High Chair Wars

A cup of blueberries
A cup of sweet peas
7 pieces of deli turkey
2 slices of cheese
A cup of milk
2 pieces of whole wheat bread
1/4 cup of yogurt

And still she asks for "MOHHH!"

After all of that food, consumed in a 15 minute time span, Peanut begs for more food!  Our table is in our kitchen which makes meal time slightly easier when Peanut is at the table.  Here is how dinner service "went down" this evening:

Peanut is yelling (her only volume these days.... happy or sad; it's always at volume: shout), stomping her feet at the gate between the kitchen and the rest of the house.  "EAAAAAT!  EAAAAT!"  I look at my watch and, she is right..... 10 minutes 'till dinner service number one.  I wash her hands and head straight for the booster seat, grabbing the blueberries from the fridge as I pass.  The sight of the blueberries induces clapping and leg kicking.... more shouting.

As soon as I dump out (what I think should take her 10 minutes to eat) about a cup of berries, she grabs two giant handfuls and shoves both of them into her mouth simultaneously.  Then as I turn around, rushing to fix the peas.... she is shouting: "MOHHH!!"  Tray cleared, mouth full, eyes piercing through me; knowing there are more berries in the fridge and I am withholding.   I truly spin in circles grabbing food from the counter, all but throwing it at her in hopes it lands within her reach instead of in the dog's mouth.  The dog is a totally different issue: whether he is licking her tray directly, licking her spoon (that she then puts back into her own mouth), or being fed by the diner.... he is never far and always interested.

Keep in mind that as soon as Peanut is seated, Bug notices that dinner has begun and she races to wash her hands and gives her input regarding the menu.  So, as I am trying to keep a clear head with the shouting, and the spinning, and the serving; I am also checking blood sugar and counting the amount of carbohydrates I am serving my oldest child.  Once the sugar is checked and the food is served, I head back to the counter and continue.  Thankfully, Bug is a peaceful eater and often only speaks to ask "Why is she shouting?!" or to tell me "Mom, she is definitely going to have to have a bath after this.  Just look at her face!"  She is right.

Almost every night, the post dinner routine for Peanut is a strip down, pre-bath wipe down, and we head straight to the bath tub..... all the while I am laughing and asking her how in the world she got yogurt in her ear and smooshed blueberry on her back.

I know what you are thinking: "why don't you just get her food ready ahead of time and have it ready for her to eat before she gets fussy?!"  I say to you, "No matter how early I prep; the hunger beast always wins."  I invite you to dinner with a toddler, and after that you may speak freely

This is a phase.  I know this because at one time, my peaceful eater was a shouter, food thrower, dog feeder, and 6 o'clock stress inducer.  So, just for now, I will continue to go to the grocery store 3 times a week to keep us in fruit and breath through the labor of love that is feeding my 25 pound 16 month old.