You are what you eat...

We've all heard that saying and we all know it's true. But do you know the saying: "They are what you eat..."? Meaning what you eat while pregnant is most likely going to influence what your kids crave as they get older?

I've found this to be very very true with my kids. While pregnant with Kael, I ate lots of salty-starchy kinds of foods: meats, pasta, pretzels, etc. Not so much sweets. Lots of vegetables. I can see that in what Kael tends to gravitate towards now (when he eats, that is). He's not a big sweet eater. He rarely eats cookies, cakes and cupcakes at parties and just now is starting to ask for candy (although he rarely takes more than a few licks or bites at a time). I have no problems giving him a lollipop because I know after a few licks, he'll ask to throw it away. Give him something salty like popcorn on the other hand, he'll eat until he's bloated.

With Malia, I couldn't stop eating sweets. Cakes, chocolate, ice cream, cookies... if it had sugar, I had to have at least 3 servings. I gorged myself on fruits. I went to Costco every 4 days to get more fruit and I'd eat it all by myself. Amazingly, I only gained 21 pounds and Malia was only 5 pounds, 6 ounces at birth so I don't know where it all went.

I tell you this story to explain Malia's newest behavior. We have a dish of odd snacks we've gotten over the holidays and haven't yet finished: Kisses, Christmas treats from Kael's holiday party at school, party favors, gifts, etc. -- a smorgasbord of sweets and candy. Somehow, I don't know how as she's a little peanut, she knows it's up there and will lead Truong or I to the right corner, point up to the counter and say: "Want choc! Want choc!" At first I didn't know what the heck she was asking for, so I hoisted her up and asked her what she wanted. Invariably she always pointed towards the dish and said with more vigor: "WANT CHOC! WANT CHOC!" It finally dawned on me that she was saying "Want chocolate! Want chocolate!"

Wow. She's only 20 months old and is already a choco-holic. And she's persistent: if one parent won't give in, she'll run to the other with a very pitiful expression on her face "Mama, mama! Want choc! Daddee, Daddee! Want choc!" Back and forth she goes until one parent caves in. Need you ask which one that is?

I don't think Kael got his first taste of chocolate until he was at least 2.5 years old. I'm embarrassed to admit how much my standards have dropped with Baby #2.