New Foods

Scooting along on her belly, Emma reaches for her daddy's newspaper and crumples it. The crunching sound brings her a feeling of pure satisfaction. Crumpling one piece after another she leaves the living room in shambles as she moves onto her toy bin, only to find that it is just out of reach. With a few grunts and kicks in the air, she moves close enough to grab the handle. She grabs the handle with both hands, but finds that it won't budge. Pushing all her body weight onto the handle, the toy bin unloads on top of her. "Ahhh," toy felicity can be seen on her face; a brimming smile. She moves her cow, bee, and rattle aside and grabs for her book. After reading her favorite book about Emma Lou Bronson she gives a few screams of irritation to let her parents know she is ready for a bath. A warm bath is a soothing champion after a long day of playing, eating, and messing her pants.

Emma days are becoming full of exploration. She loves trying new foods. And I love that; I am hoping to not have a picky toddler. I would love it if Emma just ate what we eat. I don't want to buy baby food. So far she loves avocado, sweet potatoes, peas, green beans, salmon with sweet potatoes. Last week she tried beans & rice when Robert and I had a mexican night. She loved it. I ran it through a little food processor for a few seconds. She also tried applesauce. It was a little too sour for her. She will eat cereal now, only if I add peaches to it.
And this weekend she tried cheerios, she hasn't learned how to pick them up yet, but she liked the texture in her mouth.

My friend Barb gave me a Food Mill from Bed, Bath & Beyond. She has four boys and her husband is a pastor, so she knows how to stretch a dollar. With the food mill I can grind up Emma some chicken or salmon right at the dinner table or even at a restaurant.