Brody's journey into the world of food

We've been pretty busy this weekend, with Aunt M (Amanda) visiting Friday-today and Nanny (Becky) visiting Monday-today, and we've had a great time (all except a brief situation with dog poop).

Brody also had a big weekend, as he was introduced to solid foods for the first time. Here's my most recent Daily Press article about it.

"It was weeks before I would talk about it. I kept hanging on to this superstitious feeling that as soon as I told someone, he would quit doing it. And he did.

It took my 7-month-old son 189 days (six-and-a-half months) to sleep through the night. As a working mom, I was pleading with him to get a good night’s sleep, so I could too.

Browsing mommy forums gave me some comfort, since many moms were begging the online community for help lulling their 9-month-olds into a deep sleep. Mine was only 6-months-old, so I figured we were doing OK.

And then magic happened.

He slept through the night once, and my husband, Duane, and I woke up grinning.

He slept through the night twice, and we rewarded him with kisses until he pushed away.

He slept through the night three times, and we raised our eyebrows wondering what it meant.

This continued for two weeks, and we began to proudly announce that our baby was a "good baby."

And then he ate an apple.

At our last pediatrician appointment, the doctor armed me with information about how to introduce solid food, and the strong encouragement that home-cooked foods are better than pre-made baby foods.

Since I’m a "super mom," I immediately put jarred baby foods on my list of Things That Lazy Moms Use, and decided that fresh fruits and veggies were the only option.

I had to rush back to work after the appointment, so the only fruit I had in stock that evening were apples. Being a smart super mom, I cut the apple into small pieces and blended it into healthy, non-jarred applesauce.

The doctor’s directions never suggested that fruits would need to be cooked before blending, and I forgot to peel the only apple I had. Oh well, peels have fiber, I thought.

That ended our affair with uninterrupted nights.

Apparently, apples should be boiled and peeled for first-time eaters, or they cause tummy aches. Big, bad tummy aches.

One point subtracted from super mom.

Of course, the next day I consulted the Internet for directions on how to cook baby food, and I found the quick-and-easy banana. Yep, that would be our next stop.

Bananas were easier on the stomach, but we still spent a restless night, and I finally allowed him to cuddle in bed with us at 3:30 a.m.

I also crossed jarred baby foods off of my "lazy" list and promptly bought peaches, applesauce and pears.

Still, it’s been some time now, and we’re back to the old newborn routine.

I’ve realized that how I regulate his naps and bedtime, or whether he gets an evening bath, or if he goes to grandma’s house has no bearing on whether he’ll sleep through the night. You can’t predict it, and if you try, it will drive you crazy.

But I can’t shake the feeling that this is tied to his journey into the world of food. And in my sleep-deprived state, I’ve considered keeping him on a milk-only diet. So if you see a 20-year-old walking around with a baba in a few decades, say hello — his name is Brody."

Extra note about this column - Brody has been doing better with sleeping, since his first apple-ache episode, and it's likely that by the time this runs in the newspaper, he'll have regained his "good baby" status.