We’ve been really busy trying to keep up with the little man lately. He’s crawling (in a Quasimodo sort of way, dragging one of his legs behind him) and pulling himself up with anything he can get a hold of. That’s made for quite a few tumbles and several bruises. He’s also been experimenting with “talking”; he’s constantly babbling and making new sounds. His most frequently used is “th” and his newest is “y” (think “yeyeye”). Both the husband and I have been pushing him to say “dada” or “mama,” trying to bribe him into saying our “name” first. I think the kid is brilliant, and he’s planning to save “mama” for Mother’s Day since he knows it’s coming up.

We’ve also been experimenting with foods for a couple months now. He’s moved beyond oatmeal and is trying out all kinds of veggies and fruits. He decided early on that he wasn’t a fan of purees, so we’ve skipped them and gone straight to roasted and steamed veggies and fruits. He seems to like the independence of feeding himself, and we like that we can eat dinner all together as a family. The other plus for his mature palate, the adults in the house are eating many more veggies.

We started with strawberries, and he loved them. He showed the extended Shoo family his love of strawberries at Easter dinner, creating a produce massacre.

Another favorite is carrot. Hopefully he’ll have some good eyes and not have to wear bifocals in 8th grade like his mom did.

Zucchini with dill was a hit. He developed a little rash after he ate it, and we were worried that it was an allergy. His pediatrician assured us that it was just dry skin. He’s had it since with no adverse effects. (Auntie Kristi is excited her Bug likes zukes since they’re one of her favorites, too.)

Grammy and Gramps came over for dinner the other night, and we gave him asparagus. But he was much more interested in his potato wedges from the grill and Gramps’ hat.

Avocado was a hit but difficult to hold. Quite a bit ended up smushed into his high chair. I think we’ll be washing the pad every other night or so with his new eating habits.

Who knew something as mundane as dinner would take up so much space on our cameras’ memory cards?