Category Archives: Culture

Kaia’s 4th birthday party at school and all the things it entails

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We asked the teachers to reserve today for Kaia’s early 4th birthday celebration since she will not be at school next week, and so Kaia’s been anticipating her school birthday party for weeks now. Chris organized and put together all the kids’ goodie bags. I pre-ordered her birthday cupcakes from Sugar Sweet Sunshine a short walk away from her school and would be responsible for delivering the goodie bags, birthday party snacks, and picking up her helium filled birthday balloons today. I ordered an assorted mix of cupcakes with variations of chocolate and vanilla cake and buttercream. I know Kaia will specifically want the chocolate cupcake with the chocolate frosting. But she specifically asked me to get vanilla cupcakes, as well, because two of her classmates only eat vanilla, she said. My caring Pookie thinks about others even when it’s her own birthday party.

Luckily, my 9:30 call got cancelled today, so I was actually able to do both the balloons and the cupcake pickup earlier in the day to avoid the impending rain in the weather forecast. For the balloons, I went to the same little shop in the Lower East Side that I found last year. The same guy was there to help me. I asked for a hot pink metallic “4” balloon and initially thought that was all I’d get. But then I kept looking at his other balloons and quickly got swayed by a unicorn balloon I knew Kaia would adore. I asked the employee how much the unicorn balloon would be, and when he told me the total for both, I sheepishly checked my wallet to see if I had enough cash. I was annoyed to find out I was exactly one buck short. He clearly didn’t want to deal with a credit card fee, so when I told him I was just a dollar short, he told me not to worry about it, and he handed me the balloons once I gave him the cash. It was win-win for both of us!

Even though Kaia’s school will not be near here next year, I love this little shop, and I love this guy who works here. Both times, he was consistently friendly, helpful, eager to please, and quick. Who knows — I may come all the way down here just to get her future balloons and to support this little shop!

Now, I’m curious to see how her birthday party went, and if she enjoyed the party and the cupcakes. Last year, she was groggy during her birthday party due to a nap, and from jet lag. She also did not like the vanilla cake I got her. But this year, she has chocolate as explicitly requested!

Update: Pookster loved the snacks, cupcakes, and the balloons. She asked to take one of the mini chocolate cupcakes home, and the teachers obliged by putting one into a cup for her to take out with me. But alas, as I was packing up all her goodie bag items into my canvas bag, she accidentally tipped the cup over, and the cupcake fell out upside down onto the floor of the school. And being the practical mother that I am, i took the top (thick!) layer of frosting off and handed it right back to her. A little gross? Yes. But someone had to address the immediate tantrum and fat tears that ensued!

Lounge hopping at Heathrow Airport – a new experience for the Pookster

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We woke up extremely early this morning to catch an early morning flight from Copenhagen to London, where we had an over six-plus-hours long layover. While it did initially seem like a long time, the time really flew by quite quickly. We tried to go to the Cathay First lounge, but because they had first class passengers waiting to board a flight in about 90 minutes, they asked that we come back when they left (which made sense since they’re prioritizing their own passengers first). So while we waited, we hung out at the Qantas lounge next door. We eventually went back to the Cathay lounge, had breakfast in their formal dining room, hung out by the windows and watched planes come in and out. We had lunch (another delicious meal!), then I took Kaia to have a shower with me. We spent about 30 minutes showering, drying, moisturizing, blow drying our hair, and getting ready to board our flight back to New York. I think this was our very first lounge shower together, as previous times when I’ve showered, she usually sits outside the shower and waits for me while singing. This time, she enjoyed the shower thoroughly, making up stories of ducks playing and jumping in “puddles during the rain.” Every time I told her we were almost done, she kept on insisting that she wanted to play with the ducks more in the water.

As I dried her off and applied lotion on her, I kept thinking about how all of this will come to an end. One day, she will no longer need me to shower her, to dry her, to moisturize and dress her. One day soon, it will be considered inappropriate to take her into a shower or bath with me. Kaia is already slowly but surely dressing herself already. Every day she gets older, closer to the point of eventually leaving me and not being as close to me. I feel like I am just soaking these moments up with her needing and wanting me this much. I love watching her imagination run wild in the these fancy lounge bathrooms. I also love seeing how much she enjoys the lounge and overall travel experience. She has experiences at her age that I never got to have until my mid to late 20s. I wonder if she will look back one day and remember any of these experiences and think about what a lucky little Pookie she was, and how much fun she had with her daddy and mumma.

