Last night for dinner we had chicken and scalloped potatoes while the babies ate some veggies, fruit and cheerios/puffs. After it seemed like the food shoveling started to wind down I gave Abby a taste of potato and then started to walk away. Bad idea. I then had to stand there and share some potatoes for fear of the ultimate apocalypse cry, quickly distract her with a few puffs and then run into the other room and out of sight to finish the food myself.

Fun fact: garbage disposals can come in the form of babies.

I waited until about 5 and a half months before starting solids, partly because they’ve started recommending waiting until 6 months, partly because I knew once we started there was no going back, and partly because I had no idea how I was going to incorporate solid meals into their current milk/nap schedule while transitioning (sloppily) from 3 to 2 naps.

Our first attempt involved a few tastes of Stage 1 applesauce while out to eat with the family. Abby, surprisingly, took to it right away. Miles was a little hesitant and made a hilarious sour face. It wasn’t long before we discovered the big eater: Miss Abby. Only a couple weeks after they began to sample puree, Bryan made himself a sweet potato and let her try a bite. After that, she lunged herself with all her might toward his fork in hopes of future bites. This is when the food sharing frenzy officially began.

I’m not a huge fan of purees, personally, and while we started with them the goal was to have them on table foods ASAP (safely, of course) because I find the process of pureeing fruits and veggies kind of messy and time consuming. We did one meal per day (breakfast) for 1.5-2 weeks before adding the second (dinner) and then a week or two later adding a third (lunch), so by the time they were 6.5-7 months old they were eating 3 solid meals per day along with their milk and loving (almost) every minute of it. Trying to fit it in their schedule was tedious, but I also didn’t expect it to be so much fun. We started sharing soft foods from our plates like mushy bread and mashed potatoes, then puffs to practice chewing.  Then we moved onto things like cooked veggies, scrambled egg (yes, before age one because we have no allergy history) and pancake so by 8-8.5 months they were eating mainly soft table foods.

Here is where the fun really begins. Now, at 9 months, it is impossible to consume anything without the babies wanting a bite. Mostly of the time I will happily share. A couple weeks ago during the first ice storm the hotel we stayed in had free breakfast. Abby was so excited about the food she started to slide out of her car seat, so I sat her in my lap and placed a few broken up pancake pieces on the table. By the time I myself had taken a bite, she had finished the pancake and made a move towards the cinnamon apples, which she quickly grabbed and shoved into her mouth. If you read this post you’ll know I regularly share my Pop Tarts and oatmeal.

I’m starting to feel like the kid who gives up sweets and then hides in the pantry or bedroom in order to sneak a few without getting caught. That’s ok though because I know the picky phase isn’t far away, when all they want to eat is PB and J and macaroni and cheese.

Until then you can find me in the bathroom with my cookies.