I’ve done a lot of research on when to initiate solid food with my baby. He is obviously growing and  receiving plenty of nourishment from exclusively breastfeeding the past 7 months, but what it boiled down to was Exhibit A:
I might be going out on a limb here, but to me this boy looks like he might be ready for some beginner soft solid food… or a t-bone, but first things first. 
SJ was started on avocado and that went well, so I decided to go for it again. Ezie had mashed up avocado with plenty of breast milk to make it more familiar to him. We used the rest of the avocado on our own grilled BLT dinner. 
I love that we can all eat the same thing. 
The bib he wore was the first thing I ever bought for him. I got it over a year ago before I even knew he was a boy.

And the dish the meal was prepared in was some of my sister in law’s hand made pottery. So it was a special occasion all the way around. 
I am not entirely sure how much of the food he actually ate. I’ve fed him several times since then and the jury is still out, but he seems happy about the experience so I am too.