Day trip to Malmo, Sweden

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While looking at day trips near Copenhagen, Chris looked at the map and noticed that we could visit Sweden on a quick 40-minute train ride, so we decided to do this on Friday. Malmo is a coastal city in southern Sweden, and lots of people take the train across a bridge-tunnel running between Copenhagen and Malmo. Malmo is quite small and quaint, with a population of about 340,000 people. We spent the day walking around the city, visiting its single Christmas market, even buying several pairs of pants that were on sale for Kaia at H&M (since Sweden is H&M’s headquarters), and ending the day with a visit to the Disgusting Food Museum.

We walked through a large local park and made a quick stop at Slottstradgardens Kafe, which definitely evoked the “fika” vibe that Sweden is globally famous for. I learned about the concept of fika when a small chain of Swedish cafes opened in New York in the 2010s. Fika is like Denmark’s “hygge” in that it’s a concept for taking a break for a coffee/tea and snack, while also relaxing and enjoying time with friends, family, or colleagues, and having meaningful conversation. It’s considered an important part of the day (often happening twice in the day) that refreshes the mind and strengthens relationships. We came in when the cafe was not yet officially opened, but the manager was so warm and hospitable that she still invited us to sit down and order anything that was ready. We just wanted some hot drinks, so we got a flat white and a large inviting cup of mumma, which is a traditional Swedish Christmas spiced mixed drink. It’s traditionally alcoholic with a blend of a dark beer, light beer or ale, and a fortified wine. But the version the cafe was serving was non-alcoholic and made of apples, so it was like almost like a spiced, very thinned out apple sauce with some citrus thrown in. It was really soothing, especially since it was chilly outside. The whole vibe and decor, together with the warm hospitality of the manager, was all about the fika, and a very nice welcome to Sweden.

A highlight of our visit to Malmo was their public library. We’ve visited a lot of different libraries across the world, but this library definitely takes the cake when it comes to how warm and welcoming it is to young children and families. There’s a very colorful entry way for children, which even includes a (much lower height – watch your head!) entrance that Kaia happily ran through. It requires everyone who enters the area either remove their shoes or put on shoe coverings (so that the babies can crawl around and not worry about dirt). The floor is fully carpeted in thick, warm, brightly colored carpeting. And there are numerous rooms with books in a large array of languages, organized by age level. Age-appropriate-by-room play and reading spaces have been built, which include tunnels, bean bags, jumpy spaces, and endless stuffed animals and little friends. In the restroom, there is an adult toilet and a toddler toilet, with ample space for changing baby diapers. To really top it off to show how welcoming they are, there’s even a little kitchen area where you can prepare bottles and re-heat food. I’ve never been in a library where food and beverage were welcome!

For lunch, we stopped at a more locals’ spot for Swedish meatballs served with a rich cream sauce, topped with generous lingonberries and served with little potatoes. I remember having Swedish meatballs at Ikea and another restaurant and thinking that other than the lingonberries, this would be a pretty easy dish to re-create. But then I thought about how much heavy cream the authentic recipes use, and I wasn’t sure I’d be that comfortable having that much heavy cream-based sauce in the house; I’d rather have someone else make it for me. The meatballs are traditionally half pork, half beef (or veal); these were 100 percent pork, and they were dense and well seasoned, perfect for today’s wintery weather.

One funny thing that Chris was not very thrilled about was that all the “glogg” served at the Christmas market was non-alcoholic. Chris subsequently found out that Sweden does not allow alcoholic drinks in public areas. While it was not ideal and was likely the only Christmas market ever we’d been to where we’d had non-alcoholic mulled “wine,” the one cup we did get of hot apple must was topped with a really delicious vegan whipped cream that was made from a base of lentils. If you didn’t tell me beforehand, I never would have guessed that it was not real cream, nor that it was made from lentils!

Sweden is also the home of Oatly. Swedish people, as we were told at the Disgusting Food Musuem, absolutely love their dairy and all things like it. So when we were served lactose-free milk after tasting all the disgusting foods during the tastings portion of our visit, we were both shocked to taste how delicious and creamy it was… even without the lactose. If there’s a place that is very plant-based/focused and friendly, it is definitely Sweden.

