Sadie, the 2-year-old bottomless pit

As an oldest child, I can say that it’s not that we didn’t want our younger siblings to have good toys. It’s that we didn’t want them to have better toys than us. Same with good grades, fun birthday parties and desserts.

I see myself in my oldest niece, Mia. When her 2-year-old sister Sadie is having any kinds of fun with anything, Mia wants to be a part of it. And by a part of it I mean take over it. The reverse is almost true – when Mia is having fun, Sadie wants to be a part of it. The difference is that Sadie always suggests it’s “my turn” – she’s more than willing to share in the fun, not steal it away.

Kevin posted this status update on Facebook yesterday: “My 2-year-old, Sadie, has proven herself a cookie thief. When asked what happened to the dozen or so cookies that were on the counter, she replied, ‘I ate them.’”

I was cracking up laughing when I read that. Sadie really knows how to put down the food! How did a body that small manage to hide a dozen cookies anyway?

I asked Anil if he read the status and he started laughing and said his niece Anika also eats a lot. Anika has an older sister … Sadie has an older sister … I thought about Jenny, my younger sister, and she could totally pack the food away when we were kids. In her defense, she was playing all kinds of sports so her metabolism was at full throttle all the time – no wonder she could eat so much and stay so skinny!

Anil and I wondered if eating a lot is a second-child trait. “Eat it fast before big sis steals it” kind of mentality. What do you think?

I couldn’t help but think of my dogs. I originally thought of Breanna, the oldest dog, because she will eat literally anything you put in front of her. In fact, one day when she was a puppy I caught her inside of the dog food bag. The only thing sticking out was a wagging tail. I’m kinda thinking she would have eaten the whole thing if I hadn’t stopped her.

But then I thought of Kishin, the younger dog. He’s not food-obsessed the way Breanna is. But when they are eating their meals side-by-side, he wolfs it down. To the point of sometimes I worry he will choke if I don’t slow him down! But when he’s eating alone, he’s a very calm eater. I’m sure he eats fast so she won’t try to steal his food.

In big-sister mentality, for the record, when Breanna finishes her food she stands near Kishin’s bowl and growls at him while he eats. He’s about twice her size and the only way she’s getting that food is if he lets her have it, but that doesn’t stop her from trying.

My nephew Cai is getting a little brother in March. I wonder how much Cai Junior will eat??