[Fair readers, feel free to skip this Butter-centric post. It’s way too long by blogosphere standards. But most of you have known him since he was mistaken for stomach cancer, so I hereby present this half-year, drenched in melted Butter.]
Ah, Butter. You don’t get many posts, do you? Remind Mama to tell you about squeaky wheels, grease, and why most of your baby album is hurriedly printed from a blog written at midnight after I’m done detoxing from our family.
You’re quite a creature, ButterBug. Don’t let the lack of documentation fool you—you’ve quite captivated us. Part of that is the result of your hard work. You’ve always been quite smiley and try really hard to get attention by just beaming at anyone who’ll look. And you are amazingly successful at using smiles to get what you need, ButterNut.
And it’s a good thing, because oooooh, boy, you have a temper. I love it. You SCREAM at those who don’t do everything to your standards. You SCREAM at toys when they fall or hurt you or turn out not to have a nipple.
Sucking on things is your raison d’etre, ButterBean. You wake up with hickeys on your arms and wrists. I have hickeys on my shoulders and biceps. You have a callus on your left thumb and another on your left toe. Nothing passes by your mouth that you don’t try to suck.
And this week you started sucking mushy food of a spoon. You’ve been dying to do this for more than a month, but your Mama has pretty strong feelings about exclusively breastfeeding until six months. I tried to hold off on solid food by freezing milk and scraping it into Snoopy Breastmilk SnoCones. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!” you barked; “and now may I have ravioli?” No, sweetpea. How about an empty spoon? “Oooooooooh. Now may I have a burrito?” No, sweetbutt. Soft, boring stuff first.
But holding you off even when you clearly wanted food meant that your first food was amoxicillin. Heartbreaking. You had two ear infections in three weeks, and two rounds of antibiotics even with a Mama and Papa and doctor who all believe antibiotics are a last resort for ear infections.
We felt so terrible that you might think nasty pink bugglegum flavored crap is your future in food, we decided to give you avocado mashed with breastmilk a few weeks before you were six months.
“What the eff?” you cried. “This is what you guys eat?” Well, no. Mommy and Peanut don’t. But it’s very healthy and Daddy likes it. “Never feed me this again,” you sobbed. So we didn’t until the next day. And the following day. It was looking like we had another child who wouldn’t eat until he could feed himself and take bites with all 20 teeth.
Then you got sweet potato mashed with breastmilk. “This is more like it.” You would not let me feed you, but you wiped sweet potato near, in, and around your mouth, eyebrows, and ear. You were quite happy with yourself and the three calories you actually ingested.
And now you have banana mashed with breastmilk. THIS is what you were talking about. You let me feed you banana because you figured out that if you clamp down on the spoon and let me slide it slowly out, then quickly cork your little banana hole with your thumb, you get lots of goo in your belly. At least a teaspoon of solid foods each morning.
And thanks to you, Mama now knows what banana seeds look like. You taught me that, ButterBubba. I thought you somehow got under the rosemary bush and ate a bunch of ants. I knew banana is an herb. I didn’t know it has long spirochete seeds.
Look at how much more world there is now that I have you.
NaptimeWriting 
I can’t wait til he’s the five year old ordering the Filet Mignon, Twice Baked Potato, and Roasted Asparagus at the $urf and Turf, with an appetizer of Shrimp Scampi and dessert Choco Mousse, while mom and dad roll their eyes and wallets at their foodie connoisseur. Yo Butter, you send that steak back that ain’t to your satisfaction!
OMG, I got teary reading this. So sweet, the memories of introducing solids. Can just picture it (your description is top notch, friend).
Sorry about the ear infections, though. That’s no fun for anyone. Awww! Kisses to Butter.
LOL Beautiful post! For some reason banana is the first thing I feed my babies, so I am very familiar with the banana seed poop. Who knew there were so many damn seeds in one of those things?
@jc I *long* to have a foodie companion. Butter and I will go to tastings of Peanut’s cheese creations. And we will send back anything not properly aged.
@Ink I get teary living it. Seriously, what a delicious morsel.
@fae nobody told me! Peanut never ate mooshed food and I knew it *had* to be banana, but I just couldn’t believe it. I really thought he ate ants while I wasn’t looking. Or, more likely, was *fed* ants while I wasn’t looking.
Your butternut butterbean butterbubba butterbug sounds like he is an incredibly yummy little guy. Great post.
Sorry about the ear infections! Poor mite! I remember trying to feed Miss D. and she would spit everything quite forcefully back at my face. Good times!
Ahhhh… butter. He’s great. I love him vicariously. My baby is such a doll, too. And makes the world so much brighter just by being in it. I wish I could feel that way all the time about both kids. But you know… then I’d probably never get anything done.
Lovely post. I’m so glad that you’re having the same experience I am as far as being super-dooper glad that #2 is such a joy! Huzzah!
I love those first forays with solids, where they end up wearing more than they actually ingest, but look so adorable waring the sweet potatoes on their entire faces…Sweet baby Butter, happy half year to you! And boo to nasty ear infections, pumpkin!
My oldest had the suck the thumb immediately after the food is placed in the mouth trick down pat! It was incredibly messy but who knew how amazingly efficient it could be!
So, so sweet. How I love the sound (and stories) of ButterBaby.
I feel like such an idiot now! When my own lil guy started “solids” and still was not gaining weight I actually called the dr, almost sure that I was seeing parasites in his poop! Now I know….
Butter is 6 months already????
You make me so gooey inside. This is jsut gorgeous writing! Thank you.
Thanks @Macondo. Missed you lately. Hope all is well.
@Kitch, hilarious from Miss D. Peanut wouldn’t even open his mouth. Now I’m feeling lucky.
@ Fie Huzzah indeed. So glad my blerg days are outnumbered by my huzzah days lately.
@Maria thanks for both sentiments. I agree!
@Brotherly: my little brother sucked two fingers to get the food down, but he sucked them upside down and most of it ran down his arm. Thumb seems more efficient
@ck when you coming out to meet him?
@kq I totally would have if I hadn’t suspected his older brother fed him ants, which I think are pretty harmless, minus the formic acid content
@Gibby five months. Some guilt about not waiting. But couldn’t help myself. He’s too desperate for chips and salsa, so I had to start early to get him there sooner. ;-)
@Nadine thank *you*. It’s Butter doing the goo-ing, though. I feel the same way after watching him do just about anything.