I’ll take fries with that
Six months. Half a year. 182 days, give or take. 1/36th of time it will take ’til they head to college.
Now, as I understand it, milestones will be happening faster than Swee’Pea’s runny nose over the next few months. But, the books say at six months your child can safely start solids. And when I say “solids” I mean a watery, soupy goop called rice cereal. So, with the six month birthday on Monday, we decided to get a little early start.
I got out the high chairs. I got out the cameras (video and digital). I got out the bibs. I got out the cute little bowl along with cute little spoons that were gifts at our baby shower nine months ago. I had some extra breast milk. And, I had a brand new box of Gerber’s rice cereal. We were ready.
I had never seen rice cereal before. I imagined it was like cream of wheat. I gave the box a hard tilt towards the tiny little bowl on the counter. Oops. Who knew that rice cereal looked like soap flakes? Soft, light as a feather, flakes. Flakes that were now all over my counter. I cleaned up the mess and got back to mixing the goop. Soon enough we had a about 4 tablespoons of goop and we were ready to rock and roll.
Bri went first. Andrea got the honors while I ran all around attempting to get the perfect shot of her first bites. Only she didn’t bite. Her mouth stayed wide open as goop slipped from her tongue. She seemed to notice this. She glanced down at her bib and went to lick it up. Andrea kept shoveling at her and she kept letting it run down her chin. Finally, Andrea got wise and started scraping the spoon off the top gum. Finally, Swee’Pea kept some in her mouth.
Meanwhile, TheMonk is watching all of this with much interest. It soon becomes apparent that Swee’Pea is getting something that he wants! He starts to make noises to get our attention. As Andrea spoons goop into Swee’Pea’s mouth, TheMonk opens his mouth, as if to say “Over here! Over here! Put some of that goop in here!” It’s as cute as hell. See for yourself…
So, it appears TheMonk is ready for food. We decide that Swee’Pea is done so Andrea and I switch places and I get ready to feed TheMonk. The books tell us to give the baby his own spoon so he won’t try to grab the spoon coming at him. What the book should have said was to give the baby two spoons because TheMonk immediately started to grab the spoon as soon as it came at him. I bobbed and weaved and managed to slip the spoon into his open mouth. The kid was born for this. His lips closed around the spoon and he sucked the goop into his mouth. He wasn’t sure what he was eating but he was sure he wanted more. We repeated the same steps. I’d bring the spoon near, hold fend off the grabbing hand with my free hand, and slip it into his mouth.
Before we knew it, our little milestone had come and gone. The messes were cleaned and the babies were put to bed. Andrea and I snuggled on our chaise and giggled like children as we watched the video for the first time. I have a feeling it won’t be the last.
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Those are some adorable pictures! Love the one of JT open and ready for his share!
My eldest child’s first solids was baby goop, just like yours given on schedule just when the pediatrician suggested. I had every bit as much fun with it as you did – sans all the digital recording equipment, which wasn’t around way back then.
My second child refused the goop utterly. When he was eight months old, having never eaten solids in his life, he reached over at the breakfast table and started scarfing down his big sister’s oatmeal. Never looked back. My third child’s first solids were, I kid you not, a chunk of bagel, given her by her grampa when she was five months old and I wasn’t looking. She gummed and sucked that thing into total submission. After that, I pretty much threw up my hands and let the chips fall where they may!
Comment by Mary — December 12, 2005 @ 5:03 am
Those chubby cheeks are so adorable! The oatmeal flakes taste better in my opinion. What? Doesn’t everyone try the baby food too?
Comment by Katie — December 12, 2005 @ 7:51 am
Happy six months, babies!
Comment by Busy Mom — December 12, 2005 @ 9:18 am
Too Cute! Thomas, says thank you for the book.
Comment by Grandmother — December 12, 2005 @ 10:00 am
Those cheeks! Seriously. I see those cheeks and I get the urge to have another baby. What is up with that?
Comment by surcie — December 12, 2005 @ 10:24 am
You did really well! Like Mary, with my 1st I tried baby rice gloop at 4 months (as it was then) on the dot. He refused point blank – after the first surprise mouthful, which was spat out at me, he just went tight lipped & turned his face away. I got gloop up his nose, in his hair & all over the floor – but not in him.
No.2 was just as bad, even though it was recommended 6 months by the time she came along. When she was 9 months old she finally stole no. 1′s biscuit & we bribed her with those.
No.3 I couldn’t be bothered to even try the gloop – she got whatever everyone else was eating cut up small. She’s getting quite good at putting it her mouth now:-)
Comment by Mrs Aginoth — December 12, 2005 @ 1:24 pm
FYI
http://twininvasion.blogspot.com/2005/12/solid-food-warning.html
Comment by Gene — December 12, 2005 @ 8:22 pm
Congrats on the big milestone, and the ingenious feeding assembly line system you’ve created. Cheeky just started a week or so ago, too, and now we’re bracing ourselves for the stink-bombs that supposedly come with this goop. Good luck!
Comment by CroutonBoy — December 13, 2005 @ 5:10 am
Oh, good times await. I imagine this is more fun with two. It’s certainly lots of fun with one! Congrats on the milestone… just so you know, the oatmeal cereal looks and acts almost exactly the same.
Comment by Morediapers — December 13, 2005 @ 12:40 pm
That was sooo cute! They are sooo cute!
And you and Andrea are just disgustingly cute yourselves. I mean, you not only took pictures but you videotaped it and watched the tape the same night. Good God, people. We’re lucky if we even remember to take pictures of the kids.
Comment by MIM — December 13, 2005 @ 7:05 pm
it seems like yesterday that those would have been my pictures…. feeding gets easier, but then they start raiding the fridge and the cabinets themselves, pillaging for food. Be warned, and buy locks. If you like, I’ll post pics of my baby locks on my blog.
Seriously, though, you guys are just as cute as you can be.
Comment by Stephanie — December 14, 2005 @ 11:21 am
We are starting this tonight. The doc gave us the go-ahead at their 6 month check up, but because we were going out of town 5 days later & my mom was keeping them, she REALLY preferred we just wait until we got back. Well, we’re back, so let the fun begin…
Looks like yours did really well with it. How bad are the diapers now?
Comment by amy — December 15, 2005 @ 2:11 pm