Little Miss Green Bean

Look, I can't really complain much about my daughter. She has been ridiculously easy. She sleeps well. She eats well. She's silly and funny. She doesn't cry all that much. When it's time for her to take a nap or go to bed, 98% of the time all I have to do is lay her down in her crib and then walk out of the room. And she puts herself to sleep. Seriously.

All that being said, she is somewhat fickle about food. She eats a lot of food, but she likes what she likes and that's all there is to it. She also is very situational about food. She'll eat almost anything in a restaurant setting, but, if I offer her the same food sitting in her high chair in our home, she feels like we are torturing her. It makes me want to bang my head against a wall.

When she was only eating spoon fed, pureed baby food, she ate everything I put in front of her. Fruits, veggies... ESPECIALLY veggies. She LOVED pureed green beans, spinach, peas... my happy little veggie eater.

Then, when we did away with baby food and switched to solid, finger foods... well it all just went topsy turvy. Vegetables? Are you kidding? No way, Jose. She was NOT. HAVING. IT. She would do one of two things:

Option 1: Look at the food and refuse to even touch it.

Option 2: Grab the food, touch it barely to her tongue and then spit it out like I had given her something soaked in poison and gasoline.

Before you ask, YES, I did try to hide it in other things. I'd smush the veggies and put it in something else and try to get her to eat it other ways. My little smarty pants has her own personal filter. She'd eat the good stuff and spit out the veggies. Driving me insane.

So... she just hasn't been eating veggies. She eats breads, fruits, dairy and meat. A couple times a week I would spoon feed her some green beans or carrots just to get some veggies in her so she has the nutrients. She loves the pureed stuff. Over the last few months I've tried several times to offer her solid veggies. She's always incredibly offended that they are on her tray.

Until tonight.

I opened a can of green beans. I put some on her tray while I was cutting up her chicken nuggets. At first she cried, and then did the "HURRY UP WITH THE GOOD STUFF, MOM!" holler that she always does. But I took my time cutting up the chicken. And then... I watched her put a green bean in her mouth.

She spit it out. She stared at it in her hand. Then she put it back in.

Then she popped another one in her mouth. Then another. Then another.

SHOVELING THEM INTO HER MOUTH, Y'ALL.

I then transformed into a total spaz (it happens somewhat frequently) and I danced and twirled around the kitchen with great joy for this little victory.

I then would run into Grant's office every 90 seconds to let him know that she was still eating green beans.

"She's still eating them!!! She's had like 15!!!"

(90 seconds later)

"Grant. GRANT!!! Our daughter is eating a vegetable. A VEGETABLE. YEAAAAHHHH BABY!!"

(90 seconds later) (I do a leap into his office)

"HIGH FIVE ME"

For some reason he was somewhat annoyed with this little display of enthusiasm. Can't imagine why. Maybe it's cause he was trying to work? I'm not sure.

Here's the thing. I need to bring myself down to some kind of normal. I'm well aware that I could offer these tomorrow and she could be like, "Meh. Something else, please."

My mind is running wild with veggies I could try again. Carrots! Peas! Broccoli!

Of course, I had to take a picture.

ELLIE PAIGE. LET'S KEEP THIS GOING.