Tube Weaning - Day 7

Our day did not begin with high morale. Max awoke whining and fussy and already too tired to start his day. He cuddled in bed with dad while I prepared breakfast. During breakfast he just sat there, and stared at us with his big, sad eyes. We tried our best to enjoy our breakfasts and put on a smile for Max.

Max had no interest in playing at all. He only wanted to be held and cuddled and would cry to be picked up as soon as you put him on the floor. A far cry from his usual self. He ended up taking four naps throughout the day instead of his usual one. He was just miserable. Lunch saw him have a total breakdown. He cried for the sandwich on my plate, and then cried even harder once he got it and didn't know what to do with it. It was a pitiful sight. He was in slightly better spirits after his long nap, but still didn't have the energy to play.

We decided a change of scenery would do us all a world of good, so we broke our usual winter-isolation and headed to the mall while it was still quiet for the afternoon. We brought a couple of graham crackers along with us just in case Max changed his mind about eating. He didn't seem interested in eating, but he did clutch one of the crackers tight in his fist on the ride home, even as he drifted off to sleep. Once we were home, he offered me a nibble, and then had a nibble of his own. And then he had another. I slung him up on my back in the carrier while I made dinner, and I could hear little nibbling, and chewing, and swallowing behind me. He nibbled his cracker through dinner time, mostly ignoring the asparagus and baked mac and cheeze that we had for dinner. He spent a solid 2 hours nibbling that graham cracker, crumb by crumb, until it was gone. Then for the next hour he nibbled through some popcorn twists. Then he spent the next 30 minutes gnawing on half a stick of a Kit Kat dark bar. After nibbling through a solid 3.5 hours (an hour past his usual bath and bed time) he started rubbing his eyes with chocolatey fists. After a quick bath and a story he was fast to sleep.

Tired and chocolatey

 
Watching Max eat, it felt like a dam burst open for him. It wasn't so much the amount he ate, or the skill with which he ate, but the undivided attention he gave to his task and the determination on his face. It's like his fear and apprehension melted away and his willingness to put anything to his mouth was rather refreshing after the start we had to his day.

Nearly 48 hours after he received his last tube meal, the first calories made their way to his tummy by his own hand. I hope those crumbs have merely whetted his appetite, and we will see more enthusiastic eating tomorrow.