Meal time battles

In an attempt to get Madeleine to eat her vegetables, a few weeks ago I began singing Yia-yia's "She's the Best" every time she took a bite of veggies. (If you are not familiar with the song, there's not much to it: "She's the best, oh she's the best, oh Madeleine is the B-B-B-B-B-BEST!") Not only would Madeleine get a delighted smile on her face every time I sang, but she would actually continue to eat her veggies in an effort to hear the song again.

That is, until she got wise to me.

She figured out that all she needs to do is take a bite to get me to start singing. As soon as the song stops, she spits out the chewed up piece of veggie, smiling impishly at me the whole time. Sometimes she puts the chewed up piece back in to get me to sing again, but more often than not, she will just insist I sing without continuing to eat. And not only that, she has become demanding about what songs I sing. Or, perhaps I should say what SONG.

MADELEINE: Aunt Dowa.
ME: You need to eat a bite of green beans first.
MADELEINE: Uh-uh. No. Aunt Dowa!
ME: Eat some green beans.
MADELEINE: Aunt Dowa!
ME: Eat a bite first.
MADELEINE: (taking a bite of green bean)
ME: She's the best, oh she's the best...
MADELEINE: Aunt Dowa!
ME: Okay, fine. D-d-d-d-d-Dora, D-d-d-d-d-Dora...
MADELEINE: (spitting out her green bean bite.)
ME: No no spit out!
MADELEINE: Aunt Dowa. Agaime. Dowa. Aunt Dowa.

When she really wants to be sneaky, she puts her food down the hole in her booster seat (into which a tray attaches if we need to use it.) Today I cleaned out under her booster seat hole and found the following objects: three forks, three colored pencils, a hunk of bread, a wad of spinach, and a clump of lentils. Mmmm.

Of course, when the food is a non-veggie item, and more specifically, a dessert food, Madeleine needs no coaxing in order to eat. Yesterday Julia and I decorated cookies for Easter, and as they sat on the kitchen counter with their icing drying, Madeleine repeatedly asked for a cookie. Even though I told her "no-no cookie," she seemed determined to get me to give her one. Because she's so obedient, she stood on her tiptoes and snuck one off the counter while I was in the other room. She could have actually gotten away with it if she had decided to eat it stealthily while still in the kitchen, but instead she decided to flaunt her insubordination in my face, toddling into the dining room and exclaiming, "Mmm! Cookie! Mmm!" while she chomped out of it.

There's one thing for sure; never a dull moment when Madeleine is in the house.