Why is Chicken pigging out?

I figure I'd better answer the important questions first. So, now you know who Chicken is, but why is she pigging out? Well, we (mostly me with support from Chicken's dad) have decided to skip traditional baby food AKA purees and introduce Chicken to food through a philosophy called Baby Led Weaning. Basically, while still getting all necessary nourishment from breast milk, Chicken is learning about food by eating it. She's not being fed spoonfuls of purees, but is eating "real" food on her own. She's making a mess, learning a lot, and certainly keeping us entertained.

I'm not really sure where I first heard about Baby Led Weaning (BLW), but the idea struck me as one that made a lot of sense and I've been reading up on it ever since. (Gill Rapley is considered an expert on BLW and I use her book as a guide.)We sort of fell into the actual eating part by accident when Chicken decided that she must try my watermelon and banana a couple of weeks shy of her 6 month "birthday". Since then she's tried a myriad of foods. Some she likes. Some she doesn't. Some she swallows. Some she doesn't. The dogs are certainly enjoying the process and although it triggers my anxious nature more than I think traditional baby feeding would, I really like it too.

This blog is intended to chronicle Chicken's exploration of food. I'm starting a little late, as I tend to do, but hopefully I'll find enough quiet moments to keep it relatively current. I'd love to hear feedback and questions!

P.S. No, I'm not giving my infant a fork and knife. The silverware in the background of this blog is kind of ironic I guess (or maybe not ironic because I always use that word wrong, but whatever). Chicken gets down and dirty with her hands.