The joy of utensils

Benjamin usually eats every meal with his hands. This morning, Frederic decided to be brave and allowed him a spoon. When we'd tried to let him use one in the past, Benjamin didn't seem to understand that there was a relationship between the spoon staying right side up and the food making it into his mouth rather than spilling all over him or the floor. He did better today, although I'm not sure how many hours breakfast lasted.

I think he thinks the spoon is bigger than it really is. The bigger the target, the harder to miss, right?

This is the reason Benjamin has been sleeping in his Pack-n-Play for a week. I heard thumping noises upstairs last Friday after I put him to bed, and went up to find this:

The slats have come completely out of the top and bottom rails of the drop-side of the crib. We are highly unimpressed, since the crib has only been used for 19 months and Benjamin was not mobile for the first few of those. We were given the run-around for a while - as is the custom in France - between the manufacturer and the store where we bought the crib, despite our receipt and warranty papers stating that the crib is guaranteed for 4 years. But finally someone gave in and we should hopefully have a replacement soon.