Sitting & and eating

 

She's sitting!!!!!  Months of hard work are paying off and she's sitting!!  WOOHOO!!  Only for about 20 seconds and then she doesn't even fall over......she has discovered she can use her feet and scoot forward on her butt and end up on her back......I'm very excited that she's sitting and she's very excited that she already figured out how to wiggle her way out of it.......either way it's progress.

Madilyn also had her evaluation with the speech/feeding therapist today and we're nowhere near as behind as we originally thought.  She gave us a bunch of ideas to help move the gag reflex back and simpler foods for learning to eat.  I always started my older kids with cheerios and the therapist actually told us to use fruit loops.  Fruit loops dissolve much quicker so there is no chance of a child choking on them.  We also went to the Co-op in Hancock and purchased dried papaya and mango strips, she said they work awesome for teething and getting them to explore with food.  I can put them right in the playpen or with her toys and she'll put them in her mouth and lick them just like her toys and there's no mess.  The other trick we learned was Red Vines licorice..........she told us to take a few pieces out and let them get stale then Madilyn can teethe/chew on them and not get any chunks off that will risk choking but she is getting all the texture and flavor.  We learned some new games with the eating too so it gets Madilyn to open her mouth easier and we tried them at dinner tonight and it was amazing.............first meal ever that she did not gag and throw up twice before keeping any food down!!!!!!!!!  I absolutely love all the things I learn from her therapists, quite a few of them (especially the eating ones) I wish I knew when my children were smaller.

Tomorrow we have the BHK home visitor and then Friday we have PT with Monica (the new therapist) and Home Nursing for the weekly weight check.  I'm going to check with the ones who work with her to see if they mind if I post some pictures of them working with Madilyn............fingers crossed that we'll have pictures posted soon and another awesome weight gain this week.