Tales from the Crib

Peas, please

Eating peas.

Who knew that eating something as small as a little green pea could make a person so happy?
My son has just found a bit more independence as he starts to eat food by himself. And peas have made it to the top of the list as one of his favourites.

Personally, I don't really like peas, but eat a spoonful every now and then as a side dish, to try and get my quota of veggies in. Trying to be a diligent mother, I have to encourage him to eat things that are “good for him.”

And it's easy enough to put a handful of cooked peas onto his high chair tray.

The only problem is once he starts to feed himself, it doesn't all make it to his mouth. So then I’ve got peas on the floor and in the folds of his clothes. Mushed into his hair and squashed into the cracks of his high chair.

The other day, I found a hard one that had rolled under the dishwasher. It was a few days old by then. I’m not sure if that says something about my son’s hand-eye co-ordination or my cleaning habits.

I know there’s more mess to come, but I’m not looking forward to it.

Well, at least I know he’s making progress from the pea puree I used to make.

And when he’s a teenager and eating everything in my cupboards, I’m sure I’ll look back to this time when all he needed was a few peas to keep him happy, and wonder why he had to keep growing up.

My son's first birthday wasn't the icing on the cake

Well, it’s official. I’m the mother of a one-year-old.
And while the year with my son Nolan was filled with many momentous occasions, for me it all came down to the big birthday event.

I must’ve stressed over it for at least three months, knowing it was looming. Now that it’s done, I don’t know why I made such a fuss.

It’s not like anyone remembers their first birthday. I just wanted to make it something special. After all, it’s the first one.
But do you go all out with a theme, creating invitations, buying napkins and blowing balloons, or keep it as simple as possible?
With the convincing of my husband, we went the simple route. The one thing I knew for sure is that I couldn’t wait to see Nolan covered in cake.

There aren’t many pictures of my first birthday, but there is one I remember quite clearly.
My mom made a chocolate cake for our guests, and I too had a piece – all to myself.
Cue the plastic bib from head to toe, then I was allowed to play with my cake and eat it too.
That’s the Kodak moment I expect most people have, the picture with your face and hair full of icing. I was expecting just such a moment for my son’s birthday.

With only days to go and no previous cake-decorating experience, I suddenly panicked. How could I serve a boring cake at this picture-perfect moment?
I shopped around for a professional cake online and found one that would fit into the theme, but not the budget. It cost $60, a fee I’d have a hard time spending even on a wedding cake.

So I decided to give it my all, and create my own. Hubby went to the store to find blue icing to make “water”. I baked a separate cake in a bread pan, so Nolan could play with his own cake without pawing the one for the guests.

I applied the blue icing, added some Goldfish crackers to make it look real, and plunked on some swimming Fisher Price Little People figures. It actually turned out great.
Then we lit the candle, sang happy birthday, and I had the camera ready. Here comes the blue icing everywhere, I thought!

But instead, my son looked at everyone there, then the candle, and started to cry.
He didn’t want anything to do with my masterpiece, even after putting a frosted Goldfish into his mouth. He wanted out of the high chair and into my arms.

It wasn’t until we gave him a spoon so he could “stir” the cake (his new favourite pastime) that he took a liking to it.
So the Kodak moment was scrapped in favour of keeping the peace.
Well, maybe we’ll try again next year. I’ll just be sure to keep a few extra spoons on hand for the event.