An Eating Experience

Since Thursdays was my day off, Haley and I get to hang out together all day on Thursdays. I think this past Thursday may have been the best day that we've had together so far as father and daughter. We laughed & played all day (in between changing diapers of course)!

One of the things I enjoy the most about our times together, is feeding Haley her cereal. This is kind of the intermediate step between a bottle and solid foods. Her cereal consists of mixing together formula, rice cereal and Gerber pears (sound yummy, huh?). When Haley eats her cereal it's not just an event, it's an experience. I've never seen anyone enjoy eating as much as Haley does when she eats cereal. You have to see it sometime!

In fact, I've become jealous that I can't have those same experiences when I eat. After all, I love to eat too. There are two things that really make this experience all that it is ...

(1) The food goes everywhere and in Haley's world that's OK. In fact, it adds to the overall experience. I mean she doesn't have to worry about someone telling her "don't use your fingers" or "wipe your face off" or "stopping eating so fast." It's great!

(2) She thoroughly savors each bite. In fact, she not only savors each bite, she celebrates each bite by shouting for joy in between bites as here arms and legs swing through the air uncontrollably. It's like she's taking time to celebrate how good that last bite tasted. Wouldn't that be fun to get away with once in a while!

It may sound strange but this little girl has taught me something in these moments of shear bliss. In these moments and others, Haley reminds me to enjoy life for all it's worth (even the small, everyday things like eating) and to not take myself too seriously. She certainly doesn't.