Vivi's First Ice Cream (Sorbet)

We've all heard the sob stories of the second child.  Not only does Vivi miss out on ever having mom and dad to herself, but all her toys are hand-me-downs, and everyone is much less impressed with her milestones.  Like...Oh, you rolled over?  Well bully for you, kid.  Your big sister can do simple math.  Why don't you learn to do that, then we'll talk.

But there's one thing she didn't miss out on: Maddie's first taste of ice cream was at Ben & Jerry's, and Vivi's first taste of ice cream was at Ben & Jerry's.  (To see Maddie's first trip to the ice cream gods, see here.)

Dairy allergy be damned! Only the finest for my girls!

 When we visited the Ben & Jerry's factory in Vermont last week, I was not planning on sharing my mango sorbet with God or anyone.  I certainly wasn't considering letting Vivi, who seems to be allergic to air, try any.

But as soon as the cone entered her line of sight, it was love.  It would be hers.  Oh yes, it would be hers. And so I tried, in vain, to wrestle her greedy, nugget-y hands away from it.  Her feet kicked in anticipation, her fingers dove into the sorbet, her mouth opened like a baby bird, and she nearly wiggled herself away from me.

I caved.  I held the cone up to her mouth and let her slobber all over it.  

Boy, did she love it.  I mean, she really loved it.  I have never seen her so excited about food before.  Every time I pulled the cone away from her lips, she grunted in frustration.  She was so enthusiastic that she kept taking giant bites only to find she couldn't handle holding so much frozen food in her gums and spitting it back out.

I watched her carefully for the rest of the day in case she turned out to be allergic to mango, but she was fine.  So fine, in fact, that we visited a different Ben & Jerry's the next night to repeat the scene for my parents.

Madeline saw Vivi's enthusiasm for mango sorbet, and decided she needed to have the same flavor.  It was a hit with her too!

Needless to say, I bought a whole mess of mangoes at the supermarket today.  Mango puree coming to a baby near you!