Week 7, Day 2

We have officially begun our transition from therapist led sessions to Mommy led sessions!  I have been involved in feeding since we got here.  I typically feed the last half of most sessions and many all on my own with one of the therapists there to assist when needed.  Now, I am doing all the exercises, chewing practice, and facilitating the meal.  Next week, the therapists will move to the other room to watch, leaving me to entertain and distract Gavin on my own!  The idea is to get as close to real life as we can in this ideal therapy environment.  Hopefully, Gavin will realize that it is just the two of us in it for the long run and accept me as the primary feeder!  I’m not too worried.  It is funny though…I used to be terrified of sitting down at the table to feed him.  When we started our sessions back at home with Tiffany, my hands shook as I awkwardly presented the spoon to Gavin’s mouth.  I was scared he wouldn’t open his mouth, would gag, throw up, choke, scream, and/or freak out.  I am happy to say I am not scared of my two year old in the highchair anymore!  I’m still nervous when we sit down and say a little prayer for a good meal, but I know that we can work through the rough times and have some good meals!  I am coming to accept that Gavin will challenge me daily, but my job as his mom is to stand firm and be consistent…sounds like good parenting advice overall!  I look forward to the day we can sit down at the dinner table and have a nice conversation without having to say “bite’s turn, open for your bite…good open….drink’s turn…one…two…three…good drink!”  SomedayJ

Gavin had an okay day.  He seemed a little out of it when he woke up this morning and then again after his nap, so we kind of tiptoe around him just a bit!  The last session again kept us from going to Chuck-E-Cheese’s.  Gavin practiced chewing meatball.  We still laugh and joke about Gavin’s cousin Ben at Thanksgiving running around the house yelling “Meatball!  Meatball!”  He LOVES meatballs!  At first, the reminder of Ben peaked Gavin’s interest for the meatball, but halfway through the first bite he decided it would be more fun to chew it real good and spit it out.  Then, he started packing it in the back of his mouth saying it was gum and he couldn’t swallow.  I think Gavin needs a few pointers from Ben! 

Eleven more days and 32 more sessions before we go home!!  We will have had 148 sessions in the eight weeks that we’ve been here!  That is basically three years of therapy in two months!  Gavin and I, with the help, love, and support of Eric, family and friends are going to keep at this for as long as we need to until Gavin reaches his end goal of eating.  We still have quite a journey ahead of us, but we are SO much closer to the end than we were!!!  This feeding clinic is truly amazing!!!!