Lovin' Spoonful

Well, the adventures in eating continue! Today, I prepared Franny's midmorning snack--a two egg scramble and a piece of toast. (yes, she eats it all!) But, when I put some on her tray, I got the look. And then, the point--she pointed to my plate that had the remaining portion. I'm thinking, you've got to be kidding--if I give her that plate there will not only be a plate on the floor, but I will be cleaning up bits of egg for the next two weeks! With Franny insisting on feeding herself, it is very, very difficult to balance the trade off of consistently giving her the opportunity to learn and the mess it inevitably creates. Today, with a heavy sigh, I reluctantly succumb to her request-- but I don't let go of the plate. She's very pleased, regardless.

Since I've already conceded to the mess, I decided to take it a step further and gave her a spoon, since over the past week she has made some very deliberate attempts to use her own. And she is ecstatic--all that food, and so many ways to eat it! First, she unsuccessfully tries to scoop the eggs (she's much better with foods that conveniently stick to the spoon, like yogurt or applesauce); then, proceeds to place the eggs on the spoon. Very smart!! Unfortunately, it's hard to get that bite all the way to the mouth when the food is on the back side of the spoon. But she's tenacious, and tries several times before the spoon finally hits the floor and she finishes up with her hands. Great job, Franny!