It has become embarrassingly apparent these last few months ("few" meaning "six-plus") that Man-Mate and I are, in fact, raising a little dictator.
No, he doesn't make numerous demands regarding the state of his playroom upon arrival, or require Evian water before making an appearance at church, but he has certainly developed preferences - very distinct, well-vocalized preferences - on what food is good enough to enter his system. Thankfully, our Little Dictator's Mama has found out that she is not alone... and just in the nick of time.
Oh, sure, everyone has heard the story about the kid who would only eat chicken nuggets or peanut butter and jelly at every meal. As parents, I'm sure most of us started off on this journey with the mantra of "N'uh-uh... not MY baby", armed with a foodie arsenal sure to appease the pickiest of pallets. Yeah, well, our arsenal now consists of the following (given in Bubba-isms first, with translations immediately following):
1. "Gack-gr" - Crackers
2. "Fiffef" - Goldfish crackers
3. "Az-zah" or "Ass-zah" - Applesauce
4. "Go-gurk" - Yogurt
5. "Tettup" - Ketchup (Hey, he's my kid... ketchup is practically one of our food groups... even if I don't serve it on its own).
6. "This" - Popsicle
7. "Muh" - More... of anything that he has had in the last few days that he feels we should remember and have in ready supply if not already have presented him with or else burn in the fires of Mordor.
... and that's just the list of things that our sweet Bubba-Squish can vocalize by name. Also add to it peanut butter and pretzels, chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and french fries.
We're hoping that, one day (SOON), our little man will eat more like a, um, little man... instead of a finicky squirrel. He's not at risk for malnutrition; at 35 lbs and 36'' tall, I'd say he's doing just fine - but all those self-imposed dietary staples are interfering with Girly's Goal of Gastronomical Gusto! Is it really time to employ sneak tactics? Must I resort to "hiding" healthy foods in his everyday favorites? Do I really, really have to make an avacado smoothie and tell him that it's just like the nummy milkshake he's occasionally allowed?? *sigh*
Son #2, due in late May/early June of this year, is going to have some hiiiiiiiiigh expectations to live up to, if his brother has any say in the matter.
Looks like he's got all the food groups covered, so no worries. :) Eli was, and still is a finicky eater but in just the past few months has branched out and tried new things. He has discovered he likes, of all things, Brussel Sprouts and Stir Fry. He also likes Broccoli dipped into Ranch dressing. Who would have thought...so there is hope. Granted, Eli is 10, so it took a few years.
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