What a Day.

I had a lot of work to do today, so Tyler was kind of left to his own devices for longer than usual. He was right with me, so of course, he was closely supervised. Right.

Let me tell you about the child and his own devices.

One cup of milk, left on the couch to leak. Not on one cushion. Not on two. No, on THREE cushions. He's very talented. So I had to take time out of my work day to dab at sofa cushions with water and vinegar solution. Does anyone know how long the lovely aroma of vinegar will linger?

Two ink pens. I don't know how long he had them or where he found them, but when he showed up offering them to me proudly, his little knees were covered with blue lines. I haven't found any scribbles on the walls or the sofa cushions. At least, not yet.

But at least my patience is paying off. A few weeks ago, I rearranged the kitchen to make a cabinet for Tyler's food. In this cabinet is a variety of mostly healthy foods — some he likes and some I would like him to try.

I have child-locks on the doors because I don't want him to get in there without supervision. But when he pulls on the doors, I usually open them to let him in the cabinet. I count to 10 silently or inhale deeply as he pulls all the foods out. I've even stood back and let him dump a half a box of cereal in the floor, hoping he would be inspired to taste it.

He hasn't been inspired. Until today. Today, he pulled out a box of his daddy's Oatmeal Crisp. I opened the bag and pulled out a few pieces. Tyler inspected it and popped it in his mouth. And he reached for more. He had several bites! I kept telling him the name of the cereal so he'll be more likely to recognize it tomorrow or the next day.

After he was done, I dutifully stacked up the boxes of cereal, crackers and dried veggies that had landed in the floor. And I returned to my Hershey bar. Tyler was also interested in that, so I handed him a small piece and said, "chocolate." He studied it very seriously. I was afraid it would melt and I would have to wash the still-damp sofa cushions again! But he popped it in his mouth.

He's a big fan of Hersheys. He quickly ran back to the Hershey bar. After I wrestled it away from him, I offered him another small piece.

And I quickly ate the rest. It was nap time, he didn't need any more chocolate! But I did, after such a busy day!

What Did I Expect?

This morning, I put some Froot Loops on Tyler's little table.

I ran outside for a second and when I came back in, there was only one broken Froot Loop on the table. (He doesn't eat the broken ones.)

He didn't have time to eat them all.

There were none in the floor. (He normally tips the table to dump them in the floor when he's done eating.)

He was sitting on the sofa, reaching his arm all the way down into the big blue bucket in his lap, pulling out a handful of Froot Loops and shoving them into his mouth.

I have been trying to teach Tyler to eat from a bowl for a while. I usually give up pretty quickly. If I put his food in a bowl, he either turns the bowl upside down to dump it on the table or he pulls it out one piece at the time and puts it on the table.

So I was very proud that he was using his bucket as a bowl!

And when I walked back through the living room a few minutes later, there were Froot Loops all over the floor.

Three New Foods in One Day!

Yesterday was huge for us. Tyler tried three new foods in one day.

I posted about the Food Chaining book a few days ago. At first I focused on the basics:

• I stopped asking Tyler to eat foods. I just put it in front of him and let him eat if he wants.
• When the meal is over, I clean off the table. No more leaving cereal sitting on the table in case he gets hungry.
• I've been working hard at sticking to a schedule for meals. This is soooooo hard for me.

Well, yesterday, I decided it was time to start introducing new foods. You're supposed to start slow, but I got carried away.

In the morning, I put a few soy nuts on the table with his peas and corn. I made sure that he saw them come out of the same type of packaging as all of his dried fruits and veggies. He popped one into his mouth with little hesitation and chewed it up. He then spit it out. But that is okay. He spit out peanut butter crackers a dozen times before he decided he liked them.

At the next meal, I got out the dried blackberries. He loved them even more than he loves blueberries! (I tried one and I think the texture is just weird, but whatever works!)

And later in the day, I decided to try Froot Loops. Keep in mind that this child wouldn't eat the darker Cheerios from the multi-grain Cheerios a few months ago. He picked out the ones that looked like the original Cheerios. And he still won't eat the broken Cheerios.

Anyway, I've resisted giving him these sugary cereals in the past because I worried that he would stop eating the healthy ones. But the Food Chaining book really stresses that you need to try foods that your child will like -- things that are similar to what he already eats and that will taste good to him. You should set the child up for success so you can praise him for trying foods and so that he learns trying foods is fun.

He didn't try the Froot Loops until I walked away from the table. He licked one, and the sugar hooked him! He didn't like the powdery residue on his fingers, but it wasn't enough to make him stop eating them. He also likes naming the colors. I wish I could spell his pronunciation for "yellow"!

This morning, Tyler found the little box of Apple Jacks cereal and opened it so I offered him a few, and he liked them too!

Now, these foods are the same texture as the foods he's been eating. In the past, I was so focused on introducing the new textures that this wouldn't seem like a big deal. But now, I'm just focused on the fact that Tyler tried four new foods with little hesitation (and no prodding) and he liked three of the four foods!

Puppy Love

Sweetest Kiss

Tyler and Paw-Paw, his great-grandfather

A Sensory Child and His Napkin Issues

My child often won't eat when his fingers are dirty. He doesn't like puddings, mashed potatoes, or anything else that might stick to his fingers. He likes the taste and texture of Cheetos but strongly protests the orange stuff that sticks to his fingers.

Early in therapy, we were encouraged to keep a napkin beside him at the table so he can wipe his hands off.

My child often throws napkins on the floor.

Early in therapy, I got tired of picking up napkins.

I started encouraging him to wipe his hands on his shirt.

Yes, you may laugh in 5 years when I scold him for using his shirt instead of a napkin.

But I think he'll outgrow the bad habit on his own: On Tuesday, he threw a salt shaker while we were at a restaurant. He got upset when he put his hand in the spilled salt and it stuck to him. I instructed, "Brush it off on your shirt." ... He promptly wiped his hand on his daddy's shirt.

Where's the Party?