People Change

Before I was a Mama I carried a purse and I honestly cannot remember what I filled it with because since becoming a Mama, I keep my wallet tucked in the diaper bag along with my chap stick and my keys.

Before I was a Mama I wore perfume, now I prefer to smell like my baby, like milk and his sweaty little body pressed against me when he falls asleep.

Before I was a Mama I would have my wedding ring cleaned once a month. I wanted this gorgeous gift from my husband to sparkle like the sun whenever I looked at it. My ring is caked with butt paste and sweet potatoes, but now I have an even more precious gift from my husband that I've been staring at for the last eight months.

Before I was a Mama I went to Vegas twice a year - now I go to baby play group twice a week.

Before I was a Mama I would have never left the house without mascara on, now I ask myself how many days its been since I showered when I'm pulling out of the driveway.

Before I was a Mama I got up and went to work everyday, now I work harder than I ever have in my life and some days I don't even leave the house.

Before I was a Mama I thought I needed 8 full hours of sleep to function, now I know 2.5 consecutive hours can feel like eternity.

Before I was a Mama, every night was date night with my husband and now microwaving smores and passing out on the couch counts as quality time spent together.

Before I was a Mama I could not wait to read my US Weekly magazine every Friday, now I read parenting books, and recipe books and I haven't picked up a magazine all year.

Before I was a Mama I would clean my house for days before anyone was allowed to visit, last week I let a new friend come inside even though I had breakfast dishes on the coffee table and unfolded laundry piled on the couch.

Before I was a Mama I would sometimes get frustrated because my boobs were too big to wear the cute polka dot bras at Victoria's Secret, now - I wear a bra with four clasps, flaps over the nipples and padding on the strap and its my favorite bra.

Before I was a Mama I ate my meals at the dinner table, now I eat them standing up while I'm doing something else. I ate a bagel in the bathroom this morning and finished chewing it while I was washing my hair in the shower.

Before I was a Mama I hated doing laundry, now I absolutely, positively HATE doing laundry.

Before I was a Mama I thought I knew what it felt like to love someone with your whole heart, now I know exactly what it feels like.

And I wouldn't change a single thing.

PEAS!

Dinner is funny from Tam on Vimeo.

Sweet and Savory Fall Family Meal

I am so excited about the arrival of fall - the leaves are turning, there is a chill in the air and yummy, spicy smells are all around us. I picked up an organic butternut squash at the store a few weeks ago and it has been sitting in the kitchen staring at me ever since. I knew I wanted to feed it to my family but I wasn't sure how. I did what any other 21st century housewife would do...

I Googled, "How to prepare a butternut squash"

And within seconds watched a video that showed me how to peal, seed and cube my squash. I'm not gonna lie - peeling and cutting it into cubes - SUCKED. I heard a rumor that Trader Joe's sells it fresh but already cubed. Next time, I'm doing that.

So there I was with a HUGE pile of cubed squash and I remembered THIS AWESOMENESS.

Potato Gnocchi with Autumn Vegetables
and Sage Brown Butter Sauce

1 package of store-bought potato gnocchi, ready to cook
1 medium-sized butternut squash or small sweet pumpkin*, peeled, seeded, and chopped
20 small shallots, peeled
3 large, firm, tart apples, cored and chopped
extra virgin olive oil, to coat
coarse salt and ground white pepper to taste

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
16 fresh sage leaves, minced
dash of sea salt
juice of 1 half fresh lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh, flat leaf parsley


Place the butternut squash, shallots, and apples on a cookie sheet with a slight lip. Drizzle with olive oil and coat. Sprinkle with salt and white pepper. Place in a 425˚F oven until tender (approximately 25 minutes).


While vegetables are roasting, boil a large pot of salted water. While the water is coming to a boil, in a large frying pan, melt the unsalted butter over medium heat. Continue to cook it until the butter achieves a light caramel color. Remove the butter from the heat. Sprinkle in sage leaves and salt. Leave butter off of the heat in the pan.


Boil the gnocchi in gently boiling, salted water just until floating. Drain and immediately place in pan with butter. Toss gently to coat. Remove tender vegetables from oven and add to gnocchi and butter. Toss all ingredients together. Place in a serving platter. Spritz with fresh lemon juice and a dash of salt, to taste. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Serves 10 as a side dish.

