Dip.

Kenna has decided (like her Mommy) that she is a ginormous fan of dip... ketchup, ranch, maple syrup, sour cream... even yogurt is now a dip. And our little miss independent wants to feed herself, of course. And none of that baby spoon stuff, she wants a real fork thank you very much.

Last weekend at the beach, dipping a pancake in maple syrup (her first time having it) became a sticky, delicious mess of spoon-eating the syrup and then subsequently trying to drink the syrup. I literally had to put her in the sink in the restaurant's bathroom and give her a wash-down before she could go back in the car seat to leave!
This one is really blurry (taken on the phone camera- proof that you should never leave home without your real camera when an entertaining 1 year old is around!) but pretty clearly shows her feelings on the matter of syrup:
At Moe's the kid's meal quesadilla comes with a little cup of sour cream on the side. Much to Daddy's despair (he hates sour cream!) and Mommy's delight (she looooves it) Kenna is a huge fan. Often, the cup of sour cream is licked clean and we take leftover quesadilla home.
My big girl is also spoon feeding herself now. We bought some little yogurts that ended up being perfect for her to do on her own- they are small in size and the yogurt is thick enough to stay on the spoon for her. Somehow though, it doesn't all quite make it "in."
It's also quite funny
...and takes much concentration.

Did I mention that little miss independent has a bit of an "I do it myself" attitude already? This is what happens when we try to take the dip away and clean up.
So I add that to the list of things I never thought would necessarily be joyful about motherhood, but totally are- how can you not laugh while cleaning condiments out of your baby's nostrils? I also think it may be time to purchase or make a splat mat. Any mommies of food-throwing babies have recommendations?

And just for fun, here's one more from Easter... gotta love the blue peeps.