Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Belly Boy

Michael is an eater; he eats and eats and asks for more. I can scarcely comprehend the amount of food the boy consumes and I shudder to think of the day when he has a teenaged appetite. Dear Lord.

Here, for example, is what we pack for his lunch:


It's a 100% fruit juice pouch (they get milk w/ the afternoon snack at school, not to mention he has it w/ breakfast and dinner), an entire banana, cheese slices, and a whole wheat mini bagel w/ sunbutter. (The painkillers in the background are mine!) He also eats both a morning and afternoon snack at daycare and is practically crying for dinner every night. Um, seriously, he often stands at my feet and cries while I make dinner. It's charming.

Most times that we get him out of his seat after a meal his stomach is comically full and hard as a brick. You might suggest that we feed him more often so he isn't so hungry when he eats, but he's already eating three meals and two snacks a day. Tonight, after a hot dog (no bun), tater tots, apple, milk, and corn his stomach was so huge I tried to take a picture of it... without much success.


(He's still eating the corn, whoops.)

(Can you see how round his middle is?)


(Should I remind you that he was a 4 lb. baby?)


He grew annoyed with the photo session and brought me his pajamas - it IS cold in our house.

I couldn't capture the stomach phenomenon to my liking - you'll have to take my word for it. Does anyone else have a toddler who does this?

He's had RSV and can't kick it, so the doctor just put him on an oral steroid... his appetite can't possibly get any bigger, can it?

10 comments:

The Mom said...

I love to read your blog as our kids are close to the same ages, often have the same clothes and seem to go through similar stages. My little guy also has RSV and just can't kick it either, no fun. He hasn't started the eating stage yet, but I remember when my daughter went through it and I thought we'd go broke!

MamaK said...

YES! yes, yes and YES. Kaden does eat enough that I am considering starting a "teenage food savigns plan" instead of a college fund. His belly DOES get all full and hard. He does not seem to mind at all. I am worrying- is he not digesting enough? is he eating too much? though he is not GAINING weight (and i sincerely wish i could say that about myself!).

so, um, YES- it all rings true down here, but no, I don't have any serious advice.

oh, except the oralpred did not seem to make him more hungry- he actually let up a bit?!

Heather said...

Ryan is a champion eater too. The running joke in our house is that he'll eat anything that doesn't eat him first! I tell myself it's a refreshing change from super-picky Wesley, but that's hard to remember when he's tugging on our pants and crying while we try to cook.

HipChick73 said...

Yup, my son Trevor is, and has been, the same way. He's 2 - and he eats anything he can get his hands on. Most of the time. Then he'll go through a phase and eat next to nothing. It make it impossible to figure out how much food to give him at meal time. Love his little round full belly though. :)

Trevor is on a nightly dose of Pulmacort in his nebulizer, and when he gets a cold we have to start him up on Xopenex. AND when it gets real bad he gets put on Pediapred too. He has RSV when he was an infant, and it really messed up his lungs. The meds above are to help them heal, and to help him get through the colds he does get, quicker.

tracy said...

Martha is not as old, but eats the same way. I am always amazed at the quantities of food she can put away -- always as much as Ruth, and usually a significant amount more. Her belly expands the same way!

But it is extra amazing with Michael, remembering how small he was -- it is awesome how far he's come!

Jill said...

I'm already getting worried how much Keeley is going to be eating, and she's only 15 months / 23 lbs.

No clue where she puts it, but she too has a huge belly. Hard as a brick, you could probably bounce quarters off of it! Since she's still nursing a few times a day, plus getting 2 small cups (probably 12 oz) of milk a day AND a few ounces of juice with some water, plus as much additional water as she wants, several snacks and 3 meals. My only thought would be to send him/give him a protein laden lunch/snack for instance sending beans or meat in addition to some cheese! His food looks better than what Keeley eats, but often it's casseroles or something that wouldn't look so tidy on a plate! How do you manage to find yellow bananas? Ours are always green and straight to black. Man. Anyway, thanks for sharing.

Mommy Daisy said...

My little man has always eaten like that too. I also worry about his teenage years. We're in trouble, I think. But I've never seen a kid's belly get that hard. Funny.

Hillary or Ryan said...

Grady is a championship eater too! Our day care provider called him the "best eater she's ever had." And she's been doing the day care thing for 25+ years. I completely understand the stomach bulge after a meal. :)

CARRIE said...

I wish my boy would eat like that. He used to, and then he turned 2 and snubs his nose at everything I present.

Erin said...

I don't think I will ever stop being amazed by your boy. That something so tiny and fragile can grow into someone so hardy and handsome! I suppose it has something to do with his fabulous Mom.