Welcome to the world of food, little man

Quinn has started eating solids, baby-led weaning style.  We started about a week ago, which is technically a bit early age-wise.  But seeing as the whole concept of "baby-led weaning" means following baby's lead, I figured that the fact that he was sitting up (with some assistance at the time, now he's fully sitting on his own), able to grab objects and bring them to his mouth easily, and lunging for our food every chance he got, were signs that he's ready.  So one evening when he nearly knocked my plate to the floor trying to grab from it while sitting on my lap, I put a piece of broccoli on a plate for him and he spent the next 20-30 minutes gnawing at it happily.

We've gone kinda slowly so far... after the broccoli I waited several days to try him on a couple slices of bosc pear (which he loved, see pics below), and then another day I let him try some cooked carrots (not quite as into them, though partially bc they were harder to handle, I think).  

Then tonight I sat him at the table with us, as I've been doing lately since otherwise he gets pissed off hanging out all by himself.  I gave him a few toys to play with, but he was having NONE OF THAT.  No toy made him happy, not even the chilled teether I gave him thinking he was having teething pain.  So then I looked at my plate (rice and salmon) and gave him the most easily-grabable food I had-- a large piece of grilled onion.  

And he. Went. To. Town. 

The onion piece made him very happy-- as long as he had it to gnaw on,. he was totally content.  At one point he lost it and grabbed the teether instead, which totally pissed him off.  Once he had the onion back, he was happy again.  His preference was very clear-- he wanted the food.  Zach was as amazed as I was. 

Here's Quinn nomming on his pear

And tonight, with his onion chunk (and some rice, though that didn't work out as well... not sticky enough)