"I eat too much!"

I never thought that I would ever hear those words out of Spencer! I don't think he really thought it was too much. I think that was the closest way that he could express how surprised he was that he was eating so much food. Yes this is Spencer I am talking about!

So most of you know that Spencer does not eat. Well I think we might finally be past that. This kiddo refused to eat baby food. Then when he was old enough to eat solids, his menu was very limited. The doctors kept telling me not to worry about it. They tested his blood and his nutrient levels looked good and well you can just look at him and know that he is healthy. They said just let him graze all day and eat what he wants to as long as it is not junk food. So this is what we have done... until recently.

I picked him up from pre-school one day early and caught them in the middle of eating lunch. Well the rest of the kiddos were eating lunch, Spencer was just pouring himself one glass of milk after another and grabbing more bread every time the basket passed by him. There was super nutritious food sitting on his plate. Normal food. Not weird stuff that most kiddos might pass up. Spencer took his plate, dumped the food in the trash and announced that he was ready to leave. Argh! I can't stand wasting food! I didn't even have him buckled in his car seat when he started asking for food... food that is on his short little menu of what he is willing to eat. Oh no way! He begged and begged for hours when we got home for food but I had finally had enough with his refusal to try new foods.

Dinner rolled around and I put just one bite of each thing that we were eating on his plate. He refused to touch it. I refused to give him anything else. I refused to give him a snack later. I told him that he could have a snack later if he just tried his food. This went on for days and then I think he finally got hungry enough that he tried his food and got a snack later. He begged for more snack but I refused to give more than a snack portion. I gave him a glass of milk with each meal and snack but that was it, one glass unless he tried his food. I didn't like him filling up on milk either. This went on for a few more days until finally he was hungry, really hungry. He had been trying food at school by that point too and was slowly discovering that he liked it. So one night he ate most of a corn on a cob, a drum stick, a thick slice from a block of cheddar cheese, a slice of whole grain bread, a bowl of yogurt, a banana, and it seems like more but I can't remember what else right now. It was more food than he had eaten in his whole life put together, not really but it was a lot. He could have kept going but I didn't want his tummy to hurt and it was time to get ready for bed so I stopped the feast.

Now what have I started?! He hasn't stopped eating since, he eats so much food I can't believe he can fit it in his tummy. I won't let him eat more that one serving of each type of food a day so he just keeps trying more and more food and just keeps eating and eating... at normal times too... scheduled snacks and meals. Thus his comment the other day, "I eat too much!" Phew!