Food, Glorious Food

Tali digging in to the veggie platter at her class Hanukkah party last month (that's her boyfriend in the background - feeding her a carrot).

At Tali's two year check-up last week, the doctor told me once again that I should expect to see Tali's eating habits change. I heard this at age one and at eighteen months. But Tali just doesn't seem to listen. If anything, the amount of food she'll try and eat continues to increase. I'd be okay if it decreases (it would mean saving money on grocery bills and diapers), but I just don't see it happening.

For months, I've wished she would eat breakfast in the morning. She'll drink milk (with a splash of yogurt) and be perfectly happy. But by 10:00 she's hungry and begging for a snack. This all changed last week and now it's as if she can't get enough. Yesterday, she had two small pancakes, 1/4 of an everything bagel with veggie cream cheese and an entire banana! And yes, she had a morning snack and lunch. While that breakfast might be a bit excessive, she is eating breakfast regularly and it's not decreasing the amount of food she eats the rest of the day.

As far as what she'll eat, her palate is still pretty incredible for a toddler. Like most kids, she loves fruit. But she also loves vegetables and will eat a plate full of broccoli over a plate of pasta any day. Actually, my one struggle with her is grains. It's a bit difficult to get her to eat pasta or bread (that's where breakfast is coming in) as she'd prefer fruit, vegetables, meat (salami or sausage? LOVES it) or cheese. So while other parents have to push the healthy stuff, I'm begging Tali to eat a few bites of bread or some macaroni and cheese.

I'm not complaining, really, I'm not. She has a very healthy and mostly balanced diet. I'm just amazed. And I'll continue to be amazed as long as her eating habits and preferences continue in this direction.