The big wean

Here he is probably wishing I would shut up!

The big wean is on! Right now we are trying our best to wean Thomas off his g-tube and let me tell you, it's a round-the-clock job. I think it is one of the hardest things I have ever done. It requires more patience than 20 mothers have and all I have is me all day. My resolve is flagging. I am beat down.

I am usually an up-beat type of person but this weaning is HARD. Thomas is so good at refusing to eat and he can hold out...forever. His little body just doesn't understand hunger and it doesn't understand that doing the work to eat enough to fill his belly will make that hungry feeling go away. That's the message we are trying to teach him with this wean.

We also want to teach him that food is fun and it's a good thing to get used to eating it. I tell him that his Dad and I don't have g-tubes and let him feel our bellies to confirm we have no tube! We are talking it out as well as showing him.

I hope he is dreaming about food.

Tom is the type of child that can usually be motivated to be a "big boy" but, so far, no amount of "big boy talk" is doing the trick. I am trying super hard to stay motivated and positive. This is our chance to work on this because I am in the process of applying to jobs. That's right, folks! If you need a communications professional with extensive writing experience shoot me an email using the one on my Blogger profile. This blog did win CBS Pittsburgh's Most Valuable Blogger Awards in the Health/Medical/Fitness category (People's Choice & Editor's Choice) in its very first year of existence. Hey, a little shameless self promotion never hurt anyone:)

But my point is, Thomas is going to preschool in the fall and I will (hopefully) be working again soon. Now is the time to get Thomas on his way to being an eater instead of a full-time tubie. If we don't wean him this summer, when will we have the opportunity again?

We need encouragement. There is a lot of clapping going on to celebrate eating.

He has such potential to be an eater. His occupational therapist came on Friday during a very low point and she very patiently got Thomas to eat four ounces of pudding. If he can do that once then he can do it again, right? Well, we have had good eating days and bad eating days. He is in his highchair and snacking and drinking constantly. I am working my butt off and using every last bit of resolve I have to work on this wean. Please let us see some results!

Friends and relatives, please feel free to stop by and try your hand at feeding Tom. The novelty of new people might be good! I'll try anything.