Belly's Belly

Meet Belly November 24, 2009

<<OED Definition of Belly>>

3. a. That part of the human body which lies between the breast and the thighs, and contains the bowels; the abdomen. (The ordinary mod. sense.)

Belly is my daughter. She is most affectionately called “Belly” and mostly just by me. She has more nicknames than a baby rightly should but this one is mine. First she actually was my belly. It was round and getting bigger every day for months until she arrived (nearly six weeks early) and then she remained, belly. Once the doctors let her start eating she proved to be a real champ at it. She would nurse and nurse quite simply until her little belly could hold no more and she would spit everything back up. It was a time of many wardrobe changes, tiny little bibs affixed around her neck, and burp cloths, loads of burp cloths.

We made it through that tough time and eventually got to the real food. And me, being me, I thought I should make her food. Truly. It was the middle of summer and the farmers market was overflowing with the fruits and vegetables of the summer. So we started with peaches. Fuzzy and pink, much like my little one, they seemed like the perfect food. I peeled and lightly steamed them and then blended them up. They turned into nectar, almost juice. And Belly loved them. We spent the summer trying all sorts of things as they came into season: green beans, watermelon, plums, blueberries, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli, and then fall came and we had apples and pears, all kinds of squash and pumpkins. Anything that caught our eye we tried. And I found that I could make her food just fine. All we needed was steam and a Cuisinart and we had instant baby food.

We like to eat real food, we, being my husband and I. We both love to cook and to eat and we hope some day Belly will enjoy those simple pleasures too. So it seemed only natural to feed her fresh food, just like we eat, even if it took a little extra time.

Belly’s First Peaches

6 peaches

Peel, halve and remove pit from peaches. Put 1/2 inch water in in a pot and place peaches in a steaming basket above water (best not to have the water touching the peaches). Steam for two to three minutes (or until peaches are soft but not mush). Remove peaches from heat and blend, cool and serve. Unused peaches can be kept in the fridge for 48 hours or you can freeze in ice cube trays and keep for up to three months. (also nice on yogurt or ice cream for persons currently allowed to eat cows milk: no cow’s milk for baby until 1 year for those of you confused by this statement)