Hey Good Lookin', What You Got Cookin'?

I was finally forced to admit last night that the time had come to introduce Maggie to the wider world of eating. She has been waking up at night to nurse more frequently, and while her general robust and roly poly health suggests that she is not exactly starving, I am not sure that my body can keep up with her demands for much longer. In addition, she has been eyeing Ian and I with increasing interest when we eat. And so, with a tiny lump in my throat, I made Maggie some rice cereal.

Maggie was very receptive to her first bite, and sucked on my cereal-covered finger with enthusiasm.

When she tried to swallow, though, she ran into some obstacles. She gagged a little on the new texture.

And then, blaming both me and the cereal, she was less excited about subsequent bites.

I don't know how much food she actually ate, but I think we managed to get a bite or two to stay in there. Max watched anxiously from the sidelines, advising me, "Clean Maggie, Mama. She needs a cloth! She's making a mess!" He was right, too.

I have had many people express surprise over my reluctance to give up nursing. It must be hard to juggle nursing times when you have two of them. If the baby eats or takes a bottle, you won't be so tied down. Once she starts getting those teeth, you'll regret not weaning sooner. All true. Maggie's babyhood is just going by so very quickly. Part of me would like her to just stay a tiny pink newborn for a little longer. And, on a more pragmatic note, babies who eat solid foods make more laundry, more dirty dishes, and poop that is smellier and grosser.