Down Right Unbelievable

Adeline Belle is out eating both of her sisters. Honest!! Ever since a I made a roast on Tuesday, Adeline has been eating up a storm. She ate the carrots, mashed potatoes and the meat. Then she followed it up with lots of my pumpkin bars - with frosting!! My mouth is still on the floor.

Let's just compare the typical day to her last 5 days of intake.

Typically. . .

Adeline picks at Cheerios or puffs for breakfast

Eats maybe a fourth of a sandwich and full yogurt for lunch

For dinner she typically eats about three bites of everything and never partakes in desert unless it is a green Christmas tree cookie.

(of course she has her Pediasure both morning and night)

Lately. . .

Adeline eats a whole bowl of Cheerios (independently spoon feeds it to herself without milk) and gets mad when I take her out of her highchair because she wants more and more Cheerios.

For lunch, Adeline spoon feeds herself a full yogurt and eats a half sandwich. She usually has a few crackers as well.

Dinner is absolutely astounding. Adeline is eating everything in her bowl and asking for seconds. Tonight, she ate 10 bites of steak, at least a third cup of mashed potatoes and a couple of bites of green beans. She proceeded to eat a 3" x 2" piece of pumpkin bars with frosting. She forked it all by herself.

I have gone from worrying that she will waste away to actually saying, "I hope this eating isn't going to make her fat since she is so short." I immediately recognized the absurdity in my comment but I really did say it out loud.

Does all of this relate to the dropping of feeding therapy? I guess it must. She is now a very INDEPENDENT eater that flips out if I touch her fork or spoon. She will spend 30 minutes working on a cup of yogurt instead of allowing me to help her spoon it out. In the past we have always fed her because she was so defensive with food that she wouldn't feed herself.

Possibly most shocking is that my girls have loved the past two meals I have made. Now that I am not shoving food in Adeline's face every two seconds, I have enjoyed WARM meals with my girls. I ate everything on my plate tonight which is rare and it wasn't even cold.

Thank God we have made a change in Adeline's feeding. Who knew it would make such a difference. Now we have to hope it sticks around.

On a different note, Miss Belle sported braids this week.