Shhh…I’m cheating in the kitchen.  That’s right…cheating.  And I don’t mean cheating as in boxed meals.  I’m sneaking in all kinds of goodies to boost the nutritional value of each meal…and everyone is LOVING it! 

Yesterday was sweet potato and carrot puree in our spaghetti sauce.  Today was fortified french toast (fortified with sweet potato and carrot puree).  Tonight?  Oven fried fish sticks with hidden cauliflower and zucchini. 

My weapon of sneakiness?  The Sneaky Chef, of course.  Missy Chase Lapine has done a great job in this book, arming parents of picky eaters with an assortment of ideas on how to sneak in some of the fruits, veggies and whole grains that kids find so hard to swallow. 

We eat relatively healthy to begin with and Joseph is and always has been an excellent eater.  He eats whatever is served, down to the last crumb.  I’ve never felt a need to be sneaky or to change our menu.  I know Joseph has been filling his body with the nutrients a growing child needs.  But William, on the other hand, is the exact opposite.  He hates texture.  He hates vegetables.  It’s nothing I did or didn’t do.  It’s nothing I’m serving or not serving.  It’s him.  It’s his picky little palate.  He just doesn’t like to eat much and the things he does eat are not well-balanced.   

I know some of the basic rules for sneaking nutrients in.  For example, I know that avocado and spinach can be added to smoothies because they don’t change the flavor (just the color, so be sure to add them to dark colored smoothies like blueberry or chocolate), but really I can’t feed William a smoothie for every meal.  I needed another way to be sneaky, so enter the Sneaky Chef.  I simply puree an assortment of veggies and fruits (Missy’s make-ahead recipes) and then add them into the foods that we’re already eating.  This is nothing new.  Moms and grandmas have been doing this for centuries, I’m sure.  But Missy’s taken it to a new level by constructing some delicious recipes from breakfast “ice-cream” to mac n cheese to chocolate cupcakes.

I know there are critics out there who say sneaking fruits and veggies and whole grains into other foods doesn’t teach children to appreciate the foods in their own natural state and that we’re actually encouraging picky eating behavior.  I’d venture to say those critics never had a picky eater to feed.  I’m more concerned with the nutritional value of a meal than whether my child will knowingly eat an array of vegetables.  It’s not as if I’m disguising the goodies in junk food.  The purees are being added to already healthy food…they’re just increasing the nutritional content.     

Daxson asked me this morning if I feel deceptive?  Deceptive?  Yeah, maybe, but something to feel guilty about?  No way!  The food is delicious; we’re all getting an extra boost of nutrition; and I can rest easy knowing that the little bit that William actually consumes is packed full of nutrients that his little body needs.

One of the most beautiful things about children is there is no tainted experience to ruin their adventures and exploration. They haven’t been taught to be afraid.  Spiders?  Kids love them.  Snakes?  Incredible.  Dentists?  Exciting! 

Joseph visited the dentist for the first time today. He wasn’t scared.  He didn’t cry.  He was excited to go.  He’s been planning all week, reminding me that Wednesday he was going to go visit the dentist.  He was so proud to have an opportunity to show Ms. Cynthia and Dr. Moore his teeth. 

So early this morning, Dax and Joseph set off for the dentist office.  I worried a little.  After all, everyone that Joseph told he was going to the dentist gave me a kind of skeptical, worried look.  Our friends and family didn’t seem too excited about the upcoming event; rather they all gave off the impression that the dentist office is a place they dread, a place they avoid.  So I did worry a little.  Maybe we didn’t prepare Joseph well enough.  Maybe he’d get there and not cooperate.  Maybe he would think getting his teeth cleaned hurt! 

I should have saved my energy for something else.  The entire experience was so positive for Joseph.  He had a great time, thanks to Ms. Cynthia and Dr. Moore.  They praised him, telling him his teeth look great.  They talked with him and laughed with him.  They were so patient and so friendly.  (I can’t be more specific about how wonderful they were because Dax was there, not me, but I know they were just wonderful because of the sheer joy on Joseph’s face when he told me he saw Ms. Cynthia and Dr. Moore and because I know from my own experience that they are so delightful).   

But I’d like to think maybe Dax and I had something to do with his positive experience, too.  We never said “oh no, you’ve got to go to the dentist.”  We made it sound like an adventure.  We took him with us a few months ago while we each had our teeth cleaned, so he could see firsthand that it was nothing to worry about.  For the past few weeks, we’ve been reading books about going to the dentist (Just Going to the Dentist by Mercer Mayer and Take Care of Your Teeth, a Rookie Read-About Science book).  We acted out what it was going to be like to go to the dentist.  We made up bedtime stories about little boys who visited the dentist.  We told him that Dr. Moore and Ms. Cynthia would be so proud of how well he had been taking care of his teeth.  How could he be anything but excited?!

