Food Intake

I don't write much about my boys' food intake. It isn't that I purposefully avoid the subject, it is just that the subject is kinda boring for me at this point. The subject, of course, being: the huge amount of food that they consume. I mean, it is just always the same old thing: "Oh good golly!!?! They eat sooooooooo much!!!!!!!" It has been like this from Day One with them. They have always eaten a ton. Especially now, with Meera being about the age K & O were when we brought them home, the comparisons are always looming. She eats very well, and she eats plenty (just look at any photo of her and you'll see that she's not lacking in the chub department, that's for sure!!!)... but compared to Kyle and Owen... she eats like a bird. At first, for obvious reasons (i.e., malnourishment), our baby boys just couldn't get enough. They'd eat and eat and eat and then pound down a full 8 ounce bottle of formula like it was nothing. People who witnessed it would be astounded, just watching in shock as these tiny babies ate more than you could imagine. I remember calling our pediatrician when the boys were about 11 or 12 months old (one of many phone calls about their food intake), asking her, "How many bananas should I let Kyle eat per day?" She ended up giving no limit (that was her philosophy and it worked well for us), and neither boy ever once ate so much that they threw up (although that was astounding and shocking in itself if you could see how much they'd sometimes ingest). But there were a few months there, from about age 11 months to about age 15 months, when I was buying bananas in bulk each week because Kyle was averaging 3-4 bananas per day. And Owen wasn't too far behind him. You do the math. (That's a lot of bananas.) Anyhoo.... they are now 4 1/2 years old, and, although I'm quite accustomed to the insanity that is the food-production-project for them (note: I am the sole food provider/preparer for the family, Braydon does none of it. Also note: I do not do laundry. ever.), there are still times when even I am truly astounded. Last night was one of them. During dinner, Kyle singlehandedly ate an entire 16 oz bag of baby carrots (with nothing on them, simply steamed). That is in addition to a nice size piece of fish, a huge helping of rice, and some spinach salad. The rest of us ate not one carrot. He ate all of them. He had seconds, thirds, fourths, and then finally just pulled the serving bowl over next to his plate and started just eating them straight from the bowl. Until none were left. And Owen... last night Owen ate so much fish I kinda felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it. I know how much I bought (a full 2 pounds), and I know how much Kyle, Braydon, and I ate (I dished it out). Thus, I know that Owen ate at least 3/4 pound (if not a full pound) of fresh tilapia. Granted, I prepared it his favorite way (blackened, with lemon butter sauce). But still. That is a lot of fish for a little boy. Especially when you consider he had thirds on the spinach salad, ate a mound of rice, and a big chunk of bread heavily slathered with butter. Seriously, whenever I get on this topic, I always circle 'round to the same thing: If they eat like this now, what on earth will they be eating when they're 16??? (and more to the point: how on earth will I keep up with them from the kitchen?!??) But don't get me wrong-- The Kyle-Owen-food-production-project is a problem that I love. There is nothing better than watching my boys devour a meal that I just cooked up at the end of a day. I'm pretty sure I'll feel the same way as I do now when they're 16.