So in the last month or so, Mason has had a food and eating explosion.

When we were at his 9 month appointment, his ped had asked if he had started Stage 3 foods yet. I was surprised by that, as most Stage 3 foods I had looked at said "For babies 10 months and up" Annoyed, I looked again and apparently it really varies by brand! Some say 8 months, some say 9, and just a few say 10. So we added some Stage 3 foods to his diet.

I have to say, I don't quite "get" them. Some of them seem like Stage 1 (very fine puree) in a 6 oz jar. Really? I want him to be learning to eat food that isn't a smooth puree, not just eating bigger amounts of the same old stuff! But others, like the pasta and chicken, are good. He struggled with the chunks at first, but is getting there. We have to be careful though, because he knows how to "chipmunk" those chunks and I'll discover food in his mouth an hour later! LOL

He's a pro at baby finger foods and eats Cheerios, Kix, Mum Mums, and Puffs like he's been doing it all his life. He also enjoys graham crackers and unsalted Ritz. He's finally started showing some interest in bananas, but squishing them and rubbing them in his hair still wins with about 80% of the nanner.

Some of the new "flavors" he's tried in the last month are ham, pineapple, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, mixed berries, cherries, tomatoes, corn, plums, pasta, mangoes, oatmeal, and a bunch more that I'll add to this list when I think of them (only because some day this will be printed out as his baby book) I'm still trying to make most of his food, but unfortunately have not been brave enough to try any meats. So while he has a freezer full of cubes of fruits and veggies, a lot of the nights he has a jar of baby food since I am stuck on the silly idea that he needs "meat" in his dinner. But on weekends, we have lots of homemade stuff for breakfast and lunch!

His favorite foods right now are still applesauce, sweet potatoes, and turkey, but he also loves blueberries and seems to really like oatmeal. His least favorite foods are peas (don't blame him!), broccoli, and last week he decided green beans were nasty.

We're also trying to feed him whatever we eat for dinner. Spaghetti last week was a success. Unfortunately since then whatever we've had has been too junky (greasy pizza) or two spicy (lasagna with lots of peppers) has derailed that plan so far. But soon!!

I'd really like to see him start eating more "adult" food and less purees soon, but it's hard when he spits everything out if it's too chunky. Or things like apple slices or pear wedges? On to the floor they go. Broccoli was a fail since he didn't like the taste. So, blogging friends, where do we go from here? They don't make a Stage 4 ("Real chunky but not hard") food and other than crackers, he's not getting the whole self feeding of fruits and veggies. Suggestions?