Bad Mom Award, Big People Food

I get the award today. I wanted to do something that would be fun for E this afternoon, so we went to a park. I had been too lazy to get us both outfitted to swim, but I figured he could swing and I vaguely imagined him crawling around on the rubber asphalt of the playground. What I hadn't considered were that the swings would be HOT, too hot for a little guy's bare legs. They were so hot, in fact, that the backside of one of his thighs got burned. I felt like the biggest jerk. He didn't even really cry, but he appeared very uncomfortable (like he wanted to swing but something was hurting, duh), so I took him out after a few swings. I'd felt the seat before putting him in, but didn't think much of his skin would be touching it. So then we went and sat on the rubber asphalt, which was littered with small rocks. Perfect for choking, and painful for bare feet and legs. He sat on my lap for a few minutes and I cursed myself and dripped with sweat as we watched the happy babies swimming in the wading pool. I'll make it up to him next week. In the meantime, we came home and I took him in the inflatable pool. He wore his birthday suit and had a decent time. What I learned today (among other things): Don't try to do anything outside right now that doesn't involve being submerged in water. It's too damn hot out there.

On an unrelated note, E had his first meal that consisted only of big people food today. He's getting tired of baby food and even seems to be losing interest in his beloved yogurt, so today for lunch he had some of a whole wheat tortilla (very funny to watch; this was his second time tackling a tortilla), avocado, and cheese cut into tiny cubes. I really have no idea what I'm doing or what to feed him for meals; this is all new to me and I think I'm making it harder than it is. (Also, he can't feed himself small bites of anything yet; his pincer grasp needs a lot of work. He likes Cheerios, for instance, but needs us to put each one in his mouth.) I do own Super Baby Food and other helpful books, but it's as though I have a mental block when it comes to this stuff. I think it ties into the fact that cooking doesn't come easily to me in general. In any case, we're making a grocery trip tomorrow and are going to shop for some things with him in mind. Tonight we ate at Chuy's and he had some cheese, tomato (not a fan), grilled chicken (there was still some in his mouth when we got home), tortilla chips, and refried beans (as well as a couple of old staples we brought in jars: sweet potatoes and pears). He flirted shamelessly with the family at the table next to us the whole meal, by the way. His eyes were positively twinkling, and the mom and teenage daughter were utterly besotted by him. That little Romeo!