So Proud!

Today was a big day for Ian!  While he has come really far in so many areas, food textures remain a big problem.  The poor guy has lots of allergies too, so between textures and allergic reactions, he sticks to his safe foods.  Black beans topped with shredded cheese are a sure bet.  Everything else is give and take on any specific day.  

I went to a wonderful seminar recently where one of the presenters talked about oral motor skills needed for eating.  Unfortunately, her wonderful expertise costs $130/hr and is recommended for one hour three times a week for starters.  Definitely not happening on our budget right now.  So I've been doing a ton of google research and learning about different methods for working on oral motor skills and for getting sensory kiddos to eat.

With school being over and Ian having improved so much in receptive and expressive speech skills, I decided this was the week (month, year, whatever it took) that he was going to learn to like pearsauce.  Babies-R-Us sells cool little pouches with pureed pears, bananas, and mangos (and other flavors that Ian can't have).  I got a bunch of the first three on sale recently and introduced the pear one as a "pear snack" to Ian.  

Let's just Ian thrilled with Mommy's new exciting pear snack until Mommy wanted him to put it in his mouth. Our convo went like this:

Mommy: Oh look!  Mommy got you pear snacks.  Yummy!  (Mommy sets kitchen timer for five minutes.  Conventional methods say to let timer end the battle, not the parent or child.)

Ian: Pear snacks!

Mommy: Ok, look...here's how you open it.  Then you take a lick (showing him).  It tastes good!

Ian: IDONWANIT!  (I don't want it)

Mommy: You have to take one lick.  Then you can have a Skittle.

Ian: Candy!  I like it!

Mommy: Yup.  You can have one candy.  But first you have to have a lick.  (Moves pouch towards Ian.)

Ian: NONONONONONONO!  IDONWANIT!

Mommy: You have to take one lick.  (Grabs child who is trying to run away and puts him in restraint hold with one hand.  Grabs pouch with other.  Tries to force between clench lips. Realizes she needs a third hand to squish cheeks to open mouth.  Decides to screw conventional methods and uses leg to pin child instead, freeing the hand to presses child's cheeks to force mouth open.  Gets a teeny tiny bit of pears in child's mouth.)

Ian: ppppppbbbbbbbbthhhhhhhhhhhhhh!  (Spits pears all over self and Mommy.  Twists, turns, fights, pushes, tries to get out of hold.)

Mommy:  (Getting a major workout, feeling grateful that she is wearing an old t-shirt.)You have to swallow before you can have the Skittle.  (Wipes pureed pear/drool mix off chin and shoves in mouth before lips can clench.)

Ian: pppbbbttthhhhhhhhh!  NONONO!  IDONWANIT!

Mommy: Do you want a Skittle?

Ian: Yeth.

Mommy:  Then you have to swallow.  Go gulp (makes swallowing sound).

Ian: (Turns, twists, resists, spits.  Gets pears shoved back in mouth.  Finally gulps.)

Mommy: Yay!  You did it!  Here's your purple skittle.

Ian:  (Eats purple Skittle.  Resumes battle over second lick.)

Mommy: After this lick, you can have a red Skittle (cause those are more motivating, you know!).  (Lets child out of restraint hold to turn off timer that is beeping in the background.  Child did not know what it was for anyways.)

And so our battle ensued.  Ian finally took three licks, probably swallowed nothing, and swiped a fourth Skittle.  

The next day I was at work, so it was Daddy's turn.  I had explained the method I ended up using and told Daddy to do whatever worked for him.  Daddy had the same fight with the first lick.  Then he got the brilliant idea to tell Ian that he would scrape it behind Ian's top teeth so Ian wouldn't have to taste it.  For some strange reason, Ian agreed to this.  We still can't believe Ian let him do it this way (especially since Ian would still taste it)!  But it worked!  Ian took that bite with much less fuss.  And then he took a third and fourth bite!  We also upped the ante by rewarding with pieces of a gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate bars from Whole Foods.

Today, I sat down with Ian for pear snack time.  He told me he wanted a spoon.  So I asked if he wanted a bowl too and he did.  After squeezing about eight bites worth into the bowl, I gave him about half a toddler spoonful.  And he took it just fine!  Of course, he wanted his candy bar piece right away.  I think he was proud of himself though.  He was dancing and twirling with a big grin as he ate his piece of candy bar.  We repeated that seven more times with each bite becoming progressively larger.  The last bite Ian took was a very full toddler spoonful and he did great!

A little bit later, he was hitting his balls off of his new t-ball set and turned to me and said, "Yummy pear snack.  Yummy chocolate."  I am so proud of him!!!  (And of me and Daddy for surviving the first two rounds!)

Later on tonight, James opened a can of chili for his dinner.  Ian came closer to inspect it (normal) and then asked what it was (normal).  James told him it was chili ketchup and Ian said he wanted some (somewhat normal).  James gave him a bite and he actually ate it (not normal at all)!!!  Ian is notorious for being interested in our food and even sometimes saying he wants some until it is on a spoon in front of his mouth.

I can't even begin to say how proud I am of Ian!  We have really turned a corner and hopefully all of this good eating will continue!  Granted, we still haven't made it through one pouch of pears yet, but I have hope that this might go a little easier than I had expected.