I've transitioned Grace from her highchair to a seat at the table. It may have been too soon, but it appears to be working well!
Now, when I say that dinner at the table is going "well" I really mean it's quite turbulent. My little cave woman squeezes her chubby leg through to rest her foot on the table. She does what Jeff calls "the windshield wiper" which is a pretty self explanatory hand/arm motion that sends all macaroni & cheese and avocado pieces hurtling into the dogs waiting mouth. She consistently points at the salt and pepper shakers and grunts like a pig. (No mother likes to be told her food needs more seasoning!) If my plate is anywhere near her 10 foot long arms, it's double the cleanup for me... but for Grace, it's double the fun. A peeping Tom at dinner time may wonder why in the world I torture myself, my dining room table and my sanity by insisting on putting this little undomesticated creature in such a formal dining setting. The reason?... because she is my best friend!
At lunch time, when it's just me and her, she's amazing company. We sit together, just the girls (and the furry boy under the table) and chat. She jabbers about her day, what she wants for Christmas and how excited she is that LOST is over. (Or, at least that's what I think she's babbling about.) We giggle, share Bunny Grahams and wipe off the table together. At dinner, we get to sit as a family and Jeff and I laugh about how she loves pomegranate seeds and hates pizza crust. We marvel at her! She picks up her food and feeds herself; she engages in small talk; she offers us half chewed food and insists we take it or at least say "thank you". She has preferences... she wants ice in her sippy cup, she wants to hold a handful of food in one hand (for safe keeping?) while eating with the other. And when she's all done, she tries to unbuckle her seat. Having her with us at the table is only one more way that we learn about her and what an intelligent and goofy little girl we have. Family time, crazy time, messy time...it's all of that wrapped into one dinner party.
Next on "the list" is transitioning away from the bottle. Now THAT is going really, really "well".
Now, when I say that dinner at the table is going "well" I really mean it's quite turbulent. My little cave woman squeezes her chubby leg through to rest her foot on the table. She does what Jeff calls "the windshield wiper" which is a pretty self explanatory hand/arm motion that sends all macaroni & cheese and avocado pieces hurtling into the dogs waiting mouth. She consistently points at the salt and pepper shakers and grunts like a pig. (No mother likes to be told her food needs more seasoning!) If my plate is anywhere near her 10 foot long arms, it's double the cleanup for me... but for Grace, it's double the fun. A peeping Tom at dinner time may wonder why in the world I torture myself, my dining room table and my sanity by insisting on putting this little undomesticated creature in such a formal dining setting. The reason?... because she is my best friend!
At lunch time, when it's just me and her, she's amazing company. We sit together, just the girls (and the furry boy under the table) and chat. She jabbers about her day, what she wants for Christmas and how excited she is that LOST is over. (Or, at least that's what I think she's babbling about.) We giggle, share Bunny Grahams and wipe off the table together. At dinner, we get to sit as a family and Jeff and I laugh about how she loves pomegranate seeds and hates pizza crust. We marvel at her! She picks up her food and feeds herself; she engages in small talk; she offers us half chewed food and insists we take it or at least say "thank you". She has preferences... she wants ice in her sippy cup, she wants to hold a handful of food in one hand (for safe keeping?) while eating with the other. And when she's all done, she tries to unbuckle her seat. Having her with us at the table is only one more way that we learn about her and what an intelligent and goofy little girl we have. Family time, crazy time, messy time...it's all of that wrapped into one dinner party.
Next on "the list" is transitioning away from the bottle. Now THAT is going really, really "well".
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