Over the past few months, we’d slowly been testing the allergy waters by putting pb into some dishes and giving him bites (the biggest hit was a banana-pudding pie with a graham cracker and peanut butter crust). So far it looks like we’re not going to have any adverse reaction.

The taste buds could be a different story. After reading fellow blogger Marcela’s take on the big PB letdown posted here a few months ago, I  am wondering if JD will turn up his nose at the childhood staple.

I’m planning to take the plunge this weekend with a traditional PB&J. We’ll see.

Almost immediately after waking in the morning, he tries to drag me down to the kitchen pantry chanting, “cookie, cookie.” After we walk in the door in the evening, he makes a beeline for the pantry. If I don’t move, he’ll grab my hand and place it on the doorknob as if to prod me along.

If the desired treat is not forthcoming, the 2-year-old temper ignites complete with scrunched up face, red, tear-streaked cheeks, and stomping feet. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve stopped keeping cookies in the house. I’ve been trying to redirect that hunger to more appropriate snacks like fruit, graham crackers or pretzels, but I’m really wondering how long it will be before I can say the word and not have to spell it out!

Photo by Seth Harrison/The Journal News

Chocolate chip cookies made by Missy Chase Lapine of Irvington with whole grain flour, white beans, wheat germ, and half the sugar found in most cookie recipes. Lapine is the author of “The Sneaky Chef,” a cookbook about sneaking healthy ingredients into kids’ foods.

So it was no surprise the other day when JD helped himself to a date from a package Dad left on the desk. What we weren’t prepared for was how much he like it. And how quickly he asked for “mo” while tapping his fingers together (his daycare teaches some sign language to toddlers to help with communication). He packed away 4 dates (the already pitted kind), and would have gladly eaten more if we hadn’t pulled the plug.

The next morning, while putting on his coat, he spied the container of dates—now living on the top shelf of the bookcase on the desk. He began pointing and jumping up and down. He immediately popped the first one in his mouth and began looking for another. This time we stopped at two in anticipation of breakfast in a half-hour.

JD has always liked his fruits and vegetables, but we were truly amazed at how completely he took to the dates. There was no hesitation, no “let me test this out” nibble. Guess I’ll be buying more of this Middle Eastern treat this weekend.

When the mother noticed what he was doing, she told him with a smile that those weren’t on the list. To my complete amazement—& his parents, from the looks on their faces—he took the cookies out of the cart and went back to return them to the shelf. At this point his parents called out that even though they weren’t on the list, he could get them anyway. He must not have heard them because he kept going—at which point his sister, riding in the cart and likely watching the precious cookies slip away—yelled out frantically that he could get the cookies. The little boy happily placed his treasure back in the cart and the family continued on.

I came across a recipe for pumpkin waffles that I’ve been making in big batches and freezing for convenient weekend meals. JD loves the waffles and will pack away almost a whole Belgian-sized one—no syrup necessary. I’m guessing he’s going to like his first taste of pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. And if I can muster up the energy & carve out some free time this weekend, I may get a little sugar pumpkin & butternut squash and roast them sprinkled with brown sugar as a break from JD’s beloved sweet potatoes.

Pumpkins also take a staring role at Historic Hudson Valley’s great jack o’lantern Blaze at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson. For years, we’d been talking about going but never got motivated in time to get tickets, which go fast. This year we procrastinated too long again and missed out on the early weekend times. But we were able to get tickets for Columbus Day. It was definitely worth it. JD loved all the lit-up pumpkins. The displays were very impressive—everything from a scene from Michael Jackson’s Thriller to decorative carvings to a giant spider web surrounded by a field full of arachnids to the massive dinosaurs. There was even an underwater scene with all kinds of fish and coral and sea life, as well as a few pirates for good measure!

Here’s the waffle recipe from the Epicurious Web site:

Pumpkin Waffles
Gourmet magazine, November 2000
From Cafe 222, San Diego, CA
Makes 12 (4-inch) waffles

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
Vegetable oil for brushing waffle iron

Special equipment: a waffle iron (preferably nonstick)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron.

Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices.

Whisk eggs in a large bowl until blended, then whisk in milk, buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until smooth.

Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter (about 2 cups for four 4-inch Belgian waffles) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

(Check out the reviews on the Web site for some reader suggestions to change the recipe to make it more pumpkin-y or to use whole grains.)

JD loves to feed himself now. We just break up whatever the meal is into bite-sized chunks & he goes to town. However, he’s recently discovered that there is a world beyond his mouth and fun to be had trying to feed mommy & daddy. (Not to mention the dogs.) About three-quarters of the way through the meal, he’ll decide to pick up a piece of food and hold it out to whomever is on dinner duty—usually me. At first he was delighted to just hand over the morsel, immediately expecting it to handed back. Sharing’s good, right? But soon the novelty wore off & he wanted to feed his dinner companion—grubby, foody hands & all.

