One In the Oven: 6 Months!

It's hard to believe, but Kate is already six months old! We can't believe how much she's changed over the last six months. We'll take her in next week for her six month check up, but we weighed and measured her at home--unofficially she's tipping the scales at 14.4 lbs, and 28 inches. We'll see how those numbers compare to the doctor's next week.

It wouldn't be a monthly birthday without Kate's picture--here are her six month photos...

We decided to celebrate Kate's big day by giving her food for the first time. We've decided to try a different approach to food than the regular cereal, puree progression. Instead, we're going to try self-feeding, where Kate basically gets table food from the start. The idea is that she learns to feed herself, and all the motor skills that go with it, and does so at her own pace, without having to switch from pureed food to food with different textures. Hopefully, this will lead her to be a good eater without picky tendencies. And don't worry, she's closely monitored and everything is portioned so she won't choke. She'll continue to get milk feedings so she's getting what she needs nutritionally, and we'll supplement with food. We know they won't be fully onboard with this at daycare, but it's been fun to watch her play and learn over the last few days.

We did start with cereal, but it didn't go all that well....we'll keep trying :-)

-- First bite --

-- What the hell is this stuff?? --

-- I don't think I like it... --

-- Yep, I know I don't like it --

-- I had to take a little break after the cereal to recharge...so I did some playing --

-- I'll just snack on this plastic apple instead --

-- And now it's on to broccoli and asparagus --

-- Look! This is easy to pick up! --

-- And it's gross!!! What a mean trick! --

-- Maybe I'll give it another try... --

-- Well, it's still a no --

-- And this asparagus stuff? SICK --

-- I'm better off snacking on this plastic tray instead --

Day #2 was a little more successful. We know that Kate doesn't have the skills yet to actually eat anything--she has to learn to use her tongue to move the food to the back of her mouth to swallow it, and of course, she doesn't have any teeth yet to chew with--but right now, it's more about learning and experimenting. On her second day, Kate had cereal, broccoli and asparagus again, but also got to try some apple, banana, and avocado. Part of the idea is to include Kate in the social experience of eating, so when Brandon and I sit down to a meal, so does she, and she eats the same foods. We had pizza for lunch which isn't quite acceptable for day two of solid food, so she got some more veggies. But she looked like she was having fun exploring textures and tastes a bit, so it was a small victory :-)