Turned A Corner

All week long LB has been asking for, "Kaka." That is Monica, his occupational therapist that we have been seeing weekly all summer. At our previous appointment she told me that LB was doing so well she thought we could move to every other week visits. Good news! But I really think LB missed seeing her last week and that is why he kept asking for her. This morning when we got in the car I told him we were going to see Monica and he started clapping! LB's love for Monica is such a perfect example as to how far he has come over the past couple of months. He was so apprehensive of her in the first several visits and would barely crack a smile as she tried to get him in the swings or bounce on the balls. It was a struggle to get him to sit in the high chair for more than 5 minutes. LB was very hesitant to even touch food he wasn't familiar with and if he did then it was just with one hand and he would keep the other hand safe. Two weeks ago I had to carry LB out of there in his diaper because he was covered head to toe in spaghetti! Monica put the spaghetti on the tray and he dived right in with both hands and put it in his mouth without thinking twice about it. I wish I had taken my camera that day! Monica said that she thinks in about a month or so LB will be a "typical" eater for a kid his age and that even a therapist wouldn't know that he had months of OT. Seriously, it brings tears to my eyes.

I would encourage anyone to seek out occupational therapy for their child if they are having feeding or any other sensory issues. It has made a huge difference for LB. The progress seemed very slow at first and there were days when I was extremely discouraged. I thought perhaps he would never move past pureed foods. I can pinpoint the exact day when LB turned a corner. We were at OT and Monica pulled some goldfish crackers out of her drawer. A lot of what she was working with LB on was getting familiar with touching the food and playing with it. She explained that touching and licking were the first steps and that eventually you work towards taking bites. So she put the goldfish on the tray and showed LB that if he pushed it with his thumb it would make a crunching sound. LB thought that was the greatest and got to work at crunching the goldfish. Then she showed him that her teeth could make the goldfish crunch too and she asked LB if he would try. We were both shocked when he put it in his mouth and chewed it and swallowed it. Monica and I were both out of our chairs, jumping up and down and praising him to the high heavens! It was like the lights switched on and ever since that day he has been eating more and more textured foods. He used to put a cheerio in his mouth and it would just sit on his tongue and you could see panic in his face. Now he shoves several in his mouth at once. LB will try just about anything I put in front of him. It has been so wonderful to see his confidence grow and to know that food is no longer something he has to fear. I couldn't be more proud of him.

I am so glad that our insurance has paid for most of LB's OT and that we have such amazing resources here. Thank you, Monica!! We are forever grateful!