Mom, Do NOT Feed Me Baby Food Mush!

We are still working on Liam's feeding. We have made progress in terms of bananas and yogurt. I can put almost anything in yogurt, and he'll eat it. But, we haven't gotten to where he'll eat other things of similar consistancies to yogurt. I decided it was time to at least try. Here's how it went.

Strawberry Mango Yogurt-Check!

Fresh Banana-Check! (actually he ate two bananas)

Baby Food Oatmeal With Pears and Cinnamon-Um, no thanks. Not so much.

Baby Food Turkey Dinner With Potatoes, Peas, and Carrots-Not a Chance in Hell.

As you can see from the photos, though, he was satisfied by the time he was done. He loved that banana best of all. The only downside was that I then had to redress his burn because of all the banana guts in the dressing.

(By the way, we saw the dr. today, and his burn seems to be healing according to what should happen. So far, no complications. We will take that!)

I See a Lot of First Dates in His Future

Liam is working hard on learning to eat. It's been a challenge, but he's making leaps and bounds. I finally decided it was time to take the next step with him, and see how he'd do with self-feeding. Jan (his SLP with ECI) says I need to get over my sensory issues with sticky messes and really let him get into. So, I did.

Here you can see the results of that. As you can see, he needs to be fed naked pretty much every time. He also holds his spoon upside down, or in the opposite hand that he's feeding himself with. Lastly, it seems he gets a big on his face. And arms. And tummy. And in his hair.

Yeah. I see him getting a lot of first dates. I'm not so sure about second dates, though.

An Exciting Accomplishment for Liam

I've mentioned several times about Liam's oral sensory issues and his difficulty learning to eat. It has been a very slow process with continual progress. He has gone from only taking formula to accepting yogurt to accepting most anything in his yogurt to pediasure. Progress, progress, progress. It's so great to see him making leaps and bounds in something so very important.

So what is the big exciting accomplishment? Banana. Yep. That's it, and it is truly an amazing thing for him. It's not just that he's eating mushed up bananas. Tonight, I took his spoon and just used it to break off pieces of banana.

He took the food off the spoon, moved it to the side of his mouth and CHEWED. HE CHEWED!!! And then, the biggest thing of all...HE SWALLOWED IT!! Go Liam! Since he did so well, I handed him 1/4 of the whole banana just to see what he'd do. He ate it!!! He self-fed, bit pieces off, chewed, swallowed, and went back for more. That kid ate the whole dang banana!!

He is also signing up a blue streak. He isn't quite to where CJ was at his age with signing, but he is catching up. I'm so excited for him and for the amazing steps he's taking in progressing toward becoming the amazing person he's destined to be. I couldn't ask for more.