High chair

A Little Milk Makes Maddie Batty

Posted on July 27, 2012 Updated on July 27, 2012

They say milk does a body good – but how it impacts Maddie is still up for debate. Maddie was ripping through a big dinner tonight when we decided to give the old milk bottle another try. To say she liked would be a terrible understatement.

As soon as Maddie started drinking, she was all amped up and feeling good. So good in fact, that she kept swinging the sippy cup around her head between sips. This of course led to a forecast of heavy milk rain for the wooden floor with a smattering honeydew melon pieces.

As I bent down with a paper towel, I got a little conk on the head with the sippy cup. Next thing I know I feel milk misting over my scalp. I looked up to see Maddie laughing maniacally as she sprinkled my head with milk. I’m sure I wasn’t supposed to laugh, but the baby was so pleased with herself that I joined in on her raucous laughter.

Rather than take the milk away from her, I took shelter under the high chair and gave her toes a few well-placed bites. Now Maddie was practically beside herself with laughter. We kept up with our hunger games for a few more minutes before resuming our normal mealtime.

For a girl that turns one-year-old this weekend, Maddie already is exhibiting a seriously well-developed and advanced sense of humor.

This entry was posted in Baby, Child Development, Eating Habits, Family, Family Dinner, milk, Parenting and tagged baby, Children, eating habits, family, family dinner, High chair, Milk, Parenting, parents, raising children.

Rolling Baby Racking up the Miles

Posted on May 9, 2012 Updated on May 9, 2012

IMG-20120508-00189 — My skills continue to impress

So Maddie is rolling now. This is not a metaphor, my 9-month-old daughter spent the entire morning rolling all over the living room. She can roll left or right, onto her stomach or onto her back. And although its true that a rolling baby gathers no moss, it is a parental workout of epic proportions. Cue “Rollin” by Lymp Bizkit!

The biggest pitfall of baby rolling is that she is not equipped with a crash helmet and therefore her melon is susceptible to injury. So while Maddie rolls along the floor, I’m running (actually rolling) interference to make sure the princess is safe.

Despite my safety concerns, Maddie was also able to charm me into submission despite her antics. I smiled at her from more than six feet away which prompted an attempted a visit. It took Maddie about three rolls to cover the distance and very quickly she was at my feet. I was most impressed and she could tell.

Maddie is also very pleased with her new skill and is determined to perfect it through multiple repetitions. I tried to take Maddie outside for a break, but that didn’t go over well. She complained the whole time because she actually wanted to get back in and go to work.

I think it would be a little easier to deal with if she were crawling instead. So after working on some more commando rolls, I put the baby in the highchair for a little lunch.

She snacked very lightly and was pretty grumpy. Before I knew it, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she had fallen asleep in the high chair. This has never happened before, but she’s also never spent the morning circumventing the living room one flip at a time.

I gently lifted her out of the chair and made a beeline for the crib. She was asleep within seconds and her dad was completely wiped out. Now its a wait and see game to see if Maddie will eventually get bored with all of this rolling or if she is determined to roll right over her dad.

This entry was posted in Child Development, Children, Crawling, Family, Parenting and tagged baby, child development, Children, family, High chair, Parenting, parents, roll over.

Baby Showcases Eating Prowess at Sunday Brunch

Posted on March 12, 2012 Updated on March 12, 2012

asp — Keep setting them up, I'll keep knocking 'em down!

Maddie put on an eating display for the ages at brunch this afternoon. My little girl was definitely in her element because she had plenty of food options coupled with a large audience. Once we propped her up in the high chair she gave us that smile that said, “Let the games begin!”

Cantaloupe, asparagus and melon, oh my!

First we started Maddie off with the honey melon. She dug in those talons, jammed the fruit in her mouth and went to work. We always make sure the pieces are too big so she can’t choke. It’s a great spectator sport because whatever the food happens to be, she goes at it full force.

Despite her ferocious eating habits, people kept stopping by the table to greet Maddie and tell her how cute she was. Complete strangers would give her a big smile, make various forms of goo-goo eyes at her and engage her in some baby small talk. Let’s just say that Maddie ate up all the attention just like she was killing that melon.

download-1 — A girl has to eat, am I right?

To keep the good times rolling, we had to keep a large supply of fruit close by. When it comes to Maddie, the food casualties mount up quickly. Some pieces are fumbled onto the table or floor while others are used as a tool to scrub nearby furniture. These tainted pieces are quickly removed and recycled before Maddie has the chance to really experience the wonderful world of foodborne illnesses.

After Maddie made her way through a small plate of melon, we switched to the cantaloupe. This orange mushy fruit was a big hit with our little girl. She used her gnashing gums and two bottom teeth to inflict as much damage as possible. After a few more pieces of fruit, Dad broke out his secret stash of asparagus sticks.

We broke one in half and of course Maddie tried to impale herself with it. But after a littler experimentation, she was tearing that thing up too. The visitors kept on coming and the baby wowed each and every one them. The only question left was what will Maddie do for an encore?

This entry was posted in Family, Feeding Time, Parenting, real food and tagged Asparagus, baby, eating, extreme eating, family, family dinner, Food, Fruits and Vegetables, High chair, Parenting, real food.