foooood.

Against common practice and in fact, direct doctor's orders, we decided to go ahead and give Iris some "real" food prior to the six month mark. We're rebels in that way. Renegade baby cereal slingers, if you will. She'd been fascinated with watching us eat for weeks, mimicking chewing anytime she saw it. She's been teething for probably almost three months now and there are still no signs of actual teeth, just a really slobbery baby who wants a bite of your pizza.

We figured not much of the stuff would actually get down her throat anyway - it's more of training session, I guess. So for the last week or so she's been happily accepting little bites of cereal, then gleefully opening her mouth and leaning forward so that it drools out in neat little patterns. I can only assume the visual effect is what she was going for. Anyway, yesterday, it finally clicked for her. Each time I brought the spoon to the bowl, she immediately stopped work on all swallowing or chewing (and I do use that word in its loosest sense), to open her mouth for the next bite. I feel a small sense of accomplishment that the bouncy/arms flapping dance she did each time the next bite came around was probably something she learned by watching me. Behold:

Mmmm. Gruel.