real food
Maddie Baits and Switches Her Grandpa
Even when she’s chowing down, Maddie is unable to curb her mischievous nature. Proof of this surfaced yet again during lunchtime with the grandparents.
As usual, Maddie was enjoying various samples from around the table. However, her favorite food during this lunch period was definitely spaghetti. Spaghetti is awesome because of its amazing gaming potential.
Maddie made sure to catch her grandfather’s eye as she was making a lasso with a small string of my pasta. She very sweetly held out her hand to grandpa offering to share some of that delicious spaghetti with him. Touched by the gesture, he gently reached out to accept her tender offering.
As soon as his hand was about six inches away, she snatched the pasta away and slammed it into her mouth. Then she made small grunting noises as she feasted on not just the food, but also her victory. The whole table erupted into laughter as Maddie chomped on her false offering.
Encouraged by the raucous laughter, this game included about three more rounds as her grandfather was also an eager participant. Once again, that stunning little personality is growing into a true force of nature.
Baby Captures Her First Pigeon
I tried to explain the catch and release policy to Maddie regarding the trapping of city pigeons, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. We were in the city park today when a bold pigeon ventured a little too close to Maddie and her treasured bagel. My 10-month-old bundle of joy shot out of the crib snatching the unsuspecting bird straight out of the air.
The poor flying rat never stood a chance. We wrapped him up and took it home for a little impromptu lunch. This is when I remembered that I had some fantastic duck waiting for us in the refrigerator. It was sure to be more tender than the pigeon and perhaps not quite as gamey.
What I didn’t anticipate is how much Maddie would enjoy this new type of meat. I gave her a drumstick to work over and she was hooked. As soon as she jammed the bone into her mouth, her mighty jaws snapped it cleanly in half. She was quite content to gnaw on Daffy’s remains until all the meat was gone from the shredded bird.
As Maddie’s appetite ramps up, so does her enthusiasm for eating. She hasn’t gained any weight in nearly a month, but she seems to be getting taller by the day. Her propensity for immersing herself into the middle of mischief is quickly becoming the stuff legends are made of.
Mommy Joins Maddie for Lightning Lunch Break
After getting a bit of rest, Maddie was in search of a little action for her lunch break on Friday afternoon. And as luck would have it, her mom had just enough time to squeeze in lunch with the family. We met at a local spot called the Liberty House with amazing views of Lower Manhattan. At this point, even Maddie seemed impressed.
That is until we sat down. I don’t know if her seat had electricity coursing through it, but she instantly started thrashing around like there were ants in her pants. I whipped out a dried plum just in time to calm the savage beast – but it was obvious that Maddie was a little too pumped up. We had to stay on top of her before she was able to put together a special shock and awe campaign for her fellow diners.
We used a variety of Jedi Mind Tricks including food and entertainment to keep the baby in a civil frame of mind. Much to our surprise, things were shaping up very nicely. The food came out fast, but Maddie’s patience had finally run out. Just as her meltdown was taking shape, the server saved our skin with a box of crayons.
We took the crayons through our normal progression of keeping Maddie’s interest for as long as possible. First we helped her examine the box before releasing the crayons inside. Maddie seemed interested in the coloring aspect for a while, but soon lost interest and was ready to start chomping on them.
The baby took great offense when she realized that she would be allowed to eat the crayons and it obvious that it was time wrap things up. We thanked the waiter, called for the check and started giving Maddie a quick tour of the grounds. Even though it was brief lunch, we all had a great time and can’t wait to do it again.
Baby’s Shopping Spit Up Challenge
struck!
The Many Faces of Mashed Potatoes
It was with great pleasure today to finally introduce Maddie to one of life’s great pleasures – The amazing world of mashed potatoes.
If there is a better food out there, I am unfamiliar with it. So after a day fraught with bagel pieces, water melon and strained prunes, Maddie deserved a real treat.
We all sat down for a nice dinner. The baby started off with strawberries, as mom and dad were ready for meat and mashed potatoes. I was about to sit down when Maddie’s mom suggested that maybe it was time to share some mashed magic with the baby.
What an idea – but I wondered, would Maddie embrace “squished taters” like her dad? This has been my favorite food since I can remember and it’s always been a private joke in my family.
So how would the baby react to her first taste of mashed gold? I reverently placed a small portion on Maddie’s tray. She eyed it suspiciously at first, but then reached out and grabbed a handful. She worked the strange mixture between her fingers getting a good feel for it. Just as we were wondering if she would ever bother to taste it, she jammed some into her mouth.
Then two things happened, she smiled at the taste but was confused by the consistency. Maddie continued to work that mouthful of potatoes, trying to decide if the taste was worth the work. Two helpings later, Maddie was ready to join a long list of nationwide mashed potato lovers! Welcome to the club Maddie!
