The highs after the lows

In comparison to dinner last night, chocolate pudding affair was a joy. I got Brendan a special dish to use and he was sitting at his little table eating a pork chop I cut up and peas. He ate maybe a quarter of the chop and one or two peas. He would barely touch the fork to the chop and would whine when the food wouldn't miraculously spear itself on it. He insisted on trying to eat the peas with the fork instead of the spoon. Then the few times he tried the spoon he would turn it over so the peas would fall off or he'd just fling them. Mostly he'd bang the spoon and fork or throw them. He'd try to get up and play or run around. At one point he was twisting on the chair so much that he and it fell over. He refused to get up or pick the chair up so I picked it up and put him right back on it, so he deliberately fell over with it. Eventually I just lost it and told him to get up and go upstairs, I was so annoyed. I also took away all the little bowls with snacks I usually keep around (cereal, crackers, etc.) so if he wanted to eat he'd have to eat real food. But he never mentioned food the rest of the evening.

But today was far better. For lunch I gave him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, carrots and mixed fruit. He hasn't eaten a sandwich for at least a year but on the way home from Target this morning he asked me for a peanut butter cup (uh no, I never give my child candy, lol). I told him no but that he could have peanut butter and jelly for lunch and damned if he didn't eat the whole sandwich. He ate most of the carrots, with his hands yes but not that big a deal. The fruit he needed to use the spoon and he did try. He's still so uncoordinated, uh must be the donor's genes there yeah, and not used to using the spoon. So I guided him part of the time but the last few spoonfuls he managed completely on his own. Okay he threw the spoon after he was done and his milk cup too, but minor issues.

For dinner I decided to play it safe and make one of his favorites, alphabet pasta. There was one ear-piercing scream when he realized I expected him to do it himself and he started to cry. My heart started to break when he started saying "Stop, stop, stop, no crying". He was trying to get himself to not cry, bless his little heart. I helped him with the fork for the first few bites and then he did it all by himself. He had such a good time since he had to identify each letter before he ate it. Hmmmm, letters and food together, what could be better? I swear he sat there for almost an hour eating that darn pasta. So after today's success, I'm encouraged. I wonder how he'll be for my mom tomorrow, but hey I'll be at work, lol.

Oh, and laugh at me for this, but I put him back in the highchair. He hasn't sat in it for over a year, but I figured he'd do better if he couldn't get up and have playtime. He can transition back to a chair when he's got the feeding part down.

Peanut butter and jelly time -



Alphabet pasta and broccoli, yum!! -