Dried fruit

My dad came over yesterday, and we took Emma out for the afternoon. She showed off her new eating skills before he left, and I felt so proud! I had a bad night though, and felt really ill from out of nowhere. My temperature was high, and everything was achy - like the start of flu. I didn't get a lot of sleep. Emma woke us up by howling at 6am because she had wiggled out of her blankets to the top of the cot, stuck her foot out of the rails and got all in a bit of a tangle. I thought today was going to be a very bad day...

But I was wrong! Emma went back to sleep next to me. When she woke up, she amused herself for ages by playing with her toes very quietly so I got a bit more rest. I eventually managed to drag myself out of bed, still feeling pretty crappy, and made a little nest for us in the living room with toys, drinks, and remote controls. She has been good as gold, playing by herself and letting me rest.

For lunch, I needed something which involved absolutely no work, so went for dried fruit again. This time she couldn't get enough of it, and seemed to really love the dried apricots in particular. This is a bit of a breakthrough, because it means that I have some food options that are easy to transport if we are going out somewhere.

Lets hope she stays this good for the rest of the day!

Here are the lunch time pics

Here are some of the great photos that Laura took when we went for lunch yesterday.

haha - just noticed the big bottle of stroop right behind her head. Thank goodness she didn't reach for that! :-S

Ladies that lunch

We had a lovely time today! We went out with my friend Laura for lunch. We used to go out for lunch all the time when Emma was younger. It was easy, because she used to just sleep in the sling. But these days, nothing annoys her more than sitting still while I eat! Laura found this little pancake house, which is smoke-free, child friendly, and had high chairs. And to make it even better, it is in the 9 straatjes area, so great for window shopping. Perfect!

After all that planning, it turned out that Emma was asleep in the sling when we arrived. But after a while she woke up and went in the highchair. It was a bit big for her, but she managed really well. I had brought some tomatoes and cucumber for her, but she was more interested in my pancake. Well, it is essentially the same as Yorkshire pudding I suppose! Laura has some photos. I will put them up when I get a copy.

In not so nice news, Emma has got a really nasty rash on her cheeks and chin. When I took her to the baby clinic last week, they commented on a few spots around her mouth and said she is using her dummy too much. (She doesn't actually use one at all). But it has really flared up in the last few days and looks sore, so I took her to the doctors. They think it is eczema, but it could be an allergic reaction. They have given me some cream to sooth it. It is about as potent as Vaseline, so nothing too serious at the moment which is good. Fingers crossed that it helps, because it does look sore. I am going to take her food intake back to real basics for a few days. I am sure that covering her chops in tomato juice and mango is not helping. So, she had better get ready for some boring meals... Poor mite - it looks like she has inherited my super sensitive skin. :(

Tomatoes, sandwiches, and dried fruit

We have been trying breakfast for the past couple of days, but it is not really going anywhere. Emma is such a sleepyhead in the mornings, and likes to go for a nap just an hour after she wakes up in the morning. So when I put her in the highchair she just kind of sits there with sleepy eyes looking like she would rather be anywhere else but there. I'll keep trying though - my feeling is that if I can get her to eat brekkie then she will stay awake for a bit longer in the morning.

For lunch today, she had half a big tomato. She loved to suck the seeds and flesh out until just the skin was left. She is so clever! I had falafel for lunch, so I broke a piece of pita off and smothered it in philadelphia. She really liked that too. I don't think much of the bread was eaten - it was just a bit of a soggy mess by the time she had finished licking all the philly off!

I went to the health food shop to buy some dried fruit today - dates, dried apricots and dried apples. She didn't seem interested in them, but I will keep trying. They are ideal for sticking in my handbag when we go out.

I had a bit of a domestic goddess/supermum moment today when I actually found time to cook up a batch of Yorkshire puddings to freeze for her suppers. The lengths I will go to in order to avoid packing is amazing! (Only 3 weeks to go till we move house...)

New things for the weekend

Sorry - no photos today, because my camera battery was flat.

This weekend has been full of first time experiences for Emma. We tried breakfast for the first time. Weetabix without milk (waste of time - she crushed it into oblivion within 3 mins), Weetabix with milk (disaster - turned to cement), and toast (absolute hit!!).

