Big Eats

Lukas has been increasingly bored with his finger foods recently. This is despite the fact that for the most part Mrs. LIAYF and I are feeding him exactly what we are eating, only in smaller proportions. Don't get me wrong, it's not that he doesn't like the food we are feeding him. On the contrary, I rather think he really enjoys the taste of most of what we offer. We feed him a variety of fresh fruits and veggies (oddly enough he loves broccoli) as well as plenty of wholesome dairy, breads, and protein. He especially enjoyed the grilled fresh Alaskan salmon we had last night.

No, this is something different. Luke is into a full blown imitation phase right now and he wants to do a variety of things, including eating, just like mom and dad. No longer is it sufficient to spread his meal out on his high-chair tray and call it good. Lukas wants to eat just like us as well. This has included, in the past couple of months, practicing his dexterity with his metal spoon and fork (which is really just a fancy spork). I'll give the little guy the credit he deserves. After what seems like hours of practice, he is determined to succeed and is getting very good at poking small things with his fork. Individual peas and beans specifically come to mind.

This has also now manifested itself into Lukas wanting to take actual bites off of our meals. We have been subjected lately to many grunts, emphatic babbling yells, and pointing at our cuisine du jure until we relent and give him a portion off of our utensil or handheld fare. Last night, along with the salmon, we also had grilled corn on the cob. This resulted in a hilarious little vignette - we had originally served him up some canned corn, which he normally loves, on his tray. Once he spied our cobbed corn though, the gig was up, he had to have some and made it perfectly clear what he wanted. Being a benevolent parent I smiled and gave him my mostly eaten cob which he could gnaw on himself.

Unfortunately that was the last of the corn. I say unfortunately because he finished off that cob in short order, then began to give us the ASL 'More' sign emphatically. "All done", was my guilty reply, feeling terrible that I had no better response to that sweet but tortured look. I underestimated the power and lure of the cob though as Lukas, not to be deterred, began to grab handfuls of the canned corn off of his tray attempting to smoosh it onto the cob to create his own version of seconds! It was hilarious enough that I almost spit milk through my nose. Of course it didn't work, but he got an 'A' for effort.

It still amazes me that in just a few short months our little guy has developed from such a helpless little thing, dependant on his mother and myself for every last thing, to a boy who is attempting to manufacture his own corn on the cob! It's been 14 months now and the awe hasn't worn off yet.

I'm not sure it ever will!