Stop, Drop and Blog

BigBrother is a smart dude. He always has been. A typical first child, he was quick to learn words, numbers, letters, shapes and colors. But he’s had his own issues with which he struggled. I mean, don’t we all have our own things that trip us up?

BigBrother has struggled with some texture issues over the years. A recent example makes me cringe as it involves vomit after attempting to taste a strawberry. I won’t explain it in detail. But we’ve dealt with this for years. He’s a very picky eater because of these issues. Not only do new foods usually result in gagging but he simply can’t touch wet foods with his fingers (think of cantaloupe or the inside of a grape). Veggies were out of the question. Certain meats couldn’t be swallowed. Juice was unacceptable. And he prefers to use a brush to paint with as finger paints kind of squick him out. We’ve learned to deal in some ways but we’ve continued to expose him to new things in hopes that the constant exposure would help him.

Things have been slowly improving over the past few months culminating in some big changes just this month.

BigBrother now drinks juice. He now not only eats but likes cooked carrots. Last night, the child ate peas. (I almost fell off my chair.) He recently and willingly ate chicken. A few days ago, he ate half of a grape, touching the wet part first. He told me after he swallowed that he wouldn’t be doing that again but, hey, he chewed and swallowed the bite. I was pleased. And then, this past weekend, he did something totally out of character.

He touched a fish.

The Easter Bunny brought a fishing pole for BigBrother earlier this month. As the weather was fabulous this past weekend, FireDad decided that we’d go to a friend’s private pond after supper one evening (during which BigBrother ate a Sloppy Joe sandwich without prodding). BigBrother caught about seven fish while LittleBrother whined and cried that I wouldn’t let him jump into the water. BigBrother was intensely proud. What shocked us most wasn’t how he reeled in the fish with skill or how the activity kept his attention for so long. No, it was the touching of the fish. And not so much the first time… but he asked to touch the next fish that he caught as well. Shocked doesn’t cover it.

While I don’t have a picture of BigBrother touching the fish, I can’t not share this one.

I don’t know why BigBrother is suddenly more open to different textures and experiences. I don’t know if it will stop tomorrow. But I do know that I am very proud of all that he has been doing lately. He’s growing into quite the awesome little dude. I mean, have you touched a fish? Did you ask to do it again? And do you have texture issues? Right. Awesome indeed.

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[Regarding some of the challenges we have faced with BigBrother's texture issues but simultaneous advancement in learning, we have two giveaways you should know about! You can win a year of meal planning from A Flash in the Pan or a six month subscription to JumpStart.com and a CD-ROM for your child's age range. Both things are helping us help BigBrother so we're giving you the chance to help your kids as well!]