We Wear Plastic

My goal, though it is an ever-evolving path, is to be the healthiest person that I can be, to live a life with as little sickness as possible, and to live as long as I can.  It is my belief that we cause most diseases through our choices in food and our exposure to toxins in our environment.  Unless we are careful consumers, society is set up to make it easy for us to fill our lives with products that speed up our demise.  It is impossible to lead a toxin-free life, but I believe that it's in our best interest to do whatever we can to minimize the toxins that we do come into contact with.

That said, a lot of our clothes are made of plastic.  I don't want to wear plastic clothes.  I don't want my baby girl to wear plastic clothes.  I think I've lived in a bubble for a long time.  I don't think I realized what synthetic fabrics were.  They are plastic!  I don't want plastic touching my food, I don't want it in my baby's mouth, and I certainly don't want it up close and personal with the largest organ in our bodies.  In fact, I believe that it's things like this, things that we never give a second thought, that are causing more and more cases of cancer in the United States.  We don't eat the right foods, and this.  All of the things like this.  We wear plastic.

To exacerbate the issue, the plastic from washing these clothes is polluting the ocean.

I have bought a lot of cheap clothes for a very long time.  I don't think that our clothes need to be organic, but they certainly should be some kind of natural fiber, such as cotton, hemp, linen, cashmere, silk, or bamboo. One website recommends that we stay away from rayon, polyester, acrylic, acetate, triacetate, nylon, and anything static resistant, stain resistant, permanent press, wrinkle-free, stain proof or moth repellant. I am not going to throw out my whole wardrobe, but while shopping from here on out, I am going to limit my purchases to non-plastic clothing.

First Solid Foods

Big. Day. Lily had her first taste of solid food Saturday, and it was a hit!  I wrote earlier about our process figuring out if Lily was ready for solids.  We decided to wait until she was sitting up mostly unsupported at six months.  Well, the week before we were going to give her solids, the local moms email list exploded with a conversation about "baby led weaning," which is where you give baby large pieces of food an allow her to feed herself.  I went into food ready to make purees.  I had tried to feed Lily some slushy breastmilk and breastmilk fat with a spoon in the weeks prior, as suggested by Kellymom.com to stave off a baby clamemering to get real food in her mouth before she is ready, but Lily did not care for that.  She loved to eat the spoon, but did not like eating food off of a spoon.  Lily took one look at the first banana, and put that shiz-nit in her mouth. 

Going into this, we have several beliefs about the food that Lily should eat:

• Organic, non-gmo food.  She will eventually be exposed to crap, but we'd like her digestive system to mature with the best food possible.
• We don't eat cereal.  It's too processed.  We don't eat cereal.
• We may do oatmeal, but I don't want to start feeding her food with a spoon before she can really try to feed herself with it.
• No jarred baby food.
• No frozen food.
• Occasional juice.  Not much.

Bananas, avocados, and carrots are cited as good first whole foods.  Day one was bananas, and we tried some strawberries, because we had them.  We have since learned in conversations with friends that it's recommended that folks wait until later for strawberries, because if a baby is allergic, it could kill them at this age.  That said, many babies eat raw strawberries and have no reaction.  One friend said that if it's something like 1 in 1,000 babies that are allergic, but if you're that one baby, it's best to wait.

Day two was avocados and chicken.  She was so/so about the avocado.  She didn't seem to like the taste, but she loved trying to eat it.  The chicken was probably a bad call.  She really liked the taste, but she could pull off pieces that we felt she might swallow.  We decided it was best to wait until she really got the hang of chewing.

It was obvious by this time that we still had more to read before expanding into more advanced foods.  I had no idea that folks were allergic to strawberries.  We went to a bookstore and picked up the book that my friend had, Super Baby Food, because there was a chart and it laid out foods by month.  It talks about allergies and other stuff that we need to know before going forward, but it basically says to only give purees now and mashed food until a year, which is totally opposite of what we're doing now.  It also says bland is best, but the BLW moms mentioned that spicy early was all right.  All of this parenting stuff is so confusing.  For every piece of advice, there is an equally contradicting piece of advice, and we're all left to sort it out for ourselves.  I think that what is best for Lily is figuring out what foods we can eat with her together and when we're out, because she is very excitedly trying to grab it out of our hands.  If I had let her, she would have eaten bacon, eggs,  and a cheeseburger in the past 24 hours.

