The Eating Thing

My obsession over what my kids eat, how much, how often, etc. started the second Meena was born.  The more-difficult-than-advertised nursing--Is she putting on weight fast enough?  Her cheeks are round and pink, but still...do you think she's eating enough?  Compulsively graphing her weight on the official Pediatric Growth Chart just to be sure.

Followed by formula--How many ounces did she drink?  When?  Are her cheeks round enough?  Are her legs chubby enough?  More compulsive graphing.

Followed by solid food--this was much easier...until she turned 2.  And then, she became incredibly picky, almost overnight.

(My son, for the record, will happily gobble up just about anything you put in front of him except hummus or quinoa)

The almost-4-year-old continues her pickyness, and I continue to obsess--Is she eating enough?  I hear that pre-schoolers have "on meals" and "off meals"; what will this meal be?  When was her last "on meal"?  Why won't she eat any fruit or veggies (unless cleverly disguised in hummus, macaroni and cheese or pizza--my food processor gets a work-out almost daily)?  What did I do wrong?  T-Mobile eats almost everything, especially raw fruits and veggies, so it mustn't be my fault.  Unless it is...

This will continue until the day I die, I'm sure.  And, even then, I'll be in heaven bouncing around on poofy clouds, peering down at Meena and T-Mobile's dinner plates, running my silent tally of how many glasses of milk they drank today, how many servings of fruits and veggies, protein and whole grain.

Meanwhile, I create bizarre meals, like the one we're having tonight.  A combination of having not grocery shopped in a while and a desire to only put healthy options on the table in the event that Meena decides tonight is an "on meal".

Tonight's Menu:

• Teriyaki baked tofu
• Caprese salad (with ingredients from my garden)
• Cooked carrots
• Fingerling potatoes with chives (more from the garden)

My guess: she will gobble up all the tofu and 5 carrot bites.  He will eat it all.

Happy Campers

Fabulous Husband, the kiddos and I went camping with a friend and her little man last week.  We did all sorts of amazing things, but my favorite parts are the little moments that happen.

For example, Meena woke up early one morning with a lot of energy, so we went for a walk around the campground.  In the quiet,  she told me about things she noticed.  My favorite was her discovery in the puddle.  It had rained during the night and the puddles were plentiful and vast.  In the stillness, they reflected what was above them flawlessly.  One puddle reflected a blue sky and tree branches with leaves.  Meena's description: "Mom, look!  It's the bottom of the sky!"

I love the words kids use.  They're perfectly descriptive and come from such an honest place.  The words they use don't match what I would say, yet they communicate the exact essence.

The day after we got back, T-Mobile started Pre-school (!!!).  He was excited, but after 5 days of vacation, he was having a bit of a hard time.  He asked me if I could sit with him for a few minutes while he ate breakfast, so I pulled up a toddler-sized chair.  I rubbed his back and he sniffed, saying "When a few minutes is over, I'm going to miss you."  He walked me to the door to leave and the tears started, but when his new teacher came over and said, "I'm so excited to have you join the Pre-school class!" he beamed and ran off to finish breakfast.  And, just like that, I'm a mom of 2 Pre-schoolers.