A delicate procedure

It is exceedingly helpful once a baby has learned to play a role in the feeding process. One of the difficulties of meal times with infants is managing to feed them while also feeding yourself. A person only has so many hands.

Abby has taken on this task with relish. Put something in front of her, and she dives in. There are some drawbacks, however. She is easily excited, and prone to breaking into fits of clapping, which is an issue when one has, say, two fistfuls of mashed potatoes. She also likes to eat so much that she sometimes forgets the chewing part. And when you only have two-and-a-half teeth, chewing requires some focus. And unfortunately, sometimes her aim is not so good. Recently we were all at the table having lunch and Sue realized that Abby had taken a small piece of fajita shell and, missing her mouth, put it in her right nostril. High and wide, in baseball terms. Too much club, if you're a golfer.

Amazingly, she didn't mind when I used tweezers to extract it. Owen would have gone nuts.