And, I have read a few places to introduce a new food every few days, but we totally blew that out of the water.  This because you can better pinpoint an allergic reaction to something.  Maybe it's stupid parenting, but I really don't think it's best for our family to wait a few days.  The thought of the effort to get bananas or avocados that are just the right ripeness in the proper succession is enough to drive me bonkers.  She loves to taste different things, and she's so alert and over ready for solids that I think she'll get bored if we do the same thing too many days in a row.  Reactions to food can happen immediately, within a few hours, within a few days, or within a week or two.  When I was trying to figure out what was making Lily gassy, I had just about driven us nuts.  If she has a reaction to something, then we'll do an elimination diet. 

Day three, this morning, was steamed carrots.  She really liked those, too.  She also has a banana and more avocado for the afternoon.  After watching some BLW videos where different foods are offered every day, I don't feel like such an idiot. We may be giving her strips that are too small.  Instead of quartering the carrots, I should have them, maybe.

She really enjoys feeding herself.  Food is a great experience for us so far.  She is figuring out how to chew the food.  Most of it comes back out of her mouth at this point. But, you put that food down on the tray, and it's in her mouth.

Six Months Later

Dear Lily,

Exactly six months ago today, you were making your way out of your little cocoon and into the world.  I often wondered if it was fair to bring an innocent child into what can be such a challenging world.  But, the moment you were born, you made the world a better place.  Your smile lights up our whole world.  We love being your parents.  Every day, we are only concerned with getting back to you and smothering you with love and kisses.

We have watched you grow up so much already.  I remember when you had no interest in playing with toys.  Eventually, you liked to look at them.  Then, you like to grab at them and put them into your mouth.  It felt good to chew on them.  You gained the ability to hold your toys, and I remember when you started manipulating them in your mouth.  One day, I woke up and you were able to grab toys off of your tray and put them in your mouth. You can now see the toy you want under other toys and move the other toys into a pile on the other side of your tray, so that you can get to the prize toy.  When I read that as a baby skill online, I thought that it wasn't a big deal.  But, it was the most amazing thing when I saw you do it the first time.  It is so incredible to watch you play with one toy, put it down, and become interested in another.  Last night, you were rolling over and moving towards the toy you wanted.  I wouldn't have thought such small things would be such a big deal, but they are.  When we watch you, this little amazing creature, go from not being remotely interested in something to being able to move to get it, it warms the heart and makes us realize just how much each of us had to learn.

We are so very excited to explore this world with you.  For every new discovery you make, you brighten up our lives.  Thank you so much for being you.  We cannot wait to see who you grow up to be.

Love,

Mommy

Hi Sweetie

You are six months old today.

I will never forget the first time I held you.  And the first time you looked at me.  And the first time we all went out to eat at a restaurant.  And the first time that I changed your little diaper.  Somehow, though... I can't remember the 3rd or 23rd time that I changed your diaper.  It's just gone from my memory, but I'm sure it was a wondrous event.

Raising you is the most amazing challenge imaginable.  The greatest lesson that your mother and I have learned is Love.  We set aside the little things that we want in order to give ourselves to you, because we love you and want the best for you.  And when you crack a smile that is brighter than the Sun, nothing else matters.  Raising you has changed us in so many ways... because you make everything an adventure :)

We are so excited for every new thing you learn.  The constant smiling is awesome.  And we love seeing you roll over... although, this has caused diaper-changing to become like a wrestling match.  And you are very grabby.  Just a little while ago, while changing you... I bent down to grab a new diaper, and came back up to find you squirming around with a pair of baby-sized pj pants covering your face.  The word "adorable" is a vast understatement.

Right now, sweetie, our family is facing a wonderful future... because we are learning with you, we are re-experiencing simple joys with you, and we are growing with you.

Love you :)

Daddy

at birth class

on due date

birth day

newborn

one month

two months

three months

four months

five months

six months

And Today, I Love Breastfeeding

For a change, I love breastfeeding.  Today.  I get to look down at her sweet face and listen to her breathe as she sleeps.  I sometimes can't help but brush her sleeping face or caress her little fingers. Her baby wrists are eclipsed by the fat on her hands and arms.  I often hold one of her chubby thighs in my hand, a trophy of a "boob job" well done.  I'd tickle her feet, but that would wake her up.  But, I still think about it.  If she's awake, she sees me smile at her and she smiles, too.  I start giggling at her smiling, and then she's laughing at my giggling, so I chuckle some more.  Today, the milk ran down the side of her face when she laughed at me.  That's something that hasn't happened in awhile.  I feel so connected to her right now.  I always feel so much love for her, but enjoying this for a few moments makes me so proud.  I can never get upstairs fast enough when she wakes up, and it is so obvious that she needs this connection, too.  As I write this, I just want to run back upstairs and crawl into bed with her.  I cannot stand to be away.

