As I mentioned, when Charlotte turned 6 months, we started her on solids. And boy did she LOVE eating… Until all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, she stopped loving it.

Her mushy baby food just was not cutting it. I had started with sweet potatoes, and then avocado next. She seemed to really love the avocado, but broke out in a crazy rash all over her tummy, arms and back, so we said goodbye to avocado.

We then went back to sweet potatoes. It went really well at first, and then with the wind, she refused to eat more than a bite. Next, we tried peas. Same story. She’d take a few forced bites and that was it.

Urgh!

So, I decided to give “baby led weaning” a try. The gist is that you give your babe big pieces of food for them to feed themselves.

The whole concept gave (and still gives) me severe anxiety. Hello, choking hazard.

The first day, I gave Charlotte a few green beans from my homemade (minimal salt) vegetable soup. She loved it!

We also gave her some small pieces of carrot. It was all great until the dang thing made her gag and she barfed all over. Mmmm.

Anyway, the next day, I gave her more green beans and a slice of apple. For the apple, I warmed it in the microwave and mushed it a bit. She loved it!

Now, the bad part… While Charlie’s taste buds seem to be loving the new foods, her tummy seems less than amused.

I should preface this by saying that when we were in Philadelphia for Mark’s grandfather’s funeral, I VERY STUPIDLY ate a bunch of crap I shouldn’t have. What the heck was I thinking? The GI made it seem like it wasn’t the biggest deal and I was feeling weak. Ugh. Whatever the excuse, I messed up and am currently in a world of regret.

Which takes me back to my sweet girl. This poor baby has had blood in her stool almost every day… Sometimes all the poops for the day, sometimes only one or two. She also is literally pooping FULL green beans. Like, when I opened her dirty diaper to change her, there was a literal green bean stuck on her butt.

Needless to say, I have put a pause on all solid food. I’m not sure if the blood is still a reaction to my indiscretions or is a reaction to the solids or some combo. So, it’s a pause on solids and back to very strict eating for me.

I feel so frustrated. Frustrated in myself… I mean, what was I thinking? I’ve been eating perfectly for over 2 months. Ugh.

I’m frustrated with her allergies… She loves to eat, but her poor tummy. I want her to be able to enjoy food without hurting her poor tummy.

And just frustrated that I have no idea what she’s allergic to.

Excuse me while I go bang my head against the wall…

FYI, info on baby led weaning.