Green Bean Bottoms

Ronald Reagen once said, "You can tell a lot about a fellow by his way of eating jellybeans." I can't help but wonder what you can tell about a fellow by his way of eating green beans.

Feeding Popeye is one part of parenting that I thought I would take great joy in. Afterall, I often enjoy a hearty meal myself and have been quite looking forward to sharing this undertaking with my son. Oh, the fluffy daydreams of exposing Popeye to the many fine foods available to his palatte! I imagined a glowing kitchen, sunlight streaming in from the windows, as I sweetly spoon yummy babyfoods between his plump lips; Popeye taking in every morsel - the two of us laughing and playing joyously as he begins a life of sustenance.

Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration but all the same lets just say that the introduction of fine foods definitely looks nothing like that vision.

My pediatrician suggested that we begin with a bland rice cereal mixed with formula. This pursuit, while discouraging at times, has gone par for the course. After manuevering the spoon through little hands and legs (yes, legs, as Popeye has discovered that he can get his feet in his mouth) I feel quite accomplished just getting a morsel near his mouth. When a drop makes it not only on his tongue but doesn't flow back out onto his chin I typically can't help but shout, "hurray!" The hurray likely isn't my best idea as this brings a ricey smile to his lips and the cereal emerges back into sight. Sigh.

But compared to our green bean enterprise this weekend I consider the rice cereal a valiant success. Following a few weeks of cereal the pediatrician had suggested introducing some vegetables such as green beans. I was quite excited to begin this part of feeding as I can't help but wonder what he thinks as I continually feed the bland cereal. I think that Popeye agreed because once he got a taste of the greeny goodness the remainder of the bowl went quickly. However, it was the way that it came out which discouraged me. Shortly after we cleaned up the green masterpiece that covered his lips, cheeks, neck, fingers and of course, legs, I laid Popeye down for his night time siesta. Typically he is out around 8 and isn't heard from again until approximately 3:30 and then asleep again until, fingers crossed, 7. This night, however, was slightly different.

Poor little Popeye. He woke up every hour with stinky green bean burps and flatulance -not to mention bloodi curdling screams. Apparently the green beans weren't quite... settling. After a long night of burping, farting and screaming we both awoke to a swampy suprise. The green beans had gone right through him! By right through "him" this also includes his diaper, pajamas and my bed, which I had brought him into at around 2:30- after about fiften trips to his crib. Poor little Popeye. He seemed just as horrified as I was when his little exploring hands discovered that he had green bean bottoms.

I think we'll stick to rice cereal for the rest of this week...