I'd like to raise a glass today to celebrate two milestones: 1. Kaleb ate a fruit, and 2. We now have a live-in babysitter, aka, Abigail. That's right. (Drink) Last night, we all went over to my mom's house which is conveniently located right down the street from downtown Chatham. We armed them with pizza and ice cream, and gave them permission to "rent" an on-demand movie. Then off went the adults leaving the kids to hash out the movie selection. And guess what? They were (drink) all alive when we returned. No one even got hurt! As an added bonus, Abigail was ushering the little ones off to bed and had put ALL THE DISHES IN THE SINK. Miracles do happen.
For awhile now, Abigail has stepped up to the plate in her oldest child role. She can pacify the twins when they're up in arms about something I've lost patience with. She consoles them when they lose in a battle of sibling rivalry. She is (drink) even able to convince them that the monsters Kaleb said live in their closet aren't real. We thought she was ready to be put to the test, and for quick and close outings, will be our go-to sitter.
Now, about that fruit. It all started when Kaleb declared he wanted us to buy apple-something. He couldn't recall the missing word in the title of said item. But he had me at apple. We tried to solve the mystery. (Drink) Applesauce? Apple chips? Apple butter? Hell, I would have been happy with apple pie if it meant getting some fruit into the kid. Then, it came to him. Apple Jacks! Crap.
I explained that Apple Jacks have more sugar than the already sugary cereal we reluctantly serve. "No it doesn't!" he retaliated, "it has the same sugar as Cheerios." A quick Google search proved him wrong. And then something strange happened. "Fine, I'll have apples." Say what? I tried not to make a big deal as I grabbed the shiniest apple from the fruit bowl. "Five slices. Peeled." He demanded. Whatever you say, your highness. I did as ordered, but he was completely zoned out on his tablet by the time the peeling and cutting was complete. I placed the plate next to him and waited.
"Over under three and a half?" James asked. "Way under. No question." We continued to wait. Nothing. Finally, I lifted one of the ears of his headphones and alerted him that his apples were ready. He picked one up and looked at it skeptically. The tiniest brown bit struck (drink) his attention and he picked at it explaining that he doesn't like the bruised parts. I was confident I had the over/under win in the bag. But then, VERY SLOWLY, he started eating it. And he didn't gag. Or spit it out. Or make a sour face. Was I seeing things?
He was eating at snail's pace, though, and one of the twins "needed" me urgently. So I left James to monitor the apple-eating. About (drink) an hour later, I received this text: (kindly ignore the disgusting sink in the background)
It was a bet I was willing to lose. Kaleb actually ate fruit. Three and a half slices of apple to be exact. Miracles do happen. You just have to watch for them.