Yes, we have no bananas.

Because Jonathan ate them all!

Jonathan is pointing at things that strike his fancy these days. He thrusts his arm forward and starts grunting if he sees something he really wants. From the vantage point of his high chair, he can spot the bananas ripening on the ledge over the sink. No matter what's on his tray at the moment, he will clamp his mouth shut and shake his head "no" until he gets a banana. When we cave in, he starts fussing because we're not peeling it fast enough. We drop the chunks on his tray and he picks them up two pieces at a time. The nanny has to remind him all the time to slow down. He eats an entire banana and you'd think he wouldn't be hungry for dinner - but not Jonathan! That was just a little appetizer.

I was finishing his dinner with some applesauce the other day, and I wanted to be eating my own dinner. Jonathan's been snacking on Cheerios lately and only upends the snack bowl about 50% of the time, so I thought I'd give him a spoon and see how things go. He did very well! He dips the spoon into the applesauce, but doesn't have any concept yet of "scopping" the food onto the spoon bowl. A quick dip is enough - he then carefully manuevers the business end of the spoon into his mouth and starts sucking the applesauce of the spoon. This part he does thoroughly - there is not a single apple molecule left when he's done. Then the spoon wavers towards the bowl again. He may or may not actually get more applesauce on a given trip. Yet somehow, he managed to feed himself half a bowl's worth, and I got to eat my dinner.

Finally, I have to note that Jonathan has fallen in love with a tacky knickknack I picked up in San Francisco's Chinatown. They were selling Lucky Cat banks and I've always thought they were kind of neat. You've probably seen them in various Asian restaurants - here's a sample: http://www.oldjapaninc.com/small_ceramic_cat.html. Anyway, I bought it and lugged it home. When I took it out of the box Chris asked me where the heck I was planning on putting it. For right now, it's on the dining room sideboard. Jonathan loves to go up to the gate and peer into the living room. He stands on tiptoe, stares straight at the Lucky Cat, and waves and waves. He never gets an answer, but it's true love nonetheless. If we let him, I'll bet he'd try to feed Lucky Cat some of his bananas.