10/6/07 The Recovery

Today I took Gabriel to his school's festival and walk-a-thon, which was really a PTA fundraiser. They raised plenty of funds from me, in the form of a walk-a-thon pledge, tickets for food, games and drawings, and a T-shirt.

I didn't go through the whole thing of getting people to make a pledge for laps walked, and good thing, since we got there pretty late. But Gabriel did walk 3 laps, and enjoyed it.


Meantime, Katrina had a grand time looking and pointing at everyone and everything.


I'm happy to say that Julian was on a mission with Dave: Dump Day. Nothing, not even a festival, can compare with the honor of riding in the pickup truck with Dad to the dump.

Later, after dinner, we did our belated mini-family party for Katrina. She was very interested in the candle, but not at all in the cupcake! Even smearing frosting on her lips didn't do it.


Even more surprising than a one-year-old not eating their own birthday cake: Julian -- yes Julian didn't like the cupcakes. But Gabriel, who's so-so on sweets, did!

In fact, to earn the cupcakes, the boys only had to finish their broccoli. I didn't insist on more, since their tummies may still be recovering. Dinner was hamburgers (expensive seasoned ones from Whole Foods that were too grownup-tasting for kids), french fries, and broccoli. I had some lettuce out on a plate for the burgers, and Julian wanted some. He just sat and munched on lettuce like a little rabbit! Surprising for a 3-year-old, though this 3-year-old also eats raw cauliflower stems. He's a very flexible eater. And he didn't like cupcakes?!

Meantime, Gabriel wouldn't touch the lettuce. Except, he did. He put his hand on the pile, and Dave told him that now he had to put it on his plate, since handling food like that is bad table manners. Gabriel tolerated the lettuce on his plate for a few minutes, then he threw it on the floor. BIG no-no! So, Dave told him he now had to eat that lettuce if he wanted a cupcake. Though Gabriel did his usual resistance (closing his eyes and refusing to answer, claiming he didn't have to comply, hurling insults ("you're STUPID, Dad!"), the usual), I was too busy with Katrina to follow the drama. But, to my amazement, a few minutes later he was methodically chowing down the lettuce, determined to get a cupcake.

So, let's get this straight. The kid who wants to eat lettuce doesn't like the cupcake. The kid who has to eat lettuce likes the cupcake. And the kid for whom the cupcakes were made wouldn't have anything to do with them.

Well, one out of three ain't bad.

10/6/07