Dylan eats almost the full range of adult foods because he is food-crazy like his mama and will eat just about anything that he can steal off of a bigger person's plate. Every time I think something's going to be too spicy or garlicky etc for him, I've been wrong. (I've always looked sideways at the American notion that babies naturally prefer bland mush to real food, but I didn't expect to have a not-quite-1-year old enjoying pepperocini-spiked pasta salad.)

hahahhahaha....I only laugh because there are very few things that Noah will not eat. I think we found he's not fond of blue cheese (though if you give him a spread of roasted red peppers and goat cheese, he's very very happy) and he doesn't really like mac and cheese (which makes me question whether or not he's my kid after all). But it's changing and I'm finding foods he really loved (avocado) he is less tolerant of.

I still think that we are born with the picky gene. Brendon would have nursed forever if he didn't get cut off at 2 years. He has always been very limited in what he will consider eating. His brother shunned the breast at a little over a year in favor of the sippy cup and wanted real people food as soon as he could grab it. He'll try anything and likes spicy. Brendon thinks the rest of us are insane when we pick up the Tabasco.

Can I be totally annoying and vote both? I'm pretty sure that there are aspects of pickiness -- supertasting, some of the texture things, smell aversions -- that are completely and totally baked in there. But lack of exposure and a culture of bland doesn't do anyone any favors, wherever their pickiness baseline may be.

I agree with you, amych. I think like with anything having to do with humans, it's combination of nature and nurture. Em won't eat squash. She didn't like it as a baby food, but we kept trying it and eventually she would eat it, but she was never as excited about it as she was peas or carrots. We gave her baked squash a few months ago and she didn't want it but she tried it and promptly threw up. We don't bug her about it now. I've seen among people I am acquainted with (and, for the most part don't much care for or respect, so even if they did everything exactly like me, I'd still find fault with it - just to put that caveat out there) who go the "easy" route with food and once they find something their kid likes, they don't make the kid try anything else (she says, slightly hypocritically as her own daughter got two PBJ's for lunch today as she has for the past two weeks).

Oh my God, you guys! Why is it so hard to get caffeine. I couldn't take it any longer so I went across the street to get a coffee. Then I went to another building to go to an ATM. As I am entering the 2nd building I trip on some uneven pavement, roll my ankle, fall on my ass, and drop my brand new coffee, which splashes everywhere. (I also seem to be bleeding from the left knee.)

Why do the coffee gods hate me today?

Undeterred, I have bought a third coffee. But it's Tim Horton's, which is kind of rank.

Oh no, Sue! At least you finally have coffee!

(she says, slightly hypocritically as her own daughter got two PBJ's for lunch today as she has for the past two weeks).

Speaking as a person who likes to eat many things (and loved raw onions as a toddler) there is NOTHING WRONG with eating the same thing for lunch many days in a row.

My eldest sister called this morning to borrow money to bail my nephew's baby-mamma out of jail.

Before I had my coffee.

Oh I know it. Back in my single days, I would make a batch of lunch something and haul it to work until it was gone. Em gets on these kicks. For three weeks this winter it was chicken pot pies. We try to just pack her leftovers from the night before, but sometimes she either hated it (I made the jambalya *too* spicy for her, although part of that was her just being a PITA) or there's enough for Joe and I and she gets the fallback.

I have a feeling when she starts school next year, she's gonna be the only one without a Lunchables. Have you seen the sodium content on those things???

I still don't like sweet squashes.

And sweet potatoes? Blech.

Oi, Cash. Here's hoping that it was all a dream.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I double dosed myself with my allergy pill today because I've had two cups of coffee and am still all foggy-headed.