Picky - WAHHH!!

It is true, my worst nightmare has come true.  I have tried to deny it for some time now.  I have tried to convince myself that it is his age, he will grow out of it.  However, I am afraid I might have to face the truth and accept it for what it is.  When Evan was little, he was a little picky about the things he would eat.  For example, he never really would eat green beans.  I, of course, didn't blame him on that one - I hate the little buggers myself.  However, aside for green beans and applesauce of all things, he ate pretty much everything.  He ate sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, pears, peas, avocado, bananas, potatoes, peaches, prunes (for heaven's sake!).  As he started transitioning out of the blended food and into the regular food I noticed he seemed to have issues with the texture of things.  That was my first hint, but I chose to ignore it.  He still was eating black beans, lentil beans, edamame, toast, yogurt, fruit, eggs (only hard boiled), cheese and noodles.  He wouldn't touch meat, but I figured he was, after all, a vegetarian from the womb and I couldn't be too upset with all the other forms of protein he was getting.  As we kept trying different foods we would get the occasional, "NO!" from him, but could usually find something that he would eat.  This included being able to hide good vegetables in other foods -- for example blending spinach up and putting it in pizza sauce, or making a delicious homemade mac and cheese that had broccoli in it where he didn't seem to mind the green specs. 

HOWEVER this is all rapidly changing and the other day I hit an all-time low as a parent.  Steve made him his lovely mac and cheese with broc. and we all sat down at the table to eat it.  Evan took a few bites and then started crying saying, "Real noodles!  I want real noodles!"  Me: "what on earth are you talking about?  These are real noodles."  Him: "No, real noodles!"  Me: "I don't understand."  Him: gets out of his chair, goes to the fridge to find the leftover Annie's Mac and Cheese from a few nights ago and points in true delight.  Oh.  Awesome.  My son now won't eat the broccoli version because he thinks mac and cheese out of a box is the "real" version. 

WAHHH!!! He is getting worse and worse.  We are down to a limited number of things that he will actually eat.  When he went to the dr. for his two year check up she tried to give me some options of things he can try, but reassured me that as long as he is eating six different types of food (I don't know where that number comes from), but as long as he is eating six as the magic number they don't start to worry YET.  Let's see.  I can count 6 things, but I am uncertain if Betty Crocker BlueBerry Muffins and M&M's should count on my list.  :)  Other than those, he will eat:  French toast, waffles, yogurt, cheese, noodles (butter w/ parm or Mac and Cheese), peanut butter sandwiches (sometimes), granola bars, hot dogs (on occasion), most fruit and tortillas.  That is 10.   The hardest part is knowing if pickiness is genetic, he is in for a long road.  I absolutely HATE being picky and would do anything to enjoy a nice tomato, or something with onions, maybe a mushroom or something!  Totally sad.

On a side note, if you would like to try the yummy homemade mac and cheese that I no longer have any use for, here is the recipe:
1 box noodles (we use(d) whole grain shell noodles so they were easier for him to scoop)
1 bag fresh broccoli (if you are not trying to hide the broccoli, you can use it straight from the bag, if you need it to be a little smaller, we typically cut it into pretty small pieces)
2 bags shredded sharp cheddar
2 cups milk.
Parm cheese for top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Boil water, put noodles and broccoli in the water together and boil until the noodles are tender.
Drain water and put back in pan.
Add cheese and stir until melty.
Add milk and stir.
Pour mixture into a casserole dish, sprinkle with Parm cheese and cook for 15 min.
Totally YUMMY!