Stick it on the fork, Mom

Little Zoe,

Your brain is developing fast. I'm trying to keep up, but until you learn to speak, I will be one step behind. As your wishes evolve, feeding continues to be confusing. You no longer want mushed food, so I've been keeping your meals more textured. Lately you've been rejecting that too, turning your head and locking your chin. Somewhere along the way I discovered that although you might reject food presented on your spoon, you might eat it from mine. You may also lock your mouth as if you can eat no more, but if I give the food to your hand, you chomp it down. For a while we kept you busy with peas and carrots you'd pick, while I sneaked in a few spoonfuls of food. Now you want the fork, and an approaching spoon, in most cases, is an abomination.

I read that when babies start wanting to eat on their own before they actually can, you should give them a spoon just to hold, while feeding them with another. You, Zoe, want a fork, not a spoon. And certainly not an empty one. When I approach you with a spoonful of food, you move your mouth away, and stretch your arm that holds the fork toward me. You want me to stick the bite on your fork. With your little hand, you maneuver the fork toward your mouth and take the bite in. A victorious expression usually follows accompanying our cheers. The only problem, Zoe, is that you have no teeth. There are very few foods out there that I can get soft enough to chew with your gums and hard enough to stay on the fork without spilling. So get those sharp little teeth soon.

Love,
Mommy.