What is this substance? Rice, you say?

Fresh back from Belgium, where Chris and I ate very very well, I started to feel a little sorry for Jonathan. It's not that he needs more calories - already his wardrobe contains only pants with elastic waistbands. But for the past six months his diet has been very monotonous, and we thought it could do with a little jazzing up. So, we broke out the high chair, grabbed a couple of spoons, found our biggest, most absorbant bib, and we were ready to go.

Rice cereal for babies. . . well, all I can say is they could be selling papier mache and I wouldn't ever know. It comes in a cardboard box with a little spout on the side. You pour out a teaspoonful or so of little dessicated white flakes. Then you add a splash of water and mix, creating a white paste. And we wonder why the kindergartners all eat the Elmer's.

So, Jonathan is in his high chair, sensing that something is up. Chris is standing by with the camera, ready to document the first bite for posterity. I've got a spoon ready to go. It edges towards Jonathan's mouth - he sees it and decides he'll grab it. Fortunately, I've read the baby books and learned a trick or two; this is a decoy spoon with no cereal on it. Jonathan gets the decoy and I pick up another spoon. We move forward again, but Jonathan still has a free hand! I'm still smarter, though - there's a second decoy. Finally, spoon in each hand, Jonathan is ready for his first bite. A quarter teaspoonful of rice cereal is nudged past the lower lip, over the teeth, and deposited on the tongue. He looks vaguely disturbed. The cereal remains hidden from view, so we try another bite. A little drips onto the chin. The decoy spoons wave around, making detours into the mouth. Jonathan doesn't seem to mind too much that we're putting paste in his mouth, but he also doesn't seem too excited.

We got about a tablespoon into him before deciding that was enough entertainment for the evening. We'll keep trying, but so far, this feeding thing has been a bit of a bust.