Growing Up Too Fast

I know, I say that ALL the time, but it is true!

This past weekend Andrew decided noone was allowed to feed him anymore. We sit at the table and eat as a family every night and it has been a real pain to do that with Andrew lately. There is a lot of squealing, refusing food, force feeding, fighting with him, etc.

The other night, as normal, I could not even get him to TRY his food. Typically, once he tries it he likes it. But, you cannot switch foods on him. He has to eat all of one thing and then you have to fight to make him try something else. He has always kinda been that way. He has also gotten to where he wants to hold the fork, but when you give it to him he just stabs the table. So, I let him hold the fork and when he starts beating the table I take it from him for a few minutes. I was trying to show him to put the fork in his mouth and he kept screaming at me. I held his head and MADE him put the food in his mouth. He immediately pushed it out. I put it back in, he spit it out. We did this four of five times. All of the boys (including Daddy) said that he would never keep it in his mouth and that he was more stubborn than me. REALLY? Have they learned NOTHING? Finally, Andrew ate the food. We clapped and hoorayed him. He LOVES praise! So, then it was a game. He would put his fork in his mouth after I put food on it and he would look at Daddy for praise.

That was Saturday night. He has eaten whatever we put on his plate every night since then. BUT HE FEEDS HIMSELF....WITH A FORK!! Sometimes he needs a little help getting the food on the fork, but as soon as the food is on it, he puts the fork in his mouth.

Until he gets to his fruit. He does not waste time trying to get the fruit on the fork. He says Momma while he is thrusting his fork in my face. Then I have to give him the fork back with food on it and we do that until the fruit is gone. Somethings are just too good to waste time with!

I am so proud of him for learning this. He is going to be 14 months tomorrow and is completely feeding himself and eating everything we eat!

He has also learned where is nose is. If we ask him where it is he will start pinching it over and over and giggling.

Now if we could just increase his vocabulary so he will stop screaming and squealing!!! I have started working on sign language with him (should have started a long time ago - I know!). Hopefully that will help with his frustrations of not being able to SAY what he is wanting.

I have some video of him eating, but I have to find my cable to upload it to the computer before I can put it on here, so it will be here...eventually!