First Food

One of the final days of January, Douwe experienced his first spoon-fed meal. It was just a quiet time at home with mom and baby, but an important event nevertheless.

A quote from a book we received for Christmas:
"Our first experience of food is often synonymous with love: We are held, we are fed, and we are cared for--all at the same moment, by our mothers. In Hindu tradition the first rite of passage occurs when a baby reaches six months old--when he or she eats a mouthful of rice, the first food that is not mother's milk. The rice-eating ceremony is celebrated in the presence of a priest, often in a temple, with a gathering of relatives to witness this important transition in the child's life. Mantras and prayers are said. Such a ceremony reflects a worldview where food is sacred--a blessing and a gift--and being fed is not to be taken for granted." from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice