Today Solids and Sippy Cups, Tomorrow Cars and College

After much prodding from our pediatrician and several near-misses where one or both children grabbed our plate / food / fork / food and nearly sent same careening across the table or to the floor, we have finally started Miles and Emmett on “solid foods.” In actuality it’s a combination of baby led weaning (people food that the babies feed to themselves) and purees (which we dole out with a spoon).

Basically we let them taste anything they show interest in while we’re eating, and offer them age-appropriate preparations of stuff we think they might like even if they don’t try for it. (Occasionally, we also offer them things we think they’ll hate to see how they will react, which, let’s face it, is hilarious.) I was insistent that we wait until they passed 6 months from their due date and showed clear signs of being ready for solids. Now that we’re past that point, I’m pretty much game for anything.

So far, and in approximately this order, they have had:

• Pecan twirl
• Grilled chicken (whole in chunks)
• Hummus and pretzel chips (loved it!)
• Banana pudding
• Watermelon (loved it!)
• Dill pickles (This was one of those things we thought they’d hate. Silly us.
• Avocado
• Pureed chicken (tolerated it!)
• Pureed turkey (hated it!)
• Pureed sweet potato (loved it!)
• Pureed peas (loved it!)
• Rice cereal (loved it!)
• French bread (gummed it to pieces but probably didn’t actually eat any)
• Rice rusks (almost choked on it — dissolvable, my ass)

We’ve been doing 1 meal a day for about a week and a half. We are starting with 2 tomorrow. I use the term “meal” loosely, but there will be two times at the same time each day that they sit in their high chairs and we offer them food, most of which will end up in their hair and/or neck rolls.

Chicken, though quite entertaining, was not a big hit. I think Miles got more in his eyelashes than in his mouth.

Peas, on the other hand, were quite popular. Emmett couldn’t eat them fast enough.

Our process is:

1. Strip them down to their diaper.
2. Strap them into the high chairs with just the lap belt.
3. Put the tray on quickly so they don’t fold in half and start screaming.
4. Dodge their flailing hands as we aim the spoon toward their mouths.
5. Give up and let them have the spoon.
6. Get another spoon and repeat step 4.
7. Swap spoons with them as they become fascinated with the new spoon.
8. Repeat steps 5-7.
9. Give up and let them have the bowl too.
10. Let the dogs in to clean up the floor and high chairs.
11. Carry the boys upstairs, holding them as far away from us as possible while peeling off their food-covered diapers, and deposit them directly in the tub.

I’m not entirely sure how this is going to work when we move to 2 meals a day, since bibs are useless against the awesome power of Miles and Emmett, but we’ll figure something out.

Despite the fact that they endlessly try to steal our drinks — particularly Miles and particularly beer — they’re still getting the hang of sippy cups. By which I mean they look slightly horrified and then utterly delighted every time they suck hard enough to get something out. Formula was an epic fail when we offered that, but they both love Pedialyte, which my pediatrician recommended for particularly hot days after both boys had some exciting projectile vomiting going on. We have a whole bottle to use up, so we might as well go for it.

Once we use up the free baby food we got from Gerber (thanks for the coupons! send more!), we’re moving on to making our own. And by “we,” I mean Daddy-in-Training will be making the food. We’re planning to use Princess Mommy’s technique. And again, that we means he. Because that’s how I roll. I make the babies; he makes the baby food. Except for breast milk. I handle that department. Indeed.