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Yum?

Compared to all that excitement in Italy, life at home seems a bit dull. Fortunately this relative quiet has given me a chance to learn new things.

My parents are letting me try solid food every day before my lunchtime breasty milk. They realised that I was ready when I began to show rather a lot of interest in what they were eating. Instead of letting me put my paws into their dinner, I have been given very simple baby foods like baby rice with banana and strawberry, augmented with my beloved breasty milk. This food is really tasty, though I am still not quite sure whether I should be swallowing it or just playing with it on my tongue then spitting it out. Mamma has also been making apple, sweet potato, carrot, banana and pear purees. I wonder when I'll get to try pasta al forno or sausages?

I'm also learning that things that look a bit like food aren't always edible. For example, I spent a good ten minutes trying to pick up the cherries on Nonna's tablecloth at her house, but I couldn't work out why they stayed resolutely stuck down. The pomegranates and apples on Bis-Nonna's tablecloth were just as elusive. Mamma did try to explain to me that the fruit wasn't real, but I wasn't interested.

I've made another discovery too! At the end of each of my legs there are these things called feet. Even in the womb I knew they were good for kicking Mamma, but now I have realised that they are fun to play with. They are strange looking things too. The only downside with playing with my feet is that Daddy keeps saying that 'This Little Piggy Went To Market' rhyme and tickling me.

I can stand up now, albeit with a little help! What I need to do is let Mamma or Daddy hold my hands, pull myself up to a sitting position and then upright into a standing position. I like it standing up, even if I am a little wobbly. On 19 April I worked out how to roll from my back to my front and back again.

Teething is causing me a lot of trouble. Up until now every problem could be resolved by breasty milk, a good burp, a productive poo or a nap. Now I am teething none of these things work as well as they used to and my gums hurt the whole time. Poor me. And poor Mamma and Daddy because they have to listen to me complain about how unhappy I am.

Finally, my parents have bought me a special bath support that allows me to sit in the bath by myself and create big waves and splashes with my arms and legs. My parents are so happy that I enjoy bath time now, even if they get soaked every time I have a bath.

Just Sitting In My Bumbo...

Today (21 April) my Bumbo seat arrived! A Bumbo is a soft plastic chair especially designed for small babies to sit in. Mine is a lovely shade of lilac. This is what the manufacturer's advertising bumf says about the Bumbo:

The Bumbo Baby Seat is a snug and cozy environment for your baby. This revolutionary infant chair is uniquely designed according to the baby’s posture. The Bumbo enables babies to sit upright all by themselves!

[The Bumbo] is manufactured to the highest safety standards from low-density foam material, which makes it lightweight and portable. It is soft and comfortable for the baby, safe, hygienic and nontoxic. The integral outer skin of the material is durable and easy to clean.

The Bumbo does not require any uncomfortable straps or fasteners. It is designed so that the baby’s own body weight keeps baby in place and gives a wonderfully new way to ensure maximum interaction and enjoyable communication with your child.

Source: http://www.bumbobabyseat.com/

So far, I really like my Bumbo and it appears to live up to the advertisers' hype. I can see what Mamma and Daddy are up to and I can reach down and pick my toys up off the floor. My parents seem to like the Bumbo too. They claim I look very cute in it.

These photographs were taken within thirty seconds of Mamma putting me in the Bumbo. This explains my rather surprised expression!

Feeding Time

True to their word, Mamma and Daddy have been giving me solids. ...And I have had a wonderful time getting messy too!

Right now my favourite foods are:

• Baby rice pilaff with a coulis of fresh apple and pear
• A frangipane of baby rusks and breasty milk

(Mamma and Daddy want me to be a gourmet when I grow up, so I've started to learn the proper culinary names for things. To the uninitiated, a pilaff is a rice dish, a coulis is a sauce made from stewed fruit or vegetables and a frangipane is a sweet mixture of ingredients).

For the record, in these photographs I am enjoying rusks mixed with a little breasty milk and this paste is every bit as delicious as I make it look!

			Now what has Mamma made for me this time?
			Yum! Being a helpful little girl, I like to grab the spoon and try to feed myself. It's trickier than it looks!
			All done! What's for dessert?
			A few days later Mamma tried feeding me in the Bumbo. More of the rusk went on the Bumbo, carpet and Mamma than actually inside of me!

Photos From April 2005

			I saw Grandad John again at Uncle Stephen's house. I was a bit squeaky - I hope he didn't mind.
			See? I can do cute and adorable when I want to! (Ignore the photo on the far left; Mamma caught me when I wasn't ready...)
			Almost crawling...
			Keeping it real, it's DJ Giulia!
			Thankew very much laydies an gennelmen. I've bin Giulia, goodnight!

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