Behold, the Amazing Salad Eating Baby!!

Aaron loves salad.

I discovered this when we were in Ohio and Katrina and I took the kids out to lunch. I ordered a salad, and while I was eating it, Aaron - who was sitting in a high chair right next to me - reached out and grabbed a fistful of greens right off my plate.

I never would have thought of offering him salad, even though he's always been a good eater, but once I saw how crazy he was about it, I spent the rest of the meal helping him spear pieces of lettuce with his fork.

For the rest of the week, Katrina and I experimented with what kinds of salad Aaron would eat - mostly because we both got such a kick out of watching him do it. Italian dressing - yay! Tahini dressing - yuck! We even gave Aaron some salad one night when Katrina's husband, Chris, was home, as if he were a pet with a new trick we wanted to show off.

Keri suggested I make a video of Aaron eating salad and put it on YouTube.

So, it's clear what this means, right? I don't have to spell it out for you, do I? Finally, empirical evidence that I am a better mom than Keri! Her kids don't eat salad, do they? They eat hot dogs and macaroni and cheese, just like Erika, Hilary, Gretchen, and virtually every other kid I know - and you would expect Declan and Ronan to have a genetic advantage. After all, they're the offspring of professional chefs. But I managed to create a perfect eater without even trying! Imagine what kind of super-parent I could be if I actually applied myself!

(Did I mention what Aaron had for lunch yesterday, when Keri, Lauren, the twins and I went out after the gym? Roasted red pepper chicken salad and a cold couscous salad (that I had ordered for myself) with a grilled cheese chaser (which I had ordered for him and Gretchen)).

Actually, I'm expecting any day now that Aaron will start rejecting foods he now loves - mushrooms, beans, and yes, salad. I wrote an essay for Babble on picky eaters (see the link under "Stuff Amy Wrote"), and found some research in the New York Times indicating that kids are their pickiest between the ages of 2 and 5. I wouldn't be surprised if, a year from now, Aaron's diet is much more limited.

So, you can't blame me for gloating while I have the chance. Where is that video camera, anyway?