Sweet potato and mango

JJ had shredded wheat and banana for breakfast and roasted sweet potato and mango for lunch although he wasn't too interested in his lunch today. I hate to see perfectly good mango go to waste on the floor - grrrrr. Can't be too mad at him though - he has slept through the past 2 nights!

Yummy yoghurt

Do you think he likes it?

More please mummy!

Butter wouldn't melt


Shredded wheat for breakfast again with some mango. JJ had some more pasta for lunch with some bread and philly which received an average reception. But then we moved on the the yogurt - well - he loved it! We loaded the spoon and he grabbed it from us and sucked it in and spread it all over his face! He had the Rachel's Little Organics which seem to have no junk in them and are not too sweet (no sugar). The pictures speak for them selves. Me and hubby had to do paper, scissors, stone to decided who cleaned him up - in the end it was a 2 person job!

Pasta

JJ tried some pasta today. I made a simple tomato sauce with some garlic, onions, pepper and added some grated cheese. He sucked and sucked but didn't get the hang of biting and chewing it. He was very orange by the end of the meal. He got a bit frustrated as he hadn't had his milk feed as we were at Tesco's and then he fell asleep. Normally we have lunch about 1 hour after his bf which means he isn't too hungry and is more patient. Another lesson learnt!

We have also started helping JJ to drink straight from a cup as he was not really drinking much with a spout. It is rather messy but he is getting more water (I think!). We are going to get a doidy cup to try.

1st breakfast

I have decided to give JJ breakfast as he seems to get cross when I eat mine! He has had a few toast crusts previously but wanted to give him something else so today he had bite size shredded wheat which I soaked in a little bit of formula until it was just soft (couldn't be bothered expressing for such a tiny bit and am not sure I can give him cows milk yet). He managed really well with it and seemed to enjoy it (if saying "mmm" constantly counts as enjoying it!).

Woops!

JJ thought it was really funny to swipe my tomato!

I accidentally over-cooked JJ's broccoli today as his daddy phoned and distracted me! Consequently it was too mushy for him to hold well and it just disintegrated in his hands and he got a bit cross. He did like the peaches though but only sucked them.

Lesson learnt!

Cheese, tomato and poached peaches

This is JJ's swallowing face! He usually grins afterwards!
He also swiped a bit of my cheese on toast but it fell on the floor after 10 seconds!
Yummy peaches!

JJ had his first try of cheese today - I gave some grated and some batons to see which he preferred and he liked both but wasn't overcome with excitement. The grated was a bit frustrating for him. He likes tomato I think.

The biggest success was the poached peach - I quartered the peach and put it in a bit of water, a teaspoon of vanilla extract, a bit of Cinnamon bark and a sprinkle of sugar (naughty mummy) and cooked them till they were soft (I think about 20 mins as they were very hard peaches). He loved them although he only sucked and didn't chew. I was going to poach them in apple juice as I have had a carton in the cupboard for ages (I hate it!) and that would have saved me using sugar (although it was only a tiny bit) but it was out of date so Plan B was water! Great if your fruit is a bit hard.

We were going to singing and I had to take the peach off him which he wasn't too pleased about but he had been sucking on the same bit for 10 mins! He really enjoyed singing though, as did his friend Luca who was grooving with the maracas! It has worn him out and he is still fast asleep - peace at last!

Video footage!

Click here to see video footage of JJ eating melon (excuse my stupid 'baby voice'...I don't normally sound like this - honest!)

Philly, peach and tomatoes

JJ tried Philedelphia on rice cakes today which went down very well although he insisted on putting the whole thing in his mouth to get maximim suckage! He looked like he had eaten an ice cream as it all dribbled out! He also tried tomato which he enjoyed and peach (although it was a bit hard so not easy to eat but he did suck it).

I was thinking about yesterday's dinner with my parents and it really hit me how amazing it was that my little boy sat down and fed himself (well kind of) a sunday dinner with the rest of the family 2 weeks into weaning and loved every minute of it- amazing.

First sunday roast

JJ's first taste of meat
the old favourite broccoli
Could he possibly eat his hand?
JJ's Grandad wants to try eating the BLW (or JJ!) way


JJ's Nanna and Grandad came to visit today and we all sat down for a lovely roast dinner with JJ joining in. He chomped his way through carrots, broccoli, roast potatoes, a piece of lamb and some melon for pudding! He even stayed fairly clean (until the end when he mushed a roastie into his eye!) He was so good and sat for a long time eating away and Nanna and Grandad were very impressed with his eating skills. They love to read this blog so hi Nanna and Grandad!

Mess, mess and more mess!

