"At the Playground"

Ayden continues to love the swings at the playground. He grins almost the entire time and protests when we take him out of the swing.

He, of course, enjoys flying high in the swing, but he also likes watching the other children play on the playground equipment. Other than therapy times, he doesn't often get to see other children, so he absorbs all that they are doing.

Daddy, the sun is keeping me from seeing everything!

As much as he loves the swings and observing other children, he loves his daddy more. Bryan provides excitement and nuance. He helps Ayden climb up steps or slide down slides (even tube slides that Bryan can barely fit in!). Ayden liked the slides so much that he wanted to slide all the way down... to the dirt!

C-L-E-M-S-O........N!

"Stairway to Heaven"

Well, okay, more like stairway to the second floor.

Ayden has made a lot of progress in his mobility over the last few weeks. One thing he has figured out over that period is to climb the stairs. As you'll see from the video below, it was a struggle when he first started, mainly because he was trying to lift his knee directly up to the next step. He was a little too short to pull that off without considerable effort, so he couldn't make it very far before he ran out of gas. Once he let me show him how much easier it would be for him to stand up before he lifts his knee to the next step, he could go from the bottom to the top in one trip. Now, he's a pro.

It's amazing to see what a little kid can do when focused and determined. Now, if we could only get him to approach his eating the same way...

"Downtown"

Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city.

My mama and I took Ayden to downtown Nashville for his first visit. He was enthralled with the sounds and sights. Ayden made friends at Hatch Show Print; he tried on cowboy boots; he posed next to Elvis. Besides getting out and seeing the sights, why were we in downtown Nashville? Hint: Halloween!

"How's Ayden's eating coming?"

Ugh. I hate the feeding question. Part of the reason I abhor this question so much has to do with how much I wish the question didn't exist. We once took it for granted that we would have children that would innately desire food; of course, we once took a lot of things for granted. Ayden's feeding issues have been a 17-month struggle, and the feeding tube restricts us to the home and confines us to a more rigid schedule.

I also dislike the question because I feel largely responsible for helping Ayden to make the next steps in feeding. Since I am with him the majority of the day, I am most often the one that provides Ayden with feeding opportunities; I am the one that reads him in order to determine how far to