It's been a while since I've written last, but that's doesn't mean nothing has been happening. Chasing (haha!) around a little guy is exhausting and time consuming.
He'll be six months old in two days, on the 11th, and that's crazy exciting. Where has the past six months gone? I'm sure I'll be saying that in 20 years. Saaaaaaad face to the max! I don't want him to grow up past like 5. Can he stay 5? Probably not.
A few days ago we started solids. When I say solids, I mean solids. Per the AAP/WHO/etc., you're supposed to wait until the six month mark to start solids. I started a little early, I know, but he had met all of the milestones to begin solids. He can sit unassisted, has lost majority of his tongue thrust, and has taken an extreme interest in food. I figured one week wouldn't really make that much of a difference. Also, we decided to go the baby led solids route and I knew that he really wouldn't be eating that much to begin with anyway. I'd say out of the few days that he's had food in front of him, he's probably only consumed a few tablespoons of food. Which is a-ok. That's the theory behind baby led; you give manageable chunks of table food and let them lead the way. There's no drama about how much he is or isn't eating, no separate meals to prepare (or jars to deal with), just go with the flow. Simplest thing EVER. I'd say the hardest thing to get past is not helping all the time. I want to help him put things in his mouth, but you have to just let him work it out and do it.
He eats what Steve and I eat and that is pretty fantastic and uncomplicated. I hate placing a label on it, but essentially, that's what we're doing - Baby Led Solids/Weaning. It's teaching him to chew before he swallows, something that purees don't do. It's teaching him about different consistency and textures of food, something that purees don't do. He's had whole broccoli, not liquefied, mushy broccoli. And he loves it.
I'm not knocking purees one bit, what's appropriate for me may not be appropriate for another. Just our way of doing things. My main goal of taking this approach is to avoid food aversions and simplify things. I don't want him to hate vegetables (some will argue that's inevitable, but damnit, I'm going to try) or be one of those picky eaters. I want him to see Steve and I making healthy choices and to truly share meals with us.
Another positive about this approach is that it has really made Steve and I pay attention to the things that we put in our mouths. We're generally healthy eaters, but if we're giving it to Chase...you get the point.
Now let's see how long I can keep Chase off of grains and sugar...and mama.
I do believe Chase will be crawling within the next couple of weeks. He's trying just as hard as he can and I'm not looking forward to the day of him getting into everything. That will be fun. He's such an exciting little guy and I love every minute - except in the middle of the night when he wakes up 90 times - of it. He's just so cool to look at. I can't even wrap my head around how awesome he is.
As always, excuse any bad grammar. I'm typing as fast as I can with no time to proof read during nap time.
