No accounting for taste

As of Monday, we were about six weeks into solids, and Evelyn had yet to get anything really good, with the exception of her birthday cake. I mean, the fruits aren't awful, but once you cook the life out of them, puree them, and then add water, they leave a little to be desired. Gerber puffs are also not terrible, but how satisfying can anything that melts in your mouth within seconds really be? We won't talk about green beans, sweet potatoes, or formula. Except to say that, for the latter, the smell alone is enough to activate my gag reflex.

In any case, I was so excited on Monday to introduce Evelyn to something I think actually tastes good. Yogurt. You may recall that yogurt is one of my 5 favorite foods, and because she is a baby, she gets it even better than I do. Whole milk yogurt. I ask you, Is it possible to not like anything made with 8 percent milk fat? Exactly. She is going to love me, I thought. I doubt I'll be able to get her to choke down stage 2 veggies anymore once she experiences real food.

As it turns out, while she downs formula like a champ, yogurt activates Evelyn's gag reflex. I tried for several minutes to get her to eat it. No luck. You know how milk products can sometimes coat the inside of your mouth and throat (especially high-fat versions)? I think she had an aversion to that feeling. In fact, the only way I could get her to touch it at all was by mixing it with . . . wait for it . . . pureed peas. In the words of Rachael Ray, "Yummo!"