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Monday, April 25, 2011

Walk This Way...PLEASE!

We had a long week last week in these here parts. Scott had to be gone for a week, and every time this happens, I have a mini meltdown. Single moms out there: you guys are just awesome. I have nothing more to say.

So Scott comes home and I welcome him with another meltdown. Once again about Wee ‘Burb’s walking. Guys? I want to be the enlightened Mom here that echoes what EVERYONE tells us, which is “she will do it on her own time.”

But now that we’re at 17 months, I’m not so cool with her calling the shots timing-wise. So Thursday she ripped holes in her jeans because she refused to walk even with her little car outside at daycare. She just crawled around…on the asphalt.

And the truth is, our doctor asked us to take her in at 17 months if she wasn’t walking. That was two weeks ago. Before we left for San Francisco, we were sure she would walk. When we got back from San Franciso, we were SURE she would walk. So we didn’t call.

Nothing. In fact, she’s actually less interested in walking, which was what finally led me to my meltdown and the call to the doctor. Or, well it was that and the fact that I picked her up at daycare and a 10-month-old met me at the door and pulled himself up on the baby gate (yes, yes, I know you’re not supposed to compare, use the ruler and rap my bad mom knuckles, I’ll wait).

So Friday, I took Wee ‘Burb to our awesome pediatrician, who we call Mother Goose. I told her everything that Wee ‘Burb does on her feet and Mother Goose laughed. She said “ain’t nothing wrong with that kid.” That's medical jargon for "she's a stubborn donkey."

I got Wee ‘Burb to take a few steps with me holding her hands, and then she flung herself on the floor. I pointed at her like “SEE? SEE WHAT I HAVE TO DEAL WITH?”

Because I’m mature and rational like that.

Mother Goose told us that basically she saw nothing wrong, but did see that Wee ‘Burb had a wide stance and may benefit from physical therapy evaluation in terms of the strength of her hips.

I thought I would feel better, somehow. Like, okay, this isn’t catastrophic and I didn’t ruin her by not taking her in before. But I somehow felt worse because I want answers beyond the usual diagnosis we hear, which is my baby is a bit of a jerk. Oh, like you’re not thinking it!

Anyway, in the midst of this discussion the doctor asked if Wee ‘Burb had any sensitivity to textures to determine if there was any issue with certain walking surfaces. I laughed and said “only with her food.”

Whoooops.

Mother Goose got me to confess that I was still occasionally feeding Wee ‘Burb purees so she’d get the protein from the meat she refused to eat.

Mother Goose lovingly pokes Wee ‘Burb in the tummy and goes “you’re not a baby anymore!” And then looks me in the eyes and goes “you’re getting played, girlfriend!”

So the new rule is that we have to give her what we eat. And if she doesn’t eat it, she doesn’t eat. This has been met with mixed results in our very limited experience, though I can see the theory and how it works. When she’s hungry enough, she’ll eat what I put in front of her.

I’m sure there will be comments about this. I understand it falls in the dubious category of “crying it out” that some will feel is neglectful or psychologically harmful. But I do trust my doctor, she hasn’t led me astray thus far.

When I was a baby and a picky eater, my parents made the rule that if I didn’t eat what they ate, I had peanut butter and jelly. What they didn’t count on was I NEVER got sick of peanut butter so frankly, I was a picky eater until well into my 20s. I don’t want a food war with Wee ‘Burb, so we’ll see how it goes.

My first experiment with broccoli (I figured we'd start with veggies, which she's less anxious about than meat) hasn’t gone well with her. I’m putting the recipe on the bottom of this post if you’re interested. Even though I got it from a toddler recipe site, I have to say it was a hit with us adults, which was good b/c she didn’t touch them for 2 meals.



Speaking of food, we made our first fresh ham for Easter!





I didn’t get a picture of it actually done because I had quite a few Mimosas before the in-laws arrived. But it was beautiful and our house smells like herbs and meat. How can you beat that?

Do you or did you make your toddler eat what you eat? What was on your Easter plate?

