Crapola

Well, it's not a huge shock, but it's a bummer nonetheless. We sent Amelia's three-day food log to her dietitian (who works out of Mt. Sinai, dealing with kids with food allergies). The good news is that Amelia gets enough protein and seems to be eating enough calories. The bad? "She has a very limited repertoire of foods and the older she gets, the more difficult it will be to introduce foods."

Crap. Crap. Crap. I know it's the truth, and I know I am going to have to bite the bullet and get her to eat "family meals" instead of her very own beloved turkey turkey turkey every lunch and dinner, but ugh. I may not have the heart for it.

The dietitian (Marion) said we just have to make allergen-free meals (obviously) and assume it may take 10 or more times before she'll try a new food. That's pretty much the same advice that Ellyn Satter gives in her books, and it sounds so sane and reasonable. But ugh. I can't imagine pulling this off.

Also, I know this is stupid but my ego is bruised. I tend to think that with a kid with all these food allergies plus the reflux, the fact that she comes to the table, eats enough to grow, and enjoys some foods (OK, not a lot but still, there's some variety there) is a total success story. Sigh. I realize this is not about me, this is about being a good parent and finding ways to help my child grow and develop, but still, come on, a little credit here?

Actually in all fairness to me, the last time I met with Marion she did give a compliment -- she said a lot of families where the kid has had some growth issues due to health reasons wind up in power struggles with their child over food, so the fact that Amelia was eating a good amount of food and not battling with us at the dinner table was great. Couldn't she have given some "rah rah" with her constructive criticism this time around? Sheesh!

Poor Amelia has some sort of bug (with fever) right now so there will be no "family meals" for the next little while, but it's on the horizon. Stay tuned... .