𝐈 𝐑𝐀𝐍 𝐒𝐎 𝐅𝐀𝐑 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐘 ▸ With Elena out of their lives forever, and a baby on the way, things have never been better for Christian and Anastasia Grey. Now is the time for their happy ever after. But if something seems to be too good, it prob...
We had lunch with Mom, afterward attending Teddy's appointment with Dr. Blaine. When we stepped out into reception after seeing Ted's pediatrician, there was no sign of Brandy.
"I'll have to have the account sent out," Dr. Blaine explained. "Our receptionist just quit."
I said that was fine, suppressing a smirk. I knew Mom wouldn't tolerate any link to Elena or discourtesy toward Anastasia. Brandy had signed her own pink slip the moment she'd dissed my wife.
Anastasia and I were both excited that Ted had been given Dr. Blaine's clearance to start solids whenever he was ready. Summoning Gail to my study to discuss this progression, it surprised me to find she'd already done considerable research on the approaches we could use to introduce Teddy to a healthy range of solid foods. She explained the various concepts, trading off with Ana until they settled on something called baby-led weaning.
I wasn't across all the intricacies, but it sounded like putting suitable foods in front of Teddy and seeing if he chose to put any in his mouth.
"What if he takes too much?" I checked anxiously.
"We would never leave Master Grey alone while eating," Gail explained, "and in the early days, it would be soft foods like roasted pumpkin, stewed apple, porridge, overboiled pasta or steamed peas."
"And letting him pick it up is better than spoon feeding him?"
Gail nodded, launching into a spiel whilst referencing several studies. I was completely lost.
"It can be messy, but I've done the reading, and I'd like to try this," Anastasia announced, recognizing my confusion. "It gives Teddy the opportunity to learn what he does and doesn't like. Later on, we can introduce a spoon, but first off, I want to let him explore a range of foods, textures, and tastes."
"Is there any increased risk?" I couldn't help it. My default position would always be Theodore's safety.
"There are several studies that suggest an infant controlling their own food intake is safer in terms of choking and regulating their appetite," Gail explained, rifling through her printouts to furnish me with the salient research articles. Skimming them, it seemed legit.
"Let's do it," I declared. "Are there any precautions we should take?"
"The guidelines suggest introducing Teddy to one food at a time. Allergies are always a possibility, but they're easier to isolate if foods are initially presented individually. I have a list prepared to go through with Mrs. Grey. There is also evidence to suggest traces of foods Mrs. Grey consumes travel through her breastmilk to Theodore, 'preparing' his immune system to try a larger amount. As we prepare to introduce new foods to Teddy, we can work them into Mrs. Grey diet in the days before to prepare him for them."
"It's that complicated?" I grumbled, stunned to learn the intricacies involved in feeding our boy.
"Not really. Mothers have been doing this since the start of time," Gail soothed. "Mrs. Grey and I will figure it out."
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