They started off round and lovely looking - honest!
Slippery little suckker!
Mmmmm
He resorted to sucking bits off his bib!

Click here for a video of JJ eating today

I got a little adventurous today and made some potato, spinach and carrot rosties. Well JJ thought they were wonderfully squidgible and did just that. Bless him he couldn't understand why they wouldn't go into his mouth as easily and his regualr firm 'chip' shaped things. I thought they might be a bit firmer than they were. He liked them but found it quite frustrating to eat although I think eating some messy food is good for him (perhaps just not for me!). He kept getting little bits off his hands then sucking his thumb thinking he had got some food in.

He also had melon for pud and really loved it (and found it much easier to eat). He just munched and munched saying 'mmmmm' all the while and smiling! He loved it!

Hurray!!

Mmmmm pear..
Mmmmm Mmmmm cucumber
Look how clever I am!
Doh! Dropped it.

JJ finally did a poo 9 days after his last one! He certainly made up for it too and had eaten a lot more than I thought!!! (sorry if I've put anyone of their tea!)

Well on the food front he had cucumber, pear and dates for lunch (trying to get things moving!). Once again the dates went down well as did the firm favourite cucumber. I feel a bit more relaxed now so may try something new tomorrow. He was also very good at drinking from his cup (well putting in his mouth anyway!).

We went to visit a friend this afternoon (hi Alison!) and took some cucumber to keep JJ happy but he was more interested in shouting for attention! Typical man!!

Dates, banana and soup!

Yummy soup


What a mess!

JJ tried some dates today (nice big soft ones) and was quite interested by them - he sucked on them until they got lost in his palms! He also had banana again but wasn't too fussed by this. He did really like some bits of crusty bread dipped in my veggie soup though. He was sooooo messy today, he really did rub sticky date and banana hands all over his head and face! I must say though he doesn't seem to throw much on the floor (and what he does gets eaten by our dog who is by far the biggest fan of BLW so far!!)

For those of you who are interested....still no poo!! (well two tiny bits but don't think they count!) Not sure if this is because of the food or not. JJ seems completely normal and not bothered at all, he doesn't seem bloated and is doing plenty of wees. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!

2 new tastes and exciting veg box

JJ tried 2 new foods today although it was unplanned. Firstly he got very cross when I was eating my breakfast so I gave him my toast crust which he really enjoyed so had another! Then I gave him a dried apricot becasue a friend said it might help get things moving down below. He sucked away quite contented and like having the whole thing in his mouth - I was so worried but his dad was very chilled out! He looked so funny and kept smiling with a big orange apricot poking out like a 3rd lip - I wish I had taken a picture. He looked quite puzzled by it but I don't think he ate any.

I was very excited today (sad I know) to recieve my first veg box order. It came nice and early and was full of lovely organic veg. So me and hubby had veggie soup for lunch whilst JJ munched on cauli and broccoli. He went straight for the broccoli but got tired very quickly and just mushed everything up! He was messier than ever but the battery ran out on the camera so no funny pictures (sorry Nanna!). I should learn my lesson and not try to feed him until he has had a nap - but I was starving and I like us to eat together.

If anyone out there can suggest anything for JJ's lack of movement down below please let me know!

Butternut squash

Jacob missed his lunch yesterday as he was fast asleep at lunch time and we were busy in the afternoon. He didn't seem to notice and he doesn't really eat anything anyway so he isn't 'hungry' for dinner as such. Also he has not had much movement down below recently! Nothing for almost a week (well a teeny, tiny bit today) so we thought a day off for his tummy may help. He doesn't seem bothered by it at all so I guess we will just wait and see!

Today he had some roasted butternut squash. He seemed to enjoy it and was very good at picking up the smaller bits and putting them in his mouth. He seemed to roll the bits around in his mouth for longer and kind of chew them whereas in the past he has been so excited he just stuffed things in again and again! He didn't have very much or 'eat' for very long but he enjoyed it. Today was the first time really that he lost interest and just sat and watched us eat - so he definitely knows when he has had enough.

Interesting BBC & Observer articles

Here are a couple of links to an article published by the BBC & one to the Observer which support BLW - worth a read if you are thinking of using this approach or just if you are interested. (Thanks Ben for sending the link!)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6762795.stm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/medicine/story/0,,2104953,00.html

Nothing new but a very happy lunch!

No pictures of lunch today but JJ wanted to say hi......
and show you how good he is at eating anything!




We had a very busy morning today supporting JJ's daddy at a triathlon he was competing in so lunch was very late but Jacob didn't seem to mind! It was also very easy as it was the same as yesterday cauliflower and mango (and a couple of Organix sticks thrown in). He seemed to prefer the cauliflower today - perhaps because it had been in the fridge and was lovely and cool on his gums.


