Two dinners.

[rivka]

Last night I met therealjae's parents. They're in DC with therealjae for a political science conference, and her father invited minnaleigh and me to join them for dinner at the Mendocino Grill and Wine Bar in Georgetown.

Wow was it good. It was marvelous to see J, of course, for the first time since February. And her parents? Let's just say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. It felt more like meeting friends of hers who just happen to be a generation older. I was a bit unnerved to hear that they'd heard a lot about me, especially given that they didn't specify what. Still, they made me feel very welcome. I had a great time.

Dinner was marvelous. I had a perfect oyster stew as an appetizer, followed by some seared red snapper with mint couscous, yellow wax beans, and heirloom tomato coulis. For dessert, molten chocolate cake with buttermilk vanilla ice cream. I felt compelled to get white wine with my dinner because of what I ordered, and had a nice pinot gris, but I was much more taken with the bottle of zinfandel J's father ordered with dessert. (Unfortunately, I was driving, so I only had about a third of a glass of the zin.)

therealjae took pictures of my food, but I imagine we'll have to wait for her to get back to Edmonton before she posts them.

Tonight saw a somewhat less successful, more private, equally momentous, and certainly cheaper dinner:



Alex's first taste of rice cereal. I intended to wait longer to start solids, but she's started intently watching every bite that someone else takes, to the point where I feel guilty about eating in front of her. Today we went out for dim sum after church. Alex slept through the meal, but woke while we were eating the sweet tapioca soup that comes as a dessert with every order. Her gaze was glued to my spoon as it went from bowl to mouth, bowl to mouth.

So when late afternoon came around, her hungriest time of day, I mixed up a little organic brown rice cereal with some formula. We tried a little by spoon and a little by fingertip. Altogether, I think she took in about half a teaspoon. She enjoyed the feeding process, but was less than thrilled by the cereal itself. This is obviously going to take some getting used to.

Comments

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

Those pics made me giggle painfully. :)

(And I find an east coast restaurant named after a California county quite intriguing. :) )

[rivka.livejournal.com]

It looked as though they specialized in California wines. The food had more of a local/in-season/organic focus than an explicitly Californian one.

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

your baby is moderately cute, you know that?

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

They really were separated at birth! That second one is the exact face the EB makes with rice cereal!! (Today was her second try at it - she ate more than I expected... but always with that face.)

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Is it wrong of me to think it's incredibly cute when she makes that disgusted face?

I'm pretty sure it's supposed to take multiple tries for them to actually like a new food, so I'm going to keep going with the rice cereal regardless. But I'm looking forward to the six-month pediatrician visit, when he should clear us to start fruits and vegetables.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's pretty hilarious.

And I tasted the rice cereal and it has absolutely ZERO flavor - so the reactions we're getting must be purely textural. They'll get used to it. I figured if she wasn't spitting it out all over me, it was a sign she wasn't *totally* disgusted.

Wait till we get to fruits and veggies that do have flavor. Now that will be exciting!

[chargirlgenius.livejournal.com]

Is it wrong of me to think it's incredibly cute when she makes that disgusted face?

Of course, just as it's so wrong of me to pull out the camera when he starts to stick out his lower lip getting ready to cry...

ha!

[librarygrrl]

Max also watched every bite we took intently, until we finally started feeding him solids. He also made a horrible face every time he tried something new, so that we would be convinced he hated it, and then, after he got used to it, he'd want more. Babies are so entertaining. ;)

Re: ha!

[rivka.livejournal.com]

Well, she ate it. And I know she can spit things out at will, because she's certainly good at rejecting medicine, her bottle, and her pacifier if they don't meet with her requirements.

[jmhm.livejournal.com]

oh, she's gorgeous.

Really ripe melon is a good starter food.

[jonquil.livejournal.com]

Mine were uninterested in rice. But then I tried out applesauce, and we experienced The Miracle of Applesauce. Tongue goes out -- where did that come from? tongue waves around -- is there more? Proprietor of tongue cannot figure out the connection between spoon and mouth and applesauce, but proprietor nonetheless wholeheartedly approves.

[therealjae.livejournal.com]

It was so good to see you!

I agree that the disgusted face is extremely cute, much in the same way I can't resist holding up glasses of wine for my cat to sniff. Hee.

-J

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

Miss Tobiko wants to see what I cook and eat. She's never liked anything except the fish and seafoods, umm except for oysters she won't eat them.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is that she kept opening her mouth and willingly accepting, and swallowing, the cereal - and then each time she'd make the same betrayed, disgusted face. Much, I'm sure, as your cat keeps obligingly smelling your wine every time.

[chiefted]

Now that is a face *smiles and giggles here*

"I've heard so much about you..."

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

I always cringed when someone said this to me, and have made it one of my goals not to say it to someone else when I meet them.

Re: "I've heard so much about you..."

[von-krag.livejournal.com]

It's prolly all true Kip, Rivka is a Ghoddess. I'm just not sure what of yet.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

*smile* She continues to be charming.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

My girls were really dubious when they first tried rice cereal, too. Don't worry. They get over it.

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Cute baby pics make me smile. She's just adorable -- love the hair.

Food!

[ailbhe]

It is Too Cute and should be banned.

Rice cereal - I wouldn't eat it myself, personally. Many people suggest breastmilk or formula popsicles to satisfy baby's need for solids before parents feel ready to introduce enjoyable food. Of course, no-one suggested it to us until long long after Linnea was well-established on Big People Food, so I have no personal experience of it.

See if you can get permission to try (fanfare) BANANA. It's the number one most popular foodstuff among the babies we know.

Re: Food!

[rivka.livejournal.com]

The brown rice stuff isn't bad - or at least, I don't think it would be bad if it weren't mixed with a formula that's supplemented with fish oil. There's a definite whole-grain flavor - it's not library-pastelike the way white rice cereal is.

Re: Food!

[erisian-fields.livejournal.com]

My second daughter HATED bananas. She hated baby bananas of any brand, anything with bananas as an ingredient, fresh bananas, banana bread, and even banana flavoring. She still hates bananas no matter what and she's 12.

Re: Food!

[ailbhe]

What's a baby banana?

Maybe banana taste is like brussels sprouts - either you have the "hate it" gene or not.

Re: Food!

[erisian-fields.livejournal.com]

Baby bananas are the ones in the little jars in the babyfood aisle.

You might have something with the genetics. The child hates broccoli and its ilk, too.

[pickledginger.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous pictures! And I'm glad to hear that she's doing so well. She looks great. :-)

(I don't know about herself, but me, I love that infant's rice porridge. I buy it sometimes, as a treat.)

[tassie-gal.livejournal.com]

My parents seem to have a similar photo to that second one of me 26 odd years ago trying some sort of food. I think its the universal "Ewww - but more" baby face. She is VERY cute BTW.

[tammylc.livejournal.com]

Very cute.

Liam never liked rice cereal, even the brown, which at least has some flavor!

[persimmon.livejournal.com]

Bellissima!

And I don't blame her for not liking the rice formula - judging by how hard it dries, it's actually a building material for use in the desert.