Seeking Advice

Maddie's new favorite place to hide out is underneath the sink.

I have a dilemma and I hope some of you will be able to give me some words of wisdom on this issue. Maddie is really giving us a run for our money when it comes to eating (or not, as is the current case). I'm sure all you moms out there have heard your pediatricians say that it takes a child eating a food an average of 12 times before they can truly decide if they like it or not. I understand this and try to offer my kids different foods each day, even if they've tried something before and not enjoyed it. This has worked very well with Isaac, and as long as he's hungry (emphasis on he has to be hungry), he will eat most anything we put in front of him, or at least try it. Maddie, on the other hand, refuses to try ANYTHING new. ANYTHING! I even stumped her doctor the other day when I asked her what to do when she won't even try a food to find out if she likes it. Stubborn is her middle name right now, and the other night it took Ryan and I all the willpower we could muster not to shove the four cheese ravioli down her cute little throat, knowing full well that she would like it if she only gave it a try. Her doctor had no answer for me on how to get a strong-willed little girl to taste new foods (and frowned on the idea of me force-feeding her), so I don't know what to do either.

I have to say that I refuse to be a short-order cook---while I usually give them a couple of options for lunch, the kids get offered what we eat for dinner.

Take it or leave it.

The only exception to this rule is when we are having something that is not kid-friendly (i.e. I will not give Maddie a slab of steak or a bowl of green salad with raw carrots--we try to avoid choking hazards around here). I refuse to make a separate bowl of mac and cheese or peanut butter and jelly every time they don't want to eat what I make for dinner. I'm convinced that this fosters picky eaters who grow up not ever learning to try anything new. In the meantime, what do I do with little Maddie? She is currently surviving on various fruits (she'll eat just about any of those and downed a whole pomegranate almost completely by herself the other day), bread, cooked carrots, and a myriad of other toddler foods like peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese, and quesadillas. If there isn't anything she likes on her plate, she won't eat. She would honestly rather go hungry than try something that might not agree with her palate. At dinner, she usually eats whatever fruit and grain that we have with the meal and then goes hungry.

Any advice out there from success you have had with your own children or things you might have read? Am I being too stubborn about the take it or leave it idea?

...Until Today

A couple of days ago, Ryan and I were laughing at this:

It's our new favorite show and we've been catching up on all the episodes online that aired before we started watching it. The episode we were watching was one where Lily, a newborn, gets locked in the car by her parents. Ryan leaned over to me and said, "We may have done a lot of stupid things as parents, but at least we've never done that."

Until today.

I had packed the kids up and we headed to the library to return the books that were soon due and get some new ones. I always drop the books that are due in the outside drop box so that I don't have to haul all the books in with the kids. As I stepped out of the car to drop the load of books into the book return, I thought to myself, "I should close the door--it's kind of cold outside..." As soon as I did it, I knew I had made a mistake. The door locked behind me.

Now, if you are a fan of Modern Family, you have seen Cam's reaction to locking Lily in the car. I can't say that I grabbed the nearest trash can and tried to hurl it at the car window, but I can empathize with feeling that way. I immediately panicked. "Isaac, can you unlatch your seat belt and unlock the door?" I pleaded.

He gave me a blank stare as if to say, "Seriously, Mom, don't you think I would have pulled that stunt months ago if I knew how?"

After thinking logically about the situation for a couple of moments and saying a quick prayer, I left the kids in the locked and running van and trucked up the icy path to the library. In my mind I kept telling myself, "Whatever you do, do NOT cry when you ask the librarian for help."

Ryan would have been proud of me--I didn't cry.

Everyone in the library was so helpful. They called the police who came as soon as they could. A locksmith came shortly after the police officer did---and 25 minutes and $42.40 later, the van was unlocked and we were on our way. Isaac didn't blink an eye at the whole ordeal and was fascinated with the locksmith's tools. Maddie, on the other hand, sobbed the entire time. It was a little more traumatic for her.

I'm so glad so many people were so helpful and that I didn't have to hurl any garbage cans or break any windows.

We'll Miss You, Grandpa!

Ryan's Grandpa Payne passed away early this morning. We all feel so blessed to have known such a wonderful man and he will be greatly missed. He was kind, generous, funny, loving, and accepting. Not to mention an amazing piano player. He wrote the music to one of the songs in our Church's Primary song book, When Joesph went to Bethlehem.

I was engaged to Ryan the first time that I met Grandpa Payne. I arranged to meet Ryan at their house on my way home from a trip to San Diego with some friends. Even though I inadvertently wore my U of U baseball cap and was teased for it, he still welcomed me with open arms into the family (he was stalwart BYU fan and professor of psychology there many years ago). I knew then I was gaining two special grandparents.

He and his wife, Ruth, have raised six great kids who are all generous, kind, and loving, just like he was. He left a great legacy behind. If we have another son, I want his middle name to be Reed, after his Great Grandpa. We love you, Grandpa!

Snow Day

A snow drift as high as Maddie is what we woke up to this morning.

We are staying in our pajamas today.

1 1/2

Maddie turned 18 months old yesterday--I can't believe my baby is so grown up! There are a lot of different words I could use to describe Maddie at this age. Here are a few of them:

happy*fearless*ticklish*funny*unstoppable*determined*loves books*loves Dora*loves Isaac*social*picky eater*stubborn as can be*crazy*friendly*loves to sing*kind*simpatica*thumb-sucker*great sleeper*attention lover*smiley*climber*walker (hooray! she started walking again on Sunday--with a cute little limp)*a joy.

Here is a video of Maddie dancing to her favorite soundtrack, Wicked. This was before her broken leg, but I'm sure she'll be dancing like this again by New Year's Eve. I should have edited it after the dancing stopped, but I just got too lazy, so the first 10 seconds are all you need to watch to see her jamming out.

People often ask me if Maddie is ready to be a big sister. Honestly, I really don't know. She loves babies and loves to be around other kids, especially her BFF, Lyssa, but time will tell if this princess is ready to share her throne with another little one. I know my fingers are crossed...