I was very impressed by how his coordination skills have improved over the past few days! He can pick up smaller bits of food that break off now and sometimes get them in his mouth! I also noticed a big difference when I gave him some medicine the other day for his sore gums. Up until weaning he just spat it all straight back out - very messy - but this time he swallowed it straight down - a skill he has obviously recently learnt.


Anyway he seemed to really enjoy his lunch today.

Cauliflower and Mango mania!!

Two new tastes for Jacob today - firstly he had cauliflower and was reasonably impressed (as he should be at £1.55 for a tiny organic one!!). He got the idea of holding the stalks and sucking but once again he squeezed the life out of them before he could eat much. He is getting better at picking up smaller bits that have broken off though, although ends up accidentally sucking his thumb when he tries to get them in his mouth!

Next came the mango - huge success. Definitely his favourite thing so far I would say. I was worried about the slipperiness of them so left a bit of skin on the end, but in actual fact he managed fine and I pulled the skin off as he sometimes got it in his mouth and was worried it would get sucked off. The texture of mangoes is great as they are quite fibrous so withstand a LOT of sucking. He did so well and I resisted eating the other half of mango so he could have some tomorrow (not easy as I love mango and love eating in general - its a good job he only really has veggies and fruit coz I am I the habit of snacking on his left overs!)

A great lunch all round.

Carrot crazy!!

How cute!!
The giant wotsit-like Organix stick, as pointed to by my glamourous assistant.


Had to put this one in coz I know his Nanna will think it's cute! (don't laugh at his boy-boobs!)

Today was carrot day in the form of regular carrot and Organix carrot sticks. Both went down a storm and JJ was orange from head to toe! The Organix sticks (no...not giant wotsits!) were a huge hit - he loved them! He quite enjoyed the real carrots too but they were a bit harder to pick up. He had a bit of a gag today but I stayed calm, he coughed a bit, eyes watered (I could see it at the back of his mouth) I got ready to intervene but I think he swallowed it (it didn't get spat out anyway!) and then he laughed....though it was bloody hilarious! I was impressed with how we both dealt with it really. I have been told and read that the whole gagging thing happens whenever babies eat lumps whether it has been preceded by purees or not so its not just a BLW issue but I hope it doesn't happen too often.





JJ also mastered his new cup today (after about 5 mins of flinging it round his head, sticking it in his eye and generally throwing water everywhere!).





I had such a great time with him today, this BLW lark is so much fun (when Jacob is in the mood!!). He was so cute and he loved every minute. (note to self: must remember to read this when he throws one of my lovely organic creations around the kitchen in disgust...sure to happen soon!)

Potato - regular this time!

Yep.....took a break from the sweet variety and did some roast potato and roast carrot. He loved sucking the carrot but it was a little too hard to actually chew on. Wasn't so impressed with the potatoes (don't know why - they were blimmin gorgeous!) but I think it was more a case of he wasn't in the mood for food - think he's teething. Saying that he did suck some and swallow a bit I think.
He also took a couple of sips of water which he hasn't done before.

Revenge of the sweet potato!

Well - the title says it all. We have had 3 sweet potato nappies before 8 am today!! Is it sad that I was a little excited to see how much he ate! That boy can swallow some pretty big chunks of cucumber too! How do I remain so cheery at such an early start and the prolific poo production I hear you ask......well JJ slept through for only the second time ever last night ....hurrah!

More sweet potato....roasted this time!

I know .....again...... but I bough a bag of them! I am also a bit worried that I am giving JJ too many different things so though I would keep a constant (not sure why really as he seems to love it but hey-ho - I'm always worrying about something!)

Well I roasted them today in a little olive oil and it was much more successful than boiling. They had a sort of skin and that meant they stayed more in one piece and weren't crushed as easily with those chubby little hands which can squeeze very hard when he gets excited! He was able to suck/gum them for longer and enjoyed it immensely (again don't think very much was eaten but I'm pretty sure that's not the point just yet as mummy's milk is giving him all the goodness he needs still). At one point he had some in each hand and was trying to get both in at once! He also had some roasted courgette which he tried very hard with. I think I cut it too thin though and they just bent and flopped all over the place and there is only so far he can contort his neck to try and get it in before giving in and favouring the sweet potato. I may try again soon with bigger chunks.

He makes such a funny face when he actually swallows a bit - kind of like the face I pull when I have to swallow medicine...but he keeps coming back for more. Tomorrow I think I will give the sweet potato a miss and try regular potato.

If any wise BLWers read this could you tell me if you think I am introducing too many foods too quickly or not? Not sure why I have this paranoia but I do!