Feeding Therapy Week 4

My happy little man is finishing his 4th week of feeding therapy tomorrow.  I have to say, while I hate the 1.5 hour drive each way to Baltimore, the weeks are going by fast and he really has adjusted well to the change in schedule and all of the new people.  I am so lucky to have such an outgoing and happy kid. 

This week, he:

• Voluntarily put the chewy tube in his mouth at every meal
• Ate 3 bites of mashed potatoes before he refused them (of course, they were mixed with his baby food)
• Didn't throw a huge tantrum when the therapist put crumbs on his mouth.  He cried, but only for a few minutes. 

Concerns:

• The 6 week program is over in 2 weeks and he is still only eating baby food and still not feeding himself.  Will I be packing baby food in his lunch forever?
• The head Therapist told me she has never seen a child as happy, but as stubborn as mine when it comes to food.  Nothing works.  He doesn't care if you take his toys away or ignore him.  I guess I should take it as a compliment that he is self-sufficient when it comes to entertaining himself :). 

Next week they will start training us on ways we can help him at home.  I was hoping that he would come out of the program eating Mac and Cheese or at least Mashed Potatoes and Speghetti O's, but I guess I need to come to the realization that this process will take more time than I thought. 

Look what Pax did!!!

Big step guys.... He is now chewing on his chewy tube which means his jaw muscles will start getting stronger!

Thanks Oprah!

Last year, my bff Melissa and I took a trip to Chicago to see Oprah for one of her last 30 shows.  We were there for the Best Friends Show.  The audience was full of people who had been best friends for years.  To win tickets, Melissa submitted a story about our friendship and pictures of us together. 

Melissa and I have been friends for 12 years.  This is her holding Paxton after his baptism.  She is his Godmother. 

I'm getting off track....At the show, we won tickets to Mirval Spa  (complete with airfare, clothes, and spending $).  And finally, 8 months later, we are planning our adventure.  In 2 weeks, we will be heading west for some R and R and maybe some zip lining too!  Woo hoo!  So, thank you Oprah for the amazing gift.  I can't wait to share pictures and stories of our adventures!

Paxton Update

As you may or may not know, Paxton is not eating solid food or talking yet.  We are working with the Infants and Toddlers Program in our county.  We had our 3rd speech therapy session today.  Paxton is learning sign language.  He knows a few signs now and we watch our signing times DVDs at least 4 times a day.  He just gets so frustrated when he can't communicate what he wants or needs.  I'm hoping this will help.
We have had no improvement in his eating.  He will still only eat pureed baby food or yogurt.  We are trying different exercises like drinking out of a straw, blowing bubbles, etc., to help develop his jaw muscles.  Hopefully, this will improve by September when he is supposed to start nursery school.  I will try to keep updating this as he progresses.  In the meantime, here is a cute picture of my handsome little man.

Florida Recap...

Last week, we took a trip to Bradenton, Fl to visit my Dad, Stepmom, my sister, Kelly and her family.  My kids did great!!  I had previously sworn off all travel until they were at least 5 after our last disasterous vacation; however, my kids proved me wrong.  Minus a couple of meltdowns, they were fantatic  Wednesday, we went swimming.  Paxton did not want to get out. 

Thursday, we went to the outlets.  The kids had fun riding a couple of rides. 

Friday, we visited the local winery.  Yum....

 Saturday, my sister Kelly came by with her kids and we played outside, played at the park, and posed for family pictures.  Of course, I thought we were done so I'm in my pj's for a few.  Oops. 

One of my favorites is the picture I got of my Dad with Paxton

We also stopped to smell the flowers....

We painted our nails

We stole Grandpa's chair



We played dress up....

and finally, we watched Mickey Mouse Club and slept (some more than others)....

Of course, no trip is without tantrums...

But overall, we had a great time and the kids loved spending time with their grandparents.