It's not only the Haagen Dazs Mac Nut flavor that makes it sweet, but more than that is the rare sight of a dad-and-son tandem sharing in one ice cream, and both are eagerly scooping for a tasteful crunch. What more, Dadi's the one using Luke's baby spoon, and Luke's the ordinary one.
Isn't it lovely seeing them eat together, sharing...
But wait! How about Mami? Oh, no problem. She munched a whole cup after taking this shot. ;)
Still remember how to eat Marie? This time, it's the chicken nugget! ;)
At first bite...
Hmm, can't seem to taste it.
Here, wanna have some? Try to taste it for yourself.
I'll take a second bite. Maybe I'd be able to tell the taste this time.
No, I need a third one.
And, another one.
Maybe, the heavens will help me find out what's this nugget tastes like?
Sorry guys. Can't really tell if this nugget is pretty good to eat. I'll try again next time. ;)
Hey, little boy! Your nuggets are already scattered on your disposable bib. Now, that is the reason why you can't seem to like it, or even taste it. ;)
Hmmm, the picture speaks for itself. I've got nothing more to say but ... this little fellow is truly extraordinaire. ;)
Lying on the floor while eating??? Hmm, that's something unique for this toddler, eh. Luke has his own set of kubyertos mainly comprised of his teaspoon and a nonbreakable plate with some rice and ulam in it. The whole kitchen floor is his table, and all other things you see in his table are just playing accessories. Luke manages to scoop some rice with his teaspoon -- but upsidedown. What happens next is very obvious. Nine of out ten scoops fall directly on the floor thus decorating the floor with the sticky steamed ricebits.
Good thing I [try to] keep our floor always clean. Luke stiil wants to get those fallen ricebits and put it into his mouth.
Sometimes, he eats in the room, but that doesn't make the mess a little less than usual. Just imagine if we're eating 3x a day, then I have to clean all these clutter 3x too. Add up the snackstime where biscuits are scattered around. Somehow, I've already gotten used to it, and don't mind anymore.
And, oh, this is how Luke drinks water from his straw-top training cup. He doesn't use his hands to hold the cup. Instead, he puts the cup on the floor, and lowers his head and sip from the straw with his hands on the floor. Then, he spits out 90% of it on the floor.
Now, can you picture out how we manage to have three good meals in a day despite these mishmash-es all around?
As a mother, how I wish my son would somehow imitate Pooh's non-stop cravings for a smackerel of honey. No, it's not the honey, but the attitude for eating.
Luke is so picky when it comes to solids. In the entire journey to solid feeding, which started when he was about 6.5 months old, I don't remember him finishing a small jar of pre-mixed solids in one eating. There is always left over, not to mention those bits scattered either on his shirt or on the floor. Home-cooked veggies follow the same pattern. More often, half of these are just thrown away. Or, if it is still possible, I used them instead for cooking our own food.
Luke now can eat cooked whole grain rice, but again, he eats less. Lesser than he is supposed to have. Aside from this, he wants to have a variety of foods in a single meal. Call it a little of everything -- a spoonful or two of rice with a very small portion of mashed potato or carrot, about half of a fresh senyorita banana, 1 or 2 pieces of biscuits/crackers.
Sometimes, I envy my mother-friends when I see them feeding their kids with ease and comfort. No tantrums, no throwing of foods, no playing while eating. A 9-month-old baby girl of one of my friends can finish a large jar of a mashed sweet potato, but my 1-year-old son could hardly finish half of a small one. *sigh*
Luke, though, still heavily drinks formula consuming about 7-8 bottles of 160ml each for a day. I hope this compensates for the lack of nutrients he is supposed to get from solid feeding.
Next to his rashes, which show some improvement lately, I wish for Luke to have a veeeery good appetite to the foods he needs to take. He can't -- and shouldn't --depend on milk alone.
Oh, I long for the time when I don't have to wash and sterilise tons of bottles every now and then. When will that be? Tomorrow, I guess.
Marie, for the sake of our friends who are not so familiar with it, is an all-time favorite biscuit for kids like Luke. Having two pieces of it a day is already a good way to ease the "rumbly in your tummy." It also helps practise biting/chewing skills for li'l ones, and is not a choking hazard as it easily melts in the mouth. Not tasty either, to blend with the bland solids he's having at this stage.
Having said that, eating it with "grace" thus makes it tasteful, and a thing you'd always want to nibble. Here's Luke's yummy way of eating Marie.
First, take a careful look at it as if trying to memorize every crumb of it, or probably calculating how big/small a bite you should take.
Then, slowly motion towards your hungry mouth, and make that delightful bite with your eyes closed. In this way, you'll surely feel to your innermost part the heavenly taste of Marie. Yum, yum, yum ...
Wanna have some? Try it, and savor its unique taste. Sad to say, my supply is almost running out, so you just go and buy one for yourself, okay?