Warm chocolate vs. hot chocolate in Denmark

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One small thing I noticed that I found interesting at coffee shops and cafes around Copenhagen was that when you see hot drinks listed, and there is an option for chocolate, it is not listed as “hot chocolate” but rather as “warm chocolate.” I’ve never seen this before anywhere else we’ve ever traveled. And when you order it, it is exactly as the description says: it actually is warm and not hot. We had this a few times, and every time, it was most definitely warm, so an easy drinking temperature without the need to wait or blow on the drink to cool it down and not burn ourselves. This would not bode well for Chris’s mom, who loves her drinks nearly boiling hot, but it does work well for people like me who are a bit heat-sensitive. However, even for myself, I would say that I’d like the drinks hotter than “warm,” so that I could comfortably take small quick sips.

This is not the case for other drinks, though. When we’ve ordered coffee, they’ve either been hot or warm; this has not been consistent. All the glogg / gluhwein we’ve had at the Christmas markets has been piping hot with bits of raisins and toasted slivered almonds waiting to be eaten on the bottom.

A day at LEGO House in Billund

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After a 40-minute bus ride from Vejle train station and less than a five-minute walk, we had arrived at the legendary LEGO House. Kaia cannot read yet, though, so she had no idea where we were going, and she whined and kept saying she was tired, especially when we said we wanted to take pictures outside of LEGO House. When we finally got in, it was like a LEGO lover’s dream come true; endless levels, rooms, and sections to live out all of your LEGO dreams. To be honest, I am not sure who had more fun — Kaia, Chris, or me! While it was originally meant as something to engage Kaia and keep her occupied, in the end, I actually think Chris and I built more things than she did because she kept insisting she wanted us to do all the building!

It was really amazing to see all of these huge structures that people built by hand, whether they were LEGO employees or just LEGO fans from around the world. The LEGO waterfall was particularly impressive, and the description said that if the average person were to build this by hand, it would take them over five years to build! I loved learning the history of LEGO on the bottom level, as I used to wonder where the name came from. It is an abbreviation of the Danish words LEg GOdt, meaning “play well.”

Personally, my favorite area was the LEGO botanicals. I loved seeing all the different flowers and leaves that people had put together. I also tinkered around and made my own purple and blue flower. If we had more time, I easily could have spent hours building endless flowers just in that area. The flowers that really got me were the ones that had not even “bloomed” yet, but were still on the verge of opening!

LEGO really has completed its mission, though: it’s made the world realize how important play is and how play gives way to creativity and problem solving. Adults really need to find ways to do more play, as it should not just be for kids. After all, there is an inner child in every single adult.

Den Gamle By and ableskiver in Aarhus

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Since Denmark is the home of LEGO, we knew we wanted to visit LEGO House in Billund, Denmark. The only issue is that Billund pretty much just has LEGO House, Legoland, and a bunch of offices, so there really isn’t much for tourists to do there that is not LEGO related. So Chris decided to book us a day trip to Aarhus, have us stay in Vejle, and then we’d take a convenient bus to Billund Town Centre and walk a couple minutes to LEGO House. In Aarhus, we visited Den Gamle By (“The Old Town”), which is an open-air town museum focused on town culture across five centuries. They are all decorated in the original historical style, and given we came during Christmas time, they had a lot of festive Christmas exhibits on display. We got to see some displays of elves making toys, as well as see lots of vintage Christmas decorations that were of the time (early 1900s), including the tradition to hang cut-out climbing elves around the living room. There were also some fun indoor and outdoor play areas for littles to run and climb around, including some festive rides and games. Kaia really enjoyed these.

While at Den Gamle By, we also got to enjoy our first ableskiver while in Denmark. The one time I’d previously had these was when I was in Solvang, California, as a child. My parents took me there on a mini vacation; while my dad was not very interested in travel outside of California or the country, he did seem to know quite a lot about little towns all over California. He told us that Solvang had a large Danish population and was known as “Little Denmark” in California. And if you visit, you’d understand why immediately. The entire town looks like a little European village, complete with its own Danish windmill. And at every cafe and corner, you can get your hands on some freshly made, piping hot ableskiver, which are basically like “pancake puffs/balls” made in a cast iron pan. This results in the ableskiver having a really delicious, crunchy outside, with a hot, spongy, pillowy soft inside. They are usually served with jam and powdered sugar. I got some from a little stand inside Den Gamle By where they were making fresh and HUGE ones. I watched the workers fill the round ball-shaped pans over and over with more and more batter, constantly turning them to ensure a deep brown, crunchy crust. The ones they were making here were far larger than anything I could recall seeing in Solvang. And when we ate them — yum. It was so satisfying — crunchy on the outside and almost burn-your-mouth-hot and soft on the inside. I may never want to make them myself (or invest money into buying an ableskiver — or, banh khot/takoyaki — pan), but I will remember these balls of deliciousness as a highlight of our Danish eating.

