TACTILE

So I've been hearing from Chris for ages how he doesn't like food because of the "texture." Creamy sauces. He likes pineapple now but ONLY Cold, not hot, after over a decade of telling me pineapple was akin to poison to him. This is a man who would not eat a tomato, a sweet potatoe casserole, a cabbage roll. Milk?..... while i might as well have tried to convince him that paint thinner was good for him...and the list goes on..... My dear husband has greatly widened his palate. I must give him credit. But to me most of this game is mental. I won't eat fruit on a salad, for example is hocus pocus... I like fruit. I like salad. But put them together and I gag? This comes from a childhood of being served separate meals and having pickiness be allowed. Or is it?

I have seriously come to question my stance on picky eaters watching my 9 month old eat food. I was hoping he'd take after me in this department but I'm not so sure. While I watch other kids his age muck around with their food, River is different. While he's mastered the pincer grasp these days, he is very selective with what he will put in his mouth. He will gladly eat as many dry cheerios as I put in front of him. Cheese makes the cut. Fruit that is dry like a non-mushy banana or a raspberry he can't get enough of. But lately some of his favorites are just not acceptable. A slimy mandarin piece. ewww. A noodle? Yuk. With a disgusted look on his face He picks up mushy things only to throw them on the floor where they belong! And there is no tricking this kid. He can tell the texture faster than his little brain can process it. Yogurt on its own. Please. Feed me. Raspberries and blueberries and pineapple. MMMM.. But try to mix fruit in the yogurt and my tongue will drop that fruit faster than you can blink! Same goes for hunks of meat! That gag reflex works to well. "You want me to eat my meat then you better make it feel like mashed potatoes!" Wieners. Ok. Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Ok. Slimy rice with veggies. Don't even think about it!

This kid is all about the "feel of things" lately. He goes around and finds soft things and bend and flexes in half rubbing is cheek and head back and forth. So flexible. A rug, a blankie, a teddy bear, the cat....finally touching the feel books. "he's so tactile" according to grandma. I couldn't agree more. A phase... maybe. But I just might be on my way to realizing that Popplewell's like things the way they like them... OK!!!!