We've experienced nearly every extreme food-wise in the past 9 months - especially with Meke. From the
very beginning they could really
pack it away. Meke could out-eat every member of the family. I remember one meal where she had 3 1/2 bratwursts (in buns), 2-3 piles of corn, some fruit, and several helpings of dessert - at the age of three! Neti shed some light on the
reasons for gorging.
Then we went through the messy phase. Rhonda would argue that Neti's still there. There's improvement, though. The food hasn't found its way into her hair or ears for several months. And I can't remember the last time she had food on her forehead.
Not to long ago both girls cycled through the
SLOOOOWWWW phase. Meke was especially turtlesome. It wasn't uncommon for her to be
half done with her
first helping a thirty minutes or more after everyone else had left the table.
Neti's good. I like the way she eats now (except for an occasional slurp or spill). But Meke! Once she ate everything. Now she's picky.
It seems she's of the mind that she can pick and choose what's to eat DESPITE what was prepared. Several weeks ago, for example, we had chicken for dinner. Meke likes chicken a lot. But for reasons hidden from us she decided she wasn't going to eat chicken that night. She sat at the table in poutful defiance until we dismissed her to bed without eating (her choice).
Next morning while everyone else was eating Lucky Charms, we peeled back the plastic wrap and served Meke chicken. Nope. Pack it away again for lunch. Nope again.
That evening we had friends over. Can't remember what we ate that night...but Meke had chicken. Surely after nearly 24 hours without food she'd eat it! Nope. For the fourth time we packed it away in the fridge. It was only when the other kids were eating dessert when she decided chicken wasn't so bad after all and gobbled it in less than two minutes with no problem at all.
We repeated the scene today. A few days ago she was begging for third helpings of spaghetti. Evidently it wasn't lunchworthy today. Lots of objections and whining ended in a tearful empty-bellied nap.
She ate it tonight for dinner before her hot dogs.
