Trying to figure this whole parenting thing out.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Week 6 Day 2: Release from pea-jail

I had terrible cramps all day today. I know that's too much information, but it directly impacted my responsibilities and duties as a parent and is, thus, relevant. I gobbled a lot of ibuprofen today. No idea how much, really, which is, I suppose, a problem. But I'll let my liver worry about that. I had a baby to watch/feed/change/put to bed/entertain/keep alive.

It also snowed a hell of a lot today. During one of Gavin's naps I donned a hooded sweatshirt, Stacy's horribly ugly black leather mittens, and snow clogs (yes, they're clogs, but they're warm for snow. My guess is someone who lives in a sunny climate designed them) and shoveled the driveway, sidewalk, walkway, porch and steps. My guess is that by morning it will have made no difference that I even bothered. In any case, we're hoping that Stacy gets a snow day tomorrow and gets to stay home with us.

Also, did I ever mention how cute my son is? Stacy and I often gaze at him dreamily and toss around words like "handsome" and "he's a looker" and "beautiful." It really is amazing how good looking this kid is. We are in love.

I mentioned the food saga yesterday. Today things went rather smoothly. He ate his bananas very well, almost like he liked them. I made him oatmeal today with bananas in the mix, a bequest from Rosemary since he daughter won't eat the stuff. Ordinarily I wouldn't consider "my daughter hates this, want it for your kid?" a very encouraging, but I know that her child is particularly picky and trust the source (meaning Rosemary, the giver of the cereal, not Gerber, the maker of the cereal. I have no real reason to trust Gerber). In any case, Gavin seemed to like it well enough. He opened his mouth for more instead of turning his head away and gazing out the window at the yard as if he wished he was ambulatory so he could run away. This is progress in our house. I admit that I knew before I even poured the banana oatmeal flakes into his bowl that Stacy would no approve of this choice. And I, too, had a moment of conflict about it. After all, this oat-nana cereal had more than just one simple ingredient -- more than just two, in fact, including additives and such, most of which were vitamin fortifications I do believe. But I also was encouraged by Gavin's progress yesterday and wanted to keep the whole "look, this solid food in your high chair thing doesn't completely suck" thing going. And it went really well today, too. Until the peas.

Now, I know I said he hated the peas. But I also know that peas are good for him. And I thought maybe, just maybe, he would be less adverse to them this time. I was very, very wrong. Oh, and did I mention that both Stacy and I tried the peas and agreed they were disgusting? Not disgusting as in rancid of unfit for human consumption, but disgusting as in no one would like the way this tastes. But hey, a lot of babies drink formula and that smells absolutely foul to me and I remember some pretty nasty baby food being fed to my younger brother and sisters back in the day. So. After I'd fed him some cereal, I gave him a spoonful of peas. The reaction was swift and terrible. He made the "I don't like this face," which I expected. But then he made a noise. A noise of strong disapproval and betrayal. You, too, can make this noise or a close approximation. Pretend that you have a spoonful of mashed peas in your mouth that you are trying desperately to not let touch your tongue. Frown, but keep your mouth open. Now, in your lowest register, make an "ahh" sound. Squint your eyes. Now let torrents of green drool forth from your mouth because you a) refuse to swallow and b) refuse to shut your mouth. Keep this up until all of the peas have been expelled or your mom swabs them out herself with your bib.

After the pea incident he didn't quite trust me and became very resistant to the oatmeal. I kept telling him, "I get it. You don't like the peas. No more peas, I promise. This is oatmeal. You like oatmeal. With bananas! You like bananas." Eventually he acquiesced and finished the oatmeal. And then we finished off the tiny jar of banana goo. I rinsed the remaining pea slop down the drain, but I know Stacy has more in the freezer. I will definitely not be the one busting it out.

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