Food! Glorious Food!

SO many things I can report on about food, but this is my MOMMY blog so here is what FOOD has to do with the little prince.

Day one: Food was either breast milk or formula exclusively. Nothing more, nothing less. Unfortunately for me nursing was not an option since my body didn't produce milk by the time he was born, and he had to eat so I had to move on to option 2. Once my body produced, he wasn't interested since he was happy with what he was getting, and who am I to make him scream and cry just for the sake of my nursing him when he refuses? Nope, he needs to eat more than I need to be happy about this, so formula it remained.

Month 4: The introduction of OTHER food. Using a very useful website, I learned how to MAKE his food (this made me feel better about not being able to nurse, too). Only introducing foods that were safe for a 4 month old, I was on my way. Note: Most pediatricians and the APA recommend waiting until 6 months of age to introduce foods to baby, however there are circumstances when early introduction can be OK when done carefully. Isaac was a BIG boy and was never satisfied on his bottle alone, and the acid reflux was a big problem. Heavier foods at that age were one of the circumstances that made it OK. His Pediatrician agreed. Apples, peaches, pears, plums and baby oatmeal. Also, avocado and banana...He loved it ALL with no fuss.

Month 6: Adding more variety to his diet, we threw in a couple of veggies, like squash, sweet potato and zucchini. He never turned his head from food, so this was seemingly going to be EASY.

Month 8: More variety. Adding meats and ALL remaining veggies, as well as egg yolks and dairy (cheese, yogurt and cottage cheese ONLY, since milk should not be introduced until 12 months or older and breast milk and/or formula should be incorporated until then). The meats were rough! He hated the texture so I had to fidget with it until he liked it. He loved his veggies, all except for white potatoes. Weird, huh? Don't most kids like mashed taters? Not mine. Not an issue for me, though, because sweet potatoes are much healthier and I am not a big white tater fan myself.

In addition, the food is chunky and he can feed himself (see the photo? Yup, he's a pro). This makes dinner time a little easier too, because now we can all eat together and I am not stuck holding his bottle while my food gets cold. He eats, we all eat, we're all happy. Plus he is better with his meat when it's chunky, not pureed. This has proven, also, to be a big help for his acid reflux now that his food is heavier. Although, he does get more GAS :)

Today, 9+ months old. The only things I WON'T give him, per the Pediatrician, are egg whites, shellfish, chocolate and honey. Otherwise, if he can chew it, he can eat it. And he's a pretty good chewer too! Pretty soon he'll be a year old, and the formula will stop, to be replaced by whole milk. At some point, juice ill be added, but the Dr suggests to wait and even when I do introduce it, water it down and give sparingly because the sugars can be a cause of weight gain and developmental issues, like ADHD and hyperactivity in general. Fresh fruits are better and water is the best for drinking. I never knew how complicated this all would be, but I caught right on. Next spring/summer, I hope to have a full vegetable garden along with the start of some fruit trees and grape vines so that we can produce our own produce (cute little play on words, there, did you catch that?) and save money at the market. I've never had much of a green thumb, but hopefully I will be a fast learner and get some help from other experienced growers.

Coming up: Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am (bravely) doing Thanksgiving at my home for about 10 people, give or take 1 or 2. Mom is going to be helping (now that she lives 20 minutes from here, she can actually have Thanksgiving with family, something we haven't had in 5 years!). Turkey, all the fixings, and family. I started weight watchers three weeks ago and the loss is slow going, but it's happening. I need to get back to my old self, so I can't let the excitement of Isaac's first Thanksgiving take over my sense of will-power. He will be able to eat everything, but obviously in moderation. That's a LOT of food, if I'm not careful! Then comes Christmas, which I am not sure about yet, but I will keep you all posted. (You all, hmm...That's like, how many, 1?)