1 Week Down...

1 week of intensive feeding therapy down, ??? number of weeks to go...

We ended today on a very good note with Caden's feeding therapy. Michelle, the therapist, didn't do any feeding sessions today. Caden's nurse did 4 sessions, Greg did 2 sessions and I did 1 session. I've had the most practice before today so Michelle wasn't too worried about how I would do. In fact she told me I was a natural at it. :) That gives me confidence, but of course, adds a bit of pressure also!

The feeding sessions this morning with his nurse were a little rough at times, but she managed to pull it through and finish the session. I think Caden knows he can get away with more with her so is pushing it more. :(

I did the hardest food for Caden: lentil soup pureed. Although it is pureed, it still has a grainy texture and he has a slightly harder time with it than everything else. So, lucky me, I get to be the one to do it. Yesterday it took me over 20 minutes to get him to eat his ½ ounce of soup because he was testing his boundaries. But today went MUCH better! It only took me about 9 minutes to do the same amount. Yay!

For the last session of the day, Michelle left the house and had Greg do the whole thing on his own. Then she had me call her when he was done to let her know how it went. Caden and Greg both did very well and the session lasted just under 5 minutes and Caden ate the whole ½ ounce of avocados without any trouble at all. You can watch the video below to see just how well they did. :)

I am in complete disbelief as to how well this week went. It is truly amazing how Caden went from refusing anything in his mouth to taking bites off a spoon in just a few hours. Absolutely incredible!

I asked Michelle today if she could put a ballpark estimate on how long she thinks it will take for us to get Caden off the g-tube... Obviously there are lots of variables and there is no way to predict the outcome with certainty. But based on how well he did this week, she anticipated that Caden would be done with the g-tube in less than 6 months! However, she cautioned that he might still need more help in order to tolerate textures and work with him on other skills. Of course, I was floored by the thought that within 6 months Caden might not need his tube for food anymore so I didn't hear much that she said after that! I will try to do my very best to progress him as much as possible to get him there. But I also realize that there could be setbacks and I need to prepare myself for that. Time will tell but God is good and I know his timing is perfect.

Please continue to pray for Caden and his willingness and desire to eat food orally. I know what a difference this will make in his quality of life in the long run. What an incredible way for us to end 2010. I am ready to see what the new year has in store for us.