Dinnertime!

Tate ate spaghetti tonight for dinner.  With me.  Sitting right beside him.


This is a HUGE deal for us.  


HUGE!


This kid has not put anything in his mouth (unless it was sweet, and how the hell does he know something is sweet before he tastes it?) that he had not seen before he was 18 months old.  I kid you not.  If he had not had it in the first 18 months of his life he will not touch it for me.


Yet, I send him to school with the same homemade foods and he gobbles them up...Gobbles them up with  minimal fuss.


Here's what he regularly eats at lunchtime at school...


Baked sweet potato cubed and mixed with quinoa.  Yes quinoa!!  Has eaten it at home maybe twice, then again he had this before he was 18 months old.


Rotisserie chicken .... this he will eat at home, always.


Sliced turkey or ham slices, just plain, no bread.


Corn, peas, broccoli, green beans.


Hot dogs.


Spaghetti and meatballs.


Bar-b-q chicken that I've made which is sliced up.


Pork tenderloin.


At home only the rotisserie chicken.  He hasn't touched the baked sweet potato in months.  It's just crazy.  All of this stuff is offered on a regular basis, and he turns his nose up and says "I don't like dat."


He won't touch mac and cheese, pork chops (cut up), bar-b-q chicken or really anything he has not seen before with me.  If I send it in his lunch box the next day he'll eat it.


Now maybe part of this is my pickiness in what he is offered...almost everything is organic, nitrite/nitrate free, all-natural etc.  But that doesn't affect taste!!!  I have to be sure everything is egg-free as well...very hard to find egg-free pasta.  But honestly he's never had 'white' pasta, so whole wheat pasta should be no problem.  


Sigh.


But this past week I decided we would eat every meal together, and he would get offered exactly what I was eating.  He refused the broccoli and corn with the rotisserie chicken Monday and Tuesday and only had applesauce, half a Happy Tot pouch and his vitamin both nights along with maybe a half of the chicken on his plate.  Last night we had spaghetti and meatball, and he went to bed with applesauce, a plain yogurt and a vitamin in his belly.  


Then tonight he happily lapped up his spaghetti!!


I was thrilled.  Elated!  Ecstatic!!


I am a happy mama.


So, we'll see what the next few weeks hold.  I'm going to continue with the eating what you're offered business, while being sure to offer at least one thing I know he likes (the applesauce and/or the plain Greek yogurt).  I certainly don't know that he's 'turned the corner' and I don't expect it to be smooth sailing in way, shape or form.  


I'm just going to continue on this roller coaster with my picky eater son!




(now where did he get that from?)