MARK MY WORD: HUNGRY 3-YEAR-OLD HAS TURNED INTO AN EATING MACHINE

Like a hungry caterpillar, Bailey devours everything in sight.

She's going through a growth spurt. It's turned her into an eating machine at age 3.

They say boys eat a lot, but no one could possibly consume as much as our youngest daughter has over the last few weeks.

"I'm hungry" is her constant refrain. She wakes up wanting to eat. She goes to bed with visions of Rice Krispy treats on her mind.

Recently, we went to a night game at Busch Stadium to watch the Cardinals play. Fortunately, we came prepared with enough food to feed an army in Kosovo.

Bailey ate before the game, during the game and after the game. She ate constantly. Her exploits in the eating game proved to be far more entertaining than the ball game on the field. The Cardinals didn't have any pitching and lost another game. That didn't make any difference to Bailey. She was just glad she had plenty of munchies.

I'm not sure where she puts all that food. She must have two or three stomachs the way she's eating. This isn't just any growth spurt. At this rate, Bailey is going to grow a foot or two overnight. We took her to the doctor the other day and learned she had gained four pounds since March. We just hoped the pounds hadn't all come last week. Meanwhile, we're going to need some more groceries.

The other evening we celebrated a nephew's birthday at a local restaurant. He just turned 14. That didn't matter, Bailey still ate him under the table. She ate a whole loaf of buttered bread, smiling broadly as she consumed each piece. This is a girl with an appetite.

Of course, at the end of the day, Bailey often complains that her stomach hurts. "Quit eating so much, " I tell her.

She doesn't see it that way. She just figures she needs more food. Hook her up to a conveyor belt of food and she'd be happy.

Unlike older daughter Becca, Bailey isn't discriminating when it comes to food. From Cheese Curls to broccoli, she likes it all.

All this food packs a punch. Bailey's in constant motion. Sitting still is a notion that seems foreign to her. She's always on the move, ready to raid the refrigerator at a moment's notice.

If adults ate this much food, they would just collapse into easy chairs. Not Bailey. Even with a full belly, she's fast. She keeps up with Becca, the two of them catching fireflies in the front yard in the twilight.

They love to capture those flickering bugs. Carefully, they place them in a plastic water bottle or other container for easy viewing. Even with her appetite, Bailey has shown no desire to eat fireflies. She prefers store-bought food. That's fine with us. We don't want Bailey glowing in the dark with her stomach full of dancing, flickering bugs.

Compared to Bailey, Becca's on a diet. Of course, even the hungriest football player would have trouble keeping up with Bailey.

In our home, we don't even try to compete with Bailey in the appetite department. Besides, her eating habits can be entertaining in the same way that alligators mesmerize the masses on the Discovery Channel.

I'm convinced she must be storing some of this food in her toes. It can't all fit in her stomach.

But wherever the food is going, it's not enough. So the feeding frenzy continues in our home.

With Bailey, we don't have to worry about leftovers.

~Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.