Adam's appetite

We have been venturing into the world of solid foods for Adam for a month and a half now. I am happy to report that the second attempt of the avocado was much more successful and he ate it with no problem. (For those moms out there I recommend thinning it out greatly.) So far he has tried:

• bananas
• peaches
• pears
• papaya
• mango
• avocado
• sweet potato
• winter squash
• peas
• green beans
• carrots
• rice cereal
• prunes (whoa, the diapers!)
• yogurt (blueberry - his favorite)
• oatmeal (he does NOT like)
• watermelon (not sure about yet)
• Cheerios (still working on this)

So far he has proven himself a good eater and, with the exception of the oatmeal, eats everything we give him. This has been educational for me, too, as these are some foods I have never purchased before. I failed on my first attempt at buying a mango... word of advice, do not buy completely green mangoes; they will not ripen.

Last weekend Michael and I had our first attempt at preparing our own baby foods. It was so simple and a huge money saver. We used the 'cube method' where we steamed and pureed the foods, filled ice cube trays, wrapped them and froze them. Once frozen we moved the foods from the trays into snack bags. We now have a freezer filled with green beans, sweet potato, carrots, and papaya, and it's as simple as thawing a cube for one serving. We also freeze full bananas in the peel; then we just pull one out, cut off a frozen piece, and return the rest to the freezer. When the cut piece thaws it is mushy and ready to serve.

On a side note -- I have realized that I cannot feed Adam without opening my own mouth in sync with his, as if my opening will encourage him to open his. I hate that I do this but can't feed him without it! Any other moms do the same?