Iceberg Lettuce-Not Really a Vegetable
My mother was never the type to make me eat my vegetables. Actually, to this day, the only veggies my mom eats (or serves) are iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers. I think I was 15 years old before I tried broccoli.
Despite my mother’s aversion to all things green and leafy, I entered adulthood with a healthy view of vegetables (pun intended). I LOVE broccoli and spinach and asparagus and eggplant and squash and beet greens and peppers and tomatoes and, and, and…you get the idea. We eat vegetables with, or incorporate vegetables into, (nearly) every meal. We are a vegetable-loving house; still, I’ve been worried that Jude would shun my multi-colored produce-laden counter top in favor of, well, iceberg lettuce.
Yesterday, when Jude picked up a piece of squash from our lentil stir fry and ate it, I got a bit teary eyed. A few minutes later, when he was gnawing on a red pepper, I just about lost it. There’s something amazing about watching Jude feed himself. It’s such a simple task, and yet, it was just a few months ago that he was being sustained on nothing but my milk. And then, (for the most part) it was a bunch of pureed whatever. Now, he feeds himself (and vegetables, to boot!). He can kind of even manipulate a fork. OH! And he drinks from a sippy cup! Not only that, but he chooses to drink from a sippy cup. He knows when he’s thirsty. He knows sippy=water=thirst quenching goodness. Ahhh! Witnessing Jude reach these milestones… it’s a mind-blowing experience, it is.