So, little miss is knocking on 14 months, and for the last couple of months, it has been all about the babble. How lovely when she says, “hi Mum” when I walk in the door. Or when, in the morning, she walks herself along the wall, yelling “Dad Dad”, the latter is motivated by food. Almost every morning Dad Dad lovingly prepares Weet-Bix for our little glutton. In fact, even after saying “hi Mum”, the next thing she does is smack her lips continually, her way of telling me it’s time to put some food in her mouth.

So, I guess it should come as no surprise that the first suite of words to come out of her mouth after the essential Mum, Dad and bath – because who doesn’t love a bath – are all food-related.

Related: My favourite baby foods

In no time missy learned to say her favourite food. “Brea …”, aka bread. In fact, sometimes I get her up from her nap, she looks at me lovingly before quickly pointing towards the kitchen, and asking “Brea?”

My favourite is “chzzzz”. It is such an adorable noise, and she was so very pleased with herself the first time she announced it, and was rewarded with a nice wedge of her favourite cheesy goodness.

Next up came “nanana”, aka banana. Even after eating a bowl of pasta for dinner, followed by some yoghurt, she looks at me with her sweet smile, asking for a nanana. And, I kid you not, she’ll eat the whole thing.

I’m told I’m pretty lucky to have a baby who is so interested in food. She just loves it. The girl’s appetite is insatiable. She cannot, and will not, be filled. Any attempts I make to eat my own meal in her presence is rapidly thwarted by her climbing onto my lap, smacking her lips and very kindly asking for “more”, her hand already making its way to whatever is on my plate. It would be annoying if she wasn’t so friggen cute about it!

Of course, she has learned to say words out of the food spectrum – bird, “woof woof”, bubbles – but the impressive food vocabulary she has nailed says to me I have a foodie in the making, a girl after my own heart. I can’t wait for our first degustation that goes beyond the sultanas, banana, yoghurt, toast, tuna variety! Perhaps she’s going to be one of Australia’s first Michelin-starred chefs! Either way, the future is looking delicious!

Next: Purees on the go

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