Good Appetite

Today's gift is a good appetite.

There is one battle I can honestly say I have never had with my nonverbal daughter...I have never had to "make" her eat food...she has always loved it.  Now I will say, I had to help her learn how to suck and swallow at the same time when she was a baby.....she could do both independently, but she could not do them simultaneously.  It didn't take her long to learn, as she loved to eat!

I didn't appreciate having a great eater until I had to experience a picky one.  My second child, also a daughter, was an incredible eater until she hit the age of 5, then she became picky, picky, picky.  Everything she used to love, she now thought was gross.  This was so frustrating to me, as the one who I thought would be the picky eater, was the best eater in the house.  And as luck would have it, my youngest who was 2 at this time was also a great eater, but since he mimicked everything his sisters did, he chose to follow in the footsteps of my middle daughter and become a picky eater too....just because!

Fast forward 2 1/2 years....my oldest (soon to be 11) is still a fantastic eater, my middle child (soon to be 8) is a MUCH better eater and my youngest (just turned 5) is still picky....but will try new things.....with a lot of bargaining!  It has been extremely nice to not have to fight one of my  three children to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner.  We like to eat new foods and we also like to eat healthy.  I am not a mom who is going to make meals for everyone in the house....I cook one meal and if you don't like it....then you don't get dessert and you wait until breakfast to eat.  Usually, when everyone is eating dessert, the one who is not eating dessert, will get upset and will ultimately finish their dinner (which I save, just in case) and then they can have 1/2 of a dessert.  What gets me even more...once they FINALLY eat it...they actually LIKE it!  Thank goodness, one of my children, doesn't like to drive me too crazy and will appreciate good food from the beginning!

Tonight at dinner, we had a wonderful dinner prepared by a dear friend....thinly sliced steak, rice mixed with zucchini and beans, caprese salad and garlic bread....it was delicious.  My daughter ate all of it and wanted more.....she truly has an appreciation for food.  She loves it....morning, noon and night!  It is a breathe of fresh air to have one child who doesn't complain about what we are having for dinner, as this is the worst meal to try and please five people.  Now you may ask, how do I know she if she truly wants what we are eating since she can not communicate verbally that she doesn't like what we are having....trust me.  If she didn't want to eat it...then should would not open her mouth or she would throw her fork.....she definitely has ways of telling me if she doesn't like something.  However, when it comes to food, there is hardly anything she dislikes.

Here are some quotes for today...

It's easy to impress me.  I don't need a fancy party to be happy.  Just good friends, good food, and good laughs.  I'm happy.  I'm satisfied.  I'm content.- Maria Sharapova

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well- Virginia Woolf

Be a fruit loop in a world full of cherrios- Anonymous