I don't always enjoy breastfeeding.  It's one of the hardest things I've ever done. I will cherish moments like these always.  People tell me that they grow up so fast, and I don't want it to be so.  I cannot wait until this part is over, but I don't want it to be done.

Lactation Cookies

I have what is sometimes an insatiable hunger.  I also crave something sweet every day.  Sometimes, I push it a little too far without eating, and I start to get light-headed.  That is, if I don't eat 3,000 calories per day, I start to get sick.  It makes it hard to loose any baby weight while my body is trying to be a breast milk machine.  Some days, I struggle against it and some days I give in.  Regardless, since I struggled so much with my pumping output in the beginning, I decided that if I was going to eat junk food, it might as well be organic, whole junk food that theoretically helped my milk supply.  So, even though I don't believe these help me all that much, I still bake and eat them each week.  What helps each persons milk supply is different, and while I don't think they had an effect on me, someone else will say that they blew them away.  They do taste yummy.  I started with this recipe here.

And, when the hell do I have time to actually bake cookies?  Well, there is sometimes an hour or so around midnight once a week when Lily is passed the bleep out. 

1. Mix in a bowl:

• 1 1/2 c. organic stone ground whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp organic cinnamon 

2. Beat until creamy:

• 3/4 c. organic peanut butter
• 1/2 c. organic pastured butter, softened
• 1/2 c. cane sugar
• 1/2 c. turbinado sugar
• 2 tsp organic, fair-trade vanilla
• 1 c. ground flax meal
• 3 T brewer's yeast
• 1/3 c. water

 3. Then add in eggs, chocolate chips, and oats in that order.

• 2 large organic cage free eggs
• 2 c. (12oz) organic, fair-trade chocolate chips
• 1 3/4 c. organic steel cut oats

4. Place balls of dough onto greased baking sheets or baking stones and press down each ball lightly with a fork. Bake 17 minutes at 350 degrees.

Rise and Rhyme

In search of activities to do during the week before work, some of the local moms recommended Rise and Rhyme.  Over breakfast, a local performer does something for kids under 5 years of age.  Today's performer looked to be a new mom herself, sporting her infant in a carrier.  We read some Dr. Seuss books together and did some dancing.  One of the moms with a preschooler commented that her son had probably "aged out" of today's program.   Lily had a blast.  She loves to meet new people and see new things.  She loved the sound of the performer's voice.  She got to chew on Sophie, grab at the bacon, and look out a big window.

It was a great kids environment and the event was packed.  You could come and go without disturbing the activity/performance.  After awhile, it became a free-for-all, so I could excuse us to change her diaper when needed.  Any fussing she did went unnoticed.

Non-Plastic Baby Dishes

We're getting closer to the start of solid foods, and I read somewhere that to distract baby from not yet participating in mealtime, we could start teaching her how to use a cup.  We have also been feeding her bits of slushy breastmilk or the fat from the top of the bottle with a silicone-tipped infant spoon.  She is very interested in chewing on the cup and the spoon, but only interested in the food when it goes into our mouths.  She almost grabbed a slice of bacon out of my hand and she tried to pull my coffee cup over to her mouth to try some this morning.

I realized last week that I hadn't addressed the question of what she is going to eat with. We are a minimal plastic house.  The plastic in our house basically consists of the packaging on our food, beauty products, and electronics.   We have a lot of glassware, but not much of anything we could give a hungry and learning baby.  I wound up purchasing the silicone cups and bowls above.

 When it comes to baby girl, I would prefer that she didn't put anything plastic in her mouth, which is easier said than done.  After I spent months trying to find the best high chair option with a wooden tray, because her food would obviously come into contact with the tray, I also bought a plain walker with a plastic tray.  The first thing she did was put her mouth on the plastic tray and start to suck on it.  In that moment, I knew that it was a loosing battle.  I'm not the kind of mom that freaks out if she ends up chewing on something plastic, but if we weren't paying attention, everything we brought into the house for the baby could easily be plastic.

It is my understanding that silicone is a good alternative to plastic, because it's inert and doesn't leech when changing temperatures.  Some plastics don't leech at room temperature, and my husband and I have differing opinions on their occasional use.  I suppose that we all teeter back and forth around what is the best course of action and the most convenient for our families.

