munchkin meals: mealtime battles

I was tempted to skip talking about Munchkin Meals because, really, nothing has changed in the last 6 or so months. MacKenna (3 years old) is still incredibly picky and extremely stubborn. Her meals typically revolve around cheese quesadillas, macaroni + cheese, and salami. I've tried incorporating more produce (read: fruit) into her meals, but even that is difficult. This child persists off junk food. And I'll admit, sometimes I'm OK with that. If that means she's eating. After being grilled by the pediatrician about her size a few months ago, I just want her to put on some weight and grow out of her 18-24 month and 2T clothes...So, instead of showing you the junk she eats and has been eating, I thought I'd focus on the process we go through at pretty much every meal. Now that I'm home with her daily, it's much more of a battle than I ever realized. (Although somehow our babysitter can get her to eat anything. *sigh* Parenting fail on my part...) This was yesterday's lunch...I started lunch a little later than normal because we had been out at Target (her light on her nightlight burnt out and I knew I wouldn't get her to take a nap if I didn't replace it). So, instead of her 11:30 lunchtime, we ate at 12. You would think that would mean she'd be hungry, but not so much. (Note: she had 1/2 a poptart for breakfast with milk, and the other 1/2 around 9:30, so not too much of an excuse for not wanting to eat.) She requested macaroni + cheese and I gave her the choice of banana, blueberries, or an apple in addition. She chose to have a banana.After a quick picture, the struggling commenced. She decided that she no longer wanted her macaroni + cheese but just wanted the Frozen (movie) yogurt we had just bought at the store. I told her she had to eat all of her banana before she could have yogurt. (I typically make her eat all of the healthiest thing on her plate before she can have anything else.)

I sat across from her eating my lunch and continued to remind her that she had to eat her banana if she wanted yogurt. She played with her banana, asked me a million questions, and argued about getting down. We sat there for AN HOUR before she finally started actively eating her banana. She finally finished her banana at 1 and I happily gave her the yogurt she requested, along with sprinkles, because at least it'll make her eat it. She ended up only eating about 3/4 of her yogurt before declaring she was done.

Pathetic...So, that's about how every single meal goes. Matt force feeds her food at dinner and there is always some kind of negotiation to get her to eat, whether it's taking away her after dinner snack (she always has to finish the majority of her plate to get chocolate or jelly beans) or telling her she can't have a bath. When did I become this parent I swear I wouldn't be? The one who is just happy to have her child eat something, even if she won't touch a vegetable. I try to lead by example and just pray that someday she'll pick up my good habits.

Oh, you thought I would have nothing to say about the 1 month old? Even though he is a GREAT eater, my poor little guy is suffering from some horrible gas in the middle of the night. He's definitely not screaming in pain, but from 4 AM on, he is grunting and pulling his legs up to his tummy, obviously unhappy. The only way I can get him to settle down is by letting him sleep on my chest. He had a HUGE fart the other night as soon as I out him on me, so I thought maybe I could put him down. Nope. No such luck. I'm going to try cutting out dairy to see if that helps because the gas drops definitely have not. Any suggestions would be appreciated!