Changes are afoot....

and the biggest one has to do with Elliot standing up on his own to feet all by his wee self! Okay... it lasts mere seconds at a time, but it's fantastic! Today he had pulled up on me (per usual) and was standing leaning one hand lightly on my shoulder. (He has been doing this for a week or so, standing with the lightest hand out for support.) Suddenly he was taking that hand and poking my teeth with his wee finger. Without even intending it, the bug was standing!

My husband gave me the biggest grin "Do you see what he is doing!" and then came running over to start an immediate practice session with Elliot. (Of course... Coach Daddy comes out to play. I always new this day was coming, I just didn't anticipate the first coaching session to be quite so early.) Elliot actually improved with a few minutes of practice, and was standing for 10 or so seconds at a time working to keep his balance. It looked a bit like he was surfing, HA. So fantastic.

With his new Big Boy Skills this week have come Big Boy Opinions... mainly regarding his food, and the manner in which it is presented to him. For a while now he has been a tad cranky when presented with a spoonful of pureed food, but this week he has been ADAMANT that he is NOT INTERESTED. Every now and then, I can sneak in a jar of veggies. But mealtimes had gotten so frustrating for both of us that the other day I looked at E and said "I have had enough of this. I'm throwing in the towel... finger food meals it is."

We piled into the car and took Elliot to the store and bought a bunch of organic produce. I cooked some sweet potatoes like the extremely tentative chef I am, and presented them to Elliot for lunch the next day. He tasted a chunk... and then pushed it out of his mouth and down his chin. It was so funny that I wasn't even offended. He was just like "Nope, that's not going to happen. What else do you have for me?" And the answer is: yogurt and cheese. These are the only two things Elliot will eat every time he is presented them. Occasionally some wheat toast will make it's way past his picky lips, some banana, but yogurt and cheese are a sure thing. Sweet boy, he takes after his mama.

I'm reading a lot about this phase of eating (in Super Baby Food, What to Expect the First Year, and at www.wholesomebabyfood.com ) and they all assure me that, while it now feels like he isn't eating anything (which is REALLY the case) that he is doing just fine. As he is also battling a cold and cutting his first molar, I decided to not stress about it and let him eat whatever makes him happy.

However, in hopes of one day broadening his wee palate, I finally signed up for something I have been curious about for a long time. I'm on the Zulily.com email list (SO GOOD, check it out if you haven't) and the local deal this week was for an organic produce delivery service. Organic produce delivered to your door? From a local farm? Yes please! I have friends who are use services like this from other farms, and I've been curious for a while. What has stopped me has been:

a) Zero skill in the kitchen and fear of unknown produce.

b) Fear that, with said lack of skill, all this lovely produce would go to waste as I stared at it for a week not knowing what to do with it, and

c) Not a lot of desire to spend a huge amount of time finding recipes for said Unknown Veggies, frankly. I have a hard enough time keeping up with my laundry these days, and I know how to use my washer and drier.

What is cool about this particular service is that they email you the list of what will be in your box at the beginning of the week, and you have a few days to make changes. Once I knew I could say "No dandelion greens for me this week, but could you toss in a few nectarines?" I was sold.

We leave in a few days to go to the first of many weddings we are attending this summer, so I will probably hold off on starting our food service until next month. I'm excited to see what it's like, and hope that Elliot is wooed by the smell of a fresh organic peach straight off someone's farm in a way that the sweet potato failed.

Lastly, we are starting to plan Elliot's First Birthday Shabang which is coming up with ridiculous speed. Which brings me to the question: does anyone have a website recommendation where I might find a fantastic "It's my 1st Birthday!" shirt/onesie? I am NOT crafty in the slightest, but would like him to have a festive birthday shirt...