On top of spaghetti . . . . . .

So the other night we sat down to eat dinner. Not a huge deal to most families but those of you who know us, know that Timmy is a TERRIBLE eater. (*ahem*) He didn't eat pizza until he was four. Seriously. Now he can't get enough of it. Until this summer you would think that asking him to eat mac-n-cheese equated to ripping each of his fingers off with pliers. Now he does a happy dance when they have it for lunch or dinner. Let's not even talk about the time we had him try scrambled eggs - I am pretty sure a neighbor was ready to call CPS. OK, he still isn't a fan of eggs.
For the longest time, his dinner would be fries. Not chicken & fries or a hot dog & fries - just fries. We started to bribe him if he would eat ONE chicken tender. Now before you think we are terrible people and feed the boys junk - he loves fruit, yogurt, and healthy snacks. They don't drink soda and chose milk or water over juice. He would eat salsa with a spoon if we let him. When I make salads with peppers, I have to build Ft. Knox around the cutting board so he won't eat them all. So if the kid wants fries, I am not going to argue - it isn't worth it. Remember, we are talking Timmy - Mr. Relentless.
Last year he finally started to eat chicken. Guess what? He loves it. Now the little snot has decided that he likes chicken more than he likes fries. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Timmy. One kind of meat down, lots more to go.
We decided to push the limits the other night at dinner . . . . . a meatball. To be more specific, a turkey meatball. Why not? Thanksgiving is coming up - regular turkey would be child's play after a meatball!! So, we put it on a small plate next to his pasta and waited. He cried and whined. We laughed. (that was in our Parenting 101 book)
He looked at it and poked it (yes, poked it). Then he smelled it. Honest - I can't make this up. Then came the quote of the night . . . . .
Timmy: "What's the stuff that smells so good?"
Me: "A candle?"
Rich: "My dinner?"
Andrew: ((not suitable for this blog - let's just say he was proud of the odor))
Timmy: "NO!!!! I remember!!!! CHICKEN!!!!"

*dog head tilt*

Seriously? Chicken?

Then we got back to the task at hand - the meatball. He asked what it tasted like. Ummmmmm . . . . a turkey meatball? We lied. We told him chicken - he seemed to be on a roll with chicken so why not go with it? (that was also in Parenting 101 - maybe we got a bad copy?)
Then came the moment - something I never thought would happen. Timmy actually complained that something was too cold to eat and asked us to reheat it. I almost passed out! To say he likes his food tepid is an understatement. There have been times when I want to just toss a frozen hot dog on a plate with some ranch and ketsup for his dinner.
Once we got over the initial shock, we quickly reheated the meatball. After giving it the once over (more like third over), he "tasted" it. Then we made him *really* taste it.
And the verdict? He liked it! He really liked it!
Maybe this Thanksgiving we can all have a REAL Thanksgiving dinner!!!!

*oh - just so ya know, his pasta that night had no sauce and no cheese . . . . baby steps, people.