sunday we went out to breakfast and Ben really wanted to try using a regular cup. Well, it was glass so at first Heath was helping him but eventually Ben got fed up and just wanted to do it for himself (imagine a toddler doing that!). So while Heath's hands hovered very nearby, Ben picked up the glass, took a sip and put it back on the table without spilling a drop. He was soooo proud of himself. He grinned from ear to ear and was obviously thinking, "I did it!" It was so cute. Every week he learns something new and it's nice he can finally take pride in his accomplishments.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Yuuuuck
I'm not giving Ben Chex for a long, long time. He was eating one today and I think he swallowed it a little too whole. That caused him to semi-choke and then throw up. He was sitting on my lap at the time, so instinctively I put my hand out to catch it. I got most of it. It wasn't until I had changed his clothes, changed my pants and washed my hands that I realized how GROSS that was. The ways parenthood changes you.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Soon he'll be doing geometry proofs
Not much posting as of late because on Friday I had several pieces of my body forcibly removed from my head (i.e. I had my wisdom teeth out). So I've been in recovery mode for a while, but during that time we had two big milestones in the Borders household:
1. We are now bottle free! Ben is weaned and no longer drinks formula. He does suck down whole milk like it's liquid cocaine, though. Yesterday when I gave him a sippy of water and he was expecting milk he actually spit the water out in disgust. Such a snob! The weaning process was very easy. We slowly eliminated one bottle at a time and he never seemed to notice. Score! Here's hoping the eventual binky weaning process goes as easily. Oh, pipe dreams, you're so beautiful and yet so unattainable.
2. Ben used a fork for the first time yesterday! The prospect of him learning to use utensils makes my eye twitch a little, because I'm not good with messes. Or clutter. Basically all the things babies seem to bring with them from the womb. *sigh* So for my sanity we started off with scrambled eggs, because they couldn't be too messy. I speared an egg globule (what do you call a small part of scrambled eggs?) and Ben obediently opened his mouth like every other day I've fed him breakfast. Then I handed him the fork. I had no idea what to expect. Would he toss it to the floor along with his cup and about 5,000 Cheerios? Would he stab himself in the face? Should I have the doctor on hold? Well, you know what he did? He stuck it in his mouth and ate the egg. And he did that for the rest of the meal. Our boy is a genius! I didn't bother trying to get him to spear his own food, because I figured if he could do that we needed to get Harvard on the phone and we don't have enough savings for that yet.
1. We are now bottle free! Ben is weaned and no longer drinks formula. He does suck down whole milk like it's liquid cocaine, though. Yesterday when I gave him a sippy of water and he was expecting milk he actually spit the water out in disgust. Such a snob! The weaning process was very easy. We slowly eliminated one bottle at a time and he never seemed to notice. Score! Here's hoping the eventual binky weaning process goes as easily. Oh, pipe dreams, you're so beautiful and yet so unattainable.
2. Ben used a fork for the first time yesterday! The prospect of him learning to use utensils makes my eye twitch a little, because I'm not good with messes. Or clutter. Basically all the things babies seem to bring with them from the womb. *sigh* So for my sanity we started off with scrambled eggs, because they couldn't be too messy. I speared an egg globule (what do you call a small part of scrambled eggs?) and Ben obediently opened his mouth like every other day I've fed him breakfast. Then I handed him the fork. I had no idea what to expect. Would he toss it to the floor along with his cup and about 5,000 Cheerios? Would he stab himself in the face? Should I have the doctor on hold? Well, you know what he did? He stuck it in his mouth and ate the egg. And he did that for the rest of the meal. Our boy is a genius! I didn't bother trying to get him to spear his own food, because I figured if he could do that we needed to get Harvard on the phone and we don't have enough savings for that yet.
Friday, August 21, 2009
The times, they are a-changin'
Remember this post about 2 months ago, in which I lamented Ben's disinterest in food? It's amazing how quickly life changes, because now he's all about the table food. He still eats baby food, to a point, but he'd much rather be shoveling bread or cheese into his mouth. It's good in the long run, but it requires a thinking shift on my part. No longer can I just throw a couple containers in the diaper bag and have lunch for him. And since he can't have or wouldn't be able to eat certain foods yet, it can be difficult to find something for him to eat at a restaurant. However, soon he'll be able to eat almost anything, so that'll make his meals a little easier (at the 1 year appointment, most pediatricians give the go-ahead for most table food).
