Down the Hatch!

There are many funny things about my little Arianna, but today I was thinking about her crazy way of eating. We have to watch her like a hawk when she eats because rather than savor and enjoy her food, she practically swallows everything whole!! There have been many times that she crams her mouth so full that she gags herself and we have to come to her rescue- sometimes even having to turn her upside down and whack her on the back a time of two.
Today at lunch I was giving her orange segments and realized she was maybe chewing them once and then swallowing. So, I started cutting each segment into 8 or so small pieces and giving them to her. However that alone is not enough! If you just plop it on her tray she will grab the entire handful and practically not chew at all and . . .down the hatch it goes! My next tactic was to spread said small pieces all over her tray so she HAS to pick them up one by one.
I know she is almost 2 years old and I should know by now to cut everything into small pieces and spread it around to begin with but, I keep thinking she's got to have outgrown this crazyness!! Even as a 6 month old eating rice cereal she would have a spoonful down and be chomping at the bit for more before we could reload ane get the spoon up to her mouth.
After lunch today I let Emma and Arianna have a package of fruit snacks as a treat. (Except that I made each of them give me one- it's a weakness I have-I LOVE fruit snacks!) Arianna was finished with her package before Emma had even eaten half of hers! Down the hatch!!!