Baby Talk

Do you ever wonder what your baby is going to sound like when they start talking?  What type of voice will project from this tiny growing person?  I’m not talking about the exhilarating day they first say “mama” or “dada”, and the endless torment received by the losing parent for not getting their name broadcast by baby first.  I’m talking about a true string of words linked together in verbal communication.  “Goodnight Mommy”.  “Let’s go Daddy”.  “I hate broccoli”.  What will it sound like?

Now that my baby is 2 he’s full of things to say and we know exactly how it sounds…cute sometimes, incessant other times, and really funny most times.  The other day I introduced him to “Crispers”, which are cracker type chips.  Yes, if you recall I do allow my kids some nutritionally desolate snacks once in a while to keep it real.  The next day he asked, “Mommy, whispers please?”  What?  “Whispers please”.  Ah, got it.

We’ve been getting concerned with how he always uses his name instead of “I” when referring to himself.  “Carter do it”.  “Carter go to the park”.  “Carter don’t like it.”  We tried explaining to him to say “I want to go to the park”.  Then it dawned on us that when we talk to him we refer to ourselves as Mommy or Daddy.  “Mommy wants you to brush your teeth.”  “Daddy wants you to settle down.”  I guess he’s doing as well as can be expected linguistically.

We also have the added intricacy of international accents for Carter to decipher.  My husband is from the UK and I’m Canadian through and through so he definitely says some words exactly how Daddy says them and then others how the Canadian masses do.  “How does Daddy like his coffee?” Carter responds “Large, double, double.”  Very Canadian.  But then he pronounces his own name, “Kawta”.  Very UKian. 

Whenever we visit my in-laws in England my overly hospitable brother in-law offers to translate every word I say so no one is confused.  I say, “I have to run to the washroom.”  He says, “she said she has to run to the toilet”.  Confusion averted.

In keeping with the actual theme of this blog, let’s make some Apple Peach puree for baby.  This is a great one for the Solid Food Apprentices out there who are 6 months +.

Ready…Set…Evolve…

Apple of my Eye Peach Puree

Age – 6 months +

Ingredients

·         3 ripe peaches

·         3 apples (a sweet variety like Gala or Golden Delicious)

·         Yes, that’s it

Baby Steps

1.      Peel and slice peaches.  To peel, score and “X” on the bottom of the peaches and put them into a large bowl.  Pour boiling water in the bowl completely covering the peaches and let them sit for 1 minute.  Remove from water and rest on a cutting board for 30 seconds or so.  The skin should easily peel off if they were ripe peaches.  If they are giving you trouble, peel the rest with a paring knife or veggie peeler.

2.      Peel, core and slice apples into thin pieces.

3.      Add apples and peaches to a large saucepan.  Add 1 – 2 tbsps. of water if the peaches weren’t very ripe.  Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for approx. 12 minutes or until the fruit is tender and juicy.

4.      Remove from heat and let stand for a few minutes.

5.      Transfer to a blender, food processor or bowl to use a hand held blender to puree.

6.      Puree to a smooth consistency.

7.      Transfer to freezing trays and place in the freezer to be used within 3 months, or to a food storage container in the fridge to use within 48 hours.

Makes - 9 Servings (1 serving = 2 tbsps.)

No matter which accent they use to say it, when you hear a deliberate, “I love you” come from baby in your direction…well there’s not much in the world that can top that.