Solid Foods Part Two

And the solids are off to a rip roaring start. Er wait... he's eating the plate. 

Thanks to Aunt Sarah for the cute little wooden spoons from Thailand. They are the perfect size for a little guy. 

Starting Solids

We started introducing solids to the little guy a couple of weeks ago. He's loving the process and seems to be open to noshing on pretty much everything. So far, he's tried broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, avocado, butternut squash, celery, zucchini, spinach, carrot soup, green smoothie, apples, pears, banana, chicken and a little beef.

Our friends told us about a weaning method called Baby Led Weaning. In addition to nursing, we are offering solid foods that Ollie picks up, gums, sucks and experiences at his own pace. You can read more about it on the link up above, if you're interested. The couple who first told us about this method did it with their daughter and at just over a year, she was using a fork and spoon on her own, isn't picky in the least and is a fantastic little eater. We are hoping for similar results with Oliver. 

Celery is a good veg to give straight up because it feels nice on his gums and has a bitter taste so it helps him develop a taste for veggies. 

The little chair he's sitting in screws right into the table, We are bypassing the high chair too which allows him to sit right at the table with us and eat while we're eating as opposed to eating baby food in a high chair in the kitchen while I make dinner. This scenario seems to happen a lot with traditional weaning methods - or so it seems. We propped a little pillow behind him to help keep him upright and so far so good. 

Ollie loves sitting in his chair. Sometimes he doesn't seem too interested in the food but would rather suck on the handles of his chair - which is totally cool with us since his main source of food still comes from nursing. I'd much rather eat an avocado, personally, but whatever floats your boat.  

Ollie Loves Autumn

Here are some pictures I snapped last week while Ollie and I lounged in the back yard. It was such a warm day and Isaac was out of town, so I wasn't in a hurry to throw dinner together. We had the most fun just looking at the fall colors and being together. 

The colors were just gorgeous...

And the baby wasn't too shabby either. :)

Six Months and Going Strong

I can't believe it, but our little munchkin turned six months old this week! 

It's only fitting then, that he would experience his first flight around this milestone. We had a fantastic time celebrating Ben and Pete and Grandpa Epperson's birthdays and Ollie only cried for a moment when we first boarded the plane and then slept like a champ until we landed both in Omaha and on the way back to Denver. 

The Ollie Stats per his 6 month check-up:

Weight: 12 lbs, 5oz (pretty small for a guy his age, but still growing like he should)

Length: 26.5" long (he was 19" long at birth - that's 7.5" in length in 6 months!)

Head: His little noggin is 16" in diameter - right on track. 

And we got the go ahead to start introducing solids! We're going to skip rice cereal (there's very little nutritional value in that stuff) and head right for the fruits and veggies. Lots of messy food pics to come!

Baby's First Piggy Bank

Before Ollie was born, Aunt Kaybe gave us a Husker piggy bank and joked about sending money for every football win and then having to take money out for every loss. Well, Kaybe has made good on her suggestion! Today when we got the mail, there was a card addressed to Oliver and inside it was three whole dollars for the three wins (Saturday's win hadn't happened yet when Kaybe mailed the card) Nebraska's had. 

I read the card to Oliver and let him hold his bank with the $3 in it. How exciting!

Putting the money in the bank... Pretty good for not even 6 months old

Examining the anatomy of a the piggy bank... 

Sorry the photos are blurry. Ollie kept moving around. :) 

Thanks for the making good on your word, KB! Can't wait to see how much moolah Ollie will score if Nebraska wins a Big 10 Championship or maybe some sweet day, a National Championship!