I gotta tell you, I was a little skeeved at first—and I’ve eaten food that my dogs have licked, taken a bite of or worse. (Anyone who has ever had a dog knows at some point in the relationship you will open your mouth at an inopportune time while your canine tried to sneak in a dog kiss. Blech!) But being a good mommy, I opened my mouth wide, accepted the proferred pea and thanked JD profusely for sharing his meal. This delighted him to no end & we proceeded to engage in a version of “one for you, one for me.”

However, from that point forward, I vowed that tray would be immaculate & that his hands would get wiped off at lease once during the meal. (We’ve been working on pre-meal hand washing like a big boy at the sink rather than using wipes or cloths.)

I’ve been remiss in posting recently—mostly due to a crazy work schedule and taking a class for my master’s degree that involves a ton reading and writing. In addition to reading a novel a week, we are responsible for a chapter a week from the textbook, and my first paper is due Thursday on gender issues in Jane Eyre. It would help if I would finish the book.

Anyway, all this angst has driven me back to a nasty soda habit. I’ve always had a weakness for the carbonated stuff—Dr Pepper is my all-time favorite. A few years ago, on Weight Watchers, I managed to wean myself off the high-test stuff only to end up with a Diet Coke habit, which is going strong again.

Sitting on the sofa Sunday watching football & popping open a soda, (yes, I know I should have been working on the paper instead) I started to think about my downward slide. Besides my hectic schedule and the lack of sleep that comes from having a little one in the house, I think a lot of my lack of energy has to do with my soda habit.

So, watch out co-workers, I’m dumping out the rest of the can on my desk & heading to the water cooler for my liquid refreshment. I’ll probably be crabby for a couple of days with caffeine withdrawal, but it’s for the best. Now I just need to stock up on seltzer and fresh lemons, my standard kicking-the-soda-habit alternative.

Photo by Matthew Brown/The Journal News

We’re fortunate to live close to Stuart’s Fruit Farm in Somers. I stopped by the other day to pick up some corn & it was delicious. I wasn’t the only one who thought so. JD loved it! I’ve given him corn before, and he liked it. But this time was different. He became very focused while eating it; it was as if he didn’t want anything intruding on this treat. No stray kernels were dropped (much to the dogs’ dismay), none were tossed over the side. When he was finished what was on the tray, he looked at me expectantly for more. I was happy to oblige.

It will be many more years before he understands what went into making that corn so special, but it’s times like this that prove the benefits of locally grown is in the taste for anyone to enjoy.

Photo by Stephen Schmitt/The Journal News

We recently celebrated JD’s first birthday & what celebration is complete without cake! We were having a small family & friends BBQ so when the local bakery said it wanted $50 for a cake, I thought, no way—i can do it myself. So I pulled a couple boxes of cake mix from the pantry & got to work. I made a sheet layer of chocolate & one of vanilla. After I stacked them, I cut the cake down the center longwise, took 3/4 of one of the sides for the bottom of the “1” and the rest I “glued” to the top with frosting. Then I covered the whole thing in vanilla frosting (I used 6 tubs of frosting total!) added some decorative piping & a candle with JD’s name & voila! (disclaimer: my sister-in-law helped my finish & decorate the cake since I ran out of time.)

Here’s the finished product.

It’s not going to win any awards, but everyone said they liked it. Watching JD’s reaction was great. I put some vanilla cake with frosting on his tray & he loved squishing the frosting first. When he finally put some in his mouth, his eyes lit up. He couldn’t get it in fast enough. And, of course, cake & frosting was everywhere—clothes, hair, face. After he was finished indulging, we headed straight for the tub & a quick bath!

Do you make your child’s birthday cake? Why or why not? What’s the most creative cake you’ve made?

Nobody in our family has a milk allergy, so I’m not anticipating any major problems, but I plan to start this over the weekend so I can keep an eye on the little guy.

The other thing I thought was interesting was that the doctor’s office recommends giving whole milk only until about 15 to 18 months. And my sister-in-law’s pediatrician told her to skip whole milk entirely and go straight to 2%. Anybody else get similar advice from their pediatrician?

And since we’re making transitions, I need to dump the baby bottles and start introducing JD to a cup. We’ve already tried a sippy cup and it didn’t go over very well. I think he was too frustrated when the liquid didn’t come out fast enough. (That’s my guess since he flung the cup across the room from his high chair!) However, he’s done well with the straws in juice boxes so I’m going to try a cup with a straw.

I’d be curious to know how others have handled the transition to milk and a cup. Were your kids frustrated with cups? How long did it take to get used to a cup?

(Isn’t the cow cute?)

Photos by Vincent DiSalvio and Elizabeth Orozco