World's Greatest Mysteries

The world is full of unsolved mysteries. I think there was even a TV show, or something, about them: alien abductions, crop circles, Stonehenge, Bermuda Triangle, feeding toddlers, Incan civilization. What? You were unaware that toddler mealtime made the list? Ok, maybe it didn't really make the list. But it should have.

I've had this kid for a little over a year now and I can't think of a single thing that is more perplexing than feeding a child. Babies are a piece of cake: breastmilk and/or formula. They take what they want and then they go to sleep. Honestly, I'd feel more comfortable in a physics class than I do when planning meals for Kate. If you knew how I felt about physics and what a complete mystery it is to me, you would probably be shocked to hear that admission. At any rate, I'm winging it here and she hasn't starved yet...

Mystery #1 - Exactly how much is she supposed to be eating?

I was comforted when my friend Kristy told me that some days her little boy "existed solely on air," and that at most they "could usually get him to drink milk, but sometimes that was it." So, I've decided not to worry. She does eat, so as long as she doesn't skip too many meals, I'm not going to be concerned.

Here was dinner tonight:


Doesn't it look tasty? I was quite proud of myself for fixing a well rounded, finger food friendly, yummy dinner. (note: she usually eats what we do, but tonight it wasn't kid friendly) Kate? Not so impressed. Some nights she gobbles stuff down like she can't get enough, and some nights you're good to get her to eat a quarter of what's on this plate. Thanks Kristy for suggesting the wagon wheels. She couldn't cram enough in her mouth last night, but tonight she tried to throw all of them on the floor. (side note: the cat is not a fan of wagon wheels and less a fan of peas) I even included her favorite standbys - cheese, peas and peaches. I find that feeling proud about the meal you fixed is a recipe for rejection.

Mystery #2 - When can she eat grilled cheese sandwiches?

I find that anything larger than a half of a piece of banana is frightening. I read someone's website that said that one of their one-year-old's favorite foods was a chicken nugget. Huh? So, I consulted a friend and took the plunge this weekend. It went ok. She didn't choke, but this leads to mystery #3.

Mystery #3 - Will she always try to cram the entirety of whatever she is holding into her mouth?

There is really no such thing as "taking a bite." As much of whatever she has in hand goes in the mouth. My grilled cheese experiment was a chance to "teach" Kate that you take bites of such large things. Eh. I guess we're learning.

She really is a pretty good eater, all things considered. It still remains a mystery to me whether she gets enough or enough of the right stuff.

In other news.

Kate loves balls, so we bought her this one at Target. She likes to carry it around.


Oh, and I'm so tired of poinsettias. Really tired of them. They're all over my house and you've got to water them continuously. I can really only handle fake plants or succulents. I might drive them all over to Mom's tomorrow and let her water them for as long as she likes.