December 4, 2003

Feeding Caleb

Caleb is now is supplementing his delicious diet a couple times a day with a fourth a cup of rice cereal. The first time we tried to feed him this unusual substance, he let his objection be known. Oh how times have changed in just a week or so. Now he loves to eat rice cereal, but he just hasn’t quite mastered the art of the spoon. I have been using a spoon for quite a while now (and am quite adept with it if I must say so myself). By the way, adept is a word you can use if you are about to get your Master’s Degree :)
Where was I? Oh Yeah, the spoon thing. I had honestly forgotten how tricky the spoon technique really is for beginners. Caleb can hold the spoon himself, but we don’t advocate that quite yet. If we did, Caleb might feed his leg, his chest, his hair, and maybe even the dog, but he certainly wouldn’t feed his mouth. So we do that for him. I dip the spoon in the cereal, display it in front of his face, and then the funniest thing happens. Like a hungry lion bringing down a wildebeast on the African plains, my son attacks the food. His mouth spreads open, and he lunges at the spoon. Keep in mind that his aim is not all that good. Sometimes the spoon hits him in the chin, sometimes the forehead, sometimes the cheek, and yes, sometimes he even gets it between the lips. It’s those glorious triumphs that makes a parent smile.