The Bog of Eternal Stench

Yes, my child's nappies smell what I perceive the bog of eternal stench to smell like. To the point now that I have stopped trying to identify contents to prevent myself from vomitting. I have to confess that I have started to look at when potty training can start. Of course it's when your child is ready, and I'm hoping that the Wee One has her mother's delicate constitution and wants to use the bathroom sooner rather than later.

I'm sure that the stinking nappies are good evidence of enough food getting consumed. There are fewer things ending up on the floor and more things bring spread on her face, we ended up with orange eyebrows the other evening. We go straight to baths after dinner now, it makes life so much easier.

Something New

It used to be that we got something new every week. Now we're getting something new nearly everyday. Something new and exciting that the Wee One has never done before. Yesterday we had two things, kisses and peeking round book pages. Both are utterly adorable, and melted my heart.

We reprised mushroom burgers tonight and the Wee One wolfed down 2 bits of mushroom, 3 sweet potato wedges and played and squished 2 strawberries. I was delighted.

We also got to witness the Wee One dabbing on war paint. More accurately, rubbing every bit of food over her face and into her eyes and up her nose. That was also something new. A nostril sized piece of sweet potato stuffed in her nose. I was in the middle of figuring out how to remove it, when she sneezed and it flew out.

Sweet potato is still in favour as are mushrooms. We have lots of vegetable for the next few days, we'll see where they take us.

An Apple A Day

Wednesday's are what Wednesday does, to coin Forest Gump. I got some relaxing though, for around an hour whilst the Wee One was wheeled around in luxury.

For lunch, the Wee One munched on slices of apple. I was utterly delighted with the way she dealt with it. She mushed the apple and left the skin. She's amazing.

I've been telling people over the past few weeks, that babies do not get enough credit for how clever they are. They know what they need and we just need to tune into what they're telling us. I feel very fortunate that I seem to understand what the Wee One tells me. We have minimal crying, so I'm hoping this is a positive sign.

Wednesday has taken its toll.

Night night.

Nibbler

The Wee One is her mother's daughter for sure. If she wakes in the night, she turns on her "tunes" (a light shows sans lights) to get her back to sleep. She takes her time to do something, but then she'll do it right. Him says she even snores like me.

She has also inherited my love of bread. She has become a serial nibbler crusts. If there is bread in the vicinity she is now vocal until she is in possession of a part of it. Trying to limit salt intake and processed bread do not really mix. We're definitely going to have to have a few bread free days.

I actually received a text this evening from a very dear friend asking for the 2 o'clock poo update. The big news is there wasn't one. There's not been any today. This disconcerts me, however I'm happy with milk intake and also dinner consumption this evening.

Dinner was left over ragu that Gran had sent us home with yesterday. I broke out some pasta that Him and I had bought on our honeymoon when we drove through Italy and France. It was worth waiting for. The Wee one ate her fair share, downed some water and then had two strawberries for pudding. I love strawberry season, I can see them being a regular feature on the menu for the next month or two when they are so good.

Wednesday tomorrow, busy, busy, busy.

Bottomless Pitt

So neither porridge nor French Toast happened this morning, however, we did have toast! Just ordinary toast with butter. Judging by the amount I put on the bin, I reckon around a mouthful was actually eaten.

We spent some time with Gran and Papa today. The Wee One is a very lucky girl, she got a new highchair today that is going to live at Gran and Papa's house. She was very comfy in it and ate a variety of food for dinner.

Some baguette, some meat ragu, two bits of penne, some soy and ginger salmon, a cherry tomato and then some strawberry. I think the most variety and possibly the most consumed so far. I couldn't believe the continued shovelling of food into her mouth. She seemed to enjoy everything tonight. Interesting faces for salmon, tomato and strawberries. Salmon and strawberries got whacked against the highchair too, a good sign I'm starting to think. Any food that is consumed with fervour is generally slapped with force.

So variety seemed to please the Wee One this evening. I can't believe how much she ate. I am quite intrigued to see tomorrows nappy, roll on 2 o'clock.

Daddy's Day

The clever Wee One managed to get Him a selection of presents and a card for Father's day under no suspicions. Well done that girl. Him seemed to be pretty pleased too, anything with batteries or a plug will keep him quite happy, as such he has received something with both! A remote control chinook helicopter. The Wee One quite liked it too.

For Father's Day I decided to make steak sandwiches, so the Wee One had a slice of steak, some ciabatta soaked in meaty goodness and some steamed potatoes. We had a gag and a vomit again, quite early on. The Wee One has been under the weather this week with a cough (all of us have) each of the vomits in the past few days have been full of horrible yuck, so we reckon it's been helping. As usual, the Wee One has not been upset by any gags or vomits.

The slice of steak the Wee One had this evening was well gummed and was also almost white because of all the juices that had been sucked out of it. We definitely have a carnivore on our hands.

