100 days old ceremony (Momoka iwai)

Having a child in a foreign country has been a great adventure. I have learned a tremendous amount about Japanese culture and the value of human life. When we went to the Kugenuma shrine to celebrate his birth, the priest gave us a few gifts that surprised me. I had no idea what was contained in the boxes but about a month later I found out.
When Leo turned 100 days old I returned home from work to find my mother-in-law waiting with the boxes open. There was food inside!
We celebrated Leo's turning 100 days old by giving my son his first rice.(Okuizome) It was my job to put the rice grain to his mouth but I soon realized I made a BIGmistake. It's just a symbolic ceremony because Leo couldn't eat yet so we're just supposed to put the grain of rice on a chopstick then up to his lips. I wasn't told anything so I had to experience it to learn it, and I really enjoyed it.