Well as hoped today WAS a better eating day. This mommy is a very happy mommy tonight and can go to bed with a huge smile on her face.
This morning I was late for breakfast and when I got to the table. Jason was sitting with Bruce with a bowl of custard and jelly in front of him with a spoon in his hand. He had already tried daddy’s paw paw - 4 spoons of paw paw. He didn’t really like the paw paw, spat it out but kept going back for more so that was fantastic. He also had some jelly and lots of water.
The 12pm play picnic was a great success. We all started off weary after yesterday’s performance but decided to give it another go. Well granny had got all soft foods for Jason - custard, jelly and avo and mommy and granny were tired of eating pretzels from the day before so granny made us pop corn to munch on. Well dad tried the jelly and custard which he accepted spoons of the jelly but soon got tired of that and to our "horror" he decided he wanted pop corn as well. Horror because we were afraid of him choking. BUT he put piece after piece in his mouth - 4 to be exact. The first two pieces he chewed and spat out but the second two pieces he chewed, swallowed and finished them off with water. He had LOTS of water.
Lunch time while we were having our lunch we were drinking coke and he stole my glass of coke. So mommy got herself another glass of coke and Jason thoroughly enjoyed taking sip after sip. I would say he had between 10 and 12 sips of coke.
This afternoon while watching cbeebees we saw him sucking on his sucker as well and he drank lots of water out a sports bottle. I cannot tell you how happy and proud it made me to see my little man drinking sip after sip of water out a bottle. I watched him drinking and watched the bubbles go back in the bottle, a big mouthful of water and watched him swallow. I am just so proud and cannot believe that this is my child drinking like this!
Dinner time we invited him to the table, he threw himself off the chair as if to say no ways am I eating mash and gravy. So we just let him be but poured him a glass of coke. He again took sip after sip of coke and was loving it. Then it was time for ice cream. Grandpa loves his ice cream and chocolate sauce and it’s Jason’s new job to deliver the bowl of ice cream to whoever is eating ice cream. So he delivered grandpa his ice cream, he delivered mommy her ice cream and then he delivered himself his ice cream. Sat on his chair next to me and happily took spoons of ice cream!!
SO today was HUGE steps forward and we are all so pleased and so proud of our little man for showing such an interest in food and drinks today. He is finally seeing that food will not hurt him and food is actually nice! Not lots goes down but a lot certainly goes in his mouth and eventually will go down.
His speech is coming along in leaps and bounds. He use to say "da" now he says "daddy", "no" is a big favorite as well, he pronounces "granny" and "grandpa" so nicely and just all his words and understanding has suddenly taken off. It’s amazing to hear and see the changes in such a short space of time.
We all keep saying - especially granny that we have not seen so much of his teeth every day. He smiles all the time, is so happy and so cheerful. Gone are the days where he is gagging and feeling sick. He is so healthy and so happy and all because he is no longer tube fed.
Although we are on a strict routine and tube wean we are still managing to have fun and enjoy our holiday. We went for a nice walk this morning to the beach, had a nice swim in the swimming pool and a great afternoon nap.
Well we got another week here, have extended our holiday as we don’t want to break the cycle, need some more time and don’t want to break the great routine we are in. I have a tax deadline on the 31st January which concerns me but this is a once in a lifetime change for my little man and we have to do this and see it through. I will just have to work extra hard to get all my work done. And when we return Jason will be back at school and hopefully eating nicely and he can again join all his little friends at school and eat happily with them. I can’t wait for Jeanette and Carol (his teachers) to see the changes and the eating.
Oops I have babbled on and on but I am just so happy, so excited and so proud of our amazing little man!! Today I got so many loves from him and that was really special. I felt really special by each cuddle and touch he gave me and I am the proudest mommy tonight! Our prayers are being answered and God is watching over us every day!