Peaches and KD

                Cole's favourite meal of all time is cheezy shells macaroni.  So I give him a very, very small portion and some fruit or vegetable and bribe him with more macaroni to eat some of the healthier foods.  (Don't tsk tsk at me until you've had a finicky toddler to keep alive.)

                Today, I  cut him three small wedges of peaches.  He has decided he doesn't like peaches, but he'll eat the yogurt and he'll bite a peach if I'm eating it.  As always, I give him just enough macaroni to cover the bottom of the bowl.  He scarfs it down in seconds and requests more.

                "Have a piece of a peach then you can have more."

                "Okay," he chirps and picks up a wedge and nibbles barely enough of the end to change its shape.

                I look at him sternly, "Eat a whole piece please."

                "I don't like the red part."

                "That's not the pit.  I took the pit out. "

                "I don't like the red part."

                "It's not the pit!"

                "I don't LIKE it!"

                "Fine. I'll eat it." And I nibble off the red flesh and hand it back to him.  He grimaces and takes another small nibble.

                "I don't LIKE peaches." Amelia begins to fuss in her exersaucer.

                "Just eat one bite."

                "I want you to HOLD it for me!"

I am thinking a lot of profane things, but I bite my tongue and pick up the peach and he takes a small bite of the end.

                I get him another small bowl of macaroni.

                He requests a third bowl.

                "You have to eat all of this smallest piece of peach."

                I bite off the red part.

                "Hold it for me, Mommy."

                I hold the peach and he takes a bite. Before he can change his mind, I distract him by biting into the last piece of peach and making agreeable noises and then saying how delicious peaches are.  I eat the rest of it.

                I hold Cole's peach out to him. He eats most of it and I try to stuff the rest into his mouth.  He begins to protest and so I remind him, "Just eat it all and then I'll get you more cheezy, cheezy shells."

                He finishes the tiny slice of peach and then eats all of his third bowl of macaroni. 

                He leans over, peers into his empty peach bowl and complains, "HEY! You ate my last peach!"

                "You said you don't like peaches."

                He exclaims indignantly, "I DO! I DO like peaches, Mommy!"