Food for Thought

I've come to realize that it is useless to try to make heads or tails of a toddlers eating habits.  Some days I thin Jack is going to eat us out of the house other days I don't know how he survives on so little and am surprised that he doesn't blow away.  Some days he loves yogurt; other days he doesn't want anything to do with it.  He may love a food one day and hate it the next.  I've also learned that ketchup should be a food group.  If I am ever trying to get Jack to eat anything I can give him ketchup and it usually does the trick.  One day Jack was actually dipping his grapes in his ketchup, but he was eating, so who was I to stop him?!  Just the other day I gave Jack some chicken and in my efforts to try to coax him in to eating I gave him some ketchup.  He did start eating, but not his chicken.  He had used his spoon and was eating a spoonful of ketchup!  Jack's new favorite thing to do with his food is to play with it.  This can come in the form of throwing it, smashing it between his fingers, or putting it on his head.  My husband and I are struggling to manage this behavior.  I know the worst thing I can do is laugh, but that is easier said than done!  When your son throws mashed potatoes at your spouse and you look over and he's so proud because he has a piece of banana balancing on his the whole time, it's really hard not to crack a smile.  Once again, I'm the mom I swore I would never be...  more often than not I don't care what he is eating as long as he is eating and the food is ending up in his belly and not on the floor, walls, or in his hair.