The eating machine

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about Carsten's bad eating habits (see "My biggest fault as a mother" posted on March 7th).

Well, I am happy to report that Carsten is now feeding himself almost entirely and eating like a maniac. The same day I made that post, I gave up trying to feed him and pretty much just left him to his own devices. I expected a few days or even weeks of starvation, but to my surprise, he dove right in. It turns out, he just wanted to do it himself all along, but was probably frustrated by my constant control over the situation. Come to find out, my son has issues with control. Like mother like son. Anyways, he seems to have learned to enjoy eating for the first time in his life... and boy, can this kid eat! He eats a big breakfast and dinner. At lunch, he pretty much just snacks, which the first few days was a little unsettling for me. But, I decided to trust his hunger cues and just went with it. He more than makes up for lunch with dinner. For example, last night we went out to eat and I ordered him a half order of ravioli. He ate the entire plate, plus a fruit cup that I had brought, a good portion of my Tirimisu for dessert, and snacked on a little bread and chick peas from my salad before the meal. What 14 month old eats Tirimisu and chick peas??! Mine does and pretty much whatever else that I give him. What a relief! I can now call my son a good eater! Meals together have become much less stressful and enjoyable again. What a relief!!!

(As a side note, the dirty diapers have reached a whole new level of stank.)