Are you ready?

With respect and kindness in my heart, I know who I'm speaking with.

I understand your anxiety.
I understand your hesitation.
I understand your anger.
I understand your doubtfulness. 

Now let me speak to the other side of you. 

I know your desire to help your child.
I know your power that you have within you.
I know your willingness to explore different avenues.
I know you're stronger than what you think you are at this very moment!

Tears come from your mental anguish and physical state.
BUT.............................................................................................................

there will come a day when those tears become a visual sense of your past struggles and your journey. 

Your child's improvement depends on you and that's a lot to hold on your shoulders.  Sometimes it's easier to let things go on the way they're going.  

I need you to understand that you are the strongest person in your child's corner.  You are the ON and OFF button.  I need you to understand that you have the CONTROL.  

When you are ready (really ready) your child will be ready to deal with what ever you put in front of him. 

It's my job to guide as well as educate you in this journey of your child's limited appetite.

Your child is always READY it's you he/she is waiting on.   

  Are you ready?

      

Growing Appetite

What does JP eat now you ask?  Here is a list off the top of my head.

• steak                                                     
• hot dog                          
• liver mush                      
• bologna                          
• sausage                         
• pork chop                        
• hamburger                    
• chicken                           
• fish                                 
• BBQ                               
• bacon                              
• soup
• cabbage                           
• spinach
• greens
• cheese
• ice cream
• cake
• brownies
• cookies
• chips
• crackers
• pretzels
• raisins
• onions
• carrots
• broccoli
• potatoes
• salad
• spaghetti
• eggs
• pineapple
• plums
• strawberries
• grapes
• oranges
• apples
• cinnamon rolls
• bread
• biscuits
• corn bread
• rolls
• zucchini
• squash
• corn
• green beans
• beans
• peas
• slaw



oh yeah............ and bananas   

The Change in Me

Change is something that can come easily or hard depending on how you are feeling that particular day.  After giving myself an internal "pep talk" it was time to get started on my son's journey of experiencing different foods.  I began to research on how I could help with his limited appetite.  Where were all the "how to" videos?    I laughed at some of the things I read; only because in my mind it was laughable and not what JP would consider a reasonable offer of beginning his journey into a world of the unknown, unsafe and unpredictable!  Here are a couple of the ideas that I can remember,

1.  Put some other kind of chicken nuggets into a McDonald's chicken nugget box so I could trick JP visually.    (and there it is............laughter)

Really?  Still this was the day of change and I was feeling confident on this particular day so what the heck, I tried it.  JP on the other hand was not amused nor was he going to take this "change" lying down.  Well he did technically lie down on the floor in full on meltdown mode, but other than that he just wasn't ready for change that particular day.  

2.  Try putting another french frie on his plate along with the McDonald's french fries.

Okay, I was optimistic about this one I'll admit.  I came through the door with JP's McDonald's bag looking all smug and handed him the french fries. Inspector #12 suddenly appeared before me and as he took the french fries out of the bag he dumped them on his plate and looked, smelled, touched and picked up the impostor and gave it a good sling towards the floor.  With a look of disgust he sit there and made sure all of the tiny pieces of the impostors fragments were no where to be seen on the almighty McDonald's french fries.    

In The Beginning

The beginning I'm referring to is when JP was three years old.   The food of choice and on the menu almost every day was chicken nuggets.  My day brightened when he discovered he did like french fries from McDonald's too.  Now we had what I considered a meal of sorts, I mean really there were two different foods on the plate.  Let's not forget the sugary drink that made it all go down easier.  I can't remember the exact day when I stopped suddenly in the kitchen and pictured JP as a grown man eating chicken nuggets and french fries, but I realized something had to change.  And that change was Me!