Day 10:This day was so fabulous that I almost feel like I don't want/need to take notes. But it is so important to remember this day! Day 10. Clara had 3 meals and 1 snack today.
Breakfast: We started out the morning at 9:30 with a waffle on the couch while we watched the Today Show. I was hoping she might duplicate what she did on Monday when we were waiting at the hospital. No such thing. She nibbled. Hardly. So I became a bit more hardball and told her we really did have to eat. I sat her in her highchair and made some oatmeal for Alan who was feeling nauseous today. She ate about a Tablespoon of what I reserved for her. Then ate 1/4 of a jumbo egg, 1/4 strip of thick cut bacon, an oz of yogurt and about 3 oz of milk flavored with coffee out of her coffee cup. We call it coffee, of course. She was so intently eating and so happily. I had no idea that 1.5 hours had passed since she first sat down to eat! This put all her meds behind, but who cares?!?!
Lunch: I was surprised she was actually okay with sitting down to eat again, but she really enjoyed the new fusilli pasta I made her. It is hard for her to eat much of it though as her chewing skills are still developing. It would take her forever to get a full meal of pasta. So, I pulled out some yogurt once she slowed down on the pasta. She ate the rest of the yogurt save a few bites. So proud!
Snack: Since she accepted banana yesterday, I pulled it out again today. I gave her a really large piece of a large banana so she could get both hands around it really well. She did a great job of holding it until she had eaten about half of it and it was getting really slippery. I rolled it in some graham cracker crumbs but was afraid this would change it enough that she wouldn't be interested. Instead, her interest simply changed to eating the globby bits of crumb/banana that she could scrap off the banana. Make-shift banana pudding! I mashed it a bit and added more cracker crumbs, but then that made her loose interest.
Dinner: Alan did Clara's dinner while I made our dinner. She had scrambled eggs again - amazing Daddy with her skills. And more banana. Again, Daddy was very proud. He asked if she usually ate this much (at the time 1 adult bite). I reminded him she had only been touching banana to her lips for a long while until yesterday. Today she was really taking large bites an mashing it really well as her gums would come down around it. Her whole mouth was involved. Once she tired of that, we pulled out a new baby food-pear blueberry oats. I'm not even sure it is allowed as it is technically in the "thin-skinned" fruits category. I don't know if it has been cooked or pasturized before pureed. I hope it's okay. She ate about an oz of that. Totally new food and completely new flavors, yet she tolerated it. Once our dinner was done, she tried her best to eat some of my rice and although I thought she would have loved the dijon, heavy cream, thyme chicken we had, she only picked it up and put it back down to pick up rice instead. (She does love rice although she really fails at eating it.)
Such an amazing day. Way to go, Clara!
1 comment:
This must be the most fulfilling, frustrating thing you guys have ever done! Having to think about food constantly, what she might eat, what she shouldn't eat (yet), etc., etc., is so overwhelming. I know you're totally engaged in making sure Clara eats well, but it's still hard to imagine how much thought and planning must have to go into it. You inspire me with your ideas - rolling the banana in the crumbs, etc. - it is so exciting to see how much difference it makes in what she does. I remember my DIL Pam telling me that a kid has to refuse something six or 8 times before you should finally give up on that one food for a while - but of course,that's a kid who's had a normal diet all his/her life. What you guys are dealing with is so far more complicated - WOW! And she's eating! And liking the foods and the flavors and the textures - you're doing a fabulous job!
It's too hot here to do more than wave as we drive by John and Carolyn's house, but we obviously think of you and them often, and hope to get to have a real chat with them soon.
Keep up the fantastic work - I can tell it's beginning to happen.
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