Whatever It Takes

Really overall, we could not have asked for an easier child to raise.  Both Brian and I have a laid back just "go with the flow" temperment and so does the little man.  He's a great napper, plays well by himself when we're at the office (yes, I'm lucky enough to take my child to work with me) and we can pretty much take him anywhere and he is always complemented on his good behavior.  That being said, there is one area I become increasingly frustrated with on a daily basis....eating.  My child could care less about any food other than his milk.  We started rice cereal at 4 months old and a few weeks later began with homemade pureed veggies followed by fruit.  Not until we started yogurt did we get a willing open mouth from him.  Of course we have good days and bad days as with anything else and our pediatrician has told us not to worry since he is putting everything else in his mouth (toys, books, shoelaces, etc.), but I'm a Mom and I worry.  Each day we evaluate and try to figure out if we did something different on a good day or if he was sick or tired on a bad day, but the process is not very scientific.  I believe we have determined that he eats better if we are in a new environment (at a restaurant or friend's house) and if the food has more seasoning to it.  One night he ate an entire meal of guacamole with onions, cilantro, and jalepenos!  So we keep trying new foods and new processes of feeding....which brings me to yesterday.  A few girls at the office wanted to go out to a Japenese steakhouse for lunch and invited us to tag along.  I ordered the veggies and steamed rice in the hopes that maybe we could share something.  The waitress brought us some kiddie chopsticks and a bowl of goldfish and I thought "Thanks, but we'll be doing good if he eats one bite of rice off a spoon."  Of course, the goldfish went over like a lead balloon.  He wouldn't even pick them up from the table, so when my salad came I optimistically dipped the chopsticks in the ginger mustard dressing to see what reaction I'd get.  Well let's just say, I didn't get to eat much of my lunch for feeding my child salad dressing, rice, and hibachi veggies (zucchini, carrots, mushrooms, onions, & broccoli) from chopsticks no less.  Go figure???  But, I'm running with it.  Last night's dinner of leftover lunch and today's breakfast of cheese grits?  That's right...both served with chopsticks!  Hey...whatever it takes, right?