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    A visit to the nutritionist

    September 11th, 2009

    We saw the nutritionist this past Tuesday. I dragged my feet writing about it, because honestly it was beyond underwealming. I didn’t get much out of it. I’m not much of a reader (if it’s more than a web-page long I loose interest… seriously), but I guess I had done enough poking online that I received no new information from our visit.

    In short: no clues as to why G goes on hunger strikes. No suggestions on what we can do to reverse them or shorten their duration. Am I frustrated? Yes. We’re at the end of the road here as far as people with letters after their names go. The only thing I can hope for is to continue tracking what’s going on around G when he goes into these phases and see if there is any environmental correlation.

    None-the-less, there were a few things that the nutritionist mentioned that might be of interest to those of you reading. Changes in eating patterns may occur in youngin’ if:

    1. they are teething
    2. they are coming up on on a developmental milestone, or have just reached one. It’s apparently a lot more fun to do the new activity then eat.
    3. their eating environment is too distracting
    4. their parents make a big deal about eating. Ok, I AM guilty of this one here. I do try to be as casual as possible about giving him dinner, and never push food on him once he indicates he’s done, but I’m sure some of my concern is apparent to him
    5. the parents don’t eat at the same time. This is also something we are guilty of. S and G get home at 6. I get home a bit before that and have just enough time to feed Neko, clean the litterbox and put away my pumped milk. G goes to bed between 7-7:30, so his dinner time is as soon as he gets home around 6ish. There is categorically no way I can have dinner ready for G, as well as S and I in order for us to all eat together. As much as I’d love to, it just isn’t going to happen. However, eating together is important for two reasons:
      1. the child doesn’t feel stared at, so anxiety levels don’t creep in
      2. the parents model eating behavior, and display how to eat, as well as that the food the child is about to have (provided it’s the same as the parent’s) is not poisonous, but rather edible

      So S and I are doing the best that we can. Ironically, we all eat best together when we go out for dinner.

    6. there has been a change in the home. This can be a big change directly impacting the child (such as a new home), or an indirect change (parent starting a new job). Any change to a set routine will require an adjustment period.

    So while some of these items do apply to us, they don’t change over time, so there’s no reason why G would have good periods and bad periods. We are doing our best to address them.

    Since G is starting a new daycare on Monday though, I expect we’re about to enter a new phase in eating revolt. I’m ready for it this time though and know to expect it. Honestly, I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t happen.

    Some other things the nutritionist mentioned:

    • establish a dedicated eating space and eating etiquette. It’s bad for kids to run around the dinner table while they’re being fed. The primary reason is because they never get enough and it reinforces a habit of eating on the run (ha! pun)
    • for G’s age group, the daily caloric intake should be around 900-1100 calories. This I already knew btw, from http://www.ohsu.edu/academic/picu/PedTPNguide.htm (I’ll spare you the article: just read section IIA). Based on G’s weight and age, right now he should be consuming between 630 and 750 kCal daily to stay on a normal curve. To increase growth, increase that intake 50-100%. So yeah, my kid is supposed to have the same portion size as me. Unreal, right?

    We also talked about adding fat to his diet. Again, butter on bread, or mixed in with his cereal. Olive oil mixed in with his pureed food, or used for dipping his veggies or bread.

    So yeah, while S and I pant to the 30 Day Shred (more on this in a later post) each night, I’m supposed to be fattening up the kid. Can we trade places?


    I got a standing ovation over a diaper change

    August 8th, 2009

    G is learning how to clap. I’ve been working on this with him for a very long time. Shockingly this isn’t quite the easiest thing to teach to a little dude. You’d think “Oh, just put their hands together, what’s the big deal?”, but it’s hard to clap two little fists, believe me. By the time you open one hand up, and then the other, and you go to clap, a fist magically appears!

    But he’s been working things out. He now initiates clapping on his own — doesn’t do it forcefully enough to make a sound yet, but he’s getting the motion down.

    This morning as I was changing a wet one, he started clapping for me. So nice for my son to recognize that didy changes are in fact a big deal for mommy and should be commended 🙂 So I guess that makes it more of a reclined ovation, not a standing ovation, huh?

    Now if he only did the clapping thing on demand — it would make it so much easier to document…

    In other news, I’ve been expanding the little dude’s eating repertoire. I’m getting more adventurous with Big People food. Given our eating/weight drama, I’m just experimenting with anything that works for him. I’m not stressing out over missing his jarred food when we go out, because I conservatively have him eat off of my plate. Last night he had bits of an English muffin and bacon. Today he tried tofu, peas (whole), pulled pork and grapes. So far, win on all accounts. He was an especially a big fan of the bacon and pulled pork. I guess he’ll be learning quickly enough that piggies go Oink Oink all the way to the tummy, in a very delicious way!

