What Charlotte eats, 5

Sunday- chicken sausage (she is really doing well with these since we started cutting them into small chunks instead of "finger shaped" sticks), edamame (1st time!), Israeli couscous salad
Monday- Greek yogurt, grapes (1st time! loved 'em!), chicken, white sweet potatoes, cauliflower
Tuesday- roasted butternut squash with curry powder, grapes, Monday's leftovers
Wednesday- mashed butternut squash (tolerated a few bites), Greek yogurt, mandarin bits (loved them!), chicken pieces
Thursday- baked mini shells with spinach and ricotta, mashed potatoes, cucumbers, grapes, celery with almond butter (SO messy! See photos below!)
Friday- grapes, baked sweet potato (wasn't very interested), cucumber slices, cut spaghetti with turkey quinoa meatballs

For an afternoon snack, Charlotte usually eats raisins. They're small enough that I don't feel the need to watch her like a hawk while she eats them, so I often make dinner while she sits on the kitchen floor with her raisins. Her pincer grasp is REALLY good now- we're so proud!

We have noticed a bit of sass at the dinner table lately. Even though we try to wait until the last second to put Charlotte into her chair, she is very impatient (and vocal!) when she doesn't get to eat right away. We always pray together before we eat, and often try to hold her hand. She does NOT like to hold our hands, though she is often quiet while we pray. The sass also appears when she's done eating and starts to play. She will fling food and drop her glass, then look down at it on the ground and start to whine.

Charlotte is really starting to communicate with us in regards to eating. She makes loud noises to get our attention when she wants something else to eat and hums loudly and stares at her water glass when she gets thirsty. It's frustrating to figure out what she wants; we hope she'll start using some of her signs soon! We've been trying to teach her: more, please, thank you, food, water, and all done.

Please note the serious, concentrated faces this girl makes. Eating is hard work. :)