This week I am going to try and focus on doing breakfast and dinner. I'm quite set on making porridge in the morning, however, we also have French Toast as a possibility as well. I suppose it will depend on the day, it's been so wet and miserable for the past few days, I'm sure porridge will be most welcome.

It's also time to start thinking about trying to get the Wee One to take bottles more consistently. We get one once in a while, but I will be returning to work soon and will need to have some piece of mind before I go back. I can't deny that I'm not looking forward to it. Not one little bit.

Has Thou Nowt Moist?

I do often reminisce about the old days. Especially university days when I experienced so many things for the first time. I tasted brie for the first time and avocado, quite early on. I also watched the West Wing and found out about a little Radio 4 series called Little Britain. I also borrowed a Stand Up DVD from a friend one night starring a cult comic called Peter Kay.

Yes my days are still all about discovery, through the eyes of another, and I must admit this thrills me.

Tonight we tried a cheese omelette for dinner so Him and I could enjoy a Saturday night dinner just is. I have to admit, I really love watching the Wee One eat when I'm not. It allows me to focus on each bite and watch her negotiating her way through a meal.

The omelette wasn't massive hit, however, she did keep trying it in her mouth. we had a gag and a vomit. Perhaps the newish texture (we have had omelette once before back at the beginning) was just too much to handle. She did have a blast with her water cup though. I swear we will need to dry off the ceiling with the way she was banging it off the highchair and making the water fire out.

So, perhaps I'm past making as many discoveries as I did that first few months of university, but I'm glad I get to share in the exploration of the new everyday little things with the Wee One. I think I would even give my experience just to watch it all for the first time again through the Wee One's eyes.

Interpretation

I'm starting to find out that most babies do the same sorts of things when they are eating. Here's some of the Wee One's top hits.

1. Slapping the highchair table really hard. The Wee One seems to do this when she is particularly enamoured by a food. One hand will be putting the food to her mouth, the other will be slamming out a beat.

2. Offering sloppy seconds. The Wee One loves to offer the end of her dinner to Him. She never does it to me. It is always a wet soggy mess of a thing as well. Him obliges by taking a "nibble" and making yummy noises.

3. Wiping hands in hair. I have mentioned previously about Him going down to the floor to clean up and never learning to clean the Wee One's hands first. She loves wiping her hands on his hair, mashes them right in there, and seems to sit and wait for him to start clearing up.

4. Gag-yawn. Most gags now proceed a yawn. One of the strangest/cutest things I've ever seen.

5. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. Things that she seems to eat the most of are accompanied by loud mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm sounds.

I suppose due to the fact that she hasn't really reacted badly to any food put down, I can't categorically state the she "likes" or "loves" anything. I suppose I'm observing repeat behaviour and interpreting it the way I see it. I am quite close to the subject I suppose to be in anyway objective, but this is my story and I'm sticking to it.

Down in Morocco

I love Baby Led Weaning.

I will say it again.

I LOVE Baby Led Weaning.

The Wee One ate chicken tagine and cous cous tonight. We sat down as a family, talked about the day, and ate a delicious meal. What a wonderful way to round off your day. She is the centre of our world, and I never thought it would be me. I love my new life and honestly don't miss much about how Him and I used to live.

Oh and after last nights vomit? There were peas in the poo today. This made me happy.

Uh Oh Spaghetti O's

As I think I've mentioned before, Wednesday's are particularly busy for us, and today again was no exception. The Wee One and I left the house at 9.30am and arrived home just before 7pm.

We managed to squeeze in quite a bit and also even managed for me to get sun burned.

And so to dinner! We were having one of Him's favourites, and I have to admit, one of mine too. Pea and Panchetta Spaghetti, it's pretty awesome. I don't like to use that word lightly, but I think it's appropriate in this case!

I will point out that the recipe contains partially cooked eggs. I'm ok with that, it's a choice to make for yourself, I won't judge you if you don't judge me, deal?

The Wee One had fun with the spaghetti, it was rather enjoyable watching her tackle it. She also tried a wee bit of bacon and some squashed peas. It was all going so well. I then offered a final small piece of bacon and then the whole meal was regurgitated. It was upsetting for me and Him, as usual the Wee One did not bother one little bit.

I was so pleased with how she had done, and even got to discussing what we might find in the nappy tomorrow. I guess you should never count your chickens before their hatched. I'll be pleasantly surprised of anything has slipped through.

We had went so long without major gagging or any vomit I suppose we're due it.

Where Have We Been?

We've been absent. Did you miss us? We missed you.

We've experienced a lot in the last week. Firstly, Him was on holiday so that's why I decided to take a wee break from writing. It's not the best excuse, but it is true. We also had our first picnic, indoors, unfortunately, due to poor weather. The Wee One had a strawberry for the first time, she very much liked it. She also had pitta bread dipped in aioli, she is not adverse to garlic at all.

