Eating Like a Big Girl

I just realized that I never posted Avery's 6 month update. This was probably due to the fact that we were still in Greenville on her 6 month "birthday" and I can never seem to find the time to blog while we are back at home. Then, when we came back to NJ, I called to schedule her 6 month doctor appointment, and they couldn't fit her in until February 6 - three days after she turns 7 months! So I won't have her height or weight for another week. I'll post a more complete update then.

But one of the biggest accomplishments of this past month has been Avery's introduction to solid food. I started her on a little bit of rice cereal when we came back from Christmas vacation. She did great eating from a spoon right from the start. Within a couple days, she was eating like a pro. Her favorite foods are sweet potato, bananas, and avocado. We have also tried peas and applesauce, but she is not as excited about those. Yesterday, I gave her green beans for the first time. She acted like she was gagging on them (followed by lots of giggles when I laughed at her). Once I hid them in her sweet potatoes, she was more willing to eat them. She is eating 3 ounces at each meal, but I'm about to increase that amount as she still seems like she could eat more. I still nurse her before each meal and once before bed.

I didn't really plan to make all her food, but I realized that it was surprisingly quick and easy to use vegetables and fruits I had on hand for her meals. I love that I know exactly what goes into her food. And saving money is also a definite bonus. I had been using my blender to puree the food for Avery, but a couple weeks ago, a mom at church gave me a Beabo BabyCook that someone had given her and she never used! I can now steam vegetables and fruit right in the same container where I puree them. It's been a great little appliance, and an unexpected blessing.

I need to get on a better schedule for making her weekly food. So far, I just cook up a few sweet potatoes or scoop out an avocado as needed. I usually wait 3-4 days in between introducing new foods, so it's a little slow-going at first. But I'm looking forward to making all kinds of foods for her to try. My mom used to make all her own baby food and freeze them in ice cube trays when my sisters and I were little. I read somewhere that each ice cube compartment is 1 oz, so that makes it very easy to determine how much to give her. Once the food is frozen, I pop them out and put them in a freezer ziploc bag. Currently in our freezer, I have avocado, sweet potato, green beans, peas, and bananas.

As much as I loved when Avery was a newborn, it is so much fun to watch her grow and develop and learn new things. I can't wait to introduce her to all kinds of yummy foods and let her experience lots of new tastes.