Big Steps for Little Lily

The big rainstorms that were suppose to keep us wet all weekend long didn't actually amount to much. However, it did stay cool and cloudy which was an awesome sneak peak into what fall will be like in Texas. Since I am assuming this cooler weather won't be around too long, Lily and I took advantage again last night and walked over to the park where we had a huge breakthrough -- Lily got in the swing! I always try to get her to sit in the swing, but she usually refuses. I asked her again when we got there if she was ready to ride in the swing and, of course, she said no. But later on when I sat down and started to swing on the big-girl swing, suddenly her interest was peaked. She was still hesitant, but willing to try. She even stayed in while I ran to get my camera out of the stroller! She was fine as long as you didn't actually try to swing her. Once she moved, she freaked out. No one ever said she was adventurous! But at least she tried, maybe next time she actually swing a little!

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Speaking of Lily being all crazy and adventurous, we had another major breakthrough this morning. Lily ate a banana!! Anyone familiar with us knows that Lily is the pickiest eater. She even refused to try her cupcake on her birthday! Her biggest problem is with texture. She doesn't like fruit because it is mushy and slimy (but has no problem eating the strained, mashed baby food fruit). The last few days I have been cutting up strawberries and giving her small pieces and she has been eating them which just thrills me to death. So I thought I'd get crazy and buy her some bananas to try also. Bananas are fun because it is a word she knows and she always likes to identify them at the market. (I think I have to thank Elmo for teaching her about bananas because I HATE them, so she never sees them here at home). So this morning when I showed her that we were gonna eat a banana she got all excited -- until I cut it and tried to give her a piece. It no longer looked like a banana. So I showed her the remaining part of the banana and the piece and tried to explain that it was all the same. Nope, she wanted the whole banana. I was afraid the texture would scare her away if I gave her the whole thing, but she happily ate about half of it before getting bored and wanting crackers. It is a good start!