I've said it before, but mealtimes are such a joy these days. I can happily sit and enjoy just watching the Wee One touch, taste and explore. Gagging is almost non-existent these days and there hasn't been a vomit in a long time.

The Wee One has cracked sitting up in the past few weeks and also waving. Waving melts my heart, it's the best. A proper interaction that brings tears to my eyes.

I promise to be better in writing every night again. I have genuinely missed it.

Tonight's dinner was roasted red peppers and some chicken from my chicken en croute. Red pepper is very much coveted.

Steak & Cheese

The Wee One did not surface until after 10 this morning. Him and I were already showered and fed by the time she decided she would grace us with her presence, as such we skipped her breakfast.

My mind was already firmly on lunch anyways by that point. We had some large flat mushrooms and various cheeses, so I decided to make my take on the mushroom burger, inspired by two of my favourite eateries, TriBeCa and The Butterfly & Pig.

The Wee One thoroughly enjoyed her mushroom and cheese and had even stuffed a large piece of mushroom in her mouth which she would not let go of. We eventually were able to fish it out, but in the future I would probably offer her water first to see if she gets rid of it that way instead. I worry sticking my finger in her mouth could cause a multitude of accidents.

We had dinner with Gran and Papa as well as an Aunt and Uncle and some cousins. Dinner with other people makes me a little nervous, only because I'm afraid of failing in my motherly duty and may miss a crucial gag or worse. The Wee One has yet to fulfil my fears, which is great. She happily munch of a piece of steak, carrot sticks and slices of boiled potato. Steak is becoming another firm favourite and was also nearly hamstered away for later, she realised herself, though, that her mouth was a happier place empty.

Mushroom Burgers

3 Large Flat Mushrooms
1/2 Tub Ricotta
3/4 Goat's Cheese Log
Small Handful of Grated Parmesan
2 Bread Rolls
Olive Oil
Sweet Onion Chutney

1. I made my own quick sweet onion chutney but finely slicing 2 medium onions and frying gently for 5 minutes. Then adding 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar and reducing for around 10 minutes. I also added a pinch of garlic granules and a teaspoon of dried rosemary.

2. Place your mushrooms gill side down on a baking tray and brush lightly with olive oil. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade, until the mushrooms starting to shrink slightly.

3. Take the mushrooms out of the oven and turn gill side up. Place a couple of tablespoons of ricotta on each mushroom and spread out. Slice the goat's cheese and place on top. Sprinkle the parmesan on top of that and then return to oven for a further 15 minutes.

4. Serve each burger on a roll, topped with the onion chutney. For child's portion slice the mushroom burger into finger widths.

Sweet

I often think about future parenting challenges that Him and I might come up against, and the Wee One being an only child, sharing is probably going to be tough. I suppose lots of exposure to other children will be the way forward, but it would appear we're already making leaps into sharing, more about that later though.

Roasted sweet potato is one of my favourite foods, I'm also delighted that the Wee One is also thoroughly enjoying them too. she skilfully removes the orangey bit from the skin and then spits it out. There was a lot of it consumed this evening. Him and I are going to have dinner to ourselves tonight so we just both sat the table with the Wee One and just enjoyed the experience. Mess really is becoming minimal, and I suppose it depends on what you serve, but I think it also has something to do with her actually eating much more food than ever before.

The nappies are incredible now. Smell has moved to the incredibly pungent end of the scale and lumps of food are increasingly prevalent. However, this week there has been no leakage whatsoever. This is a difficult compromise, I'm not sure which I prefer. Nappies that don't smell particularly but go up to her neck, or monstrosities that stay contained within.

So back to sharing. The Wee One tried to share her sweet potato with Him tonight, so maybe we're on the path to a sharing caring child? Or was she just using it as a rouse to try and steal his glasses? You decide.

Broccoli Rocks

Sorry we missed you yesterday, Thursday took its toll and poor me was feeling poorly last night.

Coughing still today, but getting through it fine.

The Wee One loves broccoli. Adores it. Covets it. She had lots of broccoli for tea tonight and very little of it escaped her mouth. There is practically no mess with broccoli now, barely any on the face and a scant scatter on the floor. This seems like a massive leap in the Baby Led Weaning stakes. Toast and ricotta is bringing up the rear as a breakfast food too.

We went out for lunch today with a Gran and Him. I was having a salad that included avocado and large bread croutons. The Wee One ate some croutons and also some avocado from a loaded spoon. I was so pleased with her progress. Again there was very little mess.

We've slipped quite comfortably into the Baby Led Weaning routine now and I'm delighted how well the Wee One is doing with it. She is clearly eating enough as between the 5th of May and the 30th of May she put on 2lbs.

I can't believe how quickly this first month of Baby Led Weaning has gone. The progress has been more than we could ever have hoped for.