Yay Daddy!

Pete has not bottle-fed Ethan for quite some time now. He used to do it when Ethan was much younger, but at home I nurse Ethan direct, so we hardly ever give him the bottle.

Yesterday evening, there was some EBM left over from the sitter's place when we took Ethan back, so Daddy was eager to feed Ethan the rest... and the clever little fella finished every single drop!

I remember when Ethan was a few months' old, I had to hide myself sometimes when he was bottle-fed. In fact, I didn't feed him the bottle myself until he was like 5 or 6 months' old! By and by as he grew older, he willingly took the bottle from me and from Pete too. But you know, we never have to worry that he is overfed, cos he will know how to push the bottle away when he is full.

A Voracious Appetite

Since starting off on solids when he was 6.5 months, Ethan has been taking all sorts of yummy food. But food which is only approved my Mommy and Daddy.

So far he has been enjoying:

Carbohydrates
Red rice, white rice, millet, wheat, oats

Vegetables
Spinach, carrots, pumpkin, potatoes

Fruits
Pears, apples, prunes, papaya, bananas

Protein
Chicken, and just last weekend, I introduced him to fish.

White pomfret, to be exact. And I am a proud momma to announce that my boy ABSOLUTELY loves it! It was a real joy to feed him his fish porridge. He would open his mouth WIDE in anticipation of the food, take in his mouthful of porridge happily and then clap his hands with GLEE after each mouthful!!! -- and then start banging the table for more!!

Recipe for Happy Fish Porridge
Ingredients:
Red rice
White rice
Millet
Red dates (for flavor)
Steamed white pomfret
Steamed carrots (can also substitute with pumpkin, potato, ad lib)
Unlimited amount of LOVE

Method:
Cook rice, millet and red dates into porridge consistency. Mash white pomfret meat and add into porridge together with carrots or other vegetables. Serve lukewarm with LOVE to happy baby.

Thank God for rusks!

Today I introduced teething rusks to Ethan. Since rusks contain wheat, we only waited till he was 8 months + (which is now) to introduce this complementary food. Upon the recommendation of a friend, I bought Heinz teething rusks, which are supposedly less brittle.

Our boy took a liking to the longish rusks immediately! He sucked and nibbled on it, like his life depended on it! And when I took it away from him, he bawled like a …. well…. a baby! I tried a chip of it after that: it is really quite hard, and had no taste whatsoever.

So today while we had our dim sum brunch, we gave him another rusk to occupy himself while we ate. Normally, Ethan, being an active babe (and a demanding one at that too!), would not be able to sit still throughout our entire meal at a restaurant. But today, he had a teething RUSK… so while he busied himself with it, we had a nice non-carrying-baby brunch. Hallelujah to the rusk – definitely a great invention!

New toy for boy

The very canggih Fisher Price high chair we ordered from the States finally arrived. It is supposedly highly recommended for feeding, as it will keep baby entertained while mommy is fixing his meal. On top of that, it emits 6 songs and cheerful sounds! It also comes with teether toys attached; toys that would not dropped even if baby hurls them. What more could a baby ask for?

Well, Pete wasted no time in setting up the chair, despite the numerous components it comprises. Pete always has a knack in fixing things up, and he loves doing so.

Anyway, after the chair was ready for its opening ceremony, we put Ethan in it. He seemed a little confused though, as he was used to the sleek and simple Ikea high chair we also have (and plan to pass to the baby sitter). This Fisher Price one was a different story altogether! It was BEEEEEEEG, albeit a little on the ugly side, but it is functional. It has cushioned seats, so when our boy jerks his head backward *sometimes*, he would not hurt his head. Heh.

We showed him the toys the chair came with, and soon enough, he was playing happily with them. Ermmmm......Playing here means chomping and sucking on them toys...just in case you were wondering.

Me and my Ikea high chair

Huh?...what's this Daddy? A new toy you fixed for me?

Hey...I'm getting the hang of this! This chair is pretty darn cool!

Okay Mommy...now I'm ready for my meal. Feed me NOW!!

Bland Cereal and Milk

Six full months of drinking breast milk only has earned Ethan the right to move on to solid food. On the menu today, I prepared rice cereal mixed with expressed breast milk, stirred to a runny consistency. We put him in his yellow Bumbo seat, got him garbed in a bib, had a hanky ready and proceeded to feed him.

The first mouthful was met with a sour look and a "What's that you are feeding me, Mommy?" expression.

Most of the cereal dribbled out the corner of his mouth though. He then grabbed the feeding spoon and began to play with it. Of course, we were hoping he would feed himself la.... hehehe... no such luck as he only used the spoon to hit the Bumbo seat and tried to chew on it.

All in all, a successful first attempt and I am not complaining. Six months of exclusive breastfeeding also earned Mommy a "present": a slice of yummy apple crumble cheese cake :)