Try It? Or ... be careful what you wish for.

Being a Mom on the heavier side - I'm very sensitive to what Izzie eats.  I want to make sure she has a good relationship with food, and that she eats good foods.  Daniel and I also don't want to force her to eat, or clean up her plate if she isn't hungry.  We just want her to at least "try it" -- and if she doesn't like something, she can put it down.

We find ourselves saying "just try it" often... and I guess Izzie has been listening because she does take a quick taste, and sometimes she keeps eating, and sometimes she makes a face and puts it down.  Good job Mom and Dad!  Except....

Now, when Izzie is eating something, no matter how messy, how sticky, she'll hold it up to one of us and say "try it?".  Oh no... what do we do?  We can't not try something she's offering to us -- that would make us hypocrites, right??  How can we ask her to try things if we won't.   ARGH!!!! PARENTING!!!

Perfect example -- this morning she had breakfast. She didn't eat all her oatmeal, so of course, a half hour later she was a bit hungry.  She took a piece of cheese, but, Petey stole it... so, she headed back to the fridge and picked out some yogurt.  I sat her down in her high chair and gave her a spoon.  Instead of using the spoon (which she knows how to use very very well) she dipped her fingers in the yogurt.  Must have felt great on her little fingers, because she dunked her whole hand in there and started scooping out yogurt to eat.  Fine with me -- she can have fun with food as long as it's not in public.  Well... then she holds out her chubby little fingers and says, "Try it?"... Oh gross! No..... 

I think these exchanges are the reason why Izzie's new word is "ewww"....  yup.. she's really been listening!