Broccoli Bites

8 oz (1 cup) frozen broccoli florets
4 oz (1 cup) dry breadcrumbs
6 oz (1 1/2 cups) Cheddar, grated
2 1/2 tbsp water
2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Heat the oven to 375 deg F, 190 deg C.
Cook the broccoli, then drain and chop well.
Combine with the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Form the mixture into nugget shapes and place on a greased baking tray, about 3in apart.
Bake for 20-25 mins, turning halfway through the cooking time.
Serve warm.

12 comments:

Bonnie@TheFragileXFiles said...

oh wee'burb, you stubborn little thing!

Look at it this way, this spirited child will give you great material for your blog. ;-)

Amanda @ It's Blogworthy said...

Oh I meant to tell you, I won a book from a blog giveaway called "love in spoonfuls" and it's FULL of recipes for babies of all ages! I'll see if there are any recipes for Wee Burb's age.

You know, I still have so much guilt, worry, etc. and compare my baby way too much with others, especially his weight. As mothers, we can't help but do it because it's all around us. There's what's good for you and your baby and then there's what others/experts tell you. I struggle with that. I struggle with wanting to pick him up every time he wakes up crying at night and nursing him, even though an "expert" would tell me that I'm causing him to develop a "sleep crutch"...but you know what it comes down to? what makes your baby healthy & happy and what makes you sane. That's it. She'll grow up fine either way!

Anonymous said...

Oh my Lord, lady! All I can say (since I have zero Mommy experience to draw on) is keep on fighting the good fight. Mother Goose is totally on your team and I'm Trusting that Homegirl would NOT lead you astray.

I really need to start mentally preparing myself now, I think.

Anonymous said...

Yes, hang in there. I agree they eat what you eat. I went through similar circumstances with both of my children.

Visiting late #commenthour

Kristen said...

I absolutely agree on the "you get what we get and if you don't it, well, you'll starve"..... I was nervous doing that with my oldest son but the kid will eat everything that we do, asparagus, artichokes... absolutely everything! Can't beat that! Now Riley (the 2yr old) eats hardly anything. But he's still thriving so I'm not worried about it! :)

EatDrinkBeRunning said...

Love that you had mimosas and forgot to take pix of the cooked ham, I would totally do something like that! I bet it was delicious. Anyway, girlfriend, don't get played! LOL. I read somewhere that if you have your kids eat what you eat, make sure there is at least one thing you know they will eat. That way it won't backfire and you won't end up caving and making her something because you think she's hungry. It works for us and our kids are branching out...we are proud. :)

Kristy @Loveandblasphemy said...

I like your style. Mimosas and such on Easter. I had some cocktails myself.

OH, this topic. I never thought I would have a kid that struggled with food, but I do. Kids are funny like that. They do things you would never expect. I am sooooo not picky. I'm an adventurous eater. And, here I am, making a separate meal most nights for my very picky son. We make some allowances, but yes, there are nights when we tell him that if he's not going to eat, he's going to have to be hungry. And we stick to it. It hasn't been as hard as I would think on those nights, so we do it when we have to.

Maureen said...

I know how you suffer with getting a child to eat. My mother got the advice, "no child will starve so if he doesn't eat, he doesn't eat.. he will eventually." But he didn't eat and got ill. That was my brother so when my kids came along I cooked at least something I knew they'd eat and something they had to try. Never had a problem with food.

Donna Urso said...

My boys are all grown up now, but we fed them what we ate. I did it for my own sanity because I was working long hours outside the home (as was hubby) and we had all we could do to get one meal pulled together. We took the stance that you either eat the food that has been prepared or you wait for the next meal. They were never required to eat all that was on their plates. What they ate was their choice. They chose to skip some things-asparagus, brussels sprouts, but for the most part ate when they were hungry. Mom and Dad managed to remain relatively sane through it all.

Anonymous said...

Your doctor sounds VERY VERY wise. I love it when they look at you and tell you that you are being played. Awesome. How much did that cost? Hang in there.

Life As Wife said...

New reader here! Your posts are giving me a glimpse into what I have to look forward too. (2-month old little man with a demanding little personality already!) excited to read more!

Kelly Krewson said...

I am a total believer in "when they are hungry, they will eat". I myself am a VERY picky eater. That is because I was given buttered noodles 7 days a week if thats what I wanted.
Oh, and the not so great news {because I raised a super stubborn daughter} potty training wont be any easier. They CAN do it. They just WONT! I now babysit a 3 year old who just WONT!!