Worry Wart

As a new Mom, I feel like I am constantly worrying about something.  When James was first born it was about whether or not he was eating enough.  Then it was about all the gas he was experiencing when he was eating.  As he got older, I worried about the colds he would get at day care and whether or not he'd meet all the oh so important milestones of holding his head up right and rolling over and crawling.  Every day there is a new worry, and from what I understand, that never goes away.  Awesome.

The most recent worry (other than the 4-weeks of being sick that took both Ed and I down for a brief stint) are James' motor skills when it comes to his pincer grasp.  What is a pincer grasp you ask?  Well, this is his ability to pick things up using his pointer finger and his thumb. This is a skill that is learned over time with practice.

Experts say you should start introducing finger foods around 8-9 months to get them used to picking things up and bringing them to their mouth.  Eight months was way too early for James.  He was still a man in love with his purees and anything else we put on the tray was immediately pushed to the floor.

At nine months, he started to get the hang of the Gerber Puffs and the Happy Baby Yogurt Bites. These 2 items did not make him gag, which he did.  A lot.  And usually with puke.  We started putting other items on his tray - toasted waffle bits, sweet potatoes, scrambled eggs, overcooked pasta.  No interest.  He would push things around and sometimes try to pick them up, but really, he was just playing.  

The more he showed no interest, the more I started freaking out.  Was my kid behind the curve on mastering this very important motor skill?  What is going on?  He's almost walking and he can't seem to grab onto a piece of waffle?  WTF!  And then I would start Googling.  Google is not a friend of a new Mom having a ridiculous panic attack.  

We are now at 10 months and something seemed to click.  Not only is he starting to grab things from his tray and put them in his mouth, he is also trying to get at the food on our plates.  Sunday morning, he actually ate a good portion of his waffle. And by dinner time, he was eating up the sweet potato and mac and cheese bits placed in front of him.

The skill is not perfected by any means, but I'm starting to see some rays of hope.  Oh, and by the way, I'm also a panic attack when he does actually get something in his mouth because I'm worried he might choke.  I have problems.  :)

Good Cook, Grandma

For every year that I can remember, my Mom's family would get together on Christmas Eve for the traditional fish dinner.  It was a meal that we all learned to look forward to not just for the delicious lobsters, shrimp and scallops, but because the entire family was there to spend quality time.  One year,  a long time ago, back when it was still hosted in Brooklyn at my Grandma and Grandpa Basile's house, we were all eating in silence ~ enjoying the good eats.  Out of no where, the little voice of my cousin Mikey who was no older than 5 says "Good cook, Grandma."  It was so adorable and perfect.  I think we all laughed and agreed!

Well, since then, whenever I am eating something that is just so yummy I think, "Good cook, Grandma" no matter who the actual cook was.  Last night, James had that moment because it was the first time that he ate something that didn't resemble cardboard.

May I present....PEAS!

But not just any peas - organic sweet peas made fresh by yours truly.  Yes ~ I am now a top chef in the world of baby food.  It is so simple to do...all you need is a steaming basket, a bowl and a blender.

Thanks to my Aunt Linda, we are well equipped with the Sage Spoonfuls baby food system inclusive of those handy dandy food containers.  My goal is to make as much as James' food as possible, but I am realistic.  I'm not sure I will have the stomach to puree meat.  I think Gerber is going to have to handle that one.  :)

James seemed to really enjoy this new food adventure.  The first bite was hilarious...

... but after a few more, he started liking it a lot.  So much so that he finished the entire bowl...and was actually looking for more!

Good cook, Grandma indeed.  :)

Rice, Rice Baby

We hit a HUGE milestone on our little man's life last night and of course, we had to share it.  Rather than talk about it, how about some visuals.  :)

That's right people ~ we officially ate our first "solid" food!!  The recipe: 1 TBSP rice cereal and 1 oz formula.  Mix and serve.  The first few bites were a bit rocky as he tried to figure out what the heck Mommy was giving him on this strange instrument (aka: a spoon), but after a few tries, he got the hang of it and was wanting more and more!

This opens the door to a whole new world of eats for him, but its a baby steps process.  We'll be introducing all kinds of new stuff over the next few weeks and months and we'll have to see what he likes.  Hopefully he won't be like his Daddy and actually eat his vegetables!!