Week 3, Day 4

We have almost made it through three weeks here!!!  Gavin continued to make progress, especially when it comes to eating table foods!!  He successfully ate almost half an ounce of a solid bananaJ  I was happy to hear Dr. Clawson say that we need to keep pushing Gavin with chewing more solids, even after yesterday’s vomit over a blueberry muffin.  The only way he will learn is with practice, practice, practice!  Table foods were incorporated in the food rotation during the first half of Gavin’s meals today.  It is interesting to me that we are practicing foods at two different extremes…table foods with purees.  I guess that’s what “normal” kids do around 12 months though…I don’t really know!  Hopefully that means we are close to texture grading Gavin’s food to closer to a stage 3 baby food.  It sounds like Dr. Clawson wants to push him a little harder since he is doing so well with chewing!!

I had a wonderful birthday today!  One of the therapists, Emily, brought in donut holes and donut balls.  (I didn’t realize there was a difference, but apparently there is!); a couple here in the house with a baby in the NICU slipped a birthday card under my door; and my parents arrived tonight to take us out to dinner, which included a much needed glass of wine!  I even got two packages from my Aunt Janet and Uncle Bob with books for Gavin, a purse for me, and beautiful cookies.  Thank you guys so much!!!

 I think the best part of my day was that Gavin actually ate a little bite of each birthday treat that I got!  He ate some of a strawberry donut ball, the cookies from Aunt Janet, three rigatoni noodles from my dinner, and a tiny piece of the key lime pie!!!  I couldn’t ask for a better birthday present.  I’m sure you can all guess what my birthday wish wasJ

My parents arrived just after our last session today.  They flew into Louisville and stopped at Churchill Downs for a tour before driving to Evansville.  It was so nice to see them again!  We had a nice little birthday celebration in their hotel room before heading to dinner.  They will come to the clinic tomorrow and hopefully get to feed Gavin as well.  There is so much structure required for Gavin to eat, it is important that I am not the only one who can feed him in case I’m ever sick or out of town.  Hopefully Monster Gavin plays nice with Grandma and Grandpa!  It will be nice to have some company (and help) over the weekend.

 Thank you all for the nice birthday wishes through Facebook, email, and text!