Will work for food

Looking back on one of the most celebrated events in a child's life, the coveted 1st birthday, we should've seen it coming...

We sat Mason at the table at his Grandparent's house and gave him the customary piece of chocolate cake. It was larger than his head.

We stood by with cameras, ready to permanently catch the moment on film like had been done for his brother, sister, and all cousins before him.

Mason looked confused.

Which quickly changed to a look of disgust.

He didn't touch it.

Wouldn't even it lick it.

We put the cameras away.

He was always a finicky eater. During infancy he semi willingly ate his baby foods. But as the textures of those foods increased, so did his reluctance to eat them. It snowballed from there.

Today Mason lives on a very limited menu. This has made following the GFCF diet impossible for now. He'd starve to death.

Here's a list of what Mason will eat:
Graham Crackers
Strawberry yogurt
An occassional slice of pizza
Goldfish crackers
Toast with butter and cinnamon/sugar
A specific brand of organic macaroni and cheese
Waffles
Pancakes

That's it. He likes his carbs.

Earlier this year Mason started working with a private therapist that comes to our home. We call her Megan the Magnificent. She has a long history with Mason, and she's produced great results with him.

She's literally been with him since day 1. She was his Speech Therapist in the early days of his autism diagnosis, and he really loves her. Fortunately for us, she also works on oral motor therapy and food issues. With her help, we've seen some really solid progress, especially these past few weeks, in tasting, and chewing new foods.

Getting him to eat still remains a daily struggle. He'd just as soon drink milk all day long, rather than eat solid food.

But we know what works. Bribery.

Eat food = computer time. So far this has worked well for us.

Hmmmm....maybe this will work for his piece of birthday cake next year...