Food, Glorious Food

Eli has tried several new foods recently. His Cheerios grab-and-eat technique has improved tremendously; yesterday he got four to his mouth successfully. He figured out that if he grabs the Cheerio and places it in his fist, he then has to open his fist in order to make the transfer to his mouth. Smart lad...

I also gave him his first rice cake (go ahead and groan now, but I love 'em). I broke off 1/3 of a plain one I was eating and gave it to him. Much as you'd expect, after five minutes of gumming, the item previously known as a rice cake was a disgusting piece of goo.

Lentils made it onto the menu this week. Eli will eat them, but only because he loves to eat. Even after three days, he still makes a hideous face once he swallows. On a trip to Harry's this afternoon, we were able to sample cantaloupe for the first time. I skewered a piece with a toothpick and offered it to Eli so he could lick/gum/whatever at his leisure while I pushed the cart. Before you call DFACS, I did not give my 8-month old son a toothpick. That was the one time I was thankful for Eli's preference to be lazy and have me hold his food for him as he eats. Otherwise, he would have squished the melon all over his hands, outfit, and hair by the time we finished shopping, much like he did with the Cheerios yesterday.