Avocado foot mask

Somebody likes to do things on his own.  Wonder who he gets that from???

He is so very pleased to have used the spoon all by himself!  (Albeit, only semi-successfully.)  

To clear up any confusion in the air, we are practicing baby-led weaning: basically letting your infant self-feed from the get go.  Out with the purees and in with the small chip-size bites of food.  My goal is to teach Maks how to chew with his very first experiences of solid foods (little dude already knows how to swallow, let me tell you!).  However, I occasionally present a spoon to Maks so he can get used to handling a utensil (in whatever manner he so chooses for the time being...he actually does pretty well with this).  Additionally, although the avocado looks pureed, it is not.  Maksim is just momentarily far better at mashing food with his palms than he is at using his pincer grip (pointer finger and thumb).

I'm not necessarily restricting Maks to mono-item food days (or series of days).  I've consumed such a plentiful variety of veggies/fruits throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding (without a negative reaction from Maks) that I'm betting against Maks having a food allergy.  I suppose if he develops allergic symptoms (rash, etc.), then I'll need to backtrack and pinpoint the food by serving a single item for a couple days at a time before re-introducing new foods.  In the meantime, if Bryon or I happen to be eating something and Maks decides he wants a try, we let him.  That being said, he's now tried carrots, avocados, cucumbers, green peppers, pickles, green beans, strawberries (sugary, yes...but it was just 1!  I was dying for him to finally grasp the concept of tasting/eating food!), bananas, lemons and sweet potatoes.  Cucumbers were a big win.  I hadn't consciously decided to explore this option, but we were at an event and Bryon had picked up a small plate of fresh veggies for us to munch on.  Anyhow, it was a quick, juicy way for Maks to learn to put food in his mouth and explore tastes.  Little half moon shapes were perfect for him to pick up, put into his mouth (while still maintaining his grip) and suck/nibble on.  For meals, I've mostly stuck to avocados, sweet potatoes and carrots; sweet potatoes just might be Maks' favorite dinner food so far!  

Here's a flashback to Maks' third meal of all time.  Most of Maks' avocado always ends up on his toes!  And don't worry, I caught him eyeing that fork!  

"What's the big deal with this food stuff anyhow?  It's so squishy..."

"Oh my gosh, Mama!  You've GOT to try this!!!"

Little Mr. doesn't mess around when it comes to getting baby soft skin.  

There's nothing like a moisturizing avocado foot mask!  

It's difficult to believe that he actually ingested any, right?  I'm proud to say that we've come a long way since this moment 2 weeks ago...but we still have a way to go!