Well it has been about 1 year that we have been in the feeding program now. Brennen has come such a long way in one years time. When we entered the feeding program, he was eating baby rice cereal, gluten free pretzels and strawberries. For me to imagine him EVER eating pizza or a hamburger at that point would have been a dream.
I am happy to say that we are at that point! Over the holiday weekend, we ate at Wendy's and we ordered Brennen a kids' meal! We all sat at the table and ate our food! We ordered Brennen a hamburger with no bun, oranges, and a white milk. He sat calmly at the table and ate his entire meal. I looked at Tim and I know we were thinking the same thing..this is what "normal" is!
The 10 weeks we spent at the Hospital this past fall were soooo worth any hassles that came with it. I truly believe Brennen would not be eating this well if we had decided to not admit him to the day hospital for those 10 weeks.
His diet has become so much more varied and stable that I was able to begin potty training this summer. He is doing great! Brennen is even going to the bathroom at places other than at home. We still have a little trouble with stooling, but Brennen always did have trouble with that.
Overall, things are going very well. Brennen begins Pre-School in the fall and we are both looking forward to that.
We had an appointment at the hospital yesterday and Dr. Cuddy was pleased with how his diet looked. We still have appointments every 2 weeks for a little while yet, and then we will switch to having one appointment a month. At this point, I am still feeding Brennen and we need to move to him feeding himself. He is beginning to show initiative in feeding himself, but we still have a ways to go.
Miss Sophia is doing well too! She turned 2 in March and she loves swimming in Grandma and Grandpa's pool.
We have a trip planned at the end of this month to the Columbus Zoo and we are excited that we do not need to pack any pureed foods or diapers for Brennen.
This really is turning out to be a wonderful summer! ;)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
March 27, 2010
Okay..so I have not been able to update Brennen's progress as much as I would have liked. Life has been incredibly busy and I will have to say that it has taken me longer than what I thought it would to get back into the normal swing of things. It has been difficult juggling work, home, and taking Brennen to feeding therapy, occupational therapy, and swimming lessons. Somewhere in the midst of everything my house needs cleaned too...
But we are surviving and Brennen has made wonderful progress. Brennen's food is still pureed with the exception of incredibly small bites of hot dog! I was so amazed to see his little mouth chewing a hot dog bite! I kept thinking that this summer may be the first time that our whole family will be able to eat the same meal.
This summer we plan on increasing his therapy visits to once a week again to gain some momentum with textures. We are currently going to therapy every other week.
I am very ready for this school year to be over and be able to have a slower pace this summer. Taking Brennen to therapy for the 10 weeks was so very necessary and I am not sorry that we did it. In fact, I would do it again in a heart beat if I had to do it over again.
It has not been easy, but having a child with severe oral sensitivities isn't easy either. Taking Brennen to swimming has been good for him in trying to help him with some of his sensitivities as well. He is starting to become a little more confident in the water and not quite as "clingy" to his instructors.
Well, that's kind of a brief overview of the past 3 months...I will update again as we begin to gain some momentum with eating this summer.
Thanks for checking on Brennen's progress and May God Bless!
But we are surviving and Brennen has made wonderful progress. Brennen's food is still pureed with the exception of incredibly small bites of hot dog! I was so amazed to see his little mouth chewing a hot dog bite! I kept thinking that this summer may be the first time that our whole family will be able to eat the same meal.
This summer we plan on increasing his therapy visits to once a week again to gain some momentum with textures. We are currently going to therapy every other week.
I am very ready for this school year to be over and be able to have a slower pace this summer. Taking Brennen to therapy for the 10 weeks was so very necessary and I am not sorry that we did it. In fact, I would do it again in a heart beat if I had to do it over again.
It has not been easy, but having a child with severe oral sensitivities isn't easy either. Taking Brennen to swimming has been good for him in trying to help him with some of his sensitivities as well. He is starting to become a little more confident in the water and not quite as "clingy" to his instructors.
Well, that's kind of a brief overview of the past 3 months...I will update again as we begin to gain some momentum with eating this summer.
Thanks for checking on Brennen's progress and May God Bless!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Hello Everyone!! I wanted to give some updates since I haven't made a post in quite awhile.
I am back to work which has been nice to get back into our normal routine, but has also been difficult with trying to balance Brennen's feeding needs with household duties and duties of work too. But, we are surviving!
I am getting the hang of pureeing Brennen's food. I am gettinig quicker at it and my ability to get the food smooth is also improving. It is just very time consuming. I usually puree enough food to last the week and then try to save the majority of my pureeing for the weekend.
Brennen continues to eat really well at home. He will tell me when he is hungry, which is still something that continues to take me by surprise when he says it. Prior to our therapy, he would never tell me when he was hungry. Honestly, I don't think he ever knew what that feeling was. He had a lot of stomach pain and discomfort, and I don't think he could tell if he was hungry or not.
