Tasty little morsel

When Elijah is hungry, I'm happy. Today was a happy day. After polishing off a hearty portion of salmon and fried cauliflower, he peered up from his high chair longingly. His index fingers pressed to his thumbs and his hands anxiously tapped together. "More!? More?!" he pleaded. I gleefully obliged.
When Elijah was a newborn, I couldn't wait to cook for him. I'd see magazine articles about picky-eating toddlers and flip right past them. I was certain that any child of mine would love to eat, especially vegetables. The greener the better. Elijah has since taught me otherwise. Meal times are his opportunity to show me who is boss. Luke warm food is admonished, "Hot! Hot!" If something is not to his liking, he slowly squishes it out of his mouth and then smirks. Anything resembling bread is deemed "Challah!" and readily stuffed into his mouth. Sometimes he refuses to eat altogether. Sometimes he wildly rubs his hands across the tray and sends everything flying. And how he loves his bottle. Though somewhat proficient at drinking from a 'real' cup, he prefers the bottle and hates the sippy cup. He disdainfully pushes it away and demands"Bak! Bak!" (his short-hand way of saying 'bottle' in Hebrew).

Elijah's first phrase was, "All-done! All-done!" Until recently, he would often announce it after eating a bite or two. Thankfully, his appetite has vastly improved in the past weeks. If Elijah could choose his own menu, he'd probably start with a salad of ripe avocado, ruby red grapefruit and a squirt of lime. He'd follow with cubes of tofu, dotted with ketchup and served alongside grilled salmon and chunks of mango. For dessert, he'd have frozen blueberries, several helpings to be sure. Elijah has been a fan of frozen cherries and strawberries for some time, but the blue morsels are a recent and wonderful discovery. After eating them, he has a delightful blue beard and purplish grime under his finger nails for the rest of the day.

Though Elijah is now eating more, "All-done" remains a favorite refrain. Anything that is not to his liking is met with the same protest. Take too long to change his diaper, "All-done!" Strap him into the stroller, "All-done!" A family member was recently playing with him, when he abruptly announced "All-done!" and walked away.