Food wars

Kent had his 15 month appointment yesterday. He's over 25 lbs which put him in the 80th percentile (up from 12 months) and he's nearly 34 inches tall, still in the 99th percentile. No wonder people think he's two years old.

He definitely had a growth spurt in late January for about two weeks - those extra long naps and the crazy big appetite were dead giveaways when I look back. That, and his pants becoming capris and his sleeve cuffs only going down to his forearm. Time to go shopping!

Ever since then, though, he's really been rejecting most foods for lunch and dinner (except breakfast foods: eggs, toast, fruit, oatmeal). It's about the more frustrating thing ever (more than hitting!) to me and I'm trying not to take it personally but I just can't convince him to even have a little taste. I've tried the whole gamut: act indifferent (Oh, you're not hungry? Oh well then. The meal is over then.), steal food from his plate and yumm it up, have him feed me pieces from his plate, or attempt to get a bit on his lip to he's forced to taste it. Two or three times, I've given him an adult sized utensil and he's taken 1-2 bites then pushes it all away, or just scoops and drops it back into his bowl. Scoop and drop is the name of his game. I've caved and given him an assortment of Plan B foods: toast with peanut butter, smoothies (made with tofu and spinach and fruit!), cottage cheese, a healthy muffin, crackers with hummus. BUT I CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS.

I spoke with the pediatrician about this and she totally understood me. What a relief to have this experience acknowledged, especially one who sees MANY kids from many different families. She said I could be the mom who continues to offer Plan B foods, but down the road the child will start rejecting those for yet other options. OR I could say "this is the meal" and if the child picks at it or rejects it, let him be and if he tells me he's hungry later, present the very same meal. If he rejects it, oh well.

Of course, WAY easier said than done!!!!! She said what I already knew: kids won't starve themselves. If he's really hungry, he'll eat. It's my job to set the limits and move towards my ultimate goal, etc. I know, I know, I know. But how do you let your kid eat less than 1/2 cup of food for 2 days straight (like we are now)??? When will his fast be over? Will breakfast be the only food he'll ever eat consistently?

My other question is this: how will Kent tell me he's hungry? Silly question coming from his mom, I know, but I'm serious!! He doesn't say words, sign words, or point to his belly or his mouth. Sure, infants have their nursing signal that's built in, but it's not so easy now.

Also: how do I know Kent understands what I say? Not only are we using French and English back and forth, how do I know he gets it when I say: "If you're not hungry for this meal, you don't get anything else." or "Eat this meal and then you can have some applesauce!" Doc said he understands. I'm not so sure, but I'd like to believe her. Instead, I'm reminded by this awesome scene:

I feel totally clueless. Welcome to the mom club, Rebekah!