It Started with a Blueberry

One area I think Emerson has been a bit behind in has been eating. First, it took a long time for her to just keep cereal in her mouth because she had such a strong tongue reflex. Then, it took a while to get any food in because her fingers were always in her mouth. After many months she had finally began eating oatmeal, cereal, yogurt and the stage 1 & 2 fruits & veggies really good. Almost too good, because she would hardly eat any solid foods. Eventually she grew to like cheese and Cheerios, but not until she was 12+ months old. Within the last couple of months her eating of solid foods has dramatically improved. Now bread, fruit bars, graham crackers, goldfish, lunch meat, grilled cheese, and mac & cheese are among her favorites. However, we have continued to struggle with Em eating any solid veggies or fruits. It seemed to be a texture/touch thing. She has just not wanted anything to do with things that are damp or sticky. We have continued to try lots of different types and have continued to be frustrated that Em will not eat anything we try. She would put the different fruits/veggies in her mouth, but then instantly spit them out. We tried many tactics, such as mixing them in with other foods and doing lots of encouraging & cheering to make eating them seem very exciting. We tried all different kinds of fruits -- bananas, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, avocado, peaches, etc. Still, no luck. So, imagine my surprise when last week I tried to give Em a blueberry for the first time and she actually ate it! I thought it must have been purely an accident, so I gave her another. She ate that one too! She then proceeded to eat 5 or 6 more. I was in complete shock, and of course had to grab the camera to capture the first time Em ate a real piece of fruit. She continued to want blueberries over the next several days, even pointing to them and "asking" for more. We discovered that we have wild blackberries growing in the backyard and decided to see if Em would eat one. I didn't think she would like it, since they are rather tart, but she loved it and ate several. Now, we have a routine of checking out the blackberry supply every evening after dinner and Em eats every one that is ripe! I bought some strawberries & cherries to see if the trend would continue with other berries. Well, she gobbled those right up as well! So, we now finally have a happy little fruit eater and it all started with a blueberry! Now, on to the veggies...