I used whole wheat Gnocchi, honey crisp apples from a local farmers market and 1 large yellow onion instead of shallots because that's what I had on hand. I reduced the butter to 3/4 stick.

I saved the other half of my pile of cubed squash and honey crisp apples for Owen. I used my trusty steam basket ($5 at Wal-Mart) and steamed the apples and squash until very soft. It took two batches to steam it all. Then I mashed it and sprinkled it with Cinnamon for Owen. I put some in a bowl and added a tiny bit of plain yogurt. He gobbled it up.

The rest I froze in food cubes and mini Glad containers. One thing I've learned from making food for O, a little goes a LONG way. I also overcooked a few Gnocchi in the water I used to steam the squash hoping they would soak up whatever nutrients were lost during steaming. I mushed them up into very small pieces and gave those to O as well.

I made this on Friday for Shabbat dinner with baked Parmesan chicken thighs. I also had the leftover Gnocchi dish for dinner the next day by itself. Overall - yummy fall dinner for our entire family.

*Note: If you are making it with pumpkin, grab a saw

** double note: If you read THIS POST on Tofu, books are WRONG Tofu does NOT freeze well. At least for babies. I found that even thawing it on the counter it was way to spongy to feed to Owen, so I dumped the food cubes and only feed him the fresh stuff that I keep in water in the fridge. At least I tried!

He has me and I am free

Owen has like five little toys and an exersaucer. I've been beating myself up that we don't have the money to get him EVERYSINGLETOYINTHEWORLD. I worried (my crazy, irrational Mama worry) that he would be dumber, or slower or damaged because we can't afford a baby basketball game or a LIGHT-UP-SOUND-SHAPE-SORTER-EXTRORDINAIRE table. Like he isn't going know his shapes and colors because he doesn't have a toy to teach him. I got really upset about it with Jeremy one night after he told me he didn't think we needed toys to make O happy or smart. Jeremy feels so guilty that he's gone all the time and doesn't bring home much money as a resident. With me not working things are tight, but just before we went to bed he said to me, "Tam whatever you need to buy to make you feel okay about this, we'll buy for him. If you think he needs more for his development, we'll find a way to make it work"

and then it dawned on me. My husband was so right.

All Owen needs is me. My love and my attention. We are making sacrifices because I want to be home with him. Would I rather work and have extra money for toys? Hell no! The next day I grabbed his set of stacking cups and I put them in a big plastic bowl from the kitchen. I pile the cups in the bowl and Owen takes them out. He loves this game. Once the bowl is empty he puts it on his head or bites it. He laughs and waits for me to refill the bowl.

We have one ball. I roll it to him and try to get him to roll it back to me. As soon as I say the word "ball" he smiles and looks around for it. He knows we play ball together.

I really wanted THIS TOY for Owen. One of the kids at playgroup has one and Owen LOVES to play with the shaker and the bells. I just couldn't bring myself to pay $20 for it. A few weeks ago I was at a garage sale. There was a box of infant toys that said $0.25 each or 5 for $1.00. And there they were. I almost cried when I saw those two random toy pieces and I swiped them up like it was Black Friday and there was a line of googly-eyed women with fanny packs behind me just waiting at the chance to plow me over for the deal (there weren't of course, it was just me). I felt like I had won the lottery. The two pieces that Owen loves playing with THE MOST in absolutely perfect condition. I rushed home with my treasures and after dumping half a bottle of disinfectant on them (rinse and repeat) I presented them to a VERY pleased baby Owen. They snap together but most of the time he likes to shake them separately so that I can shake one and he can shake one while I sing, "Shake it like a Polaroid picture! Shake it! Shake it! -- Shake it! Shake it!"

So for $0.50 - I added it to our plastic bowl. The songs come free with being his Mama.

This isn't a post about our budget - its a post about me being stupid enough to spend a single minute dwelling on something that didn't matter. When the only thing that does matter, is us  - our hugs, our songs, me spending every waking minute talking to him. That is how he will learn, that is what makes him happiest, THAT is what's important -- that and whatever other things I can find in the kitchen ;)

Lazy

I asked one of my Mama friends, "How do you know if runny nose is from sick or from teething?"

My friend, "Its hard to tell, I usually gauge it on whether or not I get sick."

