New Year’s Day started off quite nicely, and I’ll let you use your imagination to determine exactly how. Oh yeah! From that pinnacle, the day kind of went downhill. I’m hoping it’s not a harbinger of the year to come.
For example:
• We went grocery shopping as a family. The store was crowded, didn’t have our dog food, and stupidly, with a cart full of various things, we opted for the self checkout because “it would be faster.” It was not, nor was it easier. And I have a broken jar of baby food glued to my left shoe to prove it.
• Contributing somewhat to our General Malaise (you may remember him from history class; he was a hero in the Funk War of 1877) is the state of our home. Turning back the tide of clutter is hard after the holidays, what with the Cutlet’s new toys strewn about, our desire to rearrange our living room coupled with an inability to find the perfect spot for our big honking chair, and the Neverending Bathroom Renovation Project looming ever presently over our heads. At any rate, taken as a whole, it is getting to us.
Many of our friends are building fresh, new (yet overblown and soulless) houses. I’ve covered the subject before, and we do not wish to be in their shoes (especially when the mortgage payment is due and when spring cleaning hits the fan). No, folks, we are somewhat jealous of friends who have a house that was built in 1951, in excellent condition and design, that sits on about an acre of green grass. Our 1964 semi-Cape-Coddish abode is no match for its charm. So our state of entropy is exacerbated by that greener grass on the other side of our friends’ old door. We’ll get over it, though.
• The Cutlet, sweet pea that he is (see post below), continually refuses to sink his teeth (all two of them) into real table food. It is frustrating for us and probably for him too, as we hoist all sorts of foreign morsels to his tightly shut lips. I wonder if his neck tires from the constant “no way!” motion it travels during mealtimes. But he always wins as we relent and fill his gullet with mooshy infant foodstuffs. Any suggestions on making the transition from jars to real food from the parental peanut gallery out there?
• Back to happier pastures, we found a dresser for our bedroom. Our longtime goal has been to get all our clothes in our room. Currently, they are divided between an antique wardrobe, our walk-in closet, the closet in the guest bedroom and THINGEE. What is THINGEE, you may ask? It is a structure comprising wooden boxes, milk crates and shelving planks to form an open-air clothes storage system (a la college junque moderne). A dresser it does not make, but it did put our wearables within easy reach.
The matching piece that we wanted to complete our existing bedroom set is no longer made, and its price kept it from reach when it was available. However, our purchase’s price was right, and it sort of matches the rest of our stuff. We found it after going a few other places and striking out in the “whoa that’s too big for the room,” “gosh that’s expensive” and “that’s crap” departments.
The day’s swan song was, at the least, a pleasant note on which to end. And after today (Friday), I’ve got Saturday morning to work and then no more until Tuesday. Mondays off rock. If you have the means, I highly suggest them.
Have a happy weekend, all!
re "real" food vs. baby food, my only suggestion is to put cheerios, cut up vienna sausages etc. on the high chair tray and see if he's interested in feeding himself. Warning this is a VERY messy solution--I was afraid my youngest would be on a chair undergirded with a cast-off shower curtain until she was 16 but it wasn't quite that long:)
Hi! Stumbled across your website while getting to know "Down a Country Road." I like your style!
As to the food dilemma, I would also recommend "finger food," especially the soft foods until he gets more teeth. In addition to the foods Emil mentioned, try peas and cooked carrot bits.
When my kids were babies, I couldn't always afford a lot of "store-bought" baby food, so I got into the habit of throwing some of our dinner into the blender. That way they got used to the taste of the "adult" food and it might have made the transition a little easier, I don't know.
Just wait until the first time he eats spaghetti! You'll need the camera for sure!
Good luck!
your crappie days are better than most of my best days..
if it wasn't for this black cloud over hovering over me, i'd have a suntan from all the golden rays of joy beaming down upon my brow.. heh.. :)
Although I don't have a cutlet, the food processor works wonders with adult food to make it mush gooshey for baby. I do have years of day care and parents bringing in containers of leftovers blended to heck and back. For them it proved to be a great way to introduce "adult" food to the little ones.
What kind of baby food is all over your shoe? Because really, that's where the real comedy comes in.
Well, hmmm. Expertise. Four daughters, two grandsons might qualify me. All intentions good, but Cutlet will call the shots. Every kid is unique (yeah!). Just keep offering stuff on a high chair tray, etc. Cheerios, mashed potatoes. Tiny Amounts, of course. My kids loved to suck on McDonald's french fries till they were soggy, but not a good idea. Too easy to choke on. You will become a pro at the finger scoop in their little maws to retrieve unchewed choking items. If you haven't already! One of mine got a tack stuck, and doing the finger scoop, I only made it worse - she swallowed it. Okay, sifting through toddler poop looking for tack is so much fun! Outcome was successful, althought the tack that went in with a yellow head, came out shiny metal with no paint left. Say something for gastric juices!
The Cutlet is a gorgeous baby! I agree with the others. We have a small blender called a "Little Oscar" that's just right to blend a little of your dinner. My sister introduced me to little zip lock snack bags. She carried them filled with an assortment of baby bite-sized food for several years for her daughters. Good luck enticing him to eat adult food!
Sorry about your imperfect New Year's weekend. But it sounds like you're all together and happy, and that's what counts.
My weekend was pretty crappy, and I'm tired of putting on a brave face and saying, "Oh, it was great!" when people ask me.
I guess I put too much pressure on myself during the holiday season.
We all have crap-ass days like that. At least your morning started out on a good note. ;)
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year T!!!!
When my son was little we couldn't afford baby food, so I just used a blender and ground up our food for him. Worked like a charm, and now he's a strapping 6'01" 200 pound man. Worked for us. Here's to a great 2004!
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