ok let's try the other meat

my child is a fruitarian. he doesnt like meat, vegetables, eggs, cheese, the list goes on and on. he loves fruit in any form (dried fruit, applesauce, canned fruit, regular fruit...etc.) and oatmeal, yogurt, milk, sometimes bread, and any cracker/treat/chip put in front of him. i dont mind if he never eats meat. i can't imagine though, that at the ripe old age of 14 months he is morally opposed to eating meat or that he has subscribed to some sort of religious beliefs prohibiting it.

i have tried giving him lunchmeat: no way. so i thought, kids love those vienna sausages right? so i found the healthy version- turkey sticks and gave him those: nice try lady. fine, fine, have a hot dog... (well, turkey dog): tossed off the tray without so much as a sniff in it's general direction. ahhhh! hmmmm....

in desperation i have resorted to the other meat: mini corn dogs... who knows what's in those little babies... but at least he can get the general taste of meat while still thinking he is having junk food... then i'll slowly but surely ease him into eating thinly sliced pieces of turkey lunchmeat before he knows what's what.

so i realized this would take a fair amount of trickery on my part and flattered myself that not only was i up to the task, but i was the only woman for the job.

i cooked them in the oven instead of the microwave- if we're gonna do this, let's do it right.

i sat across from ambrose with a plate of mini corn dogs. one look from him indicated that he was anticipating nothing short of an event. he knew something big was going to happen. i ate one of the corn dogs, "yum!" i said and he grinned and held out a chubby hand. i said "say please..." he eagerly signed "please" to me (gotta make him think it's something so good he would want to say please for it). i held a mini corn dog out and he almost smashed it in his paw he was so excited. he put it up to his mouth...yes yes...i am a genius... nope, nope. fake out. back down to the tray.

he holds out another hand- alright he is double fisting the corn dogs. now to eat one of them, just one. i eat one right in front of him and he acknowledges me with a supportive head nod. "ok buddy- your turn!"

he ceremoniously holds one mini corn dog in the air and giggles with glee. he swoops it down into the general atmosphere of his mouth and then swoops it down to his tray with a smash and a smear...

no dice.

or shall i say no meat.

none.

ever.

i call thomas to please pick up some protein powder from costco. the chocolate kind. i make him a shake the next day and he loves it. i guess that'll do pig, that'll do.