Adventures in Pureeing

Mr. Meh started eating solid foods a few weeks ago. First it was rice cereal with breastmilk. The menu then expanded to include sweet potatoes and carrots for a week or so. THey he got some butternut squash. This week cauliflower, peas and bananas were added to the mix.

After trying to figure out what's all that about -- trying to grab the spoon with both hands and put both hands and the spoon in the mouth while reaching for the jar -he really liked the cereal. He was equally crazy about sweet potatoes and carrots.

He likes eating so much that if there is more than a second gap between spoonfulls he gets cranky and demands the food. Taps his little hands on the high chair tray. And when he does that, all I keep picturing in my head is Pink Floyd and "you won't get any pudding...."

But then yesterday when we tried feeding him cauliflower. After two spoon attempts he promptly spit it out. Didn't like it. Later in the day he was served peas. He scarfed them down. The squash was so, so.....I didn't puree it, just mashed it. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Today, he was introduced to a banana. He liked it but not as much as the veggies.

It's so funny to think that such a little being -- only six months old -- has such distinct likes and dislikes.

Pureeing
I guess I'm more granola than I let on. I decided to make and puree all the food more Meh. I'm really enjoying it. I think. I think it's really the idea of pureeing than I enjoy that the actual process, but hey it's only been a few weeks.

I guess it's the extension of breastfeeding. So far I've been exclusively breastfeeding. And now I don't want to let go. I don't want to introduce formula. It someone seems sacrilegous to do so. Although I know that I eventually will have to. I'm slowly losing milk, the pump is doing a number on my nipples, and ultimately it's really distracting to do it twice at work.

So, I've been pureeing food. Sweet potatoes were kind of easy -- difficult to peel and chop (but I knew that from before), but once they're cooked (which takes forever) they are easy to mash.

However, no one told me about carrots. I cooked baby carrots. And cooked them, and cooked them. Finally after 1/2 hour I decided they were done. And the pureeing nightmare started. It took me almost one hour to puree the baby carrots and I still ended up with a few unpureed bits (which I ate. why throw out a perfectly good carrot). Next time I decided to cut the carrots up in small pieces and then boil them.
Maybe that will be this weekend's project.

I first need to boil spinach, broccoli and rutabaga that I bought. So far I couldn't get myself to spend another night batch-pureeing. There are still peas and sweet potatoes and cauliflower to finish up.