I've been trying to update for a week or so, and all I've managed was the tiny, silly post about Gavin's new tooth. (And for those who missed the reference, that was to be sung to the tune of "Alice the Camel", the old kids' song.) I'm still having trouble getting an update written, but I am determined.
Gavin turned six months old on Tuesday. A whole half a year! In celebration we went out and bought him a new toy. He has been seeming rather bored with all his other toys; we don't have that many for him, so he plays with the same ones a lot. We bought him some Peek-a-Blocks. We've been planning on getting him some ever since we first saw them when I was pregnant with him. When we were in Indiana visiting Adam and Tracy, they bought him a package of the blocks by themselves. He really liked them, so we bought him some more. So far he really loves them. Though, he doesn't seem to have noticed that they have things inside. Right now he's just picking them up and chewing on them then throwing them away from him. But the noticing will come in time.
This week was momentous not just for Gavin's achieving half-year-hood, but also because we started him on solids. I have been agonizing about this for a few weeks now. He has been showing the signs of readiness for some time. As each subsequent week passed, he would grow increasingly interested in our food, to the point of grabbing my arm and pulling my hand to his mouth if I was holding him and eating something. (And he is a strong baby, so when he pulls, he really pulls.) I was sure I was not going to start solids before he turned six months old, but beyond that, I just wasn't sure.
For various reasons, I've been reluctant to take the plunge and start solids. He's my baby and I hate to see him grow up. The longer you wait, the less chance for food allergies and other problems. I'm not anxious for the stinky poops; I like breastmilk poops (compared to non-breastmilk poops, that is. I don't have a fetish, I promise you). I don't want to give up the complete ease of exclusive breastfeeding - hungry baby? life shirt, pop 'im on. Simple as that.
For other reasons, I've also been excited to start solids. It's a new stage, something fun to see my boy doing and learning, and I love to watch him learn. He really seems to want solids. Maybe it'll help him sleep longer at night. That last one is, I know, true as often as it is false, but maybe I'll be the lucky one (though I read recently that 3/4 of babies sleep through the night by three months, a statistic I scoffed at. If that were the case, why do so many parents have sleep problems with their babies beyond that age?)
On Tuesday I bought a sweet potato (organic, of course). I placed it on the kitchen counter, intending to let it sit there for a week or so while I glanced at it warily each time I entered the kitchen, dilemmatizing about whether to feed it to Gavin. On Wednesday, I looked at it and decided I didn't want to dilemmatize any longer. I washed it, cut it up, and cooked a slice. I put the slice in a small blender jar with some expressed milk and pureed it. Then, with Jason standing by with the camera, I strapped Gavin into his high chair and spooned the first bite in.
To say that Gavin loved his sweet potato experience would be putting it mildly. He LOVED it, with capitals on the capitals. This boy is so enthusiastic about his sweet potatoes. We've fed him a bit every night since Wednesday (so, four nights now), and he just smiles and giggles and laughs while he's eating. Not to mention he pulls at the jar and the spoon and gets anxious if we take too long getting said spoon into his mouth with the next bite. Next week: Bananas
Posted by allison at October 9, 2004 09:31 PM