Breakfast Morphs into Undercover Body Art Project
As I have stated in the past, Maddie is a spectacular eating machine. She has mastered a wide variety of foods across the eating spectrum. She tears into each bite with an unbridled exuberance that is difficult to properly describe. But there are days when her eating is just for show.
These are the dog days of eating when you don’t discover that the baby wasn’t actually eating until you lift her up. It turns out that our 40-minute eating session this morning was nothing but a mirage. Maddie the illusionist seemingly destroyed multiple chunks of banana, watermelon and bagels. I was sitting right there in front of her watching her place the chunks into her mouth and go to work.
I noticed a few pieces fall by the wayside down into the depths of her lap, but didn’t really give it a second thought. Sometimes there is a little collection of chewed food to pick through after Maddie has been sprung from her chair. I expected some cleanup after our meal today, but I was not prepared for the power and the glory of what Maddie had compiled today.
I removed the high chair table and stopped dead in my tracks. Maddie’s bare legs were camouflaged in this morning’s full array of breakfast. From the waste down, it appeared as if Maddie’s legs were made of fruit and bread. It was like a three layer baby bean dip with exotic watermelon pinks on top, creamy banana in the middle and a flaky crust of wet bagel dough as a base covering her skin.
The watermelon pieces were all chewed down to about the size of raisins and the bananas looked to be straight out of a blender. The bagel doe was not as refined as the rest of the dish, but it was still most impressive. What strikes me is that this was all somehow put together while I sat right in front her while her hands were placed on top of the table.
When I lifted Maddie out of the chair, even more ingredients began spilling out from hidden places all over the floor. It dawned on me that I never got to taste this baby dip, but the grades are in. Maddie scored high marks for execution and presentation and an “A+” for stealth and sneakiness.
Baby Blurs the Line Between Oatmeal and Hair Gel
As we experiment with more and more foods for Maddie, the feeding process changes a little bit each time. We are now beginning each morning with a variety of three foods for the baby to work on.
This morning we introduced Maddie to the world a watermelon and what an introduction it was. The first bite was met with shock and surprise. But after a few seconds, Maddie realized she had a new favorite.
However, she had a very difficult time wrapping her mind around the fact that with each bite, she would get a new splash of flavored water. After making sure she got her fill of melon, bananas and strawberries it was finally time for the main course.
Maddie ripped into her oatmeal with a vengeance seemingly savoring each bite. We were about half way through the bowl when Maddie came up with what I can only describe as an oatmeal epiphany.
I didn’t notice at first, but Maddie had stored the last few bites of oatmeal in her mouth. This is when I decided that mealtime was over. I would let Maddie work on her large mouthful of magic and then clean her up for playtime.
That’s when Maddie pulled the trigger. She scooped a heaping portion of oatmeal out of her mouth and started massaging her scalp with it. There was really nothing to be done but watch and enjoy the show.
She made sure the clumps were mixed well inside of her hair before she put her hands at her side to gauge my reaction. I just smiled at her and began the arduous clean up process. Normally this would warrant a bath, but I just wiped her head down with a wet paper towel and let her ride out the day with the SLICK look. I can hardly wait to see what she does with the new salmon baby packets we bought.
Maddie Becomes the Finder of Lost Flapjacks
As my 8-month-old daughter Maddie continues to reject stage 3 baby food – her appetite for the real deal is quickly growing out of control.
This morning as the sun was coming up, we had cakes on the griddle – and business was a boomin! I kept setting up the mini-pancakes and Maddie kept knocking them down!
- I’d pluck the fluffy disc off of the stove
- Maddie’s mom would tear the cake in half
- And Maddie would bring the magic
By magic I mean that my little girl seizes the tiny cake in her paw, crushes it into a ball and slams it into those gaping jaws. Holy cow lady, “Take Human Bites!”
Just to slow her down on the fun cakes, we tried to mix things up with some strawberries, but Maddie barely skipped a beat! She has a new favorite and wanted to make sure she got her fill.
What’s makes this pancake pandemonium even more remarkable is that this was just round one. Just a few hours later at brunch, Maddie put on second eating display more prolific than her morning performance.
We met our friends Michelle and Dan for a brunch to remember. Maddie quickly situated herself onto Michelle’s lap and then went right to work. She tore into a myriad of foods with an unbridled enthusiasm that must be seen to be believed.
The baby conquered the cantaloupe, beheaded the berries and even downed a decent sized portion of sweet potato fries. It was a true festival of the foods and Maddie was more than happy to take center stage. Even after the meal, Maddie made it a point to chew on Michelle’s necklace a little bit to make sure that no morsel was left behind.
Stay Home PaPa 