Ben's favorite foods:
Bread
Cheese
Peas
Corn
Cottage cheese
Yogurt
Deli meat
Applesauce
Foods he's not too sure about yet:
Strawberries
Raspberries
Asparagus
Blackberries
Potatoes
Ben's favorite foods:
Bread
Cheese
Peas
Corn
Cottage cheese
Yogurt
Deli meat
Applesauce
Foods he's not too sure about yet:
Strawberries
Raspberries
Asparagus
Blackberries
Potatoes
Friday, July 31, 2009
Vacation, all I ever wanted...
We were on vacation in Minnesota and Wisconsin for 8 days and 7 nights. By the 7th night I could've stored all our luggage in the bags under my eyes. I don't think I'll ever again take Ben on vacation without Heath. My parents, Ian and Bekah were a huge help, but there are times when he only wants Mommy or Daddy. And when Daddy's not around, it all falls on Mommy. It didn't help that his sleep schedule got all messed up, so he never went to bed before 8:30pm and never woke up after 5:45am. All. Week. Long. Heath joined us for my cousin's wedding on the weekend, and I had never been so excited to see him, although my joy was masked by my crushing fatigue.
That being said, I'm glad we went. Ben got to spend time with his great-grandparents, his great-aunts and uncles and various other relatives. He also got to spend a lot of time with his Oma and Opa, Uncle Ian and Aunt Bekah, which is great because he'll be all the the more comfortable with them come November, when Mommy and Daddy are going to Hawaii BY THEMSELVES (can you tell I'm just a wee bit excited about that? not only about relaxing on the beach and spending time together, but just the thought of packing for a trip and NOT having to pack for a toddler makes me giddy).
I feel like Ben grew up on this trip. He's not really a baby anymore. He can't walk just yet, but he's so close it'll be any second. And his diet expanded significantly. It was like all of a sudden he couldn't get enough of solid food. He was introduced to the concept that on vacation you eat a lot of junk. He had his first tastes of ice cream, Jell-o, french fries and blueberry muffins. We also discovered that the kid is a carb freak. We did not find his threshold for eating bread. As far as we know, he'll continue eating it indefinitely. I guess he won't be going on Atkins anytime soon.
Once again, Ben proved what a tremendous traveler he is. He did spectacularly well in the car and the frequent changes in environment didn't seem to throw him too much. By the end of the week you could tell he was wiped out, so by the day of my cousin's wedding he was pretty grouchy. The people sitting in front of us got a nice recitation of The Very Hungry Caterpillar about a dozen times during the ceremony. However, the kid is a trooper. And on Sunday he found out just how wonderful it is to come home after a long trip. He was so excited to be home. He crawled around examining everything and squeaked with joy, as if to say, "I never thought I'd see you again!"
It's been nice to be home this week, but we've had trouble getting back on schedule. Ben is resisting naps and putting him to bed at night is horrible. We're back to letting him cry it out and it's been 30-60 minutes (or more) before he finally falls asleep. I think it's because Heath usually puts him to bed and after being away from him for a week Ben's afraid he'll be gone again. It's really sweet and it shows how much he loves his daddy, but it's very stressful for all of us.
Just to end on a pleasant note, I'll share my favorite memory from the week: It was Saturday morning and when I woke up Heath and Ben were lounging on the other bed. I joined them and we all just snuggled for a while, happy to be together again. It was one of those moments that makes you feel all the other crap is totally worth it.
That being said, I'm glad we went. Ben got to spend time with his great-grandparents, his great-aunts and uncles and various other relatives. He also got to spend a lot of time with his Oma and Opa, Uncle Ian and Aunt Bekah, which is great because he'll be all the the more comfortable with them come November, when Mommy and Daddy are going to Hawaii BY THEMSELVES (can you tell I'm just a wee bit excited about that? not only about relaxing on the beach and spending time together, but just the thought of packing for a trip and NOT having to pack for a toddler makes me giddy).
I feel like Ben grew up on this trip. He's not really a baby anymore. He can't walk just yet, but he's so close it'll be any second. And his diet expanded significantly. It was like all of a sudden he couldn't get enough of solid food. He was introduced to the concept that on vacation you eat a lot of junk. He had his first tastes of ice cream, Jell-o, french fries and blueberry muffins. We also discovered that the kid is a carb freak. We did not find his threshold for eating bread. As far as we know, he'll continue eating it indefinitely. I guess he won't be going on Atkins anytime soon.
