Cake

We have been very strict about giving Anna sugar. She wasn't picking up food on her own at her first birthday so I only gave her a very small piece of cupcake. She seemed to enjoy it but didn't get upset when I took it away so I decided to wait until she could do it herself.

She started eating on her own a few months after her first birthday, but we continued to keep sweets away from her since she didn't know what she was missing.

By the time Anna reached her second birthday she still had had very little sugar. So I decided it was time to treat Anna. I bought an ice cream cake for her birthday and since by this time she was eating with a spoon, I gave her some in her own bowl. At first, the coldness of the ice cream surprised her so she didn't dive in the way I expected. But as soon as she got over the initial shock, she devoured it with a great big smile.

We still don't let her have sweets on a regular basis, but it was unavoidable a couple of Saturdays ago when we had some friends over. She was still up when it was time for dessert and everyone was sitting around in the Great Room enjoying a delicious pineapple cake. I knew it would be virtually impossible to keep Anna from begging at my feet so I sat on the floor with her and gave her tiny bites in between my own. She looked like a little dog as she leaned in with her mouth open and even went as far as climbing on top of me so she could get as close as possible to the plate of cake. She was quite a sight.