She's Eating a Cracker

SHE'S EATING A CRACKER!!!

Little Miss Jillian still cannot chew.  She has no clue how to use her jaw to move those chompers up and down to chew anything.  She doesn't bite.  She doesn't chew on toys, or anything, because literally she has no idea how to chew.  She mashes food with her tongue in a sort of sucking motion and swallows most things whole.  She eats only soft foods like rice/pasta and cooked fruit because she couldn't even use her tongue to spit food out that was too big to swallow until recently.  She swallowed everything she put in even if it choked her.  She is a big applesauce and yogurt fan as they have a puree texture and are easiest for her to eat..no mashing required because mashing all your food with your tongue is a workout.  We have been in feeding therapy for almost two years now trying to figure out those teeth, introduce her to new food textures, and get her chewing.  We have tried many, many different things.  We have worked a long, long time and she has made great progress (thank you Easter Seals therapists), but she still won't put most foods in her mouth probably because she can't just swallow them and has no idea how in the world to chew.  So at snack each day at school, Jillian eats what I pack her.  I pack her comfort foods, her favorite spoons, and her therapy cup for her each day.  While she eats her special snack packed lovingly by momma, the other kiddos in her class munch on graham crackers all around her.  Well, she has been watching them and yesterday she took a small bit of cracker from Miss Nina and put it in her mouth.  She is even making a biting sort of motion when I give her a piece at home.  This is huge and exciting.  One of the main ways we were trying to bring awareness of her teeth to her was by placing these crunchy textures in small bits on her teeth, but she wouldn't even let us hand feed these to her.  I have been hand feeding her little bits too after her interaction with the cracker at school yesterday and she is letting me get them in!  She is still trying to "suck" bits in mostly and not opening up, but just taking them from me is a huge step in the right direction.  Miss Kelsey, our feeding therapist back home, would be so proud!  Funny I just said to Sean two days ago that she may never chew, but I am so thankful she can eat some foods and is gaining weight and healthy.  Then, we get this breakthrough!  WAAAHOOO!!!