I've been spending a lot of time the past few weekends pureeing vegetables. Sweet potatoes, carrots, squash peas, more carrots, more sweet potatoes. Because what is better on a summer weekend than standing over pots of boiling water, and manhandling the food processor? Rachel has been giving me repeated meaningful looks that range from "you know, Gerber's isn't all that expensive" to "do you really have nothing better to do with your time? Because I have a list of 11 things around the house that need fixing".
So, why have I been doing it?
Certainly there's a little bit that I am frugal (sounds better than cheap), and its hard to beat the dollar per vitamin return on a carrot.
And a little bit that I like knowing exactly what he's eating, though I think I say that mostly because it sounds like something a good Brooklyn parent would say - I mean, even if I was really that kind of health nut, you can get one ingredient jarred foods, and I'm pretty sure my $5 isn't what is keeping Phillips Farm going.
I think a big piece of it is that Leo really likes to eat.
I mean, both the Beatons and the Shaws get excited about their food, so no really big surprise there, but he gets really excited to eat. Its probably the activity he gets most excited about on a regular basis (other than, perhaps, when he sees his best friend Baby In The Mirror). But I don't do most of the feeding around here, mainly for biological reasons, plus not being home most of the day.
But now that Leo's on to solid foods, the biology isn't quite as deterministic. Maybe I like thinking that even when I'm not there, I helped make this meal that is making Leo so happy. And its something that I am legitimately pretty good at, unlike, say, diapering to prevent poopsplosion. Or for that matter, cleaning poopsplosion. Or any of the 52 things that Rachel has been naturally excellent at with Leo.
This homemade puree phase probably won't last that long. At a minimum, we are running out of containers, and at least some days I really do have better things to do. But its a new experience being a dad, and I'm all in for trying lots of things to see what works for us. And if things keep working, and Leo can keep being as excited about carrot puree as his dad is about a brownie sundae, then I have nothing to complain about!
So, why have I been doing it?
Certainly there's a little bit that I am frugal (sounds better than cheap), and its hard to beat the dollar per vitamin return on a carrot.
And a little bit that I like knowing exactly what he's eating, though I think I say that mostly because it sounds like something a good Brooklyn parent would say - I mean, even if I was really that kind of health nut, you can get one ingredient jarred foods, and I'm pretty sure my $5 isn't what is keeping Phillips Farm going.
I think a big piece of it is that Leo really likes to eat.
I mean, both the Beatons and the Shaws get excited about their food, so no really big surprise there, but he gets really excited to eat. Its probably the activity he gets most excited about on a regular basis (other than, perhaps, when he sees his best friend Baby In The Mirror). But I don't do most of the feeding around here, mainly for biological reasons, plus not being home most of the day.
But now that Leo's on to solid foods, the biology isn't quite as deterministic. Maybe I like thinking that even when I'm not there, I helped make this meal that is making Leo so happy. And its something that I am legitimately pretty good at, unlike, say, diapering to prevent poopsplosion. Or for that matter, cleaning poopsplosion. Or any of the 52 things that Rachel has been naturally excellent at with Leo.
This homemade puree phase probably won't last that long. At a minimum, we are running out of containers, and at least some days I really do have better things to do. But its a new experience being a dad, and I'm all in for trying lots of things to see what works for us. And if things keep working, and Leo can keep being as excited about carrot puree as his dad is about a brownie sundae, then I have nothing to complain about!
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