busy in the box

We have been busy in the "box" for the past week and a half!

"The Box" is what Jim calls Vinny's feeding room...

Because that is pretty much what it is...

He spends many hours in the one room throughout his day at the feeding clinic...

When we arrive in the morning at 9 am, Vinny goes directly to the feeding room...

This one room is his the entire time he is in the feeding program.

It has a large window that you can look through into the feeding room to watch what is going on (you can't see through it from the feeding room).

This is Vinny's schedule at the feeding clinic for the next 8 weeks...

As you can see, he is spending a lot of time eating!

Everything, I mean EVERYTHING is weighed on this scale...

All food, paper towels that are used to wipe up spit, spills, and vomit...

Vinny gets to eat 16 different foods (4 from each of the food groups) throughout the 8 weeks...

They rotate the foods throughout the feeding sessions in the day.

Every feeding session is timed and documented...two people sit and watch and document every little move that the therapist and Vinny make (head turning, hitting at the spoon or cup, vomiting, crying, accepting bites, how long it takes Vin to swallow a bite, etc...)

During Vinny's breaks, we get to play, play, play!

There is a great outdoor and indoor playground as well as several play rooms!

Vinny has been enjoying swinging outside when it is nice...

As well as swinging inside...

Vinny has discovered that he has a new found love for balls of any shape or size!

He has fun banging on them...

Holding them...

 

And smiling and laughing when they roll away from him!

Overall, I would say the last week and a half has gone pretty well! The first few days were the hardest for me! It was difficult to sit behind the glass window and watch my little man cry and cry and vomit when he could not settle himself down!

He was not happy being put into the highchair the first few times.

They do not use his pacifier or woobie to sooth him...that was difficult for me at first as that is what we use to calm Vinny when he is upset at home...

Let me tell you, it only took a few times of not getting the woob and pacifier for Vinny to figure out no matter how long he cried or how many times he made himself puke, he would still not get them...

Amazing to see how many behaviors he really has developed! This program has really opened our eyes!

We have already seen progress with his eating...we have been able to decrease some of Vinny's daytime tube feeds because he has taken in a significant amount of food and liquid during his feeding sessions.

Drinking has been a challenge for Vinny...

The staff use a "nosey" cup for drinking...

At first Vinny would freak out when the cup was presented to him and he was required to drink out of it!

Now he will allow the staff to put the cup to his mouth and deposit the liquid...

He is working on swallowing it with the help of the staff providing a chin cue...

I know with time and patience he will hopefully get the idea of how to swallow...

 

I will continue to keep updating on Vinny's progress!