We love applesauce!!

Today was a big day for Timmy. If you remember, we have been trying to teach Timmy to eat again. But we have not been having very much success with the bottle. But Timmy loves his spoons, and he seemed to like to take drops of milk from a spoon. So today Timmy got to try something brand new--applesauce!! And he absolutely loved it. Between myself, Timmy's mommy, and his therapist, we got Timmy to eat 12 or 13 "tastes" of applesauce. The first few spoons had teeny little drops of applesauce on them, and the last few spoonfuls had little dollops. This moose is not very good at measuring, but I think that Timmy might even have taken a teasponful of applesauce!! He loved it so much that he did not even share with his best buddy, Mortimer. Timmy's mommy tells me that I do not need to eat because I am full of stuffing, but I do not believe her. I think she is full of stuffing. :)

I have never really thought about eating before. It is one of those things you just do. But we have learned a lot about eating...

--Sucking is a reflex for the first few months of a baby's life. That is why eating was a little easier for Timmy a few months ago. But now that Timmy is a big boy he has to choose to suck. That is why when we give Timmy a bottle he just plays with it and chews on it. He is not really interested in sucking. He is more interested in being a big boy and using a spoon.

--Eating goes much better when it is on Timmy's terms. It is very important that we make eating a positive experience for Timmy so that he will still want to do it (since he is big enough to choose now). Mommy has figured out that Timmy likes to eat much better when she puts stuff on his spoon and lets him do whatever he wants with it. Sometimes Timmy gets stuff on his ears, but he is already very good at putting the spoon into his mouth right away. We also never do things like scrape off Timmy's chin with the spoon, because we want him to like eating. The messier, the merrier!

--Learning to eat is hard when you do not have a motivation (hunger) to do so. For Timmy, eating is more of a game than anything, because he does not yet realize that it is important. Eventually Timmy will not be on continuous feeds anymore. When that happens Timmy's mommy and daddy will time his eating times for the times when he has not been fed for awhile, so that he is hungry. Then they will turn the pump on, so that he starts to associate being full with putting things in his mouth.

--Normally babies start on foods like fruits and vegetables when they are learning to eat. But one of Timmy's therapists told Timmy's mommy that if he had trouble with "normal" foods she might start Timmy on meat purees. For some babies who have never learned to eat, starting with meat is easier. This moose is not quite sure why, but has decided that anything Timmy wants to eat is okay, as long as it is not moose meat!

It might take us a long time to teach Timmy to eat. But we are okay with that, as long as he gets all the nutrition he needs through his G-tube.

In other news, Timmy's Mommy told me that we have a possible discharge date! This moose is not going to spill the beans, though, because the nurses told him not to jinx anything. But this moose can tell you that the date is very soon! It means that a whole bunch of people have been running around trying to get things ready for Timmy. Timmy's daddy is making sure Timmy's new home is clean and ready for Timmy. Timmy's mommy has been on the phone with lots of different people: the home nursing people, the people who will give us Timmy's equipment and supplies, the Medicaid waiver people (to pay for the home nursing), the people who will give us Timmy's drugs, the people at the pediatrician's office, the people who will come to Timmy's new home and do therapy, and all sorts of other people. This moose never knew before how many different agencies we would need to take care of one little boy!

The best news of all is that Timmy's daddy will come to Cincinnati after work tomorrow night. And when he comes, he will not have to leave Timmy and his mommy again, because Timmy and his mommy will go home with him!!

And, finally, go Cincinnati Reds!! Timmy's mommy and daddy have never really watched baseball (though they did go to one or two Astros games), but Timmy's mommy heard on the news today that it is opening day. So Timmy wore his baseball outfit (until it got covered in applesauce). The Reds are big supporters of the Ronald McDonald House (Timmy even has a Cincinnati Reds outfit to wear when he's bigger), so this year we are rooting for the Reds!