If we used the "title" feature on this blog program, this post could correctly be titled "avoidance" but for whatever reason (expediency?) we've always ignored that text box so you'll just have to imagine at the top of this post. Tomorrow is my accounting midterm, and I feel that by now my brain is full. Anything else I try to cram in will only result in something getting squeezed out, so I'm going to just go with what I know and hope it will be enough. Just to be safe, any of you who happen to be "numbers people" (and you know who you are!) please send some of your karma my way around 6 p.m. tomorrow!

Edward took some long naps this weekend, which meant some solid afternoon study time. He was worn out from entertaining us, and also because he has another cold. Ugh. One more reason I'll welcome spring with open arms whenever it decides to arrive (50s in the forecast this week--hooray!) He was also quite busy with one new toy and one new use of an old toy. His play tunnel arrived with blessed speed last week and was immediately opened and "set up" (that is, we pulled the velcro tabs and it sprang into full shape.) It's basically just a huge spring covered in tent fabric. He didn't know quite what to make of it at first, but when I got down at one end and called him, he figured out that he could crawl through to find me. Then I really blew his mind when I looked in through the "window" (a bit of mesh--the black part you can see in the photo) and when I scratched the top of his head through the fabric. He really liked that--especially the sound of scratching on the fabric, very swishy. It's a hit for sure, though it hasn't stopped the under-table adventures. I think he's kind of figuring out what we mean when we say "don't touch the cord" because sometimes he goes under the table and seems to be heading for the cord, but changes direction or just turns around to sit and observe the world from that vantage point. But I don't kid myself that this challenge is behind us. There are at least as many times when he totally ignores our instructions and heads straight for the cord with both hands.

His other toy adventure this week was figuring out how to dump his wagon full of blocks. Up to now he's been content to push it around or take the blocks out one at a time. I think the first dump was accidental, but then he realized how much fun it was and the wagon was never full again. Then he took it another step further and discovered that he could balance the handle against the basket in dump position and have a full-height push toy. He was extremely satisfied with himself pushing this all around the living room.

In addition to his cold, Edward's other current health news is low iron. He had some labs drawn at his 12-month appointment back in early January and they showed his hemoglobin just slightly lower than the desired range. The doctor sent us a letter explaining this along with a prescription for iron drops to be taken three times a day. We thought that since he was so close to the desired level we should try being more diligent about giving him his vitamin, which contains iron, and got the doctor's go-ahead to try this for a month and then repeat the labs. We haven't missed a vitamin dose since then, but his repeat labs showed the level hadn't increased enough, so now he's on the three-times-daily iron. Our doctor says this is not unusual for kids his age, since they are still working up to a well-rounded diet. That is certainly true in Edward's case. There are only a few things he'll eat consistently--fruit, yogurt, spaghetti, cheerios--and the rest it's anybody's guess as to whether he'll take it in or turn up his nose. Even something he previously ate and seemed to love can fall victim to his fickle palate. The beef stew that survived last weekend's power outage made three appearances (love the left-overs!) and was only enthusiastically received on the second go-round. He had his first Lenten fish on Friday (Van de Kamps) and loved it. Tonight when offered mashed potatoes and roast beef he would not open his mouth (I even tried putting ketchup on the roast beef--yar!) Instead he ate a squished cheese sandwich (what's this?). I made broccoli because every time they serve it at the daycare they report that he eats two or three helpings. But tonight, nothing. He did enjoy playing with it though--squishing the pieces and picking them apart. I know there's something about watching other kids eat that encourages him to eat more at daycare. We're also thinking that maybe his big meal of the day is lunch rather than dinner so we may adjust our weekend meal plans and see what happens. Ultimately though, we know he's not going hungry (!) so we'll just keep offering a variety, and he'll eat what he wants when he wants to. I feel my grandma's watchful eye when tossing the portion he rejects, but then I consider a recent University of Iowa study that showed parents have poor eating habits compared with childless adults, in part because parents eat their kids' leftovers or, more generally, eat the unhealthy items kids love like hot dogs and chicken nuggets. So it seems to be a choice between throwing it away or adding it to my own waistline. That's definitely a no-brainer!