Lily eats {part 2}

The owl teether will have to wait... I've been researching researching researching {when the baby is sleeping sleeping sleeping} ways to get that little body to take in some rice cereal and the next steps too. What I've found has been SO helpful, and has also taken the edge off.

You see, I committed cardinal mom sin #1 and started comparing myself and Lily to other moms and their babes. DAH! Wasn't it just a matter of time? No excuses...
But yes, I did it. I saw through blogs, facebook, and hearsay that so-and-so's baby who is Lily's age or {gasp!} YOUNGER is already eating rice cereal or worse yet, FOOD. Immediately I began to worry. I'd tried rice cereal a couple of times, but Lily always pushed it out with her tongue, and bottles were suiting me and her fine, so why push it? Well darn so-and-so and their hungry hungry baby... and out the window my contentment flew.

Until I had a few important realizations:

1. God is in control. He loves me and Lily and I need to trust him with all things {including her development}
2. There will always be someone {or their baby} who is more advanced/ahead and probably many behind. SO STOP WORRYING.
3. Worry and Stress are, in the words of Beth Moore, UNBELIEF! It all boils down to insecurity, and not believing God for the aforementioned things.
   

And one more practical, less spiritual thing:

1. Babies don't even need to begin rice cereal until 6 months! Lily is 5 months and 2 weeks. She's not even there yet. The tongue-pushing is a sign that she's not ready {so I've read}. So again, I need to enjoy the time I have where dishes aren't increased and we have those cuddly moments with bottle-feeding. Silly me. Always one step ahead and never content.

I ordered this great book earlier this week and it arrived today, in the middle of this beautiful snow storm.

It is so great. Seriously, I just love it. It breaks down every stage to the month, teaches the reasons behind "the rules" instead of just "rules". It teaches about nutrition and explains everything from "what is a carbohydrate/fat/fiber/protein/etc and why do babies need them?" to the horrors of too much sugar. Not to mention hundreds of recipes for making your own rice cereal, baby food, and food for kids {including some recipes Brad and I will probably try for us!} I love it and can't wait to get going on some of the baby food recipes. When Lily's ready, that is :)

And finally, my ultimate perspective came from Jesus and his word today:

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not of more value than they?
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

And why are you anxious about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

{Matthew 6:25-35}