He is What I Eat...or Something.

While reading my weekly update on the baby's progress, I learned something very important. Apparently, he is take a few gulps a day of the amniotic fluid in order to practice swallowing, which is great and all, but the delicious flavor of this fluid is coming from the things I eat. Even better, scientific research shows that what I eat now will effect what he has a taste for later.

Here's the problem with that...

I did not know that, and if I had not read it, I would soon be counted among the millions of mothers who wonder why on earth their kid won't eat anything but pb&j and plain pasta. Although, he'd also have a special place in his heart for pizza, all flavors of cake, and french fries, but who doesn't?

That being said, I have some serious work to do. I used to be a very healthy eater and only indulged occasionally and even when I did, I tried to keep it to a minimum. Now that I am pregnant, you can just go ahead and reverse what I just said and apply it to the past four months of my life. Gone are the days when grilled fish sounded appealing, or Orange Cup won out over Pacuigo Italian gelato. Pizza for me used to be homemade with turkey pepperoni and reduced fat cheese, but why bother with that when there's a sexy pilot out there who calls himself the Red Baron and specializes in making my mouth blissful in 22 minutes flat? (Or 17 for a softer crust). And yes, the multigrain bagel with light cream cheese is good, but the dutch apple streusel bagel with regular cream cheese is so much better. But alas, it is time to change my ways. A few years ago, I saw a little hippie-toddler, walking around with her hippie-mother, happily munching on a cucumber, oblivious to the world of cotton candy and ice cream cones, or even bags of salty goldfish. I decided at that moment that if I ever had a kid, that's how life would be. There would be no junk food in my house, no trips through the drive-thru, no soda. Maybe that's a little idealistic, but the baby hasn't been born yet, so I still get to be that way for a while.

So today (at lunch, breakfast was a write-off), I will start eating healthier and tricking my baby into thinking that all vegetables are delicious and not at all considered an acquired taste as you grow older. He'll also have to learn to like meats other than just the ground-up, patty shaped ones he has grown accustomed to. It's going to be hard, and I'm going to be really, really sad for a while, but it will all be worth it in the end. However, I did already put pancakes on the menu for breakfast this weekend, and I hate to be all wishy-washy, sooo...I guess it's ok if he likes pancakes. Lord knows his mother does.