Owen is definitely sick... and now so are we. Jeremy and I both contracted whatever nasty cold bug Owen brought home. Oddly enough - O is on the mend and we are sniffling and snorting around complaining of sore throats. Maybe we should chug some breastmilk too - god knows I have enough of it downstairs!

I don't think you can truly appreciate this video until you are a mother.The entire thing cracks me up. I was happy to find that I am a combination of both of these Mamas - even though at first I thought for sure I was the crazy chick ;)

Sick but sweet and smiling

Last night Owen was crying in his crib around 12:30am, just as I was headed to bed. I scooped him up to find a snotty, coughing, sneezing mess of a baby. He looked so sad and pathetic. I snuggled him close and put a little saline in his nose to break up the congestion. I brought him into our bedroom and tried to wake Jeremy to see if there was anything else I should be doing for him. He mumbled something that sounded like, "saline and suction" and I let him be, proud that I already did those things (having a doctor for a husband for the most part is no different than having a plumber for a husband - except we have to call someone when our toilet leaks).

I cleared out his nose enough so he could nurse, but even after a full belly he didn't want to sleep. I brought him out to the living room, so not to wake Jeremy, and hushed him a bit. I started to get really tired so I sat on the couch with him and sang some lullabies. He refused to go to sleep or lay down on me and writhed around until 3:45 when he drifted off. Then his head popped up again at 4am and he was screaming. I took him back to his room and nursed him to sleep.

Just as I climbed into bed at 4:15 Jeremy's alarm was going off and he started getting ready for work. Oy.

O was up again at 6:45 and so went our day. His face was a leaky mess - eyes watering tears down his face, nose gushing clear snot and drool GA-LORE. It just broke my heart. But he was sweet and smiling - in between his fuss and boogies.

I watched him taste another baby's ball at the JCC this week and wondered if this was going to happen. I know I was incredibly lucky to have gone almost 8 months with a healthy baby, but this still sucks. Poor baby Owen, I hope he is better soon.

Just keep swimming, Just keep swimming

Last week was Owen's first swim lesson! You have to be 6 months old for baby swim class, so this was the first session he was eligible for. Jeremy was a swimmer in high school and feels very strongly that Owen is comfortable in the water. Swimming isn't necessarily my thing, I can swim - I don't have any awesome strokes or anything but I'm fine in the water. We signed O up for the evening session from 6-6:30 with hopes that Daddy might get off work in time to make it. Unfortunately, he had a killer day last week and missed it. Jeremy was totally crushed. Not only did he miss the lesson but we didn't have any pictures because it was just me.

I think I did pretty well for a novice swim Mama. Owen was one of the youngest in the class. They started with some songs in a circle and then everyone swims with their child independently until the instructor comes around and works with you. She took O and swam around with him for a little while to feel him out. It was actually really cute, when she swam up to meet us she asked what his name was and when I told her it was Owen she said, "Alright Mr. O - lets see what you got!" She commented on how mellow he was and she even had him swim underwater to me. She says, "ONE...TWO...THREE.... SWIM!" and he HELD HIS BREATH AND SWAM TO ME! She said you have to be very consistent and always give the 1,2,3 cues. At the end there is a toy basket full of water toys to play with and a few more songs in the circle. I was very proud of our sweet boy, and Daddy would have been too!

This week Jeremy was post call - so after working a 32 hour shift he stayed awake so he could take Owen to swim class. He was so excited to swim with our little guy - it just melted my heart. I went to cheer them on and take pictures. The light was terrible and they didn't stop moving so pictures were difficult - but you get the general idea. Our boy is a fish.

Proud Daddy

"Welcome back Mr. O!"

Swimming with the instructor

taking a break to catch his breath

1...2..3...

SWIM!!

aww just-came-up-from-underwater face!

Watching the big kids swim - Owen's favorite part ;)

backstroke

found a toy he liked

Happy Daddy and his little fish baby

The diaper says it all

Owen has been doing a little better with food lately - or maybe Mama is doing a little better with feeding him lately. I read a really interesting chapter in this book about how every time you feed your infant - you are having a conversation. Feeding is a time for baby to communicate what they want/don't want and recognize that you let them make choices. I hadn't looked at it that way before. The book said to hold the food you are about to offer 12 inches from their face so they can SEE what you are about to give them (instead of looking cross-eyed down at the spoon). Then offer them a taste on their lips. If they want it, they will open and you can proceed. If they don't, you stop. Also noted to always wait until your child is making eye contact with you to offer food. When they look away, seem distracted, shut their lips or get frustrated they are communicating to you that they are done and you need to listen. Soon this "conversation" will evolve and when they recognize foods they like - the process will go faster. I really appreciated this thought process and it helped me be more relaxed about feeding O.

