Spaghetti

I did something tonight that was very difficult for me. I let Callie eat her spaghetti all by herself. This was difficult for me a variety of reasons, which I will note later.


Written in my baby book is a note that states as a baby I was an very neat eater and hated food on my face or hands. To this day, I hate getting my fingers and face dirty while eating. Eating ribs or fried chicken is a painstaking process for me as my meager attempts to attain meat by using my fork and knife, simply don't cut it. I rarely eat these foods as they just are too messy. Madelyn seems to have acquired this tendency as she wipes her fingers on a napkin after nearly ever bite she takes without a utensil.


So back to spaghetti. This was hard for me because 1)It almost drove me insane to watch her smear food on her face and fingers. The urge to grab the washcloth and wipe her down was intense, so I grabbed the camera instead. 2) I wasn't thrilled with the prospect of cleaning her or her tray up afterwards. 3)I don't like to waste food 4) Have I mentioned I had to force myself to refrain from wiping her hands and face after every bite.


I'm trying to be a good mom and let her learn to feed herself, use utensils, and be an independent eater (which she wants to be...and I want her to be -without the mess).

"I can't believe Mom gave me the spoon to feed myself! Sweet! I almost got a little in my mouth."

"Hmmm. It's good"

"It's nice she gave me a spoon, but really I think I'll get more in if I fist it."

"That's better."
"You know, for the sake of efficiency, let's just eat right from the bowl."

"Yup.I've almost licked it clean. Do I have anything on my face?"