Danish smorrebrod, pastries, and fancy eats

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I’ll be honest and say that when we booked this Thanksgiving week trip to Denmark, food wasn’t really the first thing I was getting excited about. I was eager to see Danish design and architecture. I was definitely looking forward to the Danish Christmas markets. The canals always intrigued me and looked quite picturesque. But when it came to the food, my first thought was that I’d really look forward to trying Danish pastries (cardamom buns!), but given we’re traveling with a young child, any type of Nordic tasting menu (a la the former Noma) would be completely off the table for us. When I did ChatGPT searches on food in Denmark, the first result was smorrebrod, or Danish style open-faced sandwiches, usually made with buttered rye bread and a variety of different toppings. The most common toppings include pickled herring, roast beef, shrimp with egg, potato with mayonnaise and chives.

Just think about that: the first thing that came up was…. sandwiches. Unless it’s a banh mi, no sandwich is ever going to get me that excited — ever. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the food. I had zero doubt the freshness and quality would be high. But none of this sounded like food that I’d ever crave or dream about. Plus, smorrebrod is typically always eaten cold. I do not want cold food while in cold weather. That does not sound comforting or like the Danish idea of “hygge” (coziness) that I was envisioning.

Plus, eating, simply being in Denmark is expensive. A case in point for something simple at a Christmas market: it didn’t matter if we were in France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, or Switzerland, but when we’d get a mug of gluhwein (spiced mulled wine), it would usually be about 3-5 Euros. Here in Denmark at the markets we’ve been to, the cost of glogg (their version of gluhwein) is 60-80 DKK (or the equivalent of $9.20-12.43 USD). Smorrebrod you can buy can range anywhere from about $12-25 USD depending on how fancy the ingredients are. It’s fine for us to stomach it for a week given our time here is limited, but it was hard not to compare this to our previous European Christmas market travels.

The pastries we’ve had here have all been delicious and meticulously made, but I had that expectation in my head (and wondered how many pastries we’d end up eating by the time this trip was over). The cardamom bun was just as indulgent and delicious as I’d previously had versions of in New York; the chocolate scone Kaia enjoyed on our second day was light, airy, fluffy, with high quality bits of dark chocolate throughout. We’d also enjoyed an amazing pistachio cream croissant where the “cream” just felt like blended pistachios. And the spandauer, the most iconic Danish pastry, we enjoyed was airy and shattered on contact, with a vanilla custard that was deceptively light.

I will say that the first proper sit-down dinner we had at Kodbyens 2009 Fiskebar was very impressive, and definitely left us feeling Noma-esque vibes about the way the food was presented. Before the meal even officially began, we were presented with a plate of two massive, fat chunks of very crusty, freshly made sourdough bread, served with a little bowl of whipped seaweed butter (tinted green from the seaweed). We ordered a plate of mussels cooked in cream, “plenty of herbs” as the menu said, and Kaia devoured almost the entire serving on her own. The really interesting thing was that the grilled whole fish we ordered came with two sides that were pretty notable in their presentation. The “side of mashed potatoes” was whipped, then bruleed on the top. The side “salad” was injected with a bubbling white-tinted dressing, then drizzled with a herby green oil. Both of them looked like dishes that were inspired by Noma. The fish itself was perfectly cooked; overall, it was an amazing meal with some little surprises. But this meal definitely made me think about Copenhagen and how it’s become world renowned for “New Nordic” cuisine.