    In other, other news, S is still childproofing our living room. I don’t think he was kidding when he said that G will be in college by the time we’re done. It’s now week 3. I feel bad for the guy: he’s given up 3 of his week-ends now trying to make our home safer for G. The last two week-ends were spent just on  our entertainment unit. I’ve learned that engineering solutions that will keep little hands away from electronics equipment, while still enabling the use of said equipment (in a non-tacky way) is tedious and involves a very colorful dictionary (if you know what I mean) 🙂

    I gotta tell you — those baby jails are starting to look better and better every day!


    But all I wanted was some reassurance :(

    August 1st, 2009

    G’s about to get a Nutritionist added to his team of health care providers. Why, you may ask? Well, let me tell you.

    If you’ve been following G’s story for awhile, you know that I am very sensitive about his weight. I’ve reconciled that he’ll be a 3rd percentile, babe as long as he stays on the visible curve. I jokingly call him my Skinny Minny, but given his history of weight-loss and my supply drama, I’m really watchful over how much he eats. This is why for the past two weeks I’ve been on “Orange Alert” as G has brought home half of his food each day from daycare.

    G normally nurses morning and evenings and gets 24oz of milk, bottled through the day. In addition he’ll eat 1-1.5 jars of Stage 2 solids. Instead, he’s been nursing only once, taking 12-16oz and at most half a jar of solids. As this coincided with his crawling, at first I thought it was normal (you know, wanting to move around instead of eat). However the fact that this has gone on for more than a week paired with the fact that he hasn’t gained any weight in over a month, made me decide to call his pediatrician.

    Honestly I expected a conversation with an advice nurse with some reassurance that this is normal for G’s age. Instead I got an appointment with G’s doctor, a lengthy conversation, and a referral to see a nutritionist. I had the preliminary nutritionist phone interview yesterday (where they filter the overly paranoid parents from the ones that really need an appointment). The specialist informed me irregardless of food intake, it’s not normal to not gain any weight as for as long as G has, and the food reduction was not normal for his current age group. So, she recommended a feeding study.

    I’m waiting for the scheduling people to call me so that we can book an appointment. I’m also going to need to call Aetna to confirm that it’s covered by insurance (and if not what this will cost). I’d like to think that this is covered, but lactation consultations aren’t, even when G was loosing weight back in Dec. Who knows what excuse they’ll give me for the nutritionist referral. Ugh, I’m so not looking forward to more insurance company drama.

    I’m glad that we’re getting this attention, but really, all I wanted was some platitude and a pat on the head telling me I’m being too paranoid. Stay tuned…


    Wanted: Harem Girls

    July 20th, 2009

    As it turns out, G has very specific guidelines for what he will put in his own mouth. It goes something like this? If food, ignore; else, insert.

    That’s right. He will play with his food, push it around his tray, pick it up, shake it in his fist, throw it over his shoulder (or any other direction for that matter) but when it comes to putting it in his mouth, it’s as if you’re asking him to eat mud. I’ve tried this with puffs, cheese, apples, all of which end up ultimately on my floor and not his mouth. Other items however: toys, fabric… metal chair railing, table edge, all tasty.

    It’s not as if he doesn’t know that food is food: if I pick it up and direct to his mouth, he opens up. He just prefers for someone else to do the work for him.

    So I’m thinking he needs to figure out this whole “self feeding” thing. I mean, he could post an ad for some Harem Girls and all, but I don’t imagine that’s a financially sustainable long-term solution. Besides, if he smashes his own face in birthday cake it’ll be cute; if I do it it’s just plain mean. And we all know this self-feeding thing is all about the cake smash photos, right? ;p


    Peas: 2; Me: 1. Finally!

    April 15th, 2009

    That’s right — I finally scored against the peas. G ate them tonight if for no other reason than the fact that I mixed them with his Corn & Butternut Squash, which I know he likes. A ratio of 2:1 seemed to do the trick. I don’t care — my kid is eating his peas!

    I leave you with this moment of zen:

    Can you tell I raided the BRU baby-food sale last week? Over 80 jars of mushy goodness, but at $.50 per jar (vs. normal $.79) would you say ‘No’?


    Puffa whaaa’

    April 14th, 2009

    This week-end I experimented with more ‘solid’ solid food, by offering G his first self-feeding snack: Puffs.

    For those of you not living in baby-food land, Puffs are sweetened puffed wheat that dissolves as soon as it hits a baby’s (or for that matter a curious mom’s) tongue. What they lack in nutritional value for the child, they sure make up for in amusement value for the parent.

    G was not impressed with the snack offering. He was far more interested in rattling and waving around the puff in his hand than putting it in his mouth. I helped him get it in there only to have it stick to his lip. A nudge later, G gave me a look that just said “E-e-ww! What do you want me to do with this thing?”

    And that concluded our puffs episode.

    The highlight of the puffs introduction was Neko lining up for his share. You see, Neko’s catnip snacks come in a container about the same size as G’s puffs. When rattled they make the same sound. They even have the same shape. (Don’t ask me about the taste — although Neko is always eager to eat my food, I can’t say I’ve ever desired to return the favor. )
    Anyway, I made the mistake of pulling G’s snack out of the cupboard with a rattle. Neko ran over from the living room. He lined up next to G waiting for his turn. Eventually he realized that there were none for him he moved over to the couch and went down for a nap.

