Nom nom nom

Perrin is starting to realize that there's better food out there than the mushy goo he's used to getting. I can't sit down near him with a meal or even a snack without him pulling up on my leg and looking up at me with his sweet baby eyes, begging for a taste. How can I say no? I've let him try my tuna sandwiches, baked beans, fresh fruit, potatoes... pretty much anything that's not a choking hazard or coated in sugar. So far he really hasn't met a grown-up food he doesn't like.

But like all babies, he also tries to eat plenty of inedible things. Today we were at WalMart and I heard him smacking his lips. I looked down, and my grocery list had a big bite taken out of the corner. Unfortunately, that's not the first time he's eaten paper... I've had to learn to keep my magazines out of reach. To me, they're reading material; to Perrin, they're a buffet.

He's also been trying his best to get his hands (and mouth) on one of Molly's rawhide chews. So far I've managed to keep him from getting a taste, but considering how Molly will leave those things tucked away in various hiding spots throughout the house, I'm betting it's only a matter of time before Perrin comes across one.

I wonder when this stage of eating everything will pass. For now, I know that's just how he experiences the world--by tasting it. Too bad we don't live in a Willy Wonka world... I've had that song stuck in my head all day. ("You can even eat the dishes....")

Monkey boy

Now that Perrin is 5 months old, we've decided to start him on a little rice cereal to see how he likes it and to get him used to eating food from a spoon. He tried it for the first time last week and LOVED it. He kept trying to steal the spoon away from me, and when I wouldn't hand it over, he lunged toward the food like he was starving.

Thanks to my mom, who is always trying to sneak him a taste of this or that, we've discovered something he loves even more than rice cereal--bananas. So today as a little treat, instead of giving him rice cereal, I mashed up a bit of banana and thinned it with breast milk. His eyes were wide with excitement after the first bite. If I didn't feed him fast enough, he started whimpering. And oh, the mess... banana paste was everywhere. (How exactly did it wind up on my shoulder??) And when all the banana was gone, he was absolutely livid! He screamed at me as I tried my best to wash him up. I had to go distract him with some toys to get his mind off the banana.

Temper tantrum aside, I'm kind of looking forward to introducing him to some other foods soon. But somehow I don't think he's going to get as excited over green beans.

Rockin' and rollin'... and eatin'

Last week was a big week for Perrin. For one thing, he learned to roll over from his back to his stomach. Now, any time we put him down, it's only a matter of seconds before he rolls onto his tummy. (And then starts crying when he realizes he doesn't like being on his tummy that much). Now if only we could get him to do it on command, then he'd be just about caught up with Molly!

For another thing, I gave Perrin his first ever baby food item. It was a rice husk, and he gobbled it down. He was so cute that when I gave him his second taste of one today, I decided to document it for your viewing pleasure. Assuming your viewing pleasure involves watching my child do something really mundane like eat.

Enjoy! (Or not... I won't make you watch it. I know he's a lot funnier and cuter to me than to anyone else. Except for Trey--he has to watch it. And my mom. Heck, you all do.)