Campbell, our three year-old, is not an eater. On some days I am really concerned about how little she has eaten, and now she has suspiciously developed a distaste for her vitamin too. So…, Chris and I have put some teeth into our “eat at mealtime” policy; her practice had become mealtime antics at the table and then play the “I’m hungry card” at naptime, bedtime, or any other opportune time. We have begun to withhold certain privileges (like books in the bed at naptime or bedtime) if she doesn’t eat. I know making rules about eating is a tricky thing, and we do not require she eat all of her food. We just expect her to take the opportunity to eat when a meal is provided. That’s probably our main battleground with her right now, so when she does eat well (and we have definitely seen some improvement) we pour on the praise. “Campbell is a rock star!” I must have gushed recently. Now, I’m sure she has no context for what a rock star is, but she is totally down with being one. Yesterday I asked her to give me a squeeze, and she said…

I LOVE IT!!!!! That is one of the coolest things I have heard in a long time!

One other Campbell funny before I’m done. Will you indulge me? This morning Carson and I were involved in a high brow geography discussion on the way to school. We were discussing continents, time zones, and hemispheres. Where is Ghana? Which continent do we live on? Which hemisphere do we live in? Are the people in Ghana going to bed now since we are just waking up on this side of the Earth, etc… Right about the time I mentioned that we live in North America in the Northern Hemisphere, Campbell – quite annoyed and frustrated with the fact that she could not participate in our conversation- belted out, “We live in FLORENCE!”

She even takes a similar tactic when we pick Carson up from school. I love hearing about Carson’s day as soon as she gets in the car. I give her a kiss as she crawls into the backseat, turn off the music, and start firing away questions about what was for snack? who did you play with at recess? was anyone absent? did anyone get a color change? did you eat your lunch? how was art? etc…, and as Carson settles in and begins to relate the events of the day Campbell very often launches into the loudest, most obnoxious version of the ABC’s that you have ever heard.

Our spirited lil’ rock star…