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Below, please find Baby Food, a contribution by Catherine Clark, a fellow food-snob, epicure, and new mother:

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Baby Food

At a hale and hearty 6 months and 17 pounds, William is also starting to eat solid food - sort of. I'd noticed that he was becoming increasingly fascinated by watching me and his dad eating or drinking from cups and glasses, and his gaze had become quite covetous. When I finally offered him a spoonful of baby rice, he shot me a look that clearly said, "I thought you'd never ask, mom!" and lunged at the spoon mouth agape like a baby bird. After the first bite, he also insisted on holding the spoon with me and wouldn't eat unless he could participate in this way. I can't think how any child of mine could be so headstrong...

I give him rice cereal that's basically powdered, cooked white rice, dissolved in either water or expressed breast milk. He seems to like it, especially when I throw in some pureed sweet potato. Although I have to say, I have never encountered a substance quite so sticky - and it dries like adobe. I really think NASA should try this stuff out on those loose bits on the space shuttle.

Of course, it ends up pretty much everywhere - on his head, up his nose, in his ears and all over everything both of us are wearing. He also tends to take a break in between spoonfuls to either grab his feet so that the stuff is all over them and between his toes, or to smear food on his hands and then flail his arms joyfully. You can imagine what happens then.

I had what I thought was the bright idea of feeding him in just his diaper (him, not me) because I was out of clean bibs. Sort of worked, except that he loves being undressed so much that this just got him even more excited - as if mealtimes weren't thrilling enough - and hence more of the sparrow's-breast-persimmon-coloured glue flew around the room. And then of course he pooped mightily, so it was straight into the tub after that.

Yes, the pooping. I thought I was inured to it, but it has reached a whole new level with respect to volume, frequency and aroma. It is quite unholy. That's for all you who think maternity leave is a paid holiday.

Anyway, our little one seems to be a very enthusiastic eater - no great surprise there, given his parentage - and apart from the staggeringly full diapers, seems to have a good digestive system as well. Learning to eat is definitely a multi-sensory experience and I want it to be pleasurable for him, which is why I don't neurotically wipe his hands and chin after every bite. I figure let him enjoy the mess as well. Why not? If he's relaxed around food and looks forward to meals, that's only going to make all our lives easier as he grows up and tries more new foods.

Before you know it, he'll be asking me to please pass the sumac and nursing a sippy cup filled with pomegranate juice. Yes, even in the Cowichan Valley.