Once again, Ben proved what a tremendous traveler he is. He did spectacularly well in the car and the frequent changes in environment didn't seem to throw him too much. By the end of the week you could tell he was wiped out, so by the day of my cousin's wedding he was pretty grouchy. The people sitting in front of us got a nice recitation of The Very Hungry Caterpillar about a dozen times during the ceremony. However, the kid is a trooper. And on Sunday he found out just how wonderful it is to come home after a long trip. He was so excited to be home. He crawled around examining everything and squeaked with joy, as if to say, "I never thought I'd see you again!"
It's been nice to be home this week, but we've had trouble getting back on schedule. Ben is resisting naps and putting him to bed at night is horrible. We're back to letting him cry it out and it's been 30-60 minutes (or more) before he finally falls asleep. I think it's because Heath usually puts him to bed and after being away from him for a week Ben's afraid he'll be gone again. It's really sweet and it shows how much he loves his daddy, but it's very stressful for all of us.
Just to end on a pleasant note, I'll share my favorite memory from the week: It was Saturday morning and when I woke up Heath and Ben were lounging on the other bed. I joined them and we all just snuggled for a while, happy to be together again. It was one of those moments that makes you feel all the other crap is totally worth it.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Happy Post-4th of July
Ben attended his first fireworks show last night. I wasn't too worried about him freaking out, because loud noises don't seem to bother him. People have been shooting off fireworks in the neighborhood all week and he hasn't noticed. He was pretty tired by the time they started, but he paid attention. He wasn't scared, but he wasn't overjoyed by them, either. It was more like academic study, to figure out this new phenomenon. Then, the second the fireworks stopped it started pouring down rain and I mourned a little, because I knew the stroller would get the clean, new carpet in the trunk of my SUV all dirty. *sigh*
For me, the most exciting thing about the 4th wasn't the fireworks. It was the fact that Ben is eating more food! He ate some lettuce and some noodles from the pasta salad. He promptly threw them back up (while I was filming him, incidentally), but at least it's something!
For me, the most exciting thing about the 4th wasn't the fireworks. It was the fact that Ben is eating more food! He ate some lettuce and some noodles from the pasta salad. He promptly threw them back up (while I was filming him, incidentally), but at least it's something!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
You are what you (don't) eat
Despite the subject line, Ben's getting a little, tiny bit better about eating solid foods. I've figured out that he doesn't like small pieces, such as Cheerio's or puffs or any of the other thousands of baby snacks I've purchased for him. He can't pick them up very well and even when he tries to get them into his mouth, they end up in the palm of his hand and he's left chewing on fingers.
So, I've started giving him teething biscuits and he seems to like those. He drools and chomps and makes a complete mess and in the process some of it gets down his throat. Snack time in this house is closely followed by changing clothes time. He also liked playing with/eating/obliterating long pieces of string cheese.
Today I actually got him to eat some of a spaghetti meal. He liked the sauce and then when I started including bigger pieces on the spoon he didn't immediately spit them out. Of course eventually he started spitting them out, but around here that's a victory.
And yesterday my mother fulfilled some of her grandmotherly duties by feeding Ben his first frozen yogurt from Ben & Jerry's. After each bite he made a weird face, like he wasn't so sure about it, but he was quick to open up his mouth again, lest we think he didn't want more.
So we're getting there, just very, very slowly. We've almost caught up to that tortoise.
So, I've started giving him teething biscuits and he seems to like those. He drools and chomps and makes a complete mess and in the process some of it gets down his throat. Snack time in this house is closely followed by changing clothes time. He also liked playing with/eating/obliterating long pieces of string cheese.
Today I actually got him to eat some of a spaghetti meal. He liked the sauce and then when I started including bigger pieces on the spoon he didn't immediately spit them out. Of course eventually he started spitting them out, but around here that's a victory.
And yesterday my mother fulfilled some of her grandmotherly duties by feeding Ben his first frozen yogurt from Ben & Jerry's. After each bite he made a weird face, like he wasn't so sure about it, but he was quick to open up his mouth again, lest we think he didn't want more.
