Hello Solids: The Good, The Bad, And The Smelly!

You always hear people warn about diaper-changing time. Dads are notoriously made fun of for nearly passing out at the sight and smell. But I have to be honest: I didn't quite get it... until now.

Up until this point, Gage had just been drinking milk, and the diaper changes weren't bad at all. They were kind of sweet smelling (I know that sounds strange). But then I introduced solids. I'll never forget one of the first diapers I changed after Gage started consuming vegetables. I was at the mall and I could smell something. A kind salesperson just told me I could go into a dressing room and change him. When I opened it up, it was like something I had never seen before. I thought I was going to gag! I used to only need one baby wipe. I used seven this time, and I could have used more.

All I could think was, "I hope he doesn't go again while I'm changing him." How horrible would that be? I'd have to go to the salesperson and say, "I'm sorry, but you might want to avoid that dressing room, and by the way, do you have any air freshener?" I now understand what all the fuss is about. I just wish I would have savored the time when the diapers weren't all that bad!

So I introduced solids, starting with rice cereal, then oatmeal (which he loves), and then vegetables. I started with avocado (which he hated), sweet potatoes, zucchini, and peas. I've been making my own which is actually easier than I thought it would be. I just steam it, then puree it, and freeze the leftovers. The latest vegetable I tried was carrots and the reaction I got was priceless. It brought Gage to tears! I included a video of that. I ended up feeding him rice cereal and then tried the carrots again and he seemed to like them much better the second time around.

Time To Baby Proof

I think the time has come to start baby proofing the home. The ceramic rooster perched upon a tiny table in the hallway will be the first to go. I'm afraid if I don't move it, Gage will! He's not crawling yet, but rather leaping. He moves his knees, but he's not quite sure yet what to do with his arms, so he leaps forward! He can get wherever he wants to go, though. He's sitting right now, but still needs his arms down to steady him. And he's doing well about sleeping through the night - woo hoo!