She eats what you eat...

Chick-fil-a...her favorite!  He go there for
lunch dates!

We have the most wonderful pediatrician here in Savannah.  His name is Dr. Ben Spitalnik aka Dr. Ben.  He's warm, friendly, loves children, and is cautious about over prescribing medication.  He is just the person you want to see when your child isn't feeling well.  I have heard through the grapevine about the kindness and compassion he has shown a little girl and her family as they have gone through a very difficult diagnosis and treatment.  He was proactive in getting to the bottom of what was going on with their little girl and I know the family is beyond grateful for his medical intuition and quick action.  He is a class act and I am so grateful that he is Ella's pediatrician.

Helping herself to the cheez-its

One of the things I am most grateful for is his philosophy on eating.  At nine months I discussed with him what I should be doing as far as Ella's eating habits go.  Should we continue baby food and limited solids or incorporate more table food.  He told me, "she eats what you eat" except for nuts and honey.  This really surprised me at first.  But, I slowly started incorporating more of our meals into her meals and fazed out the baby food.  What developed was a child that has an amazing appetite for many different foods.  She'll eat anything from Japanese stir fry and edamame to taco soup and cornbread to the california avocado sandwich at Atlanta Bread.  She loves all fruits and vegetables.  There hasn't been a meat she didn't like.  She'll try anything and usually love it.  The only thing she refuses to eat are grits...and I completely understand.  It's that texture!!

This is the face she makes when she eats...
it looks like she hates it, but she actually
loves it!!

So any way, Dr. Ben's "she eats what you eat" policy has really paid off.  She eats part of our meal at restaurants and at home she eats what we are having.  I usually add in an extra fruit and veggie to to make sure her meals are well balanced.  We eat organic at our house which is something I personally believe in.  It is more expensive, but I feel the benefits out weight the costs so it's something we budget in.

Ella is a HEARTY eater.  She loves her meals!  But, she will only eat when she's ready--which can sometimes be stressful when you are trying to get in a meal before you go somewhere. But other than that minor glitch, we couldn't be more pleased with her eating habits. So I'd like to thank Dr. Ben and his "she eats what you eat" advice.  We have a little girl who loves to eat and we hope that she continues this pattern of being an easy to please eater!! :)

...next eating goal is to ween her off her bottle.  I found a sippy cup she loves so we're heading in the right direction!!