We had a wonderful Christmas. Our family came to our house this year because it was much easier with Brennen's eating schedule to have it at our house.
We are continuing with our weekly appointments at the Hospital, although we have had to miss 2 of the 3 appointments scheduled due to illness. First, I got the flu and then Brennen had a sinus infection. For me, I think I was just exhausted. The first weekend we were home, I got sick. But everyone is doing fine now.
The feeding team is holding off on trying anything new until after the holidays. We will also begin potty training sometime in January.
Well, thanks for checking in on Brennen's progress and I will update in January as we begin adding new foods.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
I am back to work which has been nice to get back into our normal routine, but has also been difficult with trying to balance Brennen's feeding needs with household duties and duties of work too. But, we are surviving!
I am getting the hang of pureeing Brennen's food. I am gettinig quicker at it and my ability to get the food smooth is also improving. It is just very time consuming. I usually puree enough food to last the week and then try to save the majority of my pureeing for the weekend.
Brennen continues to eat really well at home. He will tell me when he is hungry, which is still something that continues to take me by surprise when he says it. Prior to our therapy, he would never tell me when he was hungry. Honestly, I don't think he ever knew what that feeling was. He had a lot of stomach pain and discomfort, and I don't think he could tell if he was hungry or not.
We had a wonderful Christmas. Our family came to our house this year because it was much easier with Brennen's eating schedule to have it at our house.
We are continuing with our weekly appointments at the Hospital, although we have had to miss 2 of the 3 appointments scheduled due to illness. First, I got the flu and then Brennen had a sinus infection. For me, I think I was just exhausted. The first weekend we were home, I got sick. But everyone is doing fine now.
The feeding team is holding off on trying anything new until after the holidays. We will also begin potty training sometime in January.
Well, thanks for checking in on Brennen's progress and I will update in January as we begin adding new foods.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
We are officially done with being an in-patient! Today was our last day for being admitted to the Day Hospital. We will now continue with our weekly outpatient appointments.
I feel relieved and exhausted at the same time. I think the stress of the entire 10 weeks is catching up with me. I am glad I have the weekend before returning to work on Monday.
This program has been an answer to so many prayers. It is amazing to see Brennen's progress now from when we started the feeding program 10 weeks ago. Here is what Brennen is eating at this point in time: (all items at this point are pureed- unless noted)
*chicken *ham *turkey *hot dog *sweet potatoes *green beans *carrots *mashed potatoes *mixed vegetables *peaches *pears *mixed fruit
Items not pureed:
*applesauce *baby rice cereal *yogurt *plain potato chips *gluten free pretzles *shredded cheddar cheese
Quite a difference from before we started!
It is also amazing that Brennen and I have both remained healthy throughout the entire therapy. Another answer to prayer. Thank you to our family and friends who respected the fact that we needed to be hermits for awhile!
Now that we have completed the daily feeding therapy program, I will probably not be posting everyday as I had been. However, I would like to keep everyone updated on Brennen's progress because I know there have been many people invested in Brennen's therapy as well. I plan on making weekly updates to inform our family and friends on how Brennen is doing with his transition to his typical daily routine.
Thanks again everyone for checking in on Brennen's progress and for your thoughts and prayers during his therapy. We have felt the support and prayers and that has helped to get us through.
Our therapy worked and I am so glad we were able to give Brennen the wings he needed to fly. He is a different boy now from when we started. This is really a new beginning for Brennen and for our family.
I am so excited for him...
I feel relieved and exhausted at the same time. I think the stress of the entire 10 weeks is catching up with me. I am glad I have the weekend before returning to work on Monday.
This program has been an answer to so many prayers. It is amazing to see Brennen's progress now from when we started the feeding program 10 weeks ago. Here is what Brennen is eating at this point in time: (all items at this point are pureed- unless noted)
*chicken *ham *turkey *hot dog *sweet potatoes *green beans *carrots *mashed potatoes *mixed vegetables *peaches *pears *mixed fruit
Items not pureed:
*applesauce *baby rice cereal *yogurt *plain potato chips *gluten free pretzles *shredded cheddar cheese
Quite a difference from before we started!
It is also amazing that Brennen and I have both remained healthy throughout the entire therapy. Another answer to prayer. Thank you to our family and friends who respected the fact that we needed to be hermits for awhile!
Now that we have completed the daily feeding therapy program, I will probably not be posting everyday as I had been. However, I would like to keep everyone updated on Brennen's progress because I know there have been many people invested in Brennen's therapy as well. I plan on making weekly updates to inform our family and friends on how Brennen is doing with his transition to his typical daily routine.
