This is a phrase I unfortunately hear my two-year old son say with alarming frequency.

Last week, the epic conflict of Gavin vs. Mommy’s Work Laptop came to a head. I walked into my living room one afternoon last week to find Gavin squeezing the water out of approximately 80 of his yellow, rubber bath companions directly onto my laptop (which was, at the time, resting perfectly innocently on our coffee table).

Now, I would chalk this up to general two-year old antics if not for the fact that we had had a discussion about not mixing water and electronics not even 24 hours prior to that. This was a very deliberate and smart, though mischievous, way to rid our family of my evil work computer.

I told relayed the story to my manager, who suggested I stop working so much and make an effort to spend more quality time with my son. I realized that I had been neglecting his needs and was saddened that it took someone else to make me realize it.

I changed my behavior drastically this week. Instead of coming home from work and half-watching Gavin / half-sending email, I didn’t even take my computer out of its bag. I made sure that the 4 hours we spent together each evening were 100% devoted to Gavin. We went to the local Farmer’s Market one night, the playground another, and even baked brownies together!

The result has been a special closeness between the two of us, one that I didn’t even realize was missing. While it is important that I work hard and succeed so that my son has a good, comfortable life, it is even more important that I am there for him now. From now on, when Gavin is awake, my computer will be closed.

I’ll admit it - I’m an odd duck. When my son became a toddler and started rejecting whatever fruit, vegetable, or meat Gerber saw fit to blend and bottle (because, really, what self-respecting preschooler would eat pureed meals?), I panicked. “What am I going to do?” I thought. “I have no idea what to feed a toddler!”

It’s been a challenge, no doubt, but finally, after a year of trial and error, I think I have crafted a long list of toddler-approved, healthy foods that can be given as a snack or combined to create a nutritious meal. Below are some of the toddler-friendly foods that have worked for me:

Best Bets 

• Edamame (soy beans) - This tops my list. You can buy it shelled and frozen, so it’s easy to prepare. It’s fun for toddlers to eat since they use their fingers, and it’s packed with lots and lots of protein!
• Yogurt - Possibly my son’s favorite food. Full of calcium and protein.
• Berries - The antioxidant power of berries is amazing. Plus, toddlers love the sweet taste of this finger food.
• Baby Carrots - Carrots are filled with beta carotene. Small, easy-to-eat baby carrots are perfect for little hands.
• Cheese - I have not yet found a type of cheese my son dislikes. Usually, I buy a big block of Cheddar and cut off squares to make a healthy, calcium-filled snack.
• Oatmeal- Oatmeal is both a filling and nutrient-rich breakfast. Almost all oatmeal is fortified with vitamins and minerals. Because oatmeal is thick and somewhat sticky, it’s the perfect texture for toddlers learning to use a spoon (it won’t fall off so easily).

Honorable Mention

• Avocado - Delicious, mild flavor and full of all the “good fats” you want your toddler to eat. The only possible drawback is the texture, which toddlers will sometimes reject.
• Tuna - My son would eat tuna morning, noon, and night if I let him. While fish is a great food to feed your toddler (hello, omega-3), tuna has a high mercury content so you should give it to your toddler in moderation.
• Peanut Butter - A healthy source of protein and fat, especially when paired with whole wheat bread. Plus, toddlers love all the different shapes you can make out of their sandwiches. Just make sure that your toddler is clear of allergies first.

Remember - it’s mostly about fun. Position the food as a special treat or let your toddler prepare it with you. And hey, if all else fails, a Flintstones vitamin ought to put your mind at ease.

A few months ago, I posted about a tool that analyzes your child’s facial features to determine which parent he or she more resembles. (If you haven’t seen it, check it out here.)

Equally fun - and possibly more so - is predicting what your baby could look like before birth. When I was pregnant, I spent hours and hours trying to predict my future baby’s eye color, hair color, height, facial features, you name it. There are a lot of cool sites out there where you can enter you and your partner’s features and they will predict what your baby may look like. Below are some of my favorites sites and tips on predicting what your baby may look like:

• Eye Color Predictor - What is the likelihood that your baby’s eyes would be brown? Blue? Green? All you need to know is your eye color, your partner’s eye color, and the grandparents’ eye colors - the site does the rest. It displays both genotype (genetic makeup) and phenotype (actual eye color) for all potential offspring.
• Height Estimator - Height is more variable than eye color, and thus, harder to predict prior to birth. However, the following rule should give you an idea of how tall your child may be: Take an average of the mother and father’s heights. Then, subtract 2 inches for a girl and add 2 inches for a boy to get your child’s (predicted) adult height.
• Hair Color - Probably the hardest trait to predict is hair color because there are believed to be multiple genes that influence it. Parents can produce children with a wide range of hair colors, regardless of their own. However, since dark hair is generally dominant to light, two parents with dark hair are much more likely to produce a blond baby than two parents with blond hair are to produce a dark haired baby. For more information on why this is, please read about dominant and recessive genes here.
• Dominant and Recessive Traits - Which traits are dominant? Which are recessive? Knowing this will allow you to make an educated guess at you and your partner’s genetic makeup and better predict what your baby may look like.