Pizza and French Fries

What a way to introduce a child on solid food.

It was a Friday night when Patrick was about three months old, sitting on his grandfather's lap, as we were eating dinner. Typically on Fridays we have pizza ... and this Friday was no different.

What was different was Patrick's focus. He was generally aware of the people around him at that point, but this time he was focused on the pizza. In particular, he was watching as his Papap lifted the pizza from the plate to take a bite and then back again as he put it down.

After about the third bite, Patrick started to lean toward the pizza with an open mouth.

We all laughed for a bit ... it was cute. Then, it got interesting as Papap put a slice of pizza into Patrick's mouth. He immediately started to gum the pizza (no teeth at this point). He got some cheese and a bit of crust, but mostly he was taking in the pizza sauce ... and loving every bit of it.

Our little man's first solid food ... pizza!

Within a few days, we got brave enough to try something else ... well, I should say that Papap was brave enough. He doused a french fry in ketchup and viola ... Patrick was eating his second solid food.

We've since learned that pretty much anything doused in ketchup is a hit ... ham, cheese ...

We were amazed and little Patrick got a lot of pizza and ketchup covered french fries in those early months. To this day, they are two of his favorite foods. And, we just found out tonight that he definitely favors getting the fries from his grandfather ... I offered one and was rebuffed; Papap offered and he took several. What a cool kid.

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Playing On The Stairs

We were playing near the stair from our kitchen to the lower level. Patrick had a squishy toy we bought for him a few weeks back. When it hits something, it flashes brightly ... he loves it. He was tossing the toy down the stairs and I was flipping it back up to him, often bouncing it off his head or chest. The laughter was incredible ... so much fun. Then, he made a run toward the stairs to get in a good toss ... and I knew he was in trouble. He tripped as I launched myself up the stairs ... just in time to catch him before his head hit the first step down the stairs. As Jen came around the corner to see what all the commotion was about, I was just getting my nerves back in order and began lifting him back to his feet. He let me hold him for a few seconds then, seeing his mother nearby, his tears stopped and he stretched out for her. ... so much fun!

What If?

Jen and I have asked ourselves few questions along the way ... I'm sure there will be more, but here are some of the answers we have found: What if he drinks the bath water? He might feel queasy or get diarrhea if the water is soapy, but he will not have a problem with germs unless he bathes with someone else, says Philip Tierno, Ph.D., director of clinical microbiology at New York University Medical Center, in New York City, and author of The Secret Life of Germs. Wash children one at a time, and try not to let them drink the water. What if he sticks his finger into a socket? Standard household current would give a child a mild shock, similar to that from static electricity, says Liza DeWitt, M.D., a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee. The child would be startled and probably pull his hand away, but electrical skin burns can still occur. What can be more serious is not pulling away immediately, which can put him at risk of internal o...

Getting Involved

This is the second night in a row that we were able to spend time and Grandma and Papap's ... Patrick enjoys it so much! We even had a rousing rendition of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" with all five of us involved ... yes, Patrick is pitching in now. He runs from person to person, giving a bit to each one of us ... there is never a dull moment. Tonight, he repeated a new activity from last night. Last night, it was getting everyone involved in chasing him around the house ... tonight, we had this activity, but what we saw was that he wanted to play different games and wanted certain people involved. This is when he went to each person that needed to be involved and grabbed a finger, pulling them along. He even checked every now and then to make sure they were still following. Such an amazing child ... knows how to ensure that we sleep well.

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