Lone Star Belt Buckles and Faded Old Levi's?

We like cowboys. We think they're cool. Cowboys roping. Cowboys riding. Cowboys in their cool pearly snap shirts sitting around a campfire, eatin' their jerky...what's not to like?

But mommas aren't supposed to encourage this behavior. Just ask Waylon...or Willie.

We recently had a feeding evaluation for the little bugger. Ollie has decided it's a neat trick to gag and cough when fed anything chunkier than the very smoothest purees. Give him a baby cracker, and he wretches when he bites a bit off. He has thrown up the entire content of his stomach when a Gerber Puff reached the back of his mouth.

Nothing comes easy with this little dude.

So, I called my case worker at Birth to Three and scheduled an evaluation.

We set up shop in the kitchen. She sat and watched as Matty fed him his favorite treat, sweet potatoes. She observed as he picked up a Puff, marveled over his pincer grasp and noticed when he went red and readied for a throw-up.

She didn't freak out when he gagged, she made him forget about it! She distracted him when he wretched and made him smile, rather than vomit. These people are so knowledgeable.

She left us with some tips on how to get him to eat chunkier foods: Crunch some Puffs into his purees to get him used to a new texture. Give him a carrot to chew on, to let him experience some stronger things in his mouth. Brush his gums to desensitize an over-reactive gag-reflex. REMEMBER THAT HE'S NOT GOING TO CHOKE ON A CRUMB!! Give him a stick of Beef Jerky.

um...humina-wha...?

Beef Jerky. Really.

The savory favorite of cowboys at home on the range.

A trip to Pick n' Save left me confused. What flavor of Beef Jerky will a one year old like? Teriyaki? My instinct tells me that Black Pepper wouldn't go over well, same for the Hot Red Pepper. hmmm...Sweet and Spicy?

I left empty-handed.

I just can't wrap my head around feeding my li'l pardner Cowboy Food. What's next? Pickin' guitars and drivin' old trucks? Lone Star Belt Buckles and Faded Old Levi's? I'm supposed to be encouraging him to be a doctor, or lawyer, or such.

So what do doctors eat?