Open Wide!

A few weeks ago I told a friend that I was not going to introduce Lily to solid foods until she turned 6 months old. It's not that I didn't think she wouldn't be ready for it earlier. I just selfishly didn't want to have to add one more thing to our schedule until I absolutely had to. Dinner time at our house is already crazy enough and the thought of having to stop everything and feed Lily was just not appealing to me.

Fast forward to last Wednesday night...Lily (who has been sleeping through the night for months) woke up starving at 2 am and wanted to nurse. Not cool. I hoped that it was a fluke. The next night she was up at 4 am starving and wanting to nurse. I told myself that maybe she was in a growth spurt. No such luck! After four nights of having to get up and nurse a starving baby, I finally decided that it wasn't a fluke and she was not in a growth spurt. She was ready for cereal! So much for waiting until she turned 6 months- I definitely ate my words on this one!

I am not sure why I ever thought she could wait until she turned 6 months old. She is a big girl. She weighed in at over 16 pounds at her four month checkup last week. I should have known then that starting solids was in the near future.

Lily's first experience with cereal went pretty well last night. We started her sitting in the Bumbo but quickly moved to the bouncer. She needed to be reclined in order to help her swallow better. She hated the first few bites and started crying hysterically. After we got her calmed down we tried again and she did much better. She still needs a lot of practice with swallowing instead of spitting it out, but that is to be expected with a baby so young.

If you are wondering if it worked, the answer is yes! Lily slept all night last night and did not wake up to nurse once, which makes this sleepy momma very happy! I will gladly give up a few minutes during my busy day to feed this sweet girl if that means I get to have a full night of uninterrupted sleep!

Getting ready to eat- look at those cheeks! This girl hasn't missed any feedings!

What is this?!?!?!?

All finished- such a happy girl!