No Regrets

Scrapbook from labor and delivery.

It's almost 5am and I have been sitting here pumping and scrapbooking since the little bean let me get out of bed at 1:23am.  The 7 minutes before 1:30am make a difference, because some nights, those are the only 7 minutes that I get to be up and out of the bed.  I've taken nearly a thousand pictures since I got pregnant, and I need to get a move on this memory-preserving.  I would have more done, but Lily does not like it when I don't pay attention to her while she's nursing.  Instead of a desk with a computer in the new office, I wanted a scrapbooking corner where I can just leave out all of my stuff and work a few minutes at a time.  On average, it takes an hour to create a page.  I don't have an hour.  I usually have 3 minutes.

I try to live a life of no regrets.  There is no point in regretting anything unless you want to change your own actions.  It is productive to regret what you did, but unproductive to regret someone else's actions.  If you did your best, there's no point in regretting what happens next.  You can't change the outcome.  Tonight, I am scrapbooking Lily's birth day.  When it comes to Lily's birth day, I regret nothing about the way I handled my labor.  I want to say our labor, because Lily and I did it together.   It was 36 hours, I was throwing up a shit-ton, but we were rock stars. 

There are times when I have these nagging regrets about other things involving the day she was born.  Because I thought he was a crazy person, Sean wasn't at her birth.  In fact, I made sure he didn't know I was in labor because I didn't want to risk him showing up and stressing me out.  I watch him with her now, I see the pictures of the day she was born, and I wish that he could have been there.  But, there are no pictures of Daddy on that day.  Instead, there are pictures of my close friends holding Lily after I was whisked away in an ambulance to the hospital.  I didn't understand how he could have chosen to not see her every day of her life.   I will never regret giving Sean the opportunity to be here every day. Things have been really incredible between us these last 5.5 months.  I wound up with a husband more incredible than the one that I married.  A loving, supportive, attentive partner who has done whatever I've asked, whatever I needed but didn't ask, and whatever was best for us.  Though unintentional, there have been several marriage tests that have come up, and we've passed with flying colors.  The way he interacts with Lily is incredible.  My mom, Sean, and I each have our different relationship with her, and it's apparent that she is in love with him and he is utterly in love with her. 

There are times where I regret not being able to be a stay at home mom.  That was our plan, but having to pay for two houses for half a year changes things.  And, stress eating organic, grass-fed burgers and milkshakes does that, too.  But, I refuse to regret the $15 grass-fed filets I ate for most of last summer.  Omega-3 fatty acids, baby.  If Lily is smart, I will credit the steaks.  But, the ridiculous pumping and the fact that I haven't been home to be her nipple or be there for her is something that often nags at me.  And, right now, the money is good and we get to do so many things we couldn't do without the money.  And, she's getting to develop an incredible relationship with my mom, something I know that they both will be so thankful for.  

That reminds me, I need to write another letter to my mom's mom and tell her about all of the wonderful memories I have of us.  I don't think she knows.

Because I decided to give Sean the opportunity to right what was so wrong, most of the friends present at Lily's birth are not my friends anymore.  These were people who we called Lily's grandma and uncle throughout my pregnancy even though they had no blood or legal relationship to us.  The biggest regret I have is that they are not here to watch her grow up.  I don't understand how they could have been okay with not seeing her for this long, let alone the rest of their lives.  When printing pictures for the scrapbook, I asked myself if I should print out their photos. I decided that I should, because my feelings about the situation don't change what actually happened.  That things smoothed over between Sean and I despite all odds, how could I assume that these people were out of our lives for good?  So, I look at them holding my baby, the look on Lily's face and her little fingers and toes, and wonder if they will ever come around to see her again.  I hope that it won't be too long, because she's growing so fast.  She's going to be walking and crawling soon.

And, when I feel this feeling of regret, I try to let it go, because I did my best.  I am not the one who made the decision to not be a part of this wonderful experience of her birth or her growing up.  I just try to make decisions that are in Lily's best interest.  I talk about the challenges of being a mother, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  I remember my loneliest days as a bacheolorette just wishing for a family.  Lily is more amazing than I would have ever known. 

Balanced Baby Parenting

During my pregnancy, I was getting ready to have and raise a baby.  I was reading, researching, and making all of these decisions on how Lily would be raised and what kind of parent I wanted to be.  I heard that if you do what makes the baby happy all of the time, you won't have happy parents and that if you do what makes the parents happy all of the time, you won't have a happy baby.  I didn't believe it.  I was determined to do whatever I needed to do to make the baby happy and assumed that I could be happy, too.  I soon realized that even though I scoffed at the Time Magazine cover of extended nursing, that I did subscribe to attachment parenting.

