I need/want to post an overall Allen update, but, in the mean time, he's what transpired at dinner tonight. Christian was still working, so it was just Allen and me, but we bought fresh fish at Kroger this morning, so I went ahead and made a full dinner: fish, mashed sweet potatoes, edamame, french bread, and fruit. Allen was great while I was making dinner - he played with his own pots and pans (he cooked dry beans, coffee, and sugar), "swept" the floor, played with his new bouncy balls, etc. Right before everything was ready he asked for milk. I agreed but wanted him to sit at the table. He wanted to sit on the couch. If you walked into our house at that moment, I'm pretty sure you would have thought that I had been torturing the poor child all day. After the screaming and crying was over, he came to sit at the table. Since he starting eating at 6 months, he has been a great eater and not slowed down, until the last couple of weeks. Maybe its the heat; when it's 107 outside, I don't scarf as much down either. So, I didn't know how much he would eat, but he devoured his sweet potatoes and asked for more... until he realized he had fish. This boy loves fish! He ate 3 servings of sweet potatoes and fish. During dinner, I kept taking pictures on the phone to send to Daddy because Allen was so funny. At one point we're both eating quietly and then, all of the sudden, he squints his eyes and opens his mouth as wide as he can. It totally caught me off guard, and we both burst into giggles. Of course, he then continued with the silly faces. I had finished and was waiting for him, so I decided to start putting things away. I hear "more" "more" "more" and turn to give Allen more of whatever he wants... but sweet boy thought I needed more since my plate was clean. He was taking bites from his plate and putting them on mine! When I told him that I ate enough and was finished, I think we was relieved because he took back his shared food and ate it all. After we both finished, I put out some raspberries for dessert. (I have another real dessert later, but Allen doesn't need to know that for now.) He would put them on his fingers or thumb before eating them; we both thought this was super funny and cute. He had finished all but one raspberry, which was left in the bowl, and was ready to get down. So I say, "Do you want this last raspberry?" He says no and smiles. I should have known something was fishy about this, but he's not even 2 yet! As I'm taking the bowl to the sink, I pop that raspberry in my mouth just to find out that it has been covered in Valentina hot sauce! As I run to the sink to spit it out and rinse my mouth, Allen is in hysterics! Could he have really orchestrated that whole prank?! Then he accidently knocks the hot sauce on to the floor; the glass bottle breaks and shatters everywhere. All I hear is "uh -oh broke" over and over again as I try to clean it. By the time that's clean and I put him on the chair to "surf" over to the sink, he's all giggles again and gives me a huge hug. I think his horns might be growing a little, but they're still hold up his halo!
