Sweet Potato Sausage

This was one of those lovely parenting moments that I'll probably always remember. Like when Alexander (at age one) toddled over to stand beneath the basketball hoop and I, thinking I wouldn't make it, thinking it was probably the safest place for him to stand, shot the basketball. Poor, unsuspecting Alexander watched the ball fly to the hoop. He tipped his little head back and watched the big, orange ball come down through the net, down, down, to smash into his little face.

Not one of my shining moments as a parent.

Here's another one, though not quite as bad. We were coming home late after picking Alexander up from school. Annabel was tired and cranky and hungry. She screamed hysterically when I set her down to prepare lunch. Then she wouldn't eat any of it, even though she loves sweet potatoes. She only wanted to be in my arms. So, I strapped her to my back and she calmed down.

As I got Alexander's food ready, I gave her bites of sweet potato on a fork. I couldn't see her eating them, but every time I reached around with the fork, the bites disappeared. After 7 or 8 such bites, Alexander said, "She's asleep. And she's got food in her mouth."

I asked him to get it out, since I couldn't reach, but he said it was too gross. Finally, I went to the mirror.

I had to take her off my back to get the sweet potato out, and she woke up during the process. A huge sausage of sweet potato came out of her mouth! I couldn't believe her mouth could hold that much. I don't think she swallowed one bite of what I gave her. She must have fallen asleep on the first bite. And I just kept shoveling it it!

My poor kids.