"Currant" events

Okay, so I know the pun is dorky, but Jeff and his pun-loving family would be proud, and since we all know that I live to make his family proud.... whatever. Anyway, today Michael and I made currant jelly. We (well, mostly Jeff) picked the currants at his parents' house on Monday, and then yesterday I juiced them. So today we made jelly. It was kind of fun, and it's so pretty when the light shines through the red jelly. Tomorrow we're doing apricot jam with some apricots Jodi brought to me. She's so nice. And on Friday, I'm making a peach pie. That is, if I'm awake. I'm doing a paper route for my friend April while she's on vacation this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I have to get up at 4 AM. 4 AM!!!! If I could figure out how to underline that, I would. Anyway, so yes, I might be sleeping instead of making pie. But I'll get my exercise (at 4 AM) and make a little money (at 4 AM), so that will be nice. Did I mention I have to get up at 4 AM? I don't think I've done that (at least, not willingly), since I was in high school and going to debate tournaments.

So here's the news about Michael: I told him we are not buying his food anymore. It's too much money. So ever since I told him that, he keeps saying, "Can't buy food anymore. It too much money." I feel bad when I hear him say that, but it's true. We've been talking about how he needs to learn to eat what Mommy and Daddy eat, and that we'll practice a lot until he learns. I think he sort of understands that, but we'll see how it goes over when we go shopping next Monday and we really don't buy any more. I've been thinking of some things to freeze. Last night I did our own apples and cherries, and I'm also going to do pears and pineapple, sweet potatoes, and some other things. We're offering him everything we eat. While I cook, I have him lick this, stick his finger in that and lick it, smell it, etc. So far he's been doing great. Last night he ate a (very small) bite of mashed avocado (more about that in a bit), and this morning he ate some of the apples and cherries I froze. So I have hope. I think it will be okay, but I know it will also be so, so, so hard.

Okay, the avocado. I mashed some up with a fork and watered it down with goat milk (milked it down?) and fed it to Faith yesterday. It was great. She loved it, and I loved that! It was the first time I ever sat her in the high chair and fed her solid food, and it went very well. She was grinning and opening her mouth for more. What a relief. Hopefully whatever I did wrong or whatever went wrong with Michael will not be repeated with her. I can honestly say that's probably my biggest worry for her first couple years of life. Here's a photo of her after her first guacamole meal: