Finger Foods Already?

I thought I was hard to keep up with!  Goodness!  Evelyn has really enjoyed the teething biscuits we bought for her.  I realized that she likes to feed herself and she has continued to try to take the spoon from me and chew on it.  So we looked up requirements for starting finger foods.  Most websites recommend starting them at 8-9 months but since Evelyn has been ahead so far, I wanted to see what made the ideal time 8-9 months.  Turns out,  Wholesome Baby Food has a great guide to feeding infants.  Evelyn has both the pincher ability (gripping between pointer finger and thumb) and she chews really well.  So we decided to try some chunkier baby food. 

Voila!  Carrots and pees that have been mildly blended so it includes chunks of food.  The carrots and peas have both been steamed so they are mushy.

Tasty right? 

Ok, it looks absolutely disgusting, but orange and green blended together turns out icky.  Evelyn liked it though!

So we tried something even more awesome today!  WHOLE PEAS!  That’s right!  She ate whole steamed peas!  I set them on her tray and she would pick them up and try really hard (and sometimes successfully) to put them in her mouth.  Then she chewed them up and swallowed.  Also, notice her incredible balancing skills with that pea.

It’s incredible to watch her feed herself.  There are so many moments that I look at her and when she smiles I tear up with pride.  I’m unbelievably proud of this little girl.  She is beautiful and happy and constantly progressing at her own pace.  I am trusting her to tell me when she is ready for things and I am trusting myself as a mother to listen to her.

I worry a lot about being a good mom.  Sure, I have helped raise children, but this is different for me because I am writing my own instructions instead of following someone else’s.  Every time she smiles at me or crawls to me or giggles, I feel like she’s saying “Good Job Mom!” and I feel relieved.