Chowing down...Torin, not me!

At Torin's 9 month check up, the pediatrician told us that we didn't need to feed Torin baby food any more...that we should be feeding him what we're eating. That kind of rocked my world because I felt like we were in a groove and we had to change everything.

So, we went home and decided we would try to give him some scrambled egg yolk (he's not supposed to have egg whites until he's a year old). He ate a couple of bites and proceeded to throw up in his high chair. I felt so bad. And I thought that maybe the egg yolk was too rich for him.

The next night we tried some macaroni and cheese and he threw up again. It was so sad. And I decided that he just wasn't ready. He didn't like the pieces of food.

So, we kind of went back to what we had been doing and tried to give him some chunkier baby food. Over the past couple of months he's been doing better with the chunkier food and so we decided since he was nearing the year mark (holy cow!) that we should be working on this more.

So, last Wednesday I gave him so chicken...he scarfed it down. He had chicken the next night too. And then...drum roll please! Last Friday, he ate some steak and green beans. He loved it! Of course the pieces were small, but he ate a bunch and was so happy!

On Monday, I gave him some banana for lunch and tonight he had some waffle for dinner. What a big boy! I can't believe it.

Have been feeling lately like I should be using my blog to document this kind of stuff so I don't forget it. Hence, this post recapping recent food issues. If anyone is reading this, great. If not, that's okay because it's really for me!

How do single parents do it?

This question has been on my mind all week as Chris has been in Trinidad on a missions trip. I knew it would be difficult but now that there's just a few hours until Chris gets back, I'm taking a few minutes to reflect on the week.

I am so blessed to have Torin as my son. He's such a good boy and I love him so much. But this was a tough week. It's hard to be on 24/7...every feeding, every diaper change, every everything. I know there were times this week that I lost my patience and I feel guilty for that...it's not Torin's fault. And as I sit here now and watch him sleep, I am overwhelmed with love for him. And I know he will be so excited to see his daddy in the morning.

I know now that I can survive a week like this, even though I don't like it. But what I don't know is how single parents manage...all the time. It's so tiring. I am blessed and thankful that I have a great husband who is coming home to resume the daddy role.

And I think I'm booking a massage!

Updates...

Taking a few minutes to relax while Torin is napping and thought I should document a few things before I forget.

Almost 2 weeks ago, on May 25, Torin started saying dada. He says it all the time. I keep trying to get him to say mama but so far, nothing. ;-)

On that same day, he also started gargling. Whenever he's laying down and the saliva gathers in the back of his mouth (he has a lot of saliva!) he gargles. It's very cute!

He's got 2 teeth that are almost all the way in now...so cute.

And here's what he's eating now:

• rice cereal
• green beans
• peas
• carrots
• bananas
• apples
• pears

I think pears are his fave!

We also started giving him some puffs so he can practice picking up food and chewing. It's really funny to watch him. He can't pick them up yet but he tries really hard. And they get all stuck to his hands because his hands are wet with all the drool. When you put one in his mouth, he really doesn't know what to do with it.

New pictures...

Just felt the need to take some pictures of Torin today...and, of course, they are way cute.

Chewing on his teething ring...working in that first tooth!

Can you even stand the smile?

Need I say anything at all?

A day of firsts...

Torin experienced some firsts today and I experienced one myself.

Chris took Torin to Union Station this morning for National Train Day and I was at home alone. It was a very strange feeling. I haven't been home alone since Torin was born. It was kind of a nice feeling to be able to take a shower and get ready without having to worry about Torin. Although he's such a good baby that I can't complain.

I met Chris and Torin at Ebenezers and we headed over to Garfield Park for Hazel's birthday party...she's 1! This was Torin's first birthday party and he looked really cute!

Torin looking super cute!

Torin and Hazel.

Torin putting the baby moves on Hazel.

Trying to get a picture of all the kids at the party...not so easy.

Violet and Torin...he digs the older chicks.

After a fun time at the party and a nice long afternoon nap, it was time for Torin to try his next food...avocado.

We think the jury's still out on this one!

He also drank water for the first time. Not a huge deal, but still a first!

Survey says...

Will Torin like carrots?

Survey says...


I think I read somewhere that it may take as many as 20+ times before you can really tell whether or not your baby likes a particular food. So, I won't venture to say that he doesn't like carrots, but he certainly didn't enjoy the experience today. There's always tomorrow!

Crazy little sleeper...

Torin has turned into a crazy little sleeper. He spins, turns, rolls and never stays in the same place. Found him one evening like this and couldn't help but take a few pictures.

Torin's new high chair...

We bought Torin a high chair today. We've been feeding him in a Bumbo seat and while the chair is great for him to sit in, it's not been ideal to use for feeding him.

So, tonight's feeding in his new chair was great! Here are a few pictures. Has there ever been a cuter baby boy?

Peas...

Today was our first attempt to give Torin veggies. I had made some homemade pureed peas earlier this week. So after his 1 o'clock feeding, we sat him in his Bumbo seat and loaded up his spoon with a little of the peas. Have to say that he was not a fan. I think I got 3 small bites in his mouth, but I'm fairly certain everything came right back out.

After we decided to abandon the effort, I tried the peas. The flavor was good but I think part of his bad reaction was to the texture of the puree. There were small pieces of the skin of the peas and they kind of got stuck to your tongue. Torin kept making this sound with his throat so I don't think he liked that part of it.

The good news is that the doctor said you don't have to wait 4 days between new foods...only 24 hours. So maybe tomorrow we'll try the carrots I made today.

More fun to come!

Torin is six months old today...

I can't believe that 6 months ago today, Torin was born. While the first few weeks were hard and seemed to last forever, the entire 6 months flew by. If life continues at this speed, he'll be an adult in the blink of an eye.

We are blessed with such an awesome son. Words cannot express how much I love him.

Here are a few new pictures from today. (The ones in his crib are from this morning and his eye is a little swollen from sleeping!)

Eating cereal...

We started Torin on rice cereal at the beginning of April. Thought I'd share a couple of very cute pictures!

It's not raining!

I was ecstatic to wake up and see the sunshine today...especially since today is my day off with Torin. We decided it would be fun to get some fresh air and pay daddy a visit at the office. So we got all dressed up and took a stroll down F Street. We visited daddy at the office for a little bit and then headed home so Torin could take a nap.

I was downstairs eating some lunch and going through some e-mails when I decided to check out the video monitor because he was a little fussy. I was totally surprised to see him on his tummy! It's the first time (that I know of) that he's rolled from his back to his tummy all by himself. Yay for Torin! Now he just needs to take a nap. ;-)