Lilobites

Our Siena Word of the Day is "Lilobites." This has nothing to do with your hard drive or a Cambrian-era arthropod (and if you laughed at that, then you need to turn off The Discovery Channel and go for a jog).

Lilobites is a word Siena repeats three times a day: at every meal.

Whether it's cereal, veggie corn-dogs, or penne arrabiata, she crams as much onto her eating utensil, unhinges her jaw, and shoves in as the maximum amount of food per bite. Some of you are speculating where my daughter picked up this habit, and you may keep your speculation to yourselves.

Anyway, we have taught Siena to take little bites rather than big ones. And we have at least partially succeeded. Whenever she tries to take one of these lumberjack-sized helpings, we admonish her by asking her what kind of bites she should take. And our bright little toddler dutifully responds, "Lilobites." And then she crams in the whole forkful.

She doesn't always act the gourmand, though. At times she'll pause before lifting her fork of stir-fry and say "Lilobites," and actually pick up a modest amount. She just has a difficulty with self-restraint. For someone's who's two-and-a-quarter, that seems entirely forgiveable.