This week at a baby group, I got to talking with another mother who had a baby two weeks older than Owen. She was telling me how her son loves tofu because its easy to pick up and easy to chew. I've never done much with tofu and actually didn't even know you have to store it in water. I also read that you can freeze it in food cubes (by adding water) and that it takes on the flavor of anything you cook it with. So I cut up the piece I bought and stored some in the fridge. The rest I froze in food cubes - but I mixed half of a small chicken bullion cube into water to make a light broth and froze it in that. Hopefully it will come out with a little flavor. I gave Owen some right out of the package today and he really liked it. He actually had a great lunch of organic firm Tofu and protein noodles. I have to help him put the pieces in his mouth because right now he just rakes the food with his hand and he has trouble getting it from his palm to his mouth. Then I offered him a few yogurt melts for dessert and he wiggled his legs back and forth when he saw the bag. SO CUTE!

These are the things we've tried successfully
Rice cakes (salt free)
Watermelon (he nibbles this with his teeth like a little bunny - I just adore the sound it makes!)
Noodles
Broccoli
Tofu
Carrots
Pita
Hummus
Bagel & cream cheese
Matzot Ball Soup (by far the biggest success)

Today I also gave him an organic wheat teething biscuit. I've done a little reading on teething biscuits and many of them have been taken off the market due to choking. Apparently hunks of biscuts can be bitten off that are too big to swallow. I gave it to him just to see and watched him very closely. He LOVED the biscuit but it made a HUGE mess. Hard crusty film all over his face and hands. And the rumors were true - once he sogged it up enough he was able to bite off huge chunks of it. Luckily, I was right there and swiped it out of his mouth but I had to pay really, really close attention. Eventually I took it from him and traded it out for a rice cake - he wasn't happy. Overall, I have mixed feelings - they were a mess, and I don't like the unmanageable pieces I dug out of his mouth - but he had a blast eating it and the biscuit kept his attention for over a half hour!

Owen had avocado and yogurt for dinner and even skipped his 6pm nursing because he was full - a first for us! Part of me was sad and felt rejected but a larger part of me was happy. This is exactly what is supposed to happen when a little boy fills his tummy with something other than milk. 

That and the other day Jeremy was changing Owen's diaper and motioned for me to come in,

"Check. IT." (pointing to the diaper)

And there it was...

Owen's very first TURD.

It was soft and cylindrical but a turd none the less. I was beaming with pride. That little turd made my week.

** POST EDIT: Books are WRONG Tofu does NOT freeze well. At least for babies. I found that even thawing it on the counter it was way to spongy to feed to Owen, so I dumped the food cubes and only feed him the fresh stuff that I keep in water in the fridge. At least I tried!

A Crazy Mama Puppet Show

Sometimes Owen doesn't feel like going to bed. Teething gets his naps a little messed up (like when I look at the clock and he's been sleeping for three hours and I hate to wake him but..seriously? three hours?) and that runs over into night time. When O isn't tired, we let him play in his exersaucer by himself until he starts to fade and then we try the bedtime routine all over again. It has never failed the second time (knock on wood).

The other night it was just he and I so I decided to have a little puppet show with him. At first I made a really loud lion ROOOOOAR! And he started crying hysterically. Mama fail. So I revisited the game with a less intimidating roar noise, mixed in with a horsey sound (what?) because Owen loves the horsey sound and me acting like a fool in general.

The result? TWO kisses for Mr. Lion (and a tiny giggle from O - like I've always said - this kid is a tough sell).

See for yourself!

Puppet Show from Tam on Vimeo.

Leg Warmers are BACK IN SEASON!

I told you this boy has a million faces! He has the uncanny ability to raise his eyebrows independently - one up/one down at the same time. A skill that neither of his parents have mastered. This picture is him telling me he is sick of me taking his picture - but in doing so -  he accidentally reveals ALL THREE TEETH on the bottom (click to enlarge picture).  He wasn't himself yesterday, another day without smiles, and this morning when I put my finger in his mouth - another tooth! ON TOP!

