May 4--Good Night and Meatballs

William really is too much! He keeps his Mommy and Daddy entertained.

Last night, Daddy was heading up to bed early after a long weekend of late-night track meets. As he crawled off the sofa and headed towards the stairs, he called out, "Good night, everyone!" to which William replied, "Good night!" Mommy and Daddy both dropped their jaws in awe while letting giggles of glee slip out. Mommy thought that William had said "Good night" to her last week a couple of nights when she was closing the door to his nursery. Her routine is to nurse William while reading to him and then, while putting him in his crib, say his prayer before kissing his head and telling him "Good night; I'll see you in the morning." A couple of times, William stood up and watched her leave the room, and as she said her "Good nights," she thought his little comment sounded like a "Good night" of his own. With a second person hearing it, too, she can now believe her ears!

Mommy and Daddy have been instructed by William's pediatrician to lay off of the mixed baby food dinners for him because they contain large amounts of carrots. See, William's nose started to turn a little orange itself! SO, in addition to his fruit and cereal for breakfast, William has been eating lots of greenbeans, macaroni and cheese, and apples and chicken for lunch and dinner. Mommy has also been trying to get him to eat chunky food. He has obliged with cottage cheese as an afternoon snack (on some days--on others, his little head shakes side to side as he forbids the spoon from nearing his mouth), and he has eaten grapes and a few bites off a banana. Tonight, Mommy and Daddy ate rotini with spaghetti sauce and meatballs. Mommy decided she would vary William's dinner and offer him the same food--minus the sauce. She cut up the pasta and crumbled a meatball. William, in return, showed his stubborn streak. He picked up pieces of pasta and casually d-r-o-p-p-e-d them onto the floor. Just a little turn of the wrist, and down the noodles fell. He flicked the pieces of meatball a little more forcefully--one went half-way down the table! Mommy, ready to eat her own dinner and tired of trying to catch the dropped food, pushed the crumbled food away from William's reach on his highchair tray. With the larger crumbs out of the way, William was left with only miniscule pieces of meatball, and that, my dear readers, is when he decided to try it. He pinched the tiny crumbs between his finger and thumb and deposited them directly into his mouth. Daddy and Mommy just bugged their eyes out as they tried to communicate non-verbally while stifling laughter. Such a stubborn little boy! It is when he is no longer expected to eat the food that he gives it a try! They could not let William see how much he was amusing them. While Mommy and Daddy pretended to ignore William, with Mommy slyly pushing the bigger pieces of food towards him, he managed to eat most of that meatball. William really is so much fun!