Gourmet
I don’t know if I was an adventurous eater as a child, but as an adult, I’ll pretty much eat anything that isn’t mayonnaise laden or too heavily dairy. Kristen also eats just about everything, although with some things (sushi, BBQ) it takes some cajoling before she tries it and, eventually, eating everyone else’s dinner.
Henry, too, eats nearly any food that is put in front of him. The exceptions are avocado and banana. I have no idea why he won’t eat either — texture perhaps — but each one will immediately be spit out after we spoon some into his mouth.
This week, Henry has eaten: yogurt (4 different flavors), pasta with marinara sauce, macaroni and cheese, beans and sausage, cheddar cheese, apple, pear, pineapple, beef stew (yes, beef stew!), grilled chicken, scrambled eggs, turkey meatballs, pancakes, hummus, and this strange Southwestern style bean and rice cake. (Oh, and he ate some prunes because he was a little constipated.)
Introducing a new food to Henry is a three step process. The first is putting a little piece of whatever it is on a plate in front of him or, if it’s particularly smooshy, right in his mouth. He will chew on this new substance for about 10 seconds then pull it out of his mouth, and go onto to eat something he’s already tried. If he gets a sour look on his face, then we know this may not be a food for him. (You should see what he looks like after eating some avocado.)
The second step is, a couple of days after introducing the food to him, giving him a little more of the food. If he hadn’t made a face the first time, he’ll start double-fisting whatever’s in front of him until it’s all gone.
The third step is put the food down in front of him and keep your fingers away from his mouth lest you plan on losing a pinkie.
For example, on Sunday, I cut up a pineapple for Kristen (her favorite fruit) and we gave Henry a piece to try. He smelled it, put it in his mouth, and he chewed on it until ultimately spitting it out and going onto whatever else was in front of him. On Tuesday, we tried again, and this time he couldn’t eat the stuff fast enough.
Henry’s only current issues with mealtime are that he’s found that dropping food on the floor and throwing it at Kristen or me can be just as fun as eating (these are the times that we wished we had a dog) and that announcing he’s full encompasses him shoving as much food into his mouth as possible, chewing it for 30 seconds, and then letting it dribble out of his mouth and down his bib.
He’s a classy guy.
