progress is progress

Ash has been going to both Speech and Occupational Therapy for a couple of months now and he's making progress! The therapists told us in the beginning that the road would be long and they weren't kidding but since starting therapy Ash has tried several new foods (most of which he didn't like but at least he tried!) and has started putting his "regular" meal on his plate (chicken nuggets and toast) as well as a little bit of whatever the rest of us are having for dinner! He doesn't eat it but he is required to touch at least one thing on his plate and then touch it to his tongue and he has successfully done that each and every night. Sometimes it ends in tears but more often then not he simply says "I don't like it..." and moves on. Unless you've been the one trying to feed Ash for the last 8 1/2 years you CAN'T know how HUGE this is! We're used to him running from the dining room at the mere whiff of a cooked food and locking himself in his bedroom to cry. One new food Ash tried that he DOES like is strawberry nutrigrain bars! Wow! I never would have thought to try these because one, they're soft (which Ash hates) and two, they're a combo of two different tastes in one and as I'm sure you've guessed by now that's yet another thing Ash steers clear of. But his therapist offered it to him, he ate it and he has eaten it ever since! So proud! We are a bit anxious about the coming week, though, because Ash has had a goal with his speech therapist to try pumpkin pie by Thanksgiving. Ash has been very excited about this up until yesterday. As I put Ash to bed he began to cry and when I asked him what was wrong he said that he knows it's almost Thanksgiving and he's getting nervous about trying pumpkin pie. I felt so bad for him. No 8-year-old should fall asleep worried and crying over a little piece of pie. I consoled him as best I could and made sure he knew that everything would be okay. Looks like we have something new to discuss with the therapist next week. So here's to nutrigrain bars and a hopeful future in pumpkin pie! Progress is progress.