Oreo Melt

This story occurs on a nice Sunday afternoon. We were home from church and had begun to make lunch.

ET what do you want for lunch?

Oreomelt.

Buddy, you need to eat something else before you can eat oreos. How about some chicken nuggets?

No, I want oreomelt.

Oreos and milk?

No, oreomelt. I am completely wracking my brains at this point. What on earth is oreomelt?

What about some of that yummy meat you liked?

No, I want oreomelt. We are on the verge of a major meltdown at this point. Daddy comes in to help figure it out. At one point ET agrees to Ramen Noodles, but then reverts to oreomelt. We keep offering other foods and he insists on oreomelt.

ET is starting to actually cry in frustration. Then, in the midst of my chaotic thought process, I remember that he had had oatmeal for breakfast.

ET, you mean oatmeal?

Yeah, I want oatmeal.

Calm begins to resume after the miscommunication has ended. A simple mispronunciation can be the end of the world to a three year old.

Mommy, I Made a Mistake

ET likes to do many things. Among those activities are playing games, coloring, playing with trains and reading stories. One evening he was given the choice to continue playing a game or to have Daddy play trains with him. ET chose to play the game.

After his sister had gone to sleep, ET decided that he wanted to play trains. As the noisy toys are only a thin wall away from her bed, he was then denied that chance by his father. He came to me almost in tears.

Mommy, I made a mistake. I want to play with my trains.

Buddy, ME is asleep. We can't play with them now.

But I made a mistake. I want to play with trains. Please?

No, ET. You can play with them tomorrow.

His voice rising in pitch-Please, I made a mista-a-ake. Full blown tears now.

He knew that our answer was no. He also knew that he had made his choice. Now that time had run out, he had to live with the consequences, but didn't like them. After many tears, explanations, and snuggles, ET calmed down. It is yet to be seen if he learned anything from that night.

ET's New Favorite "Diet"

As happens each fall and winter, viruses are now sweeping our portion of the country. When ET had a recent cold he was extremely congested. Due to an inability to smell, nothing tasted very good to him. For several days he would request certain foods, which he usually likes, but upon beginning to eat he would dislike the taste and refuse to eat.

He could, however, still handle peanut butter. In an effort to get some carbs in him in addition to the protein and fat, I added a little sugar and some flour. At that point the consistency was easily edible. ET ate it quite quickly. He then began to brag to his father that he got cookie dough for dinner. He wanted the dough for just a couple more days. Once the cold passed, his diet was returned to normal, much to his dislike.

He occasionally still requests "cookie dough" for some of his meals. Oh, the frustration of trying to reason with a 3 1/2 year old.