Sure is "tuff" trying to feed Tuff

HAPPY FRIDAY! :) Today I have decided to link up with Kelly from Kelly's Korner about feeding our toddlers. I am SO relieved to see by all the links that I'm not the only mom out there who's having trouble getting baby boy to eat. It's really amazing to me because right when Tuff came off the bottle, he ate ANYTHING we gave him. Veggies, fruit and even meat. But lately his appetite for anything healthy has completely decreased. Oh me. It's aggravating at times because I'm constantly worrying about what I can find to feed him that he'll eat AFTER I've cooked a big meal for me and my husband. I guess we just have to roll with the punches around our house and do whatever we have to do to get him to eat. I'm also feeling guilty alot because it seems like the only things he will eat, are nothing compared to healthy. Like I said, at least I'm not the only mom struggling with this. Anyways, here is what Tuff's eating routine is looking like these days...

Breakfast:
(This is his best meal of the day. He's one of those "has to eat as soon as his head comes off the pillow kind. So he usually eats good for this meal.)

• Cereal: Mainly fruit loops at our house since I'm not a big cereal eater and his daddy always eats fruit loops, that's usually all we have in the house. But at his MeMe's house, he eats all different kinds.
• Grits (instant, we buy them by the box)
• waffles
• bacon, the kid LOVES bacon
• pancakes
• bananas
• french toast

Lunch/Dinner:

This is where it starts to get scarce and VERY limited.... First of all I'm going to list the things he'll ALWAYS eat. Meaning things that he'll NEVER turn down. It goes a little something like this....

• Pizza

And... that's it. Haha. I know ya'll must be thinking I'm crazy but it's true. The child LOVES pizza and it's the only thing I've NEVER seen him turn down. Now here are the things that he'll eat most of the time but every now and then will turn down...

• mostly anything Chef Boyardee but his favorites are abc/123 & meatballs and spaghetti & meatballs. (minus the meatballs. we take them out)
• Campbells chicken noodle soup (this has turned into a hit lately meaning.. he's not turning it down much)
• spaghetti (my spaghetti, not from the can)
• lasagna
• mashed potatos (sometimes with gravy)
• green peas & green beans
• bread... this use to be something he'd NEVER turn down but the past month or so he's turned it down a few times.
• french fries
• chicken nuggets (but very,very rarely and he's not into any kinds of dips yet. too bad because I'm sure he'd like them better if he liked dips)
• soups (he'll eat just about any kind of homeade soup)

And that's about it in the lunch/dinner department. We're really struggling, I know. But I hear it's a phase so I'm hoping we come out of it soon.

Snacks:

One of our biggest issues is snacking. He likes to snack constantly. I don't want him to do this because I feel like this could be one of the main reasons for him not eating his meals. The only good thing about him snacking is he doesn't like sweets. Can you believe it? What kids don't eat sweets. He gets this from his daddy because his daddy barely eats any sweets. Don't get me wrong, there are very few sweets he does like but like I said, very FEW. He really prefers salty over sweet. Here are a list of his favorite snacks...

• Tortilla chips (he goes through phases with his favorite snack but currently, this is the FAV. He wants to eat these all the time.)
• cheez its
• cheetos
• gold fish
• crackers (Ritz & Saltine)
• butter cookies (occassionally but this used to be a favorite. I think he got tired of them)
• snack pack pudding cups (this has been freshly added to the list this week)
• apple sauce

As for drinks, I've never been big on giving him juice. I know he gets alot more juice at his MeMe's which is ok but at home we mostly stick to milk. In my head, I think this is good for him his eating habbits are so limited but in the doctor's eyes, he thinks it could be another reason for him not eating much. Who knows. I still think it's a phase so I try not to dwell on it too much. As long as he's not losing weight I think we're ok.

I've really enjoyed browsing everyone's links to see all of your tricks. Maybe we'll try some out.

Anyways, if you follow my blog regularly and you're wondering about our appointment this morning.... It went great!!! She did find the heartbeat with the doppler and it was VERY fast. Those were her words exactly. It was funny because you can hear both my heartbeat and the babies over the doppler and it was amazing how much faster the babies was. Anyways, we all know what VERY fast means... GIRL. Haha. I said that to my doctor and she said "Yeeesss... they do say that but I also wouldn't call that accurate information." :) Jordan's face was priceless when we heard that strong, VERY fast heartbeat. Even though I know he would be SO very happy with a little girlie too. We were there for 2 hours. After seeing the doctor, I had to have blood drawn (5 TUBES!!!!) and then we had a meeting with the financial advisor there. Oh me... Our favorite part of the pregnancy. The costs. Anyways, it was a good visit and we will be headed in for another check up on March 4th. Stay tuned because I should have 12 week belly shots up next week.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful FRIDAY. Not too much longer for my weekend to start. Enjoy yours!!!!!

The Alford's