So we're getting there, just very, very slowly. We've almost caught up to that tortoise.
Monday, June 22, 2009
*sigh*
Things Ben Will Put Into His Mouth:
Every single book and toy he owns
My keys
My cell phone
My iPod
Kleenex
Grass
His wading pool
The coffee table
Magnets
A folding chair
The diaper bag
Minnie's tail
The remote control
My finger
My nose
My chin
The chain on swings
The grocery cart
Towels
An ottoman
Kitchen utensils
My sunglasses
Grandma's reading glasses
The straps on his car seat/stroller/highchair
Things Ben Won't Put Into His Mouth:
Food
Every single book and toy he owns
My keys
My cell phone
My iPod
Kleenex
Grass
His wading pool
The coffee table
Magnets
A folding chair
The diaper bag
Minnie's tail
The remote control
My finger
My nose
My chin
The chain on swings
The grocery cart
Towels
An ottoman
Kitchen utensils
My sunglasses
Grandma's reading glasses
The straps on his car seat/stroller/highchair
Things Ben Won't Put Into His Mouth:
Food
Friday, June 12, 2009
The many adventures of Ben
Greeting visitors, pantsless.
Modeling on our new rug.
Drinking all on his own.
Discovering the wonders of kitchen utensils.
Watching a bird eat nectar on Jeff's arm.
Monday, June 8, 2009
It's about perseverance
Cheerio's: 0
Cheese: 0
Noodles: 0
Ben: 3
As you can see, Project Feed Ben Real Food isn't going so well. It's a big jump from pureed veggies to hard Cheerio's. He opens his mouth for everything, but then he spits it right back out. We had a little more success letting him feed himself noodles. I think he ate 2 little bits from his own hand, but he would not eat it if we tried to feed him. I'm going to buy bananas and cook some carrots for him and see if we can make a mushy bridge from pureed foods to Cheerio's and cheese.
Unfortunately, we're starting to see hints of a toddler personality emerging at mealtimes. Saturday afternoon I was feeding him green beans for lunch. He's not too fond of green beans, so I was ecstatic when he gobbled up the first half of the container. Then the whining began. And the spitting, which was perfect since I WANTED green polka dots on my white shirt. I told him to stop in a stern voice and it worked for about 2 seconds. He whined through the entire rest of the container, but I didn't relent. I knew he was only whining because he didn't want to eat green beans, but I made him eat it (aside from the globs that were spit onto the highchair and me). Of course he shut up and was all sweetness when I fed him bananas. "Oh, mother. Bananas are ever so tasty. Can't I just eat those for lunch?"
Ugh. I'm not ready for this toddler tantrum crap. He's right on the verge of crawling and/or walking. I'm not sure which is going to come first, but I think he's getting frustrated with his lack of mobility. I'm hoping that's what's been causing the crankiness as of late, because it seems like he's been whining non-stop for a week.
Cheese: 0
Noodles: 0
Ben: 3
As you can see, Project Feed Ben Real Food isn't going so well. It's a big jump from pureed veggies to hard Cheerio's. He opens his mouth for everything, but then he spits it right back out. We had a little more success letting him feed himself noodles. I think he ate 2 little bits from his own hand, but he would not eat it if we tried to feed him. I'm going to buy bananas and cook some carrots for him and see if we can make a mushy bridge from pureed foods to Cheerio's and cheese.
Unfortunately, we're starting to see hints of a toddler personality emerging at mealtimes. Saturday afternoon I was feeding him green beans for lunch. He's not too fond of green beans, so I was ecstatic when he gobbled up the first half of the container. Then the whining began. And the spitting, which was perfect since I WANTED green polka dots on my white shirt. I told him to stop in a stern voice and it worked for about 2 seconds. He whined through the entire rest of the container, but I didn't relent. I knew he was only whining because he didn't want to eat green beans, but I made him eat it (aside from the globs that were spit onto the highchair and me). Of course he shut up and was all sweetness when I fed him bananas. "Oh, mother. Bananas are ever so tasty. Can't I just eat those for lunch?"
Ugh. I'm not ready for this toddler tantrum crap. He's right on the verge of crawling and/or walking. I'm not sure which is going to come first, but I think he's getting frustrated with his lack of mobility. I'm hoping that's what's been causing the crankiness as of late, because it seems like he's been whining non-stop for a week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
