First Food

Autumn started on solids this past week.  She doesn't seem all that interested, but is swallowing a good portion of it now. 

More blogging to come when I feel up to it.

Dinner With The Family

Ben, my brother, took some photos of dinner and dessert tonight at our parents' house. He also made us a mean noodle soup. One of the finest benefits of him spending two months a year living with his girlfriend's family in China.

Thank you, Ben.

Licking his hand in preparation for dessert.

Mmmmm, cake with "beeyos" (berries) and cream....

Too delicious to waste any,

except maybe what gets on his nose, and cheeks and chin and bib..........

Such a nice evening with the family.

Photos by Ben Walberg.

Baking a Cake

Mommy was in the mood for a chocolate cake. Axel wanted "up,up,up". So I obliged and we had such a fun time. I have been looking forward to the time when I could have my children in the kitchen with me, creating things. Axel seems to already love it. He has been mixing in his bowl after wtaching me mix the frosting. The tasty frosting wasn't a bad treat, either.

"Yum, yum, Mommy, I think I'll help next time, too."

Axel's First Birthday Party

Ram came up with the theme for Axel's Party a few months ago. Piet Mondrian was a painter in the early 1900s. Axel's cake and invitations were a "replica" of one of his paintings. It was so fun to come up with the decor. I made a garland of red, yellow and blue felt squares that hung across the kitchen ceiling. Didn't Ram do a great job decorating that cake?

I couldn't decide which party hat I liked best, so he wore both of them. The cone with the elastic was the one that stayed on for a little while. He was so sweet in that hat!

Here's Mommy bringing Axel his first birthday cake!

And now...the cake sequence...

He hardly put any in his mouth. He did like it, when we made him taste it. It was lemon, his favorite, but I think there was too much for him to realize he was supposed to eat it.

After opening a few presents, we played in the back yard and enjoyed our family and our little boy. It was a perfect first birthday party.

Uh Oh!

I think we have a rebel on our hands!

Pay no attention to the snotty nose.

Painting with Food

I had planned on cooking this beet and feeding it to Axel for dinner, but it just didn't seem right. It wasn't cooking like I thought it should. So, I decided he would paint with the beautiful color instead.

He did eat a piece, and he actually did not seem to mind it all that much.

This is the extent of his use of the paintbrush.

Axel had a fun time making pretty pictures, while I was making dinner.

The finished piece is just beautiful. I think it will make a nice valentine's day card for someone special in Axel's life.

It turns out the beet just needed a little more boiling to be edible. Maybe we'll try it again next week.

Nine Months Old

This months has been so much like all the rest in that we never have a moment to savor the present without seeing how much Axel is growing and changing every day. He is standing at the front door instead of sitting and is rarely still laying down in his crib by the time I get in there when he wakes up. I would imagine that it won't be long at all before he takes his first steps. Though, I don;t think it will be in this next month.

To celebrate this nine month milestone, we had spinach and brussel sprouts. Above is some fun Axel had with the bag over his face. We thought he would hate our gifts (I shuttered as I tasted the pureed greens), but he seemed to enjoy these as well. Seems like our little guy will eat any green thing put in his path. No doubt he will grow up to be big and strong.

Happy 3/4 of a year, my little sweetheart. I love you more and more each day.

Chewing

While discussing the foods we give our babies, a friend of mine said, " Wait, you break Axel's 'O's into pieces?"

Well, yes, I was until then. Until about two weeks ago, Axel would gag on everything of size that I put in his mouth if it wasn't baby food texture. So, not enjoying the gagging, I had been breaking his Joe's 'O's into quarters. I decided maybe I was babying him a bit too much. So we moved up to halfs for a week. Axel proved himself a total animal when it comes to chewing. So, now we are onto full 'O's as well as bite sized pieces of bread and overcooked veggies. I even have him playing with his fork with little bits of cheese on it.

My very favorite is when Axel gets a piece on his face and has does not know it is there. We adults are so paranoid of food on our faces. He just sits there without a clue. It's really too cute for words.

Apparently, Axel thinks he is ready for big food. He enjoyed the mandarin peel quite a bit.

Of course, I had to fish a piece out of his mouth.