Orrin turns six months old this week, and we celebrated by giving him his first taste of rice cereal (made up soupy with breast milk)!
It was amazing to watch the transformation of his face when he first got that spoon in his mouth. He responded to food by becoming more focused, intent, and animated than I’ve ever seen him. After seeing that, I now think that the introduction of solid food really goes hand-in-hand with motor development -- that each one enhances the other. It makes sense, from an evolutionary standpoint, that food would be a great motivator to refine our motor skills.
Feeding is mostly play and exploration at the moment -- if you saw him when we were done, you might wonder if I fed it to him or threw it at him. But we are both having a lot of fun and really engaging each other in a new way during these feedings. Solon hasn’t had a chance to feed Orrin yet; he’s been at work at Orrin’s mealtime since we started the rice cereal. I’m looking forward to the two of them doing the feedings, since I think it’ll give them a new, rewarding way to connect. Obviously, Solon has not had the opportunity to do the breastfeeding bonding that Orrin and I have.
In other news…
…I signed up for a class in the fall at GCC -- my first semester back since Orrin! I’ll be taking Sustainable Energy to fill part of my science requirement for the Liberal Arts degree. It’s a Monday-Wednesday afternoon class -- let me know if you are interested in helping us out with childcare on the weeks when Solon is working those days!
…Many posts back, I had mentioned that I was a bit disappointed with my baby-carrying devices. Well, I am happy to report that we’ve hit our stride with carriers. The favorites at the moment are a simple Gerry backpack that we picked up for $10 on Craigslist, and the Hotsling that we picked up for $10 on a mishmash clearance rack at Target. We use the Gerry pack for walks and when I’m working with my hands in front of me, like cooking or doing dishes, and we use the Hotsling in a hip carry for social situations. Orrin is also more happy to sit or lie on the floor and watch me do stuff these days. Overall, I’m quite happy in this department!
…We’ve been spending time with the other moms and babies we met in our birth class. It’s been really wonderful to connect with other first-time moms who have babies the same age as Orrin. Talking out the challenges with other moms who are going through it at the same time makes me feel like we are not doing so bad.
…Orrin is teething, and he wants you all to know that it really sucks (we still think that he is a wonderful, happy baby).
…Does anyone want to take the magazines that I have subscriptions to after I am done reading them? You’d be doing me a favor, as I don’t want to keep them around the house and I feel bad just putting them out by the curb. I’ve got Real Simple, Lucky, ReadyMade, and Glamour. Let me know!