Judah's New Eating Habits

Judah has been a little odd lately. Not that he isn't odd like the rest of us, he's just been more odd than normal. Especially in the way he's been eating. Lately it has been beyond difficult to get anything into our little cookie monster. Honestly, we're working extra hard at forcing food into him. I think a change of setting always throws his attention and appetite. I'm sure that eating less won't hurt him though. He's got plenty of reserves still, if you catch my drift. Nonetheless, he's been a bit odd.

For instance, you may think that we're odd for traditionally having an oil fondue before Christmas Day. It's odd for us not to have it on Christmas Eve, to be honest. I mean, it's better than having pizza and beer (or eggnog, for that matter) on Christmas Eve. But that's beside the point. Judah was struggling to maintain his composure while waiting for the food, because at a fondue, you basically eat forkful by forkful 'til you're full. And each time you batter something, it takes about a minute before it cooks (sometimes longer) and the patience required is incredible. Judah being a not-yet-two-year-old does not have patience. So, Grandma pulled out a coloring book and crayons and Judah played Picasso. It actually worked.

Now some of you may be laughing at me because hey, that's what they give the kids at restaurants to keep them occupied. This method has never worked for our children before. Judah now asks for his 'color' every meal and it has been so handy.

Last night we were over at Sheldon and Kathie's, and Judah again was not eating. Not in the conventional way, that is. There were these awesome ribs, wings, rice, and bread, and Judah would have none of it. He finally selected a rib and started gnawing on it. He stripped the meat off it and set it in his bowl and then proceeded to chew and suck on the bone. When it hit the floor, Kathie decided to take it away because of dog germs. WELL - Judah would have none of it. He freaked out. Eventually he got his hands on another bone and went back to his antics. (I know, it sounds like he's teething, but he's got nothing to show for it.)

On top of that, he kept moving the dog's water around. And, of course, as all good children do, he started eating the dog food. We caught him about three times and scolded him three times before moving the bowl to the top of the fridge. He was obsessed with bones and dog food. (Is he getting his canines? I thought he already had those teeth...) Kathie, the pie was great too. Thanks so much.

Tonight is Christmas Eve, so we went to a church service. Judah was noisy, so Grandpa took him out of the sanctuary so he could play and make noise without disturbing everyone else. I mean, after his cute jabbering, falling through the seat he was on, and then playing peek-a-boo with the people behind us, we thought it might be time. While he was in the foyer goofing around with Grandpa, nature called, so Judah went with Grandpa to the men's room. Well, I'm not sure if it's because he likes hockey, or because he thought they were mints, but Grandpa had to return three urinal pucks to their respective homes in the time he was preoccupied with other tasks. Where the fourth one went remains a mystery. Hopefully he didn't think it was a mint. After a thorough sanitation and decontamination process, Grandpa and Judah left the public washroom and vowed never to return without a third party to watch the little monster.

He's odd. Or maybe he's just turning two. Who knows. All I know is that he's my son and I love him whether or not he eats dog food or plays with urinal pucks. If he keeps doing these things at age 5 or 10 or 15 though I'm going to wonder, though...

- Mark