Climbing that mountain

Yesterday was a monumental day for Evan. He started taking the bus to school. We always walked there because we live so close, but with the new baby coming and Ev's interest in all things vehicle, we thought this would be a good move. We were absoultely right. He loves riding the bus. He was so excited yesterday--he jumped right on the bus in the morning, and when he came home at noon he didn't want to get off. Today he was ready and waiting at the door a full 15 minutes before it was due to arrive. I'm glad he's enjoying it, and it gives me an extra hour to myself on preschool days. Definitely a good change for both of us.

We also have had some food excitement over the past two days. Evan ate ice cream and pudding for the first time in about two years. I know that doesn't sound very remarkable to most people, but for us it's a complete thrill. If you're a long time reader here, you know that Ev has had this oral defensiveness that won't allow him to eat lots of things--slimy things like fruit, soft things like yogurt or pudding, cold things like ice cream or popsicles. He used to projectile vomit when he would touch or even see some of these things, and with time and work we got to a place where he could tolerate being near them, but wouldn't touch or eat them.

We even spent one summer at a feeding program in Pittsburgh, and that actually set Evan back rather than helped him. He didn't respond well to being forced into tasting things, and after that was over he wouldn't even try anything out of the ordinary. But slowly through brushing therapy and OT at the hospital, we've worked our way back.

Ev and his OT started working with pudding a little over a month ago. The first session he wouldn't go near it, the second time he touched it with a paintbrush and used it to paint, and the third time he put his finger in the pudding and used it as fingerpaint. The last time he was there he was teasing his OT--putting some pudding on his finger and then putting his finger in his mouth, but so that it didn't actually touch his mouth. What a stinker, but we were making some progress at least!

Then at home this week we made pudding together from a mix. Evan helped stir it and put it in the fridge, and I served us each a bowl after dinner last night. He ate it! Not a ton, maybe four or five small bites, but that was enough for us. We cheered for him, and he cheered for himself. The day before he had put a small bit of ice cream on his tongue, but we thought that was just a fluke. But two days in a row! We're definitely getting somewhere. I'm so glad that Ev's getting to a place where he's willing to try things, where he might start expanding his horizons a little bit.

It's so wonderful for us to watch Ev grow and change right before our eyes. I'm interested to see his progress, and the best thing now is that he realizes he's making progress. He's getting excited about trying new things and what he's able to do. Evan at age four means something new every day, and we're all loving it.