Cold Spaghetti

Kate had her first day amongst the big(ger) kids yesterday. Her beloved babyroom teacher, Ms. Gladys, packed up her things and moved them next door, to Ms. Gwen’s “House of Twos.” (Actually, the kids are all age 1. But it’s her “House of Twos” based on a joke Paul made and the subsequent drawing I made for her in HOB style.)

Although she’s wandered into Ms. Gwen’s room a number of times, she was not so sure about being dropped off in it. There were some tears. But, when we went to pick her and Will up in the afternoon, she was happily playing on the porch with a ton of toddlers with full sets of teeth and clothing sizes more akin to their ages. Kate is TINY in this sea of curly headed 1 year olds. Make no mistake: our little 17 pound munchkin, wearing her 3-6 month dresses from last year, was holding her own without a problem… but my goodness did she look petite! Kate is no longer nursing during the school day. We experimented last Thursday with this, just to see how it would work for Friday while Paul and I were at Jazz Fest. It was fine, so now it’s the mode of operation. I’m not taking this as a sign of early weaning, though: when I pick her up after school, she bounces her head against my chest, mouth open, hands pulling. She’s made it clear that she’s not ready for that.

What she IS telling us she’s ready for is FOOD. With her three tiny bottom teeth, she is demanding TABLE FOOD. No more of that pureed nonsense, NO SIR! Pass the chicken and the carrots, rice and potatoes. Try baby food and risk being showered with it from a continuous, well-spread raspberry. Ms. Gladys has had to duck to prevent getting pelted with Cheerios as Kate fired them, one-by-one, from her mouth like a tiny canon. (Gladys said that Will was walking by just as Kate was doing this and said, “Don’t worry, Ms. Gladys. Katey does that at home, too.”) Kate is quite clear on her likes and dislikes, tasting everything at the front of her mouth before deciding whether or not it gets to pass. Right now, her current favorite is spaghetti. The problem it presents is that Will also likes spaghetti and is happy to ask for it whenever his sister is eating it. (Question: Do Italian children also say “spisgetti” when they are preschoolers? Or is this purely an phenomena of US children?) Kate also likes ground meat, chicken, potatoes, corn, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, Kix cereal, french fries, oatmeal, grits, rice, and strawberry shortcake. She isn’t keen on tofu. We are waiting for the pediatrician okay before starting milk and dairy products. Until then, she drinks juice, Vitawater, and sugar-free Koolaid or Crystal Light from a bottle or sippy cup. (She has refused to drink breastmilk or formula from a bottle for months. All that milk pumped in the freezer? Worthless.)

We have no grand plans for her birthday next week. We told the girls next door that we’d get a little cake, invite them over, and put Kate in her diaper in the high chair and let her go to town with a sugary piece. My dream is to celebrate her birthday with pictures — dress up the kids and take them to the park for pictures and playtime. The way I see it, Kate’s birthday is a celebration for me, too. *I* made it a birthday, after all!