Food for Thought...

...or thoughts about food.

All smiles in spite of the allergic hives that have taken up residence on those juicy cheeks!

Because of my own allergies, I was hyper-conscious about introducing foods to Lily. A spoon didn't touch her lips until the magic age of 6 months (according to the American Academy of Pediatrics); we were SLOW to move from one puree to the next; we waited until after her first birthday before giving her any citrus, egg, dairy or tomato products; and it wasn't that long ago that she got her first taste of a nut. I read every book on the subject. I grilled both our pediatrician AND my allergist before doing anything. I figured out an "introduction" schedule that would not only try to circumvent the allergy thing but that would expose her first to veggies, before fruits, so that she wouldn't ditch the good stuff for the sweet stuff. Thankfully, my tactics paid off because (knock on wood) she doesn't appear to have inherited my allergies. At least not yet. And she hasn't met a vegetable that she hasn't liked. In fact, she now claims that artichokes are her favorite food.

So why didn't I write down a single thing during that entire process? Did I actually think that I would remember ANYTHING between Lily and the next baby? Because I am so good at remembering things...like where I put my keys (5 minutes ago)...not! Even Lily has taken to reminding me to put things back exactly where I got them from so that I'll be able to find them the next time. The only thing that I do remember is that I waited until Lily was 6 month old to introduce rice cereal (can't remember how much I gave her at first, though, or how quickly we upped the amounts) and that her first real food was a vegetable. And it was green. Could have been peas or green beans. Don't remember anything other than the color, though.

Since Anna will -- GASP! -- be 6 months old on Friday, I decided to start her on cereal this weekend. Ok, so I do remember that detail too. I always started on weekend mornings so that I could watch for any possible allergic reaction before sending her back to school on Mondays. And since I'm even more pro-organic that I was with my "Earth's Best" baby 3 1/2 years ago, Anna's first spoonful was organic brown rice baby cereal. I'm just glad that I wasn't the one who had to eat it.

Anna did about as well as Lily did the first time around.

Not sure how she likes the organic brown rice cereal with DHA + probiotic immunity support....

Let's hope that additional "introducing" memories flood my head. Like when we move on to that first green vegetable...

...verdict is back. Happy Bellies makes for happy babies!

In the meantime, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that Anna escapes the trap of allergies like Lily did. At least most of them. Sadly we've already made one allergic discovery. Over the course of the last few days, we found out that she's allergic to penicillin...or anything in the penicillin family of products. On day 7 of her course of amoxicillin for her ear infection, the allergy alarm was sounded. God rested on the 7th day. Anna, she broke out in hives.

And even though she hasn't had a drop of that vile, sticky sweet orange goo since Thursday night, she's still covered in them.... I can't tell you how many times we've gotten prescriptions for Lily and been told to call the doctor at the first sign of a rash. We never had to. Until now. At least Anna is still smiling! Me, not so much. You're now looking at an even more hyper-paranoid mama. I wonder if those medic-alert bracelets come in shades of baby pink??