Anyway - remember about a year ago when I was pregnant and gushing over baby butts? Well, today was the debut of BABY LEGS! And I must say.. it was well worth the wait. AH-DORABLE! He wore them to a new playgroup and we got LOTS of compliments. I just had to snap these pictures today when we were playing in his room. That little yellow chair was mine when I was a baby and I sat him on it today, doesn't quite fit but he'll grow into it ;) Also, Mr. O is going to crawl soon... I can just feel it. Oy.

More with eating

I've continued to work on my laid back approach to baby-led weaning. Owen seems to enjoy it more than me force feeding him with a spoon and we've been experimenting with solids twice a day now! We're (Jeremy and I) also trying to get away from eating meals at our coffee table, which we've always done. In our house, the kitchen table is a dump zone for mail and junk but I've cleared it off to show Owen how respectable people eat meals (not the TV watching barbarians we used to be!) I think this has contributed to his added interest. If I am eating, he wants to be eating too. With Jeremy's schedule, I eat most of my meals alone - so its nice to have some company.

Dinners out are pretty entertaining with Owen now, too. We had a coupon so we tried a new Israeli restaurant down the street from us this week. Owen enjoyed some pita with hummus on it. He would suck the hummus off and then wait for us to put more on. The only downside was that we had to hold the pita or else he would drop it on the floor - and this was the best pita I've ever had (flown in from Israel) so wasting it wasn't an option.

We still do give O some foods on a spoon. Right now yogurt is staple. He loves it. At first I bought him the Yo-Baby kind which he gobbled up, but then I noticed it had lots of added sugar so now I just give him Stonyfield whole cream plain yogurt. I usually mix in whatever fruit cube I have in the freezer (usually pears) and O is happy with that. Its much cheaper to give him yogurt this way and I feel better adding fruit instead of the sugar.

Tonight I had macaroni and cheese for dinner (fancy, I know) and O ate about six shells, and then of course his yogurt. For dessert I gave him two yogurt melts which he really likes.

Please don't think this is a perfect science, some meals he's into what I give him and some he still sits there with pursed lips and stink face. This boy has more faces than you would believe! The main problem I have found is that O bites off more than he can chew - especially with toast. Then he gags (which the book said is pretty normal) and I end up swiping it out of his mouth because the gagging freaks me out. I'm sure we'll get there, its all about experimentation at this point. I'm not worried about calories, just offering him opportunities to try new things.

Here are some outtakes from lunch the other day. I made pot roast with carrots so I gave him some of the cooked carrots out of that, steamed broccoli and of course, yogurt. He can't feed himself with the spoon but he sure likes to try!

Broccoli "tree" bites

First taste of cooked carrot

and yogurt completes the mess

A Baby Dragon

Our little pumpkin

We attempted to take Owen's seven month pictures at the pumpkin patch last weekend, however Owen didn't feel like smiling ALL DAY. I actually think this was the most UNSMILEY this boy has ever been, but with the discovery of two new teeth breaking through I guess he's entitled to a bad day. Jeremy and I ended up looking ridiculous in the patch making all kinds of loud crazy noises to try to get him to look up - let alone smile. Luckily, there were several parents with unenthusiastic babies doing the exact same thing.

Owen was content just digging in the dirt

and glaring at us with his grumpy face.... like this

But isn't he so adorable in his Gap jeans and little man sweater? That sweater was hand-made for him when he was born and we were thrilled that it finally fits. He also wore his super cute shoes!

He was kind of interested in the pumpkins

and he showed off his tooth for the first time on camera!

and then decided to bite the pumpkin with it

In the end I did get a few good pictures of him - some we overexposed so I did a little creative editing on them.

and then we made him put on his Halloween costume....

Yeah! Toast!

Two Teeth

Today...

I made pickled beets with some fresh beets we picked up at a local farmers market. Much to my amazement, they tasted just like they should have, except I am the only one that likes beets so I had no one to share my success with.

Owen slept straight through the night until 8:15am. I was actually sad because I look forward to bringing him into bed with me for his 5am feeding. I have my entire life to sleep, I'd rather feed and cuddle my son.

I did two loads of laundry and piled them on top of the other three loads that are sitting in my living room waiting to be folded. They can wait.

