Mama's Little Helper!

Charissa is really becoming a little helper to me. She's growing everyday and she's able to do more and more things all the time. It's so interesting to see little buds of her independence coming out. For instance, now when she's eating her solids she likes to try to feed herself. As I'm bringing the spoon to her mouth she'll grab it and put it in her mouth herself. Of course, being that she's only 6.5 months old, sometimes she can't quite get it into her mouth. But she's still trying! Here are some pictures of her attempts ...






I've chosen not to worry about her making a mess because she's learning hand-eye coordination and I want to encourage her efforts instead of make her completely dependent on me to do things for her. But sometimes it's hard when I have to hose her off after every feeding! (And the fact that I'm somewhat of a neat-freak.) But I have figured out a way to feed her without her making a mess. You know the verse that says "do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing"? Well, for Charissa it's more like "do not let your left hand know that you are eating." I don't know if she's going to be left-handed or not, but she always uses her left hand to feed herself. But that may be because I'm using my right hand so her left hand is closer to the spoon. As long as I keep her occupied looking at something, or singing, or doing something entertaining she is content to let me feed her unassisted.

To sum it up: Charissa is so much fun! And I'm so glad that God is allowing me to relax on some of my "neatness needs" to enjoy meal times with my daughter.

**Oh, one more thing - for all of you about ready to enter solid food time with your babies, buy some plastic bibs that you can just wipe off in the sink. Those cloth ones will just get stained and they let moisture (and the color) seep through to your child's clothing. **