Biting and eating - 9 months old baby

Our baby has started to become more and more independent. He wants to eat with his hands and throws food all over the place.
All these days I used to mash the fruits and feed him. But today he bit an apple with his tiny-miny teeth, mashed it with his tongue and ate it. Another step towards enjoying new ways of eating food and feeling the textures. He also loves bananas and pears too.