Num, num

Ellie had her first food last night!
We decided to give her some rice cereal and it was a lot of fun. We're trying to enjoy the feedings now because I'm sure it becomes less exciting and more of a chore as time goes on. Here's the evidence!
She wasn't too sure at first...
But dad warmed her up to the cereal and she did pretty well.
Um, Ellie, you've got a little something on your chin...

Ellie is 5.5 months old and just getting her first food — or already getting her first food, depending on which side of the fence you're sitting on. I've read in many places that babies can/should start eating some solid foods at around 4.5 months. Some people start even earlier than that. Others wait until the 6-month mark or even later. We decided to hold off for awhile for a few reasons:

• 1. Our pediatrician said there's no reason to rush into it because it's mostly for fun at this stage and the feedings to become a hassle at times.
  
• 2. Breastfeeding is still tenuous-at-best for me (more on this in another post). So we didn't want to risk filling her up with cereal and wanting her to nurse less. Truthfully, this is still a concern for me... but hopefully it will be OK.
  
• 3. I've got some serious food allergies on my side of the family, so we're going to have to take the food stuff slowly and carefully. Brian and I don't have food allergies, but two of my brothers are allergic to nuts. And one of those brothers is allergic to a lot more. We're talking all poultry, beans, garlic, eggs, celery. It would be easier to make a list of what Dan isn't allergic to! So, we're going to be careful just in case Ellie has any of those genes passed down to her.
  

But so far, so good! And we're looking forward to more fun with food in the coming weeks and months.