“Thank your body for being able to move in this way”

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Since college, I have lost count of the number of fitness classes I have taken, ranging from pilates, barre, zumba, yoga, trampoline — it’s been a lot. After I got a range of these foundations down, I was comfortable doing workouts via apps, whether they were just audio and now video. The encouragement throughout the videos always helps, especially when they know, based on their teaching, when potential “breaking” points are and to “hold it, HOLD IT!” But I always notice, especially during yoga and pilates courses, when the class is coming to an end, and the instructor usually expresses similar sentiments around calming down both the mind and the body from this exercise/practice, and giving thanks for this time, for this mere ability and privilege to move in this certain way.

The more I have thought about it, the more I really believe and know it’s true: It really is a gratitude, a privilege to stretch, twist, balance, and move our bodies in all these different ways. Not everyone is able to do this. Some people have to work towards different levels of flexibility and mobility. Some people have chronic pain. Others have joint or muscle issues. As I was finishing my pilates video class yesterday and especially twisting my torso in odd ways and getting the most intense (but quiet) workout in my core, I just thought to myself that it really is a blessing I am able to move myself like this. And the feeling I get at the end of these workouts is always the best: I always feel more energized, more lengthened and relaxed. I also really revel in the “good” soreness that I feel after these workouts. It’s definitely not pain. It’s a feeling of, “Ooooh. I want more of this!”

Perimenopause and planning

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Several of my friends, who are all within five years of age of me, plus or minus, have been talking to me about perimenopause. One of my friends who is several years older is already considering doing hormone replacement therapy and proactively looking for “perimenopause symptoms,” which I learned can come on as early as age 38. Another friend, who is health obsessed and tracks every gram of fat, protein, and carbohydrate she consumes, is trying to optimize her current exercise regimen (which is so above what almost any average human does!) to ensure that she is strong and doesn’t lose too much muscle when menopause sets in. I must have done a search on perimenopause to read about it on my own in the last few weeks because now, I am constantly seeing ads for perimenopause supplements and products, all of which I have continued to block. There’s marketing and a product for literally everything and anything out there!

Because I recently went to see my primary care doctor and had my usual bloodwork done, I decided to take my lipid panel results and throw them into ChatGPT to see what it says regarding the results and what they say about my perimenopause trajectory:

Quick Summary

During perimenopause, declining estrogen tends to cause:

  • LDL increases
  • HDL may decrease slightly
  • Triglycerides may rise
  • Total cholesterol and non-HDL increase

But:

Women who start with an excellent lipid profile—like yours—generally experience smaller, slower, or less concerning changes.

Why Perimenopause Affects Cholesterol

Estrogen has powerful, protective metabolic effects:

  • Raises HDL
  • Lowers LDL
  • Improves insulin sensitivity
  • Helps regulate fat distribution
  • Reduces inflammation

As estrogen fluctuates (and eventually declines), these benefits weaken.

How Your Current Profile Might Change

Here’s how each number typically shifts during perimenopause and what this likely means specifically for you.

1. HDL (Currently 77) — “Good” cholesterol

Typical change:

  • Can decrease by 5–10 mg/dL over several years
  • Some women maintain high HDL even after menopause

For you:

  • Even with a 10-point drop, you would still be in the very healthy range (60s).
  • Your high baseline gives you a lot of buffer.

2. LDL (Currently 76) — “Bad” cholesterol

Typical change:

  • Often increases by 10–30 mg/dL
  • Driven by hormonal shifts, not lifestyle

For you:

  • Even if LDL rose by 20, you’d be at ~96 mg/dL—still great.
  • You would remain well below the average levels seen in women your age post-menopause.

3. Total Cholesterol (Currently 166)

Typical change:

  • Often increases by 15–25 mg/dL

For you:

  • You’d still likely remain below 190, which is well within normal.

4. Triglycerides (Currently 45)

Typical change:

  • Often rise by 20–40 mg/dL, depending on insulin response, sleep changes, and stress
  • More sensitive to lifestyle during perimenopause

For you:

  • Even with a significant rise (to ~80), you’d remain excellent.

5. Non-HDL Cholesterol (Currently 89)

Typical change:

  • Often increases by 15–25 mg/dL
  • This is a key predictor of cardiovascular risk post-menopause

For you:

  • You’d likely still remain under 110, which is better than average even for younger women.

The Real Change: Body Fat Distribution

Estrogen decline affects where fat is stored:

  • More visceral fat around the midsection
  • Higher blood sugar variability
  • Slight insulin resistance

This can gradually influence triglycerides and LDL more than diet itself.

