Table for Two

Tonight, for the first time, Nikolas and I ate dinner together. I got to eat my food at the same time that he ate his! Everything I served him he was able to pick up and eat all by himself. It was so nice to sit down and enjoy a meal with my boy. Not before, not after, but at the same time. He had chicken breasts, steamed carrots infused with dill and tortellini (no sauce). He obviously liked the chicken and tortellini a lot more than the carrots, as he always ate those first and would ignore the carrots.

I also found out tonight just how much that boy is capable of eating! I set aside quite a bit of food for him, thinking that I’d just eat whatever was left over. I would put a little on his table at a time, and he would keep eating and eating and so I'd just kept putting more and more on until he showed me he was no longer hungry. How did he do this? Well, I kinda figured it out when he’d grab a piece of food and just casually hang his hand over the side of his chair and drop it for the dog! But really, I was surprised at how much he ate. Maybe it’s time to start increasing portion sizes??

It’s so awesome to finally be able to cook a meal and sit down and enjoy it. When Nikolas was first born, there was no such thing. There was never any time for cooking when he was so little and so demanding of me. I remember being so frustrated when he was only about 3 weeks old. I was trying to cook hash browns - nothing too complicated - but he would scream as soon as I tried to put him in his swing. I got so angry because I was so hungry and just wanted some food that was cooked and not warmed up in the microwave. Then a few months later, I’d finally be able to escape to the kitchen and cook, but then Matt and I would eat in shifts while also keeping Nikolas entertained.

As Nikolas is eating more and more “grown up” food, I am doing my best to ensure that he eats only healthy nutrient-dense food and really limit the amount of processed food he eats. He does occasionally get the odd treat of a few spoons of ice cream, or a bite from a cupcake, but for the most part, he eats pretty damn healthy. I am going to start eating the same way, and try to stop eating all the convenient crap that ends up in my house. I want to make an effort to cook more healthy meals for the whole family so that Nikolas has a good role model to follow and has healthy eating habits as he grows up.