We took a week's vacation last week to Brad's parent's cottage and packed a week's worth of food for everyone, including Bryce. I only packed 3 days worth of clothes, however, as the cottage has a full size washer and dryer.
Why not shop while on vacation? The biggest reason is Bryce. We've slowly been converting our eating & my cooking, and thus the foods we buy, to include him. This means we have to have what we have to have. My goal for dinner each night at home and on vacation is that Bryce can eat everything that is served. We can add stuff to our meals (like sour cream on nachos) but the main dishes have to be safe for him.
This meant that I cooked up a storm before we left. It was a bit nuts but worth it in the long run. We did stop at the local Amish produce stand for some local-grown veggies and hit the farmer's market a few days later. And we ordered pizza one night from a local-owned pizza place. (and we learned that we can no longer do that--eat a meal that Bryce can't have a single part of. It was unfair to him and he truly noticed we were eating different things. I guess the past few months of making Bryce-safe meals is something he's used to!)
How did Bryce do? He did GREAT. He ate--actually ate--diced pears, a whole banana (peeled, holding onto it like his brothers do), peas and corn on the cob. He ate mashed sweet potatoes like they were going out of style. He tried cantaloupe. Basically, it was a good eating week.
We've been trying to cut back on his bottles by only giving them to him when he asks for one (ok, demands one). That meant that last week he typically had 1 or 2 bottles per day instead of 3. I think he was more hungry as we spent most of our time outside, on the boat or in the lake. I also believe that eating all of our meals together every day meant that he ate more.
So the current list of "Foods Bryce Will Eat" includes: banana, apple, grapes, peas, pears, corn on the cob, chicken, pork, corn pasta, allergy-safe pretzels/cookies, strawberries, hot dogs, sausage, bacon, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, applesauce, garbanzo beans, black beans, rice. I think that's everything.
Not too shabby! All he needed was a vacation to get his eating going.
I really enjoy reading your blog. I don't actually do a great job of keeping up with it, but I do stop by from time to time. I have been especially interested in your eating saga with Bryce. I have a nephew (18 months old now) that has some of the same problems. I don't they are quite as extensive, but they are going through a lot of the same problems that you write about. I also have a niece who has feeding problems too, she is 10 years old and is still on a feeding machine because she in unable to consume enough calories to gain weight (she has Russell-Silver Syndrome which is a growth disorder). It is surprising how difficult a simple thing like eating can be. I think you a doing a great service to people by documenting all of this since it can be a lonely thing to deal with. Many people don't understand how difficult it can be. I think sharing your story can do a lot of good for a lot of people. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteMolly
Molly--Thank you very much for your words of encouragement! I so appreciate that you take the time to read my little blog. You're right, it is a very lonely & diffiucult road raising a little one with eating/feeding issues. I can only imagine how tough life must be for your niece and her family. I hoped that by writing about Bryce & his struggles that someone else could benefit. There's no handbook to deal with food allergies & all they bring. Thanks again for your support :) Dort
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