Breakfast of Champions!

What is for breakfast?

Oh Boy! Rice Chex with Milk!  Who would have thought of  cereal and  milk for breakfast! Way to go Dad!

Oh! This is going to be Yummy!

Almost in my mouth...

Oh! I can taste it!

Ummm!!!! Yummm!

Delight!!!! Absolute delight!!!

Olivia is working diligently on self feeding with a spoon.  She has become very good at getting the spoon to her mouth and knowing to go back to the bowl for more. Tonight at dinner she ate nearly her entire dinner with her spoon, although she ate her cauliflower and daikon radishes (large mild radish, looks like a big carrot, thought of as a Japanese vegetable, we slice them and steam) with her hands.

We are using the Boon bowl with suction cup and the Nubby spoon.  It is not beautiful (as my Montessori training predisposes me towards choosing), but it works and that is what Mommy has to just accept.  I have some beautiful silverware  for toddlers and some attractive plates, bowls and placemats that I have used with typically developing children of this age. But Olivia has motor control issues, and so the bowls, and spoons tend to go flying.  The placemat would surely be seen as a Magic Carpet! Sure to fly! The important thing is that she is having success!  We still need to hold on to the spoon, so that it doesn't go flying, but I think that as we keep working on grasp/ release,  give/ take, and placing that we will make better progress and be able to  not hold onto the spoon and have the spoon not go flying constantly.   

(I have gotten used to the fact that Fisher Price and Playskool, Leap Frog and Vtech make some great toys that really are what Olivia needs, so I think that I will cope with our table settings also!  Silly Mom!)

Brushing Teeth the Montessori Way

Because of my Montessori training I have always cringed (and been nearly ready to contact CPS) every time I hear a dental hygenist recommend placing child on the floor, straddling them, holding them down, prying open the mouth and brushing the teeth.  Simply not the way I was trained to approach children.

Here is a video of my chosen method. I follow the child, keep it fun, give choices, give respect and teach independence.  Hopefully, Olivia will continue to find brushing her teeth a good thing.  So far she enjoys it.

First Try at Rice Cereal

Olivia calmly took her first mouthfuls of cereal today.

... and occasionally said this stuff feels odd in my mouth :-)

This was Olivia's first try at eating solid food. Grandma B and Daddy took photos and movies while Mommy tried her best to feed Olivia. We have been getting advice from the Speech Therapist and also information from a DVD from TalkTools. Olivia did not spit the food back out, but let it be in her mouth and tried very calmly to figure out just what to do with it.

It will take a while before Olivia is truly up to speed on eating. But this first try went better than we had expected.