chew, chew, chew, chew

"What has Jonah been eating lately?" you may or may not be wondering. Well, his most recent favorite selection from the menu at Baby Jonah Restaurant has been cheerios. This is a new development. It's been about a week since he has tried cheerios, and quickly it's become the only solid food he goes wild for. Just yesterday we tried giving cheerios to him dry, not pre-soaked in water or mom or dad's saliva. Gross, I know, but what would you do if you wanted to be sure your baby doesn't choke? He does great with dry cheerios. He pretends to chew on them, his toothless gums working overtime.

Watching him practice chewing reminds me of when I used to watch the nanny that used to babysit my sister and me as little girls. She was the sweetest old lady with a tightly braded white bun. She snacked on rolls, cut up and soaked in a cup of milk. When she chewed, her toothless gums worked harder than anybody's and her cheeks puffed out almost like Dizzy Gillespie's each time her jaws came together. I loved her and remember that at a certain point I began worrying that she is so old she could die soon. I told my sister we had to be nice to her since she is so old. That is the first time that I remember worrying about an adult and the first time I recall realizing that a person could die. This was a significant moment. I must have been around six years old. Like children tend to be, I was impressionable and wanted to try whatever else others were eating. Inspired by our nanny, Mrs. Fuksova, I even wanted a roll soaked in milk. I did try it and, if my memory serves me right, I found the roll soaked in milk so bland that once was enough for me.

My mom told us this joke the other day. She must have learned it from the kids she teaches acting. "What's the difference between a teacher and a train? The teacher says, 'Spit out your gum!' The train says, 'Chew, chew, chew, chew!'" That's right, Jonah, chew, chew, chew, chew your cheerios!