Thanks again everyone for checking in on Brennen's progress and for your thoughts and prayers during his therapy. We have felt the support and prayers and that has helped to get us through.
Our therapy worked and I am so glad we were able to give Brennen the wings he needed to fly. He is a different boy now from when we started. This is really a new beginning for Brennen and for our family.
I am so excited for him...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
December 1, 2009
Wow..it feels like forever since I have posted on Brennen's progress... I was going to post over the weekend, but then became very preoccupied with getting my house back in shape! (9 weeks away from home had taken its toll!) We have made it to Week 10!!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Brennen ate turkey, sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, and peaches (all foods were pureed). He did wonderful! Even with the differences in textures from how smooth the kitchen staff at Day Hospital purees to what my processor can do... He still did an amazing job with eating his meals very calmly all weekend.
We had a wonderful weekend at home. It was so nice to not have to rush back up to Cleveland Sunday afternoon. I loved being home and getting laundry done in my own machine and not feel as though I have to babysit my clothes for fear somebody might move them out of the machine!
It was great to have the weekend for Brennen and Sophia to be together. They are kind of going through an adjustment period of being together again.
We were really able to see Brennen's progress this weekend. We went to my brother's birthday party on Sunday. There was a large group of people there and Brennen handled that very well. Tim and I were talking about how last year at this time, he would have had a very difficult time with that. We can really tell that he is beginning to feel better. He is eating so much better and that is allowing him to be able to handle life's experiences better too. I am sure as Brennen matures, he will be able to handle more too.
Life is good right now!
My sister-in-law made the drive with me today so she can feed him and receive input as needed from the feeding team. She has already fed him once today and is doing a great job. Brennen sat and ate very calmly for her.
It's another long day today but I am comforted by the fact that I get to drive home and that I don't have to spend the night up here tonight.
I will post again on Thursday..Have a good day everyone and thanks for checking on Brennen's progress!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Brennen ate turkey, sweet potatoes, mixed vegetables, and peaches (all foods were pureed). He did wonderful! Even with the differences in textures from how smooth the kitchen staff at Day Hospital purees to what my processor can do... He still did an amazing job with eating his meals very calmly all weekend.
We had a wonderful weekend at home. It was so nice to not have to rush back up to Cleveland Sunday afternoon. I loved being home and getting laundry done in my own machine and not feel as though I have to babysit my clothes for fear somebody might move them out of the machine!
It was great to have the weekend for Brennen and Sophia to be together. They are kind of going through an adjustment period of being together again.
We were really able to see Brennen's progress this weekend. We went to my brother's birthday party on Sunday. There was a large group of people there and Brennen handled that very well. Tim and I were talking about how last year at this time, he would have had a very difficult time with that. We can really tell that he is beginning to feel better. He is eating so much better and that is allowing him to be able to handle life's experiences better too. I am sure as Brennen matures, he will be able to handle more too.
Life is good right now!
My sister-in-law made the drive with me today so she can feed him and receive input as needed from the feeding team. She has already fed him once today and is doing a great job. Brennen sat and ate very calmly for her.
It's another long day today but I am comforted by the fact that I get to drive home and that I don't have to spend the night up here tonight.
I will post again on Thursday..Have a good day everyone and thanks for checking on Brennen's progress!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009
I am writing early on this rainy Wednesday morning. Brennen and Tim are still sleeping. In a few minutes I'll need to wake them up to get ready to go to the hospital. We have a short day at the hospital today and then it's back to the RMH to finish cleaning and loading up the car to come home.
Lots to do before we can enjoy the weekend!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! We have lots to be thankful for as I'm sure you do as well.
p.s. I'll try and post this weekend to let you know how Brennen's first Thanksgiving meal went.
Lots to do before we can enjoy the weekend!
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! We have lots to be thankful for as I'm sure you do as well.
p.s. I'll try and post this weekend to let you know how Brennen's first Thanksgiving meal went.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Pictures
Hi everyone.....daddy here. Well, here it is. Chrissy and I put this slideshow together last night, it's a glimpse into some of the happier moments over the last 2 months, and gives everyone a chance to meet all the wonderful people that helped Brennen get back on track with his eating.
You'll notice him smiling in a lot of the photos, but please don't think that this entire time was full of joy. There was just as much heartache, tears, frustration and hopelessness. We're grateful that the good times have outweighed the bad times lately, but know that there's still a lot of obstacles to overcome....and losing the everyday support of the feeding team will present another challenge.
Again, Chrissy and I are just so grateful to all our family and friends, it's been a long last few months, but we think everyone is stronger for it, and most importantly, Brennen is on the right track with his eating.
God is good, ALL the time.
Grab your popcorn and enjoy the slideshow. The song you'll hear is "By Your Side" by Tenth Avenue North.
-Tim
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