Saturday, September 21, 2013

Look who's finally eating!!

I know it's been a minute since I updated! I just had to stop and update on some fun new goals Asa is finally meeting!

Asa struggled with feeding since he was 2 months old. When he was 9 months old we had a feeding tube put in so that he could grow. He was fed an elemental formula, but we stilled tried to get him to eat normally. He had feeding therapy until he started school when he was 3. Once he learned to drink out of a straw he was able to drink his calories instead of using the tube. We kinda thought this is the way he'd get his nutrition forever. And that was ok. Food could be for fun and he'd drink enough elemental formula to grow.

Then Asa decided to eat!he was eating so much that we got to reduce his cups of formula a day. He didn't eat a large variety of food but he still ate. Midway through last school year, I started sending a lunch box to school for him because he was taking other kids lunch trays!

As his appetite grew so did his desire to try new foods. He was having a hard time with meat and chewing. He would stuff the tiny bites of chicken nuggets into his mouth until he had the whole nugget in his mouth! Sooooo, we started feeding therapy again! He had a breakfast date once a week with sweet Amy, who tried to show him how to chew and swallow. He was not a great learner! He doesn't like following directions very often! Despite his poor cooperation, something clicked with him and he began eating without stuffing his mouth....mostly. and I learned some tricks to help him do his best. We got to a really great place where he eat without choking or me having to clear his mouth out so we stopped therapy again and lived happily ever after!





Not exactly happily ever after.... Now we have to teach him not to eat his art projects!!



And we should talk about not "loving" our food.



He is trying so many new foods! He has started eating scrambled eggs, oatmeal, French fries, broccoli and so much more! Today, he was fusing for Cade's fries and we told Cade to give him a fry to hold. Asa never eats fries but likes to hold them. This time, however, he shoved the fry into his mouth a held his hand out for more!!


We are doing well on the feeding, but we better start working on table manners!