While Attachment Parenting International describes parenting in different terms, Dr. Sears talks about attachment-style parenting in regards to believing in baby cues, baby wearing, breastfeeding, cosleeping, and not baby training.  The idea being that a stronger bond means a happier child later in life.  Some parents make sort of opposite choices for one reason or another to sleep train, use formula, put their child down for an extended period of time, get babies on a schedule, etc. Sometimes, it's not really a choice, but a necessity of the family situation.  Things often get heated in online mommy discussions between folks when talking about the different parenting choices. Even though I am sticking with my intense choice to be an attached parent, I don't feel it's productive to judge parents who make different decisions.  We are all just trying to balance happy parent and happy baby, trying to make the decisions that we feel are best for our families.

I very much so thought that when I got around to writing about parenting that it would be about a wonderful attachment parenting life.  I didn't realize how hard it would be!  Our attachment ways have lead to a happy baby who hardly ever cries, who is gaining lots of weight, and we all generally sleep well at night. I didn't understand why some very loving parents would make different decisions about how to raise their children.  But, I get it now.  Our culture has made a job for two people what was meant a job for ten.  These babies need more than one set of boobs. While we do have a happy baby, it has come with some challenges:

	Positives	Challenges
Nursing on demand	happy baby, keep milk supply up, delay menstrual cycle	constantly breastfeeding during the first 4 months, nursing to sleep for 12 hours a day
Cosleeping	always near Lily when she needs us, can sleep while nursing her back to sleep, minimize time awake at night	pain in hips from side-lying too long, nursing baby to sleep for 12 hours a day, wake up baby when we toss and turn at night (when one of us isn't sleeping well, none of us sleep well)
Breastfeeding	baby gets specialized nutrition, better immune system for baby, less sickness for baby, decrease cancers for mom	pumping is a bitch, having to pump at work and all hours of the night, only I can really comfort her and put her to sleep
Babywearing	happy baby when wants to be held, can do some things around the house, can take baby more places without feeling like we have to drag out a stroller	Holding her for naps if she wants to be held, baby needs to be on the floor or playing with toys on her own at times to learn necessary skills and exercise
Belief in baby cues	happy baby, can figure out what she is trying to communicate before she starts crying, less crying means less sickness	there are some months where I don't know if we'll ever be allowed to leave the house again
Beware baby trainers	happy baby, work at developing skills before they become bad habits to break, do what the baby wants	wondering if those parents who do sleep train and do schedules are happier than we are right now

Regardless of all of the challenges that being an attached parent brings, I can't imagine raising Lily any other way.   She is certainly a happy baby because we try to meet all or her needs as quickly as we can.  There are things that we are doing and we need to do more of that can balance out these challenges and make for happy parents:

• Now that she's older, I am setting aside time to work out.
• Now that it's warmer in the morning, we are taking more and more walks.
• Now that I'm not worried about my milk supply, we're scheduling more and more date afternoons where it's okay for grandma to give the baby a bottle.
• Now that we're traveling well, I'm looking for more classes, activities, and opportunities to show Lily new things.
• When she's less sensitive, I try to nurse AND do something else, like scrapbook or read.  She's only let me do that a few times.  She often gets upset if I'm not paying attention to her while she's nursing.
• Decide to say YES to activities we have been saying no to, such as a birthday bonfire and a trip to the winery with the girls.

Finally More Exploring!

I have been reeling with disappointment about my lack of understanding of what raising a baby was supposed to be like.  I felt like this past month that I haven't been living.  All I've been doing is attached to a very cute baby and that I'm just an utter that is constantly on.  I have been stuck in a bed or on a couch just trying to nurse her asleep for almost 12 hours every night hoping that I can sneak away for long enough to get a shower and pack my bags for the next day.  But, this is life.  This weekend was living, even if it only lasts a short while. I have no problem spending half of every day in bed as long as there is still brunch, bonfires, and play dates every now and then.  

