Update: March 3, 2007: Lunch Is Served
We went to the baby house later than normal because today was the day when we would have the opportunity to feed our baby his lunch. We thought we were prepared. We had envisioned this intimate time with our son--him gazing into our eyes as we would play airplane and other eating games with small spoonfuls of baby food headed for his little mouth. We would treasure each second, each bite, as we would bond with our son. We weren't prepared for what happened. This is our feeble attempt to put it into words...

A caregiver brought a small wooden chair into the playroom. We were told to sit our son down and cover his body with a red towel. As we were getting him ready, the food was brought in on a plate. This was not lunch Gerber-style. Today's meal was a mega-meatball, a double helping of mashed potatoes, a large bowl of rice soup, one thick slice of white bread, and juice in a coffee mug... yes, a coffee mug. We were a bit surprised at the amount of food, but what surprised us more was the speed in which he would consume it. We were told to get in place--Heather would be the feeder, and I would be the holder. I wrapped both of my arms around him from behind the chair, and we were ready to go.

The caregiver showed us how to feed him... thrust the bowl of soup under his chin, get a tablespoon full of rice, scoop it into his mouth, and then repeat the process again as quickly as possible. The baby was ready. He devoured that bowl of soup like it was nothing. "Next," he said with his eyes. Heather took the bowl away to pick up the plate with the meatball and mashed potatoes.

All of the sudden, he went into a panic and started crying. Where was the next serving? What was taking so long? Heather had to mash the meatballs and potatoes together, and he was not in the mood to wait. As soon as possible, the plate was under his chin, and now he was devouring meat and potatoes. In between some of his bites, we would take the coffee mug filled with juice and put it up to his mouth. We're not convinced that coffee mugs were designed for 10-month-olds, but he slurped the juice up like a champ. They say he actually drinks coffee in the morning... can you picture our little guy waking up each day, reclining in his chair, and enjoying the latest children's book while he sips his latte?

By the end of the rice soup, the meatball and potatoes, the bread, and the juice, his eyes were rolling into the back of his head with every last bite. He was exhausted... and so were we. The wild thing is... all of this took place in a few short minutes. We took the towel off of him, cleaned up the debris that had dropped all around the chair (and all over us), and picked up our child. No question... he was heavier now than he was five minutes ago. The caregivers came and whisked him away, off to a full and happy naptime. Such was the sweet, intimate, delightful first meal we had been dreaming of...

Please do continue to pray for our child. It seemed as though his sickness was getting worse again today. We are in the challenging position of longing to care for him yet not being his primary caregivers, so we pray for him and for the people who are watching out for him the other 22 hours of the day.

We love you and miss you!
--David and Heather

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