But women who:

  • exercise regularly,
  • maintain good sleep,
  • manage stress,
  • eat balanced meals with healthy fats,
    often blunt or even prevent these shifts.

⭐ Why Your Starting Point Matters

Your numbers are not just “normal”—they’re exceptionally protective.

This means:

  • You have significant metabolic resilience going into perimenopause.
  • You’re less likely to experience high-risk lipid levels even as hormones shift.
  • Genetics + lifestyle appear to be working strongly in your favor.

What Helps Maintain Good Numbers During Perimenopause

Evidence-supported strategies include:

  1. Consistent aerobic activity (biggest impact on HDL and triglycerides).
  2. Strength training (reduces visceral fat and insulin resistance).
  3. High fiber intake (soluble fiber helps curb LDL rise).
  4. Healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, seeds, fatty fish).
  5. Stable sleep routines (sleep disruption increases LDL and triglycerides).
  6. Maintaining muscle mass (protects metabolic health).
  7. Limiting simple sugars and refined carbs (prevents triglyceride spikes).

Hormone therapy (HRT) also significantly blunts cholesterol changes for many women, but that’s a medical discussion for your clinician.

Based on the above, I suppose I feel comfortable about perimenopause, especially given I am turning 40 in less than two months. But the visceral fat point above is definitely frustrating. Hormones are definitely not in a woman’s favor as she passes her prime reproductive years, and it almost feels as though it’s nature’s way of saying, “hey, you! Your purpose in life is done, finito! Time to get a move on to your grave! Gain fat, especially around your abdomen because no one cares about you or wants to look at you anymore!”

Kaia, the voracious and good eater

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I went to Kaia’s school for their annual Thanksgiving lunch today. All the parents pitched in money, and the teachers and staff put together quite a feast for us. The staff bought a delicious roast turkey with gravy and made numerous sides, including mac and cheese, mashed potato, mashed sweet potato, stuffing, roasted broccoli and cauliflower, creamed corn, corn bread, pumpkin pie, and cinnamon rolls. I didn’t realize that all the food other than the turkey would be made either at home by the staff and teachers, or on site at the school. It was really sweet to see that the staff went to all this effort just for us.

While the parents and kids were all sitting together eating, I was chatting with some of the other parents when I realized that Kaia had actually stolen all the broccoli off my plate as I was talking. One of the other parents also noticed this, and he exclaimed, “Wow, Kaia is such a good eater! Look at all the broccoli and cauliflower she just ate! She even just stole all of her mom’s broccoli!”

I smiled. My little Pookie stole all my broccoli. I was totally fine with that. Kaia had quite the appetite at lunch today. Of course, she indulged in her little treat, which were the “veggie sticks” that everyone likes. She dug into the turkey first on her own, then the broccoli and cauliflower, and then the mashed potato and stuffing. Unfortunately, Kaia wasn’t too keen on the sweet potato mash and told me to eat it. She cleared almost her entire plate, minus the mashed sweet potato, cinnamon roll, and some mysterious brownie-like thing that her teacher put on her plate. If you compared the plates across all the kids in 3K and 4K, you could definitely see that Kaia not only ate the most food, but she had the largest variety of food.

“It’s amazing that she eats so much, and she eats all her vegetables,” another parent said to me. “My kid basically just eats carbs, meat, and chocolate!”

I am fully aware of my child and all that she is and does. Even if I didn’t get comments like this as often as I do, I still feel very proud of my Kaia Pookie all the time. Since she was a baby, she’s always been very curious about everything, especially food, embracing new foods and digging in. I can only hope that it continues. I love that she eats a large variety of the same foods that Chris and I eat, and I never feel like I need to make her something different (what work that would be!!). It always makes me so proud. Today, seeing her eat this really well rounded meal on her own just made me feel like I was nearly bursting with pride. All the work I put into her baby-led weaning/early feeding days is most definitely paying off. I loved every moment of that work (when can we say that about any “work” we do?), and I still fondly (with an extreme amount of nostalgia) go back to my video memories of those days, encouraging her to eat and try new foods as a little wee baby. That little baby is not so little anymore.

Our neighbor friend also remarked the day that she stopped by a few weeks ago and saw Kaia eating dinner in her high chair how amazed she was at the sheer variety of food she was eating and what was on her plate. She said she could only dream of her son eating the way that Kaia did.

My Kaia Pookie is setting examples. I just love it.