Baby girl is nearing 6 months, and for all but two weekends, I have been basically petrified of going out alone with her.  Lily is not a chill baby.  She has demanded almost constant nursing, attention, entertainment, and/or holding from the moment we brought her home. We are usually happy to give it, because in exchange, she has been the sweetest baby with the biggest smiles.  I love her so very much.  However, until this past weekend, there were very few times we felt we could bring Lily along "to the party" (i.e. any gathering) or where I have gone some place with her alone.  Her and I have almost always been accompanied by an extra set of hands.  On top of that, for the past two months, baby girl has not been happy at all when we've tried to get the company to come to us.  I have no idea how people who don't have a live-in grandma and a daddy do it.  I suppose it's adapt or die.

There are times when I have flash backs to my meltdown at Babies R Us a few months ago.  It was one of the few times I tried to go anywhere by myself with Lily.  I had even forgotten my wallet.  Sean had to come find and rescue me.  I was a mess.

And that was before she hit this most recent "wonder week". Excuse me, but they should have called them wonder MONTHS.  Each "week" is FOUR weeks long.  I think she's coming out of this wonder month a whole new baby.  This was the leap of relationships in which she is starting to learn the relationship between two objects.  For example, something goes in something else (which is too cool) and mommy is now getting farther away from me (which is the most horrible thing ever).  Baby girl is about to figure out that she is one little person in a very big world who can't get anywhere on her own.

On Saturday, we walked down to the parade, we went to a play date with other babies her age, and, we went to a birthday bonfire for one of our friends.  Then Sunday, Lily and I were out all day by ourselves, which is something that has never happened!  We went to brunch together, I had a chiropractor appointment, we went to pick up some secondhand clothes from another DC mom looking to part with them, we went out to the birth center to have a play date with Auntie Cortney, and then, we went to the store before heading home.

To top it all off, this morning, I had to go to the DMV to change over my tags and a whole lot of other stuff.  Lily was a rockstar.  She was so interested in the people.  She was very aware that it was a new place that she hadn't been before. We had to stand in line for 40 minutes to get a number before I could check her diaper or feed her, and she was the most chill baby.

Lily at the parade!

Playdate with Auntie Cortney!

Brunch with Mommy!

Getting Ready for Solids

Lily is really showing an interest in food.  She is so excited about watching us eat and drink different things.  For the past several weeks, she's been nursing constantly, and it was mentioned that she'd start to sleep through the night a little more once she started solids, if we fed her solids before bedtime.  I thought I would try to breastfeed her exclusively for as long as possible, but I feel like I'm dying here some days.  I was really gunning to start them this week, but she's only 5.5 months old.  She has 2.5 weeks to go before the recommended 6 months.  A recent news article on starting solids too early made us rethink jumping the gun. 

There is a lot of contradicting advice out there. It was said not to start solids before 4 months.  Doctors have been known to recommend rice cereal or other foods for combating different situations to babies younger than 4 months.  The main difference in the advice we considered on a quick-and-dirty, desperate internet search was sitting supported versus unsupported.  Babycenter.com suggested a baby was ready for solids when he/she had good head control and could sit up well while supported.  Kellymom.com said that a baby should be able to sit up well without support. 

The checklist from Kellymom.com: 

• Baby can sit up well without support.
• Baby has lost the tongue-thrust reflex and does not automatically push solids out of his mouth with his tongue.
• Baby is ready and willing to chew.
• Baby is developing a “pincer” grasp, where he picks up food or other objects between thumb and forefinger. Using the fingers and scraping the food into the palm of the hand (palmar grasp) does not substitute for pincer grasp development.
• Baby is eager to participate in mealtime and may try to grab food and put it in his mouth.

Lily is definitely NOT sitting up well without support.  She's very good with support, and she is getting better at sitting up on her own.  I have watched her start to really loose the tongue-thrust reflex, but I think this might still be there a little bit.  She is certainly experimenting with her ability to chew.  She chews on our fingers, on teethers, on clothes, and on my nipple!  She is not using her pincer grasp, but I wouldn't count her out of solids if she was working on this.  She is most certainly curious about mealtime, and she really enjoys watching us eat.  I do expect her to start trying to grab for food and put it into her mouth.  We keep hot things away from her, but is is grabbing for cups and bottles.

In reading about why it's good to wait, the reasons that jumped out at us were:

1. Possibility that her digestive tract isn't ready to handle them.  We won't know when exactly Lily's body is ready for something other than breastmilk, so the recommended 6 month marker is meant to ensure that a baby is ready. 
2. Increased potential of developing food-related allergies.  We've seen how these can affect a person, so it would be great if we could spare Lily from that experience.
3. Increased opportunities for illness once solids start.  One of the main reasons I was so gung-ho to breastfeed was to prevent illness as long as possible.  So, that's one of the reasons to delay solids now.