First Real Food--Grey, Grainy Gruel

Anika made history today and ate her first real food.  Alicia and I have been holding off because it sure seems like the eating routine can only go downhill from here.  Soon there will be lots of messiness, the transporting of kid food, lots of chopping and cutting things up into tiny bites (only to have lots of it go to waste), and a more taxing feeding regimen altogether.  But as Anika will be six months old in about a week and the wonderfulness of exclusively breastfeeding (especially for the Dad) cannot last forever without extreme social awkwardness, we took step one this afternoon.

Anika before her big meal--she doesn't know what she's in for.

Anika studying her food and being more interested in the feel of the box than what's inside.

Here's a close-up of the box.  I find it strange.  Who are these infants who can stand up, fill baskets, and use garden tools in wheat fields?  Where exactly are their parents, and why are they half naked in the middle of the day?  On the back the blonde boy (with a full head of hair) is using a watering can! Am I supposed to think this "non-GEI," "organic," whole grain rice cereal will turn Anika into a mutant gardener of a baby?

Anika is equally confused.

First we practice with an empty spoon.  But that's something of a let down.

The first real bite is an interesting one, and most of the not-so-solid, rice-cereal mixture comes spilling out onto the floor (see note above about increased messiness).

We keep working at it and learn that Anika likes chewing on the spoon as much as her grey, grainy gruel.  Is this the stuff that Oliver Twist had to eat?

Anika ultimately decides that its easier to lick the food out of the spoon than to swallow.

All in all it was a successful first attempt at eating "real" food.  Tomorrow I'm hoping Alicia will let us try Dairy Queen. I suspect it would go much smoother. What kid doesn't like Dairy Queen?