Friday, March 23, 2012

The roller coaster continues....

Ugh.  I cannot figure out what Sarah is going to do at any freaking meal.  Drives me nuts!!!

So, Wednesday I can't remember anything special about breakfast, so it must have been fine.  I fed her dinner on protocol at the rec center while her brother had dance class and she was waiting for hers.  I was very nervous to do this as we have yet to take the protocol "on the road" and I was by myself.  None of the other parents at the rec center know the protocol, and it's not like you can just ask somebody to hold your kids' hands down as they're trying to swat the bites of food away.  So, I packed food she'll usually eat without argument and hoped we would survive the meal.  I'm pleased to say it went fine.  She had some Chef Boyardee thing (spaghetti and meatballs or ravioli, I forget which), peaches, and pears.  She was fine for all of it and I don't think I dealt with any negative behavior.  Thank heaven!  I was really not in the mood to wrestle her or have any sort of other issue at the rec.  I'm not positive I'll have the guts to do it every week, but I'm glad this one wasn't a disaster.

Thursday was another story.  For breakfast, she was more or less okay.  I changed flavors for oatmeal.  She didn't get a new one, but she got one she likes less than what she normally eats.  She dawdled a bit and needed extra prompts, but she was fine otherwise.  I forget exactly what else she had.  Apricots and maybe mangoes? I don't remember, but that sounds right.  She tested a bit with the mangoes, but completed the meal and I didn't have too much trouble overall.  Dinner, however, was AWFUL.  I gave her beef stew, apricots, and green beans.  Well, apparently, green beans are now evil.  Which I don't understand because she hasn't given me trouble about green beans at all since we started the clinic, I don't think.  Anyway, her dad wasn't home, and it took all her aunt and I could do to block her and hold the bite to her lips.  She was ridiculous.  She was spitting at me, pushing the bites out with her tongue if I tried to slip them in, laughing at me, crying, etc.  All over green beans!  She took maybe one or two bites before starting this ridiculousness.  I forgot to mention she threw the cup across the room first, and thankfully it landed face up.  I was SO mad at her.  I still don't understand what her problem was.  Anyway, I got one bite in her amid the ridiculousness, and then I held the second bite to her lips as we hit the time cap.  ARGH!!!!!!  It sure would be nice if she'd have given me the memo so I could have at least prepared myself emotionally for a standoff.  I e-mailed her therapist and told her what happened after the meal was over and am waiting to hear back.  The little booger, after the standoff was over, had the nerve to ask me for spaghetti-o's.  I told her no, and resisted the urge to tell her exactly why she wasn't getting them (totally against the rules).

Today has been better overall, but she's still not where she was.  Breakfast began with her crying.  Great.  She wanted to waltz into the kitchen and have a pudding and a yogurt before breakfast.  I said no because I'd just fixed her breakfast.  Yogurt was one of her foods anyway (part of the cup), so I ignored the complaining because there's just no talking to her when she acts like this.  Anyway, she didn't even want to choose her video so I chose for her.  Stinker.  I gave her the plate and she wanted to complain.  I had to do hand-over-hand to get her to take the first bite.  When she realized she couldn't whine her way out of the meal, she actually did fine.  She asked for pudding and yogurt after the meal, and I let her finish the cup of yogurt and then gave her a pudding.  I don't mind letting her have more food if she's able to complete her meal.  She just doesn't get extra preferred stuff if she holds out on refusal.

Dinner was okay.  She fought green beans again, but not hard.  She took a big bite of them initially and gagged on them.  She seems to not be chewing her bites as often, so when I got her to take bites, I praised any kind of chewing I saw.  I also reminded her to move her food in her mouth and encouraged her to get her food down if she gagged on anything.  She gagged on one other bite, but it was sweet potatoes.  I was pleased to see more chewing in this meal.  It's really been bothering me to see her abandoning this whole chewing idea.

On a brighter note, I had a great time with my mommy friends this morning.  We went to a nearby park because it was GORGEOUS out today.  It's by a mall with a great pizza place, so we headed to the pizza place afterward.  Believe it or not, all the kids were well-behaved.  Sean and another little guy his age were a bit silly, but that was about it.  There were a LOT of babies, and none of them cried, I don't think.  It was amazing.  It was so nice to see everyone and spend time with everyone.  Sean was tired on the way home, but didn't nap, despite my efforts.  I was disappointed.

Anyway, two more weeks of hockey left.  The last practice where it's my turn is tomorrow, so it's nearly time for me to turn in.  6 am comes awfully early!

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