Over at Are So Happy, Kyrie is posting about her kitchen this month. I am going to join along even though we are not actually going to have a kitchen for half of this month. But because we are in the middle of renovations, kitchens are on my mind. I am nearly finished packing our current kitchen. Only the essentials are out--those plates, pots, and pans that we will be using minimally over the course of the next month and a half while we wait for our eating quarters to be done (and all of the burly men inside of it now to leave).
I have not made much lately although I have a couple of dishes to try out later on this week. I have been back in the business of making baby food though. I had forgotten how much fun it is to feed a new baby. We have had carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, bananas, and peas so far. I can't decide what to puree up next. Maybe brocolli?
In Ellyn Satter's book Child of Mine, she describes the feeding process as a conversation, a dance almost, between the mother and child. Over the years I have gotten better at reading cues from my children but it is not something I am naturally good at. With this last baby, I am trying to slow down, to watch and listen to him, while he is eating. Satter insists that parent and child have to share control. The mother should, for example, wait for permission from the child before she shovels food into his or her mouth. This sounds so elementary, but I am not sure that I waited with my other children. I make eye contact with Little C, he opens his mouth, and I put the spoon in--what a pleasure.
9 comments:
that's a great book, and you make such a good point (reminder) about it being a converstation.
I wish our feeding process was as much fun. The constipation issue put a halt on that. But, the baby making food was so much fun and seems to work really well to getting them to eat natural foods and to choose what foods they desire.
I meant to write making baby food process. Ooops : )
That is such a nice idea. I hope to carry it with me until I have another spoon-fed baby (ours just progressed to finger foods and won't go back... bittersweet).
oh, would you LOOK at that face?? I love Satter's book, also, for it's wisdom that is so basic, so common sense, I missed it entirely until she pointed it out. Reading those cues is so very hard, no? But so rewarding when I nail it, now and again!
I just spent some time making baby food this afternoon. It is a favorite activity of mine. My little one is loving "baby casserole" applesauce or squash puree with chicken puree and brown rice cereal. Now that she is 1 we are just starting to add a bit of milk into things. She was not happy with her first mouthful of whole milk yesterday. I guess I'll be nursing a while longer. (Not that I'm too sad about that one!) He has such a sweet little face! There's something about gooey orange goodness on a baby's face that makes my heart melt.
you and B know that the food is supposed to go IN his mouth right?
i mean, it would be one thing if C was feeding himself, but weren't you the one holding the spoon?
If I am ever lucky enough to have another child, I am going to read that book. Thank you for sharing. First, I wish you as much peace as is possible through your renovation. It can be challenging, but so rewarding.
That is a grgeous little one, and such a sweet way to express the joys that feeding can be at that age
I think I did a combination of shoveling in the food and being more patient and "in relation." I believe the method I chose had more to do with how much sleep I was getting than anything else!
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