Soaking it in...

The last bits of Summer!

Food Issues

Before I had a child, I always thought "picky" was just an excuse for a kid. My Mom had daycare kids that wouldn't eat spaghetti sauce on their pasta, or wouldn't drink milk...and I always thought it was lame-o. Come on! I was never going to have a picky kid!

I think the Lord does have a sense of humor. Our food issues with P started when he was just about a year old, and still continue (although he's made some progress) at the age of 3! 

I nursed P until he was 11 months, but started supplementing with formula when he was 7 months. It was so convenient when we were traveling, or going to church, etc. and I could just make him a bottle that I didn't have to worry about thawing, keeping cool, etc. This is about the time that P started having trouble with eczema. Severe trouble. One doctor put him on an antibiotic (because P's skin was raw) another gave us STRONG topical prescription cremes to apply. The connection was not made until LATER that the eczema was a result of the milk product in the formula. 

Just after his 1st Birthday, P had a reaction to a peanut butter cookie at Christmas time. It was horrible. We were five hours from home. He had red hives everywhere, swollen eyelids & ears, vomiting...but no breathing problems. It scared me to death. And I'm sure it traumatized him. We now carry an Epi-pen-but have never had to use it-thankfully!

By the time P was 18 months, we had determined that he had milk, soy, and peanut allergies...with some sensitivities to strawberries and eggs as well! I felt like I was doing an experiment on my child whenever it was meal-time! Maybe P picked up on some of my anxieties about him eating new foods? Maybe it was a texture thing? Maybe he became SCARED to try new things? Just after he turned a year or so...P's FOOD ISSUES began! He wouldn't eat meat. Refused MANY new foods. If we forced him to take a bite...he'd throw it up. Along with the rest of his meal. His gag reflux was EXTREME. 

Chicken nuggets & 3rd Stage jarred food were a sure bet at getting some protein in him. Frustration was (and still is) an understatement. There were meals where he and I would both be in tears at the end of it. 

When he turned 3 (last December)...things began to change. A glimmer of light appeared at the end of the tunnel. P was more willing to TRY new foods. Before, he'd not eat his supper, and would go to bed with OUT any...but now, he was eating bits of foods that were new to him, yay!!

This past week P went through a possible growth spurt and began eating...a lot! Everytime I turned around he was asking for something more to eat! Joel and I decided this was a good time to push the 'new' foods!! Last week he ate part of a pulled pork sandwich...and he also ate part of a hamburger!! WOW! :o) This may not seem like much, but is BIG for our child.

When P was about 2, a friend recommended the book "Just Take a Bite" by Lori Ernsperger. This book introduced to me the concept of food neophobia, which is the fear of new foods. It actually is a real thing! And my child has all the symptoms. It is so exciting to see progress though, whether he is just extremely picky...or is, like he says, afraid of new foods. P says, "It looks scary!" when I try to get him to take a bite of something that's not his favorite.

Because he was eating more...he was, ahem...pooping more. Some times this causes him pain. I told P he needs to eat more fiber! I explained that fiber is found in cereals & bread.

Today, in the van, our conversation went like this:

P: Mom, do chicken nuggets have alot of fiber in them?

Me: Nope, not alot.

P: Well, then we should get alot of them!

At least he's thinking about what I'd said right? Being a Mommy keeps me entertained to say the least! :o)

Weekend Recap

A busy weekend has come to an end. I am thankful that's it a short week! Joel has been really busy at work (since July!) so I LOVE having him around on weekends!! :)

We had company come in Friday night, and they left yesterday morning. Joel's Aunt & Uncle came to visit with their 2 kiddos. We went to Fremont Saturday and brought lunch to my In-Law's who are furiously working on their new house, to hopefully get moved in this week!?! Joel, his Uncle, and Dad all worked on the house and saw some minor progress in sanding floors. They still have a LOT to do before they're move-in ready!

In other happenings, P has been pulling on his ears - almost constantly! This has been going on for about 3 weeks now. No - it's not an ear infection. I've taken him to the Doctor. The Doc said it was allergies, and he did have fluid in his ears - but it wasn't infected. I have him on allergy medication, but it's NOT helping the ear-tugging. In fact, Joel pointed out that whenever P goes to do something, he has to take his  hands off his ears FIRST. Is it possible that a kid can cause his ears to stick out by constantly pulling on them? If so, maybe THAT is what P is trying to accomplish. I'm not sure. Today I began drops of Distilled White Vinegar in both ears. I read online (isn't that the best way to do medical research?) that a fungal infection could be cured by 2-3 drops of this Vinegar in each ear, every 2-3 hours. We'll see! So far, it already seems to be helping. P always keeps me guessing!