Jack has never eaten lunch meat for me, and never eaten an egg (no matter how many ways I present it). At day care last week, though, he reportedly gobbled up his turkey wrap. What was this? Does he eat new and different foods for his teachers but not for me? Was he peer pressured by the other toddlers? Either way, it worked for them so I had my fingers crossed it would work for me.
I am not a wrap eater. I like bread way too much. I didn't even know how to make a wrap, but I've heard people say they put cream cheese in them. I gave it a try by spreading a little cream cheese on half a tortilla, then sticking in a bit of turkey and cheese. This seemed too easy, so I used the other half for a little breakfast burrito, putting scrambled egg and salsa on the tortilla. Jack loves salsa, so I thought this might trick him into eating an egg.
When presented with the two wraps, his immediate response was disdain. I was quick, though, and offered a ramikin full of salsa for his dipping pleasure. I showed him how to dip his breakfast burrito in the salsa. Look, Jack, dip dip dip... mmm yummy! Jack eyed the eggy mess suspiciously and reached for the turkey wrap. One good dunk in the salsa and one timid bite. Then another dunk and another bite. And we have a winner!!!
Jack ate the entire turkey wrap, and then proceeded to eat the remaining salsa by hand. The egg tortilla turned out to be great fun to squish and smash, so at least it served a purpose.
I was riding high from this lunchtime success, so when Jack was napping and it was time for me to make something, I didn't mope at all. Nothing sounded good, of course, but I saw that we had eggs. I could make a fried egg sandwich in no time. It wasn't the world's best meal, but it would be better than lunch meat.
All that salsa put a little fire in Jack's belly, and the rest of the day he was a little pistol. We visited my dad at his office, during which time Jack asserted his independence in many ways. He pressed the elevator buttons. He bossed us into walking up and down two flights of stairs with him. He answered no to every question. By the time we dragged home at 5:30 I felt tired from the inside out, and he was just getting started. Thank goodness it was a leftovers night! To my surprise, Mike was already home and had cut up all the leftovers and put them in a salad.
Yes, I said salad! Mike was going to eat a vegetable. On purpose!
This bit of good news really perked me up. I love salads like this, and thankfully we had just bought a new bottle of Ranch. We even had some rolls left over from Saturday night, so I warmed those up in the oven while I tried to recuperate by lying on the couch.
I mentioned earlier that I love bread, and I'm really not kidding. I feel like no meal is complete without bread. If there isn't any bread at a meal I will stalk through the kitchen the rest of the night, eating whatever carb-rich snacks call to me at the moment.
It would have been an act of insanity to try to make Jack eat a salad and a roll tonight. You pick your battles, and tonight would be a night of many battles. Yes, you must wear pants. No, you may not throw the cat. Yes, you will brush your teeth. No, you cannot paint the dog.
In another rare stroke of luck, Mike gave me the greatest gift a mother could get: a night off. He offered to take Jack somewhere while I relaxed. Amazing! He ate vegetables and gave me a night off?! He must be up to something... we will see.
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