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When I wrote in January that I was struggling to decide whether to keep nursing our babies, several moms reassured me that, while bottle feeding was inherently different from breast feeding, that one could have similar special bonding moments while bottle feeding. I really appreciated the reassurance, and I believe it’s true for many women. But for better or worse, that hasn’t been my experience.

I’m not sure if it’s because I had to work so hard to overcome post-delivery anemia in order to nurse, or because after 7 years of fighting my body to get pregnant I was relieved that it would make milk, or because nursing is just really, really special. Regardless of the reasons, I get immense satisfaction from nursing (even when it’s uncomfortable) that I haven’t gotten from bottle feeding. That’s why I’m still nursing Cate and Sam four feedings a day out of five, even though they almost always need formula as well.

That being said, feeding “solids” is entirely different and I love it! I eat oatmeal for breakfast most mornings and the girls have appeared very interested in what I’m doing when I eat it. Since rice, oat, and barley cereals are the recommended first foods for baby tummies that are just learning to digest something besides milk, I decided to share a little. Starting in early April, I would dip my finger in the blueberry-oaty water in my bowl and then let them suck it off my finger. I occasionally gave them a tiny oat bit or two which prompted some really funny expressions.

Our pediatrician said babies can start solid foods once they’re able to sit up by themselves, and now they can. So last Sunday, armed with some baby spoons Gram Nancy brought us, we started practicing eating. For a few days I just dipped their little spoon in the watery blue part of my oatmeal. But on Wednesday I bought them some Happy Bellies Oatmeal of their own. I’m mixing it with the watery blueberry runoff from my oatmeal so it tastes the same, but it has a much finer texture.

Sam seemed to grasp what to do with the spoon almost immediately, and Cate worked it out over the next day or two. Now they both get more oatmeal in than out, though with the blueberry tint, the drippings are pretty messy. A big thanks to Susan and Mike for the giant Rice U bibs which not only match the blueberries, but are big enough to keep blue oatmeal off of their clothes!

Our morning routine is now nursing, oatmeal, and then formula. I’m really enjoying it and the girls seem to enjoy it, too. I’m also looking forward to feeding them new foods soon. It bummed me out that Sam and Cate’s first exposure to flavors has been fake-grape-flavored acetaminophen, fake-cherry-flavored Prevacid, and fake-vanilla-flavored lactase supplements. I’m really excited about exposing them to real flavors. And since their Dad likes to cook, he’s excited about preparing real food for them, too. This is going to be fun!