Little angel?

The little rascal you see here, yeah, the one that looks like such a sweet angel, well, she's become an independent woman already. She has let me and John know that she can feed herself and she doesn't want baby food anymore. She will purse her little lips together, turn her head away, and, for good measure, wave her arms in front of her face if a spoon so much as comes close to her mouth. Let me tell you what a terrifying day this is for me. Now, I'm frantically searching the house for things that are soft enough for her little gums to "chew" up, as well as nutritious enough for her growing body. Don't get me wrong, as a parent, I realize that my job is to help her become more independent. I obviously don't want her to rely on me to feed her for the rest of her life. It's just very hard to find the perfect finger foods to meet her needs. When I think I've found just the thing, I go to the store, cook or heat it up, cut it into small pieces and proudly place it in front of her, all the time thinking this is just the perfect thing for her... only to find her pushing it across her tray with this cute little scrunched up face clearly letting me know that she doesn't want it. It's extremely frustrating. And daycare isn't making my job any easier. Nope, she's eating cinnamon toast (yes, with sugar added), hot dogs (choking hazard? not to mention the non-nutritious factor), and fish sticks (loving the fried foods.) I mean, who wants mashed green beans when you eat pizza for lunch?! So, I'm just venting a little, just letting you in on my current frustration. Who knew I'd get so excited when she'd willingly finish a jar of apple/apricot baby food? And yes, I did yell across the house to John that she ate a jar of fruit without crying. So, just be thankful all you parents (Sally and Matt) when your sweet little angel finishes all her food without a fuss. I can't help but be envious.