She Has a Hollow Leg.

The title would NOT be referring to me. No, if I even look at a piece of food, I somehow absorb the calories from the food without even eating it. I'm referring to Hattie of course. That child can eat like a horse and where does it all go!?! I don't have a clue. It amazes me. Just this morning she had: a whole banana, a whole container of yogurt, a piece of toast with butter, a whole cup of a water/juice cocktail, and 5 ounces of whole milk.

Her dinner last night was a fairly large portion of spaghetti and meat, peas and carrots, corn, gold fish, 3 strawberries, a chocolate chip cookie, and 6 ounces of milk.

Maybe it's just me, but that seems like A LOT of food for a 20 lb. toddler to consume. And the thing is that she looks like she hardly eats. She's not skin and bone, but she has always been on the slight side of the growing chart. She can out-eat any toddler around her age, though, I'm sure of it.

And she is the biggest mooch. Neither Sean nor I can eat or even look like we're thinking about eating with Hattie in the room. She's like a dog. She smells it a mile away and is at our feet in 2 seconds flat begging for some, even if you know there is no way the child can be hungry after just consuming an entire meal in adult portions. It's a habit that we've allowed her to form because we've just always shared our food with her. Big first-time parent mistake.

I just don't know where she puts it all, which is why I have come to the conclusion that she must have a hollow leg.

In other news, we are house-hunting this weekend. It's been very stressful trying to figure out where to move in the Houston area. Sean's office will be in the Galleria area. Right now we are thinking Richmond or the Pearland/Friendswood area. Our main reasons for choosing these areas are schools, and they aren't too terribly far for Sean - but they will both still be a fairly long commute for him. We are also considering just renting a house not far from Sean's office for a few years. This way we can take advantage of the fact that Hattie isn't in school yet, so Sean can enjoy a shorter commute, and we don't have to commit to anything we aren't sure about right away. I don't want to rent. I WANT to buy, to plant our roots, own a home, PAINT, make my mark, but I also want to do what is best for our family......... suggestions of areas are appreciated! Perhaps you know of a great neighborhood a hop-skip-and-a-jump away from the Galleria area that is zoned to great schools, insures great neighbors, and has homes that are in the 2,000 sq. ft. range to accomodate a growing family. Oh yeah, and - here's the kicker - it must be affordable for a one income family.