Food Favorites

Food has always been an interesting subject for you. Since you first started eating baby food you’ve always had a taste for the unexpected. For months you were a veggie only girl – peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes were your standard fare. You weren’t interested in fruits at all and completely despised bananas and applesauce which made you a very atypical baby in the eyes of everyone I shared this fact with.

As you’ve gotten older and eat table food you still lean more toward veggies than sweets, like carrots, corn and peas. You are a chocoholic like me; thanks to Michelle Harrell at church introducing you to the wonder of M&Ms, you beg for those anytime you see a familiar looking package. And like most children, you love ice cream. You went through a McDonald’s chicken nuggets phase for a while, though you’ve gotten away from that recently. I guess just like the rest of us, you got tired of the same-old-same-old. You love apples, and that’s one of your favorite words. If someone opens the fridge you immediately ask, “Apple?” no matter what time of day or night. You also love rice, just like your daddy. Whether it’s fried rice from the Japanese or Chinese restaurant, or dirty rice from Bojangles, you’ve never met a grain you didn’t like. Macaroni and cheese has become a staple – sometimes it’s the only form of protein I can get you to eat. Hot dogs? Forget it… Chicken? Only if Mommy hides it in some rice… Hamburger? You gag… You love bread most of time, and green beans when the mood suits you. You’ll eat your Grandma Bryan’s spaghetti (who wouldn’t?) but no one elses.

You won’t touch cow’s milk in any form (you even turn your nose up at chocolate milk!) so I still give you the stage-two formula at night and I mix it in with your rice and fruit cereal in the mornings. I always worry you don’t get enough protein or calcium. Hopefully you’ll grow out of this milk aversion eventually. Fortunately, you are usually willing to try most anything once. This has resulted in you acquiring a taste for a lot of strange things – dill pickles, sour cream and onion/BBQ potato chips, Doritos, ranch dressing, popcorn… I guess like everything else, Petra, you are unique.

Boy has time flown!

You know, good intentions cannot compete with the demands for attention of a growing baby. I couldn't believe it had been a year since I posted, but raising you, Petra, is my number one priority, my number one occupation - everything else takes a backseat (some further back than others!). So I guess I'll do some backlogging for a few days and try to contain memories before they are lost to me.

Where are we now? You are 19 months old and have definitely started your "terrible twos" early. I don't know - they really aren't that terrible... You are independent minded to the extreme; wanting to do everything yourself, no matter how dangerous or difficult. "NO" is your favorite word at the moment, though your vocabulary seems to multiply daily. I am amazed at your quickness with language; being with your grandparents for a few weeks hasn't hurt. Let's see if I can make a quick list of some of your most said (and understandable) words:

• NO!
• mommy
• daddy
• mama/nana (can refer to either of the "grandma's"
• grandaddy
• dog
• meow
• hey
• bye bye
• sit down
• ouch
• boo boo
• ball
• shoes
• outside
• cheese
• fish
• Elmo
• ice (pronounced "i-sh")
• Doodlebops
• Ei-ei-oh
• tea
• thank you (pronounced "shank-oo"
• Amen! (at the end of the blessing over our food)
• where'd he go?
• there he is! (these last two are probably only understandable by family, but they are always in context of a game of peek-a-boo, so we're fairly confident that the translation is accurate!)

Well, that's a fair sampling. Your Grandma Bryan can translate a lot more of your gibberish than any of the rest of us, though I think perhaps some of it is a little wishful thinking on her part. Much of your speech has come by way of song. You are SOO musical - you only have to hear a tune once for you to start picking up on how it goes and trying to the best of your ability to imitate the words. I made a CD of your favorite songs, both from the television shows you love to watch and Bible songs your Daddy and I grew up on, and whenever we're in the car you sing song after song with such enthusiasm. Daddy and I are always in awe of how good your sense of pitch and timing is for such a little girl. You are nearly always right in tune with what you are singing, and your timing is never off. I guess some musical genes spliced together to create a little music genius.

You are becoming a climber, at least for the past few days anyway. As much as it fills me with dread to watch you turn the couch, recliner, and kitchen chairs into your own version of monkey bars, I am reminded of an article I read before you were born; just like the mother in that article, I don't want to stifle your adventurous spirit, your willingness to attempt challenges, to fail, and to try again out of an overzealous fear for your safety. Obviously there are limits - but a few bumps and bruises are a small price to pay for a daughter who isn't afraid to push herself, to take on the world with a determined grin and push the boundaries people might set for her, instead of a fearful little girl who hides behind her mommy's legs anticipating defeat at every turn because mommy taught her to be that way. I like your personality - even when you defiantly say "NO" to everything, even things you really want to say yes to (granted it makes my frustration level rise sometimes).

Be yourself Petra, and be loud about it. Don't let this world tell you what you can't do.