I turned on the heat because Owen's toes were cold and we can't have that. I had forgotten how the warmth from a radiator wraps you up like a blanket and makes the air smell heavier.

I made cabbage rolls for dinner because Daddy was on call, and Daddy boycotts cabbage. They weren't that good, and the house still smells like cabbage.

We bought a jug of fresh cider from the apple orchard this weekend and while I was dying to heat some up and sprinkle it with cinnamon - I wanted to share the first sip with my husband. The cider can wait too.

Owen fought his morning nap but wanted to be rocked and cuddled. I put my finger in his mouth only to find two more teeth cutting through. That explains why he slept all weekend and why he wouldn't smile at the pumpkin patch.

I told my baby I loved him today. I told him many, many times today just like the day before and the day before that. He won't remember that I told him.

I won't remember the failed cabbage rolls, or the cider and the laundry that are still waiting but I'll remember those two little teeth and that I told him I loved him.

Today was a good day.

Halloween Sneak Peek!

Hmmm... look what we found in the pumpkin patch this weekend...

more to come, I bet you just can't wait!

Baby-Led Weaning

I attempted to introduce solid foods to Owen at 4.5 months and have been trying ever since. I've tried different foods, different times of the day, different chairs, different temperatures, different spoons. He just isn't interested in being spoon fed his meals.

A few weeks ago I realized that I DREAD his eating time. I am frustrated by the whole ordeal - peeling/steaming/pureeing foods, choosing which ones I am going to feed him, warming the breastmilk to mix in, getting everything set up, the ridiculous faces and noises I have to make just to "trick" him into opening his mouth. He opens twice and then just looks away, trying his best to ignore me. Then I'm left with the mess, ugh! the mess! It is his favorite part of a meal and I wouldn't deny him his playtime. I think it is important for him to explore these new things - the bowl, the spoon - but cleaning it up would be a lot more satisfying if I knew he had actually ingested something that I made for him.

I don't want meal time, or anytime with Owen, to be frustrating for me - or for him. I am sure he can sense that feeding him exhausts me. I'm thankful that he still loves his milk and gets plenty of calories from nursing 7-9 times a day. I love that we still have our special bond but I know that I need to continue to present him with opportunites to explore other foods.

I needed a different strategy so I've been reading Baby-Led Weaning. The idea behind this theory is that babies don't necessarily have to begin their food experiences with purees and spoons. Basically, it expands on the notion that babies have been snatching food off of their parent's plates for decades. Babies can be offered healthy, appropriate finger foods to explore in a relaxed atmosphere.  The baby is in charge of how much of what goes in and then explores the food with their mouth - learning new tastes, textures and techniques.

Owen likes being part of meals with us. At brunch the other day we offered him toast and yogurt and even though I fed him the yogurt from a spoon, he was very open to it.  This afternoon while Jeremy and I ate lunch, Owen sat in his high chair and enjoyed some toast smeared with pureed chickpeas and avocado, some steamed broccoli ("trees") and some yogurt. He was very interested in the broccoli and polished off all of his yogurt. Jeremy and I spent our meal watching O explore his food. The two cautions the book explains about BLW is that it might take a while before food is actually ingested (babies move the food around in their mouth a lot and then push most of it out, gradually they learn to swallow the smaller bites) and the mess.  Our boy had broccoli bits from head to toe - coated in yogurt and mushed up bread -  but I didn't even mind cleaning it up. I wasn't frustrated with him, I was proud. I watched him learn something while I ate my own food. Not to mention, I never imagined anything involving broccoli could be adorable - but that's exactly what it was.

As far as what he's ingesting. Friday evening I found rye seeds in Owen's pooh diaper. And as soon as I ruled out bugs - I laughed at my four little discoveries. He ATE something! And I HAVE PROOF!

All in all I think this new technique is a SUCCESS! I'm going to continue to let him explore his meals and try to think of fun things for him (and I) to eat. I'm letting go of expectations and frustration and trying to be thankful that I have a growing boy - who apparently likes steamed broccoli. Go figure!

The apple of my eye

Hi Chair!

This week we unpacked Owen's high chair. He's outgrown the bumbo and enjoys eating at table level with us.

He wasn't sure about it at first and we're still working on the chair-food association but he was thrilled to get a few new toys with rubber ridges perfect for our teething boy!