Cereal, an Interesting Paradox

We are well into our first week of this exciting culinary adventure. And, let me tell you, it has been an adventure! Little Miss Cora can be quite contrary when it comes to eating cereal. It took a few days for me to figure out how she wanted it done. (I learned from my father's anecdote about force-feeding my brother peas that it is best to work with them rather than against them!) I have learned that Cora must be fully nursed before any attempts at cereal can be made. I have also discovered how the spoon must be placed in her mouth for maximum ingestion. I think she now may be eating more than she ends up wearing - I call that success!

When we were given the green-light to start cereal, Dr. Mitchell gave us the option of beginning with rice or barley. She cautioned us, though. Rice tends to constipate, while barley has a laxative effect. Umm, okay. . . what do I do with those fun little tidbits?! Thankfully, the issue of which one to start with was solved by the store only having rice cereal. Surely Cora will be fine. . . Let's just say that after 2 days of no bowel movements and sweet baby whimpering (technically, screaming and crying), I decided to give barley a try. As much as rice constipates, barley does the opposite. WOW! I'm amazed the diaper was able to contain it all! It seems like you should alternate them. Would that counteract the effects? Anyway, we're in a good rhythm now, so we should see the weight start adding on. I'll keep you posted.