    G gets really excited when Neko is around. He bounces his legs and stares in his brother’s direction. Neko still keeps his distance, but I have a feeling once there’s more food slinging from G the two will become close friends: G will send food Neko’s way, and Neko in turn will be a very happy recepient. Eeh, at least I’ll have less to clean-up.


    Give peas a chance

    March 14th, 2009

    G tried peas for the first time this morning. It went something like this:

    Bite 1: Smile

    I was anticipating that first bite reaction so much. S, you see, hates peas. I mean, HATES peas! I on the other hand love peas. I was really hoping that G would take after me on this one, so that smile was so promising. I was thinking “Score!” My excitement, however, came too soon.

    Bite 2: “Heh!”

    Bite 3: “Maybe I had a premature reaction to this green stuff”

    Bite 4: “Ok, I’ve had enough, get me out of this chair!”

    And so the jury is still out. We tried again in the afternoon, with roughly the same results.

    I’ll keep cheering the peas along, but as of right now Winter Squash is his favorite.

    Earth’s Best is the food I’ve been giving him. It’s organic, and it contains the ingredient on the label. No more; no less. When they say “Sweet Potatoes”, they mean “Sweet Potatoes”. And it actually tastes good! Yep, I speak from personal experience. I admit that I’ve tried every food item I’ve offered to my kid. Mostly from curiosity. Some stuff is gross (breastmilk, for example – bleh) but jarred food has been really tasty.

    G’s got it pretty good I tell you! Now, if he could only give the peas a chance…


    Good morning, Food!

    March 8th, 2009

    Each morning when I go get G to wake-up he gives me a big smile.

    I used to think he’d see me and think “Hello, Mama!”, but now I’m starting to believe he sees me and says “Sweet! Hello, Breakfast! What’s on the menu this morning?”

    I really only get about 2 minutes lead time between smiles and fussiness. I think it’s because he’s seeing food (aka boob) flaunted in front of him and it’s not in his mouth. He really only calms down after he gets to eat.

    So yeah, call me “Breakfast”.

    In other yummy news, G has now expanded his eating repertoire to include Sweet Potatoes and Squash. He likes them both and now refuses cereal. I don’t blame him. Squash and potatoes don’t taste like cardboard. However, they do make for some very messy eats, which is really testing S’ limits. S, you see, is not crazy about the whole baby messy mouth/hands thing, so he’s having to re-aclimate… ‘cuz G sure won’t be observing clean standards anytime soon.

    Yeah, Daddy, you just wait until G starts flinging food clear accross the room.


    Of hearts and poops (or lack thereof)

    February 15th, 2009

    G is loved by the ladies. He got two Valentines in the mail: one from his lady friend (Special K) and one from Grammie. Smooches to you ladies!

    Unfortunately,  although loved by the ladies, he didn’t get much love from the Poop Faerie yesterday. On Valentine’s day she went on strike  and after two days of rice cereal for breakfast she was replaced by the Constipation Faerie.

    Yeah, you read that right. I said Constipation Faerie: not a visitor you want often.

    Yesterday was day 3 of G withholding “the big one”. He’d gone that long before, so I wasn’t too concerned, but come afternoon you could tell he was uncomfortable. It only got worse as the night progressed, with G having a hard time going to sleep for the night and waking up every two hours. Finally at 4am, he passed what he needed to, but overall he spent the day today as one tired baby. We, in turn, spent today as two tired parents.

    He had 3 poops to make up for the 3 days of absence, but he looked mad all day. I swear whenever he looked at me today his face said “You did this to me!”.

    We needed to get his passport photos taken today too, and he was not amused. Further proof that it’s impossible to take a good passport photo, no matter who you are.

    So that’s the end of rice cereal for us. Well, I might bust it out when the Diarrhea Faerie comes for a visit (which hopefully will be a looooong ways away). I’m thinking of going with Whole Grain cereal for awhile. If that fails, I’ll wait until G’s a little older and offer him avocado instead.

    Meanwhile, I guess I need to stock up on some prune juice…. and possibly some glycerin tablets 😮

    Here’s to hoping that G will go back to his usual, cheerful self tomorrow.


    Operation “First Solid Meal”

    February 13th, 2009

    G has his first solid meal today … and it went well!

    I should say that “solid” here is really a misnomer because there was nothing solid about it. I started with a quarter of a teaspoon of rice cereal and added an ounce of breast milk resulting in …. well… more or less milk. Same runny consistency.

    G ate it up. I was a little worried he’d close up those little lips or spit stuff right back out, but it worked out.

    Can’t speak for the taste — I’ve tried my breast milk (as I’m told any mom should to know if/when it goes bad) enough to know I won’t be mixing it in my coffee anytime soon.

    Here’s some proof that it really happened.

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0BxmnprLnw]

    Oh, and a little bit of play-time.


    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHppuiI8GzI]

    Do you see what we see? About 25sec into the clip G transfers his spoon from one hand to the other — midline crossing in action, baby!

    Yey, food stuff!