At a time when grocery bills are at a record high, we added another food-eating human to our house. Bryce started trying real food right around the new year and he generally likes it! As with Landon, we introduced avoado as a first food. He was a little unsure about it, but I’ve successfully mixed it in with other foods since and he likes it. Bryce really enjoys beets, carrots, squash, green beans and oatmeal, most of which I try to make myself. He’s eating some store-bought meat-based purees, like chicken and rice, and I’ll frequently mix some pureed fruit in with his oatmeal. Much to my glee, he loves eggs. He doesn’t seem to love fruit by itself, which I find somewhat ironic since I couldn’t get enough fruit (fresh figs, in particular) while pregnant with him.

Baby-led weaning gained a lot of traction since Landon was a baby and I’ve dabbled in it just a bit with Bryce with bananas, an asparagus spear, avocado slices and a giant strawberry. He doesn’t get much in him when I give him food pieces, but he’s learning how to grip it, guide food to his mouth and experiment with different textures. (The Solid Starts app is phenomenal for learning about how to safely serve food to babies using BLW.)

Bryce also has four teeth and we’re pretty certain a fifth one is about to pop through. I have no recollection when Landon got his teeth and how quickly they came in, but I’m pretty sure Bryce’s teeth are breaking through at breakneck (or …. break gum) speed!

Bryce tends to wear an awful lot of his food, which can look rather alarming when he’s had beets. And I’ve said it before and will keep saying it: I do not know how people clean up after mealtime with babies without a dog. Lexi is a one-dog cleanup crew.

Brian and I continue to enjoy cooking and are getting pretty good at making Indian food in our Instant Pot with goat meat from our own goats! Taco and other Mexican-inspired fare is frequently on the lineup here and I can’t stop making this peanut noodle dish with huge piles of roasted vegetables. Quick. Easy. Delicious. Our kitchen activities must be rubbing off, because Landon loves “helping” to cook.