And it seems as if all of our effort worked.  He actually enjoyed going to the dentist.  He’s been telling me, nonstop, about his visit.  I’m not sure at what point we begin to dread visiting the dentist (maybe the first time we get a cavity?) but I’m relieved to know that Joseph isn’t at that point yet.  Who knows?  Maybe he’ll never dread it.  Now wouldn’t that be something to smile about?

 

We discovered that the Letter C on Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Gary’s alphabet mat make a perfect halo for William…perhaps these pictures will inspire him to behave in a saintly manner!

I remember snuggling up with my favorite people when I was a kid, listening to story after story, wrapped up tight in a lap of love.  I hope my kids will have the same kinds of memories…

Here’s the blog I promised about William’s first trip to the beach.  For William it was somewhere new to play and explore.  For Joseph it was an adventure.

When we arrived, we met up with Grandma Nury, Grandpa Larry, Noah, Ethan, and Alijah.  The older boys played near the water with Grandma Nury, building sand castles.  Joseph wanted nothing to do with the water.  He hardly crossed the barrier of seaweed, afraid that the water would come lapping up to his feet.

Finally, Nury and I convinced Joseph to let us carry him down near the water.  We gently introduced the great big gulf to him…first letting the water tickle his toes, then showing him how we could jump the waves, finally, slowly setting his feet down into the wet sand…  

Now unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of what happened next so you’ll have to rely on your imagination and we’ll have to rely on the memories…

Finally, Joseph was loving the water…running, jumping, scooping, playing.  I showed him a Portuguese Man O War that had floated up onto the beach.  I told him he could look at it but to not touch it.  He was not very interested.  He was much more intereseted in his cousins.  Alijah was nearby and started chasing Joseph.  Joseph ran from Alijah, laughing, laughing, not paying any attention.  And can you believe it?  He jumped, literally, right onto that Portuguese Man O War and the entire thing exploded with a huge pop.  Nury and I screamed and the kids all looked at us like we’d lost it. 

Joseph was so lucky!  He ended up with only two little, tiny red dots on his foot.  He whined a little about it so we took him up to the park ranger station for some baking soda solution to rub on it.  (That may very well have been the highlight of the trip!) 

Yep, that’s it.  William’s big first time trip to the beach turned out to be more of an adventure for Joseph.  Either way, regardless of who had the bigger adventure, we had a great time…here are a few more pictures to mark this memory in our minds. 

I forgot.  I forgot how sad it is to lose a pet.  I forgot about the tears, the suffering, the heartache.  Now I remember.  Marley had to be put down today.  I know he was getting old.  I know he wasn’t going to live forever.  I know that he is no longer suffering from all the ailments of an old dog.  But none of that knowledge makes it any easier.  Some things in life can be reasoned away with the intellect.  But the loss of someone we love can only be felt in the heart.  And my heart is hurting. 

Marley came into our lives 14 years ago.  I’ve known Marley longer than I’ve known Daxson…longer than I’ve lived in Corpus Christi.  Marley was my nap buddy; my warm, furry friend that always snuggled up with me when I was sad; my reminder that love is sweet, forgiving, and unconditional.  I’m going to miss him.  I’m going to miss his childlike excitement, his loving kisses, his complete adoration of each of us.  But I’m going to remember, too.  I’m going to remember all the sweet memories, the happy memories, the funny memories.  And I’m going to remember that in Marley, we each found a source of true loyalty and unconditional love.  He left his mark in each of our hearts and while we may be mourning now, our hearts are rejoicing with joy to have had such a friend in life.  

We’re taking our time celebrating William’s 1st birthday.  April has become his month. 

First, we celebrated his birthday together as a family on the 10th…just the four of us with birthday muffins for breakfast (baked by Joseph!) and a few small gifts.  Grandma Nury came by to play for a little while and then we spent the day doing all the things that William loves…we played outside, we played inside, he chose the Signing Time movie to watch during lunch.  He nursed, he napped, he snuggled.  I think if he were able to talk, he’d say it was a perfect day. 

Then mid-month, Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Gary came, bearing gifts, to celebrate his birthday.  So we celebrated again.  This time Grandpa Gary put together his new toys, the boys played and played and played, William chased the dogs, and again, he nursed, he napped, he snuggled.  Perfect day #2. 

Then toward the end of the month, Auntie Leslie, Uncle Dustin, and Alex came for a visit.  This time they played and played and played.  We visited the aquarium, ate cupcakes, chased balls, shared toys, and even did a little nursing and napping (not much time for snuggling).  Perfect day #3.

So all that worry I allowed myself to feel over not throwing an official party for William’s 1st birthday?  Pointless.  He could care less about a party.  But to be in the spotlight for a month?  That was pure joy.  You just saw the pictures that prove it.

One thing I’ve noticed as our families have been growing…it’s getting harder and harder to coordinate everyone’s schedules so we’re all in the same place at the same time.  But a few weeks ago, I guess the stars were aligned just right because we were all able to meet for dinner…we were all there at the same time, in the same place.  Joseph had a great time playing with his cousins and William had a great time just playing and of course, I enjoyed having a night off from cooking!