Dinner at the farm

(Uncle Tim came to dinner a week ago and I'm just now getting to finish this post)

Sometimes it takes having dinner with a childless person to see what a barnyard our dinner table has become. Dan has eaten dinner with us since he started eating solid food, even before. When he was little, he sat in his swing on the floor while we ate at the table. He fussed a bit, but was generally happy to be with us. Then, when he was big enough to sit in his highchair, we moved him up there so he could watch us eat. He loved being able to see what we were doing up there at the table.

Now, he's a part of mealtime. He feeds himself, uses a fork and when he's done either pushes his plate away or calls for Bob the dog. He used to throw his food on the floor when he was done, so his current behavior is a mighty improvement. He's even used a napkin to wipe his face. But, lately, dinner with him is liking eating with a goat. He shrieks, bangs his fork on the table, moves his food from the dish to the table and back, chews his cud like a cow, then takes the food out (and hands it to me! Yummy!). He's even tried to eat like the dog (told you he's copying everything!).

Considering what a good start Dan had with food, I didn't think we'd be here so soon ... he eats like a bird and only a select few items. Mostly he likes fruit, pizza, cheese, lasagna, corn on the cob and pasta. A new favorite is beets from the garden. Luckily the pasta has always been the whole wheat variety. Sometimes to get him to eat we have to make animal growling sounds. He then growls and devours whatever's in front of him like a starving animal. Think Randy in "A Christmas Story" ... "show mommy how the piggies eat."

And we've found that he eats better when he doesn't have an audience. So we leave him at the table, and he gets quiet and gets down to business.