Breakfast of Champions

Solid food is still a mystery around here for both Esme and me, even though we've been working at it for over two months now. For me, I never know what's she going to take to, how much she's actually going to eat and what she's really capable of eating in terms of consistency.





That's a frozen cube of pear purée in the bowl. No worries, I do defrost it before serving it to her. It gets mixed with either oat cereal or as of last week, yogurt. Anyway, here's the final product...



The banana I cut up into teeny tiny pieces which I scatter before her. This is in an effort to encourage her to self-feed. I'm convinced she'll become a happier, more consistent eater if she can be a more active participant in the process. The thing is, though, I'm so nervous about choking. She's gagged a few times, and that's enough for me to keep her on purées until her 16th birthday. So most of the exercise consists of Esme attempting to pry lentil-sized, sticky banana pieces off her high chair tray. Then if she does manage to make it that far, move said banana morsels into her mouth which may or may not be open by the time her hand makes it there. Most of the banana winds up on her chin, bib or on a good day, teetering on her lower lip. I'd take pictures of the process only I'm so afraid to take my eyes off her for even a second.

Her morning routine is banana, pears and as of this weekend, mango. I fully expected her to love mango. How could you not? The reception thus far has been lukewarm. I've let her self-feed with it and have also used it in her mesh teether. I've pretty much moved the cereal to the evening meal and stuck to yogurt in the morning.



On a good day, the end of the meal looks something like this...