For other meals, she had her first tomato (ok, but they were cherry tomatoes and I think she would do better with slices of bigger ones), cheese (totally unimpressed), nectarines (she loved them), and pitta bread (very nice to suck on).

Things got really exciting on Sunday, when Emma had her first Sunday Roast. She had roast potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower. I didn't give her any meat, because it was a pork roulade with a very questionably spicy stuffing. I did share a Yorkshire Pudding with her though. (I made them with no added salt). I really wish I had my camera for it. I have never seen her so excited about food!! It is a definate new favourite. Oh no... my little girl is already getting to like her carbs. This could be a slippery slope! :-)

So proud!

More broccoli was served up today. She was straight in there, and couldn't get enough of it. I am so proud - my little girl likes her greens!! She practically ignored the sweet potato.


It is really amazing how much progress she has made in just 3 weeks. At first, it was all playing and I was not sure how much she was really eating. Now, she is wolfing it down! This week I have been doing veg at lunch time and fruit at dinner time. But I think I am going to have to start on breakfast too now, and make her dinner a bit more substantial. My little girl is really growing up!

Broccoli (or Bimi)

Normally, I don't go in for bags of prewashed/prepared veg. But I found a packet of Bimi in the supermarket the other day. It is young broccoli, and has a long stalk and small floret. Perfect finger food for Emma! I served it up with some carrot, and this mucky face was the result. :-)

Hands free!

Emma went for a hands free experience today. She really can't get enough of cucumber at the moment. Right now, I am sitting with her at the table. She has been in her highchair chewing cucumber for 45 minutes, and is showing no signs of boredom! I gave her some banana as well, but she just ignored it!

Cauliflower, Carrots and Cats

In my bid to get Emma to eat vegetables instead of always wanting fruit, I did some boiled carrots and cauliflower for her today. I didn't boil it for very long though, so it didn't turn to mush when she tried to pick it up. (See, I am learning!)





Tegan (our cat) looked like she wanted to play too.






Emma is obviously not a great fan of cauliflower and carrots. Here is what happened to most of it.

But, I am definately starting to get wise to this. I had only put half of it on her tray! So, I gave her the other half, and eventually she decided to eat some. She had most of a carrot stick, but no cauliflower. I shared a pear with her for dessert. I had my first super scary gagging experience with her after she took a really huge bite. She was soooooooooo sick!! But she didn't seem bothered. I took her out of her highchair, cleaned her up a bit, and then she just wanted to go back to playing. Here she is 10 minutes later...

Getting to grips with cucumber

In case you hadn't noticed from earlier posts, I am not a big fan of cucumber. I think it is soggy and makes everything that it goes near taste of blandness. But it seems like a good food for Emma, so I am adding it to my lunchtime salads, but just giving it all to her!


At first, she was not sure, and gave it quite a bit of consideration. It just doesn't mush into her tray/face/hair in a pleasing way like nice banana does....

Then she decided that looking out of the window was more fun than eating cucumber...

Later in the day we went to visit a friend of mine. She did some dips and crudites. I sat Emma on my knee, and offered her cucumber again. This time, there was no stopping her! I am pleased - it seems like a food that will both teach her about eating, and help with her teething pain.

Definately a fruity girl

More mango. I still have to hold it for her. But just look at the joy on her face!!

I am still continuing with just fruit and veg, and will probably do so for another couple of weeks until I am sure she has the hang of this eating idea. She definately prefers fruit though, probably because of the sweetness. I am going to try concentrating more on the boring vegetable end of her diet for the next few days. Shame - I like to see her enjoying herself as much as she was today!

Banana face

The title says it all. Here is Emma with bits of banana all over her face. She couldn't get enough of it, and scoffed about a quater of one. It is definately the most she has ever eaten!

A note for other mums planning on feeding their babies with banana though - it leaves horrible black stains on clothes. Beware - use a large bib.

Roasted Veg

This morning, I spent ages making a medley of orange roasted vegetables for Emma. I did carrots, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes.


So, you can guess what she did with it - yup - she smashed the whole lot into her tray, and then gazed out of the window until I took her out of her chair. I can't blame her really - I can't stand butternut squash (now I know what it is!) or sweet potato!

Mango

Mangos were on special offer in the supermarket today, so guess what Emma had for lunch! :-)

What I now realise about mangos is that they are far too slippy for her little hands. They kind of make a vacuum with the tray, and even I was struggling to pick the pieces up. It got to the point where Emma was bending forwards and trying to pick them up with her mouth. Eeeek! So I had to intervene. I know it is not strictly BLW, but I held a piece for her which she then tucked into. She managed to scoff about half of it, which is more than she has ever eaten before.


Now all I need to do is devise a way of preparing it so that she can eat it herself...

Lots of fun, but not much real success

I have been a bit lazy with posts for the last few days, and have been sans camera. We have been continuing with carrots (not so over cooked this time!) and lots of fruit. She loves smashing it into her tray, waving it about and throwing it on the floor, but there is still not a lot of actual eating going on. She will manage it when she is ready though, so I am not worried.

Peach is definately a firm favourite. She mushes it into the tray then licks it off her fingers. It is dead cute, but means that she needs a good hose down afterwards - it is sooooo sticky, and gets everywhere!

Peaches and Banana

I had more success with banana today. I read that it was a good idea to leave a bit of skin on. This really helped her to get a hold of it. We shared some slices of peach too. They were a bit slippy, so we had great fun sliding them across her tray and onto the floor! Eventually she managed to pick one up, and bit a HUGE great chunk out of it. She looked at me in horror and then burst into tears. I think it gave her a bit of a shock.

Roasted sweet potato and butternut squash

I cut them into slices, and roasted them for 20 mins. This made them less mushy, so I figured Emma might have more success picking them up. She seemed to like them - spent ages zooming them around her tray and putting them to her mouth. Still not sure she is actually eating them though.

We also had a first attempt with water from a cup. Em thought it was great fun to tip it onto its side and fly it across her tray like airoplane.

After a while, I took her out of the highchair and put her on my knee - still close to the tray. Funny - this made her show far more interest in the food. I guess babies are rather fickle!

Name that fruit (or vegetable)

I think this is a butternut squash. But I have never had one before. So that is what I will refer to it as for now. If anyone knows different, then please let me know!

Brocolli and carrot - don't over cook

Emma is 6 months old today! Where has the time gone??


Today I thought we had better start with vegetables rather than fruit. I don't want to encourage a sweet tooth too soon! ;) So I boiled some carrot sticks and brocolli florets. It was not a great success, because I think I overcooked them. They just sort of disintegrated into mush when Emma tried to pick them up. She decided to wipe the mess off the tray and onto the floor for a laugh. Thank goodness for laminate floors!


I remembered the bib this time, but it was pointless. She managed to wipe brocolli underneath it, so her top is covered in green gunk anyway. Hey ho - practise makes perfect.

Later in the day I tried some banana. It was very ripe though, and just slid out of her hands. So she mashed it into the tray instead of eating it. Looked like fun, but was not exactly what I had in mind!

So today was not a very successful eating day. But it is only day two, and we are both learning!

mmm pear --- yuk cucumber

Tomorrow, Emma is 6 months old. We were going to celebrate with her first real food. But I was having a pear this afternoon, and felt like sharing!

After a few minutes of mashing it into her highchair tray, Emma suddenly picked up a piece and shoved it in her mouth! I am so proud. :-) I am not sure how much she really ate, but we had a lot of fun and she certainly knew what she was doing.

I gave her some cucumber sticks too. She completely ignored them. Good girl - cucumber is horrid!

Note to self - tomorrow I must must must remember to put a bib on her!

Self assembly nightmare

The title says it all really. It took an hour and a lot of swearing to put the highchair together. Then when it was finally done I yanked the adjustable tray too hard and dropped it right on my little toe. Thank goodness we only have to do this once!

Getting started...

The time has come to get started with solid food. We are moving house soon, so had put off getting a high chair. But I couldn't wait any longer, so we decided to get one of those chairs that attaches to your table instead. They are cheap, and don't take up much room in a moving van. So, we hired a car and went off to one of those out of town baby stores.

My advice is, if you are going to buy something like this, then look closely at your table first!! It was a complete waste of time because the design of our table means that it is never ever going to fit. I guess we will just give it to my Mum so that Emma has somewhere to sit when we go to her house.

In the end, we went back to the shop to get a proper high chair. I know it is not a "glam" baby purchase, but I am quite pleased with it :-) I'll leave the self assembly till tomorrow though...