Baby Bird

First bite!

This girl of mine likes to eat, she always has. We started feeding Isabelle rice cereal just before she turned six months old and boy was she ready. I had been told that many babies need help learning to eat, that they push most of the food out of their mouths. Not Isabelle. It only took one bite and she was hooked. She was looking for that spoonful of mushy goodness, as soon as you took the spoon from her mouth she watched it go back to the bowl and followed it as it would come back to her mouth. She looked like a baby bird.

I have also been surprised to see her continue to eat foods that she clearly does not like. In the beginning when we offered her applesauce she did not like it all. I mean, she really did not like it. She would pucker her little dimpled face and shake her head, but as soon as you reloaded the spoon she would happily open her mouth for more. I should mention that I'm really grateful for this. I know moms who struggle to get their babies to eat and I am thankful that we do not have to coerce Isabelle in any way. It is such a blessing to have a happy, healthy, and plump baby. And of course, she is perfect in every way.

Isabelle, being the little independent soul that she is, loves to feed herself. She has a little silicone food feeder that she has loved using since the beginning and now she enjoys feeding herself sweet potato fries, bananas, avocados, green beans and any other soft food. When I am making dinner and I need to tide her over for a few minutes I give her puffs. I used to think they were disappearing in her lap, clothing or diaper and then I would just forget about them, until this last Sunday when Matthew was holding our very chatty baby during Sacrament meeting. In an attempt to stop the very cute but loud babbling he poured a few puffs into his hand and let Isabelle feed herself. I could not believe how fast this girl was eating them. We really should enter her into some sort of contest because she can put the food away fast.

She also loves to drink water from a cup. She gets excited when she sees your bring a cup toward her and she tries to hold it all by her big girl self. I think it is pretty cute. Especially since the cup makes a clicking sound on her tiny (and sharp!) teeth. Isabelle is now sporting her two bottom teeth and it is adorable. She is also drinking out of sippy cups these days. It is the weirdest thing, yesterday she was a baby and today she is well on her way to being all grown up. I wish she would stay this little forever. 

Don't you just love the dimples in her hands?