We’ve been having a hard time with Topher lately. He’ll be happy and laughing one second and throwing himself to the floor sobbing the next. I’m pretty sure it’s baby-related (well, that and the fact that he’s also getting his two-year molars) – but man, is it frustrating!
The worst part of the day is suppertime. Topher has decided that he no longer wants to eat supper – and since he doesn’t want to eat it, he doesn’t want Mommy to take time away from playing with him to make it. It wouldn’t be an issue if Nathan got home at the same time as Topher and I do but most days he gets home almost an hour after us – and I really need to start cooking something during that time if we want to eat before 7:00 p.m. For the past few weeks I’ve been trying to drag a whining 30 lb toddler around the kitchen while he sits on my foot with his arms around my leg. “Come play with me, Mommy! We don’t need supper, Mommy! Come sit on the couch with me, Mommy!” We’ve told him that supper is just a fact of life – it’s something that everyone needs to do, every single day – but he’s still not convinced. If any food manages to find its way into his mouth it’s on the floor seconds later, accompanied by the declaration “That’s gross, Mommy! My mouth doesn’t like that!”
Earlier this week I had the brilliant (?) idea that maybe Topher would actually eat his supper if he helped make it. We were having homemade chicken pizza, so I pulled up his little stool, handed him the barbecue sauce and a spatula, and let him go nuts. He had a fantastic time “painting the pizza”, as he called it, and the job even kept his attention long enough for him to put a few handfuls of pepper on top. When he scampered away to play with his toys, I finished adding the toppings and put the pizza in the oven. Then I heard Topher.
He was lying on the couch with Boo and Blankie, telling them all about how he had helped make pizza. “But we need to pray before we eat, Boo. We pray like this: Thank you, Lord, for my bestest friend Mommy. And thank you for my bestest dog Chloe. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
My heart melted!
And in case you were wondering, no, he didn’t eat the pizza.