Baby Sandwich

I am in Atlanta now with the children for "grandparents' camp" with all eight grandkids. I will catch up on blog posts when I return home, but wanted to share now a photo of the "baby sandwich" in which I am blessed to sleep (or lie there with insomnia as the case may be)--I know many of my mom friends will identify!

On the occasions I am in charge of both children overnight, it is simply easier to bring John into bed with me. Then the problem is that the babies both squeeze up next to me, leaving me with a narrow strip of about 12 inches in which to (try to) sleep! Around midnight I had a stroke of genius to have John sleep horizontally at the head of the bed (forming us into a 'T'), giving everyone more room. Of course, John cried about that, feeling envious that Mary got to sleep next to me while he was "so far away" (as he lay practically across my head).

For those who follow John's oral sensory issues: After four months of occupational therapy, he had a grand success this week by eating a chewable vitamin! And he has since done it again! I'm tickled as he had heretofore rejected vitamins as chewables, gummies, liquid, effervescent, and powdered. Yesterday John spontaneously bit into a plum, as he bit into a banana last week. All he does is bite without removing any fruit, but this is major success as this child eats no fruit or vegetables (except raisins and fried plantain chips). Also, today John let me feed him food directly into his mouth. This probably wasn't the first time ever, but I cannot remember a time he has allowed me to feed him by hand or with a utensil. Even as a six-month-old, John refused the spoon and I had to hold food in the palm of my hand for him to pick up, so he would be in control of anything entering his mouth. Perhaps because of all this work we've been doing to give him safe sensory input in his mouth (e.g., sensory input that doesn't cause him to vomit) and building trust around his mouth (e.g., not forcing him to eat anything), today at breakfast John let me put a bite of French toast in his mouth. Then he came back to the table repeatedly asking me to feed him! I know that seems truly ridiculous to a lot of people, but it was a wonderful moment for this mama to feel her boy trusting her to feed him.