Breakfast

Breakfast, originally uploaded by hannahcooks.

I am now cooking for a six month old, which is different than cooking for adults. For one, I have never before served anyone a meal that I then had to wipe out of their nose. Nathan likes to grab the spoon and help shovel the food in, and then lick all the food that gets on his hands off, but inevitably food gets everywhere else, too. My mother said she used to distract us with toys and sneak the food in, but for now I am fine with the mess if it helps Nathan learn about eating.

Other things I have learned:
-babies need things pureed much more than adults do. (Duh, I know.) I first served peas to Nathan pureed the way Jeff and I eat them- which is between mushy peas and a full on puree- and that was way too much pea for him. Also, the food processor purees way better than the blender.

-babies need things cooked way more than adults do, in order to puree well. Carrots should be beyond fork-tender.

-if you give a baby hummus, you will no longer be able to snack on hummus in front of the baby without sharing.

-Keep the bowl of food well out of the baby's reach at all times. Assume the baby can reach about five times as far as you initially think they can.

-Someday they will have a Jetsons style washing machine for the home, where you just put the whole highchair through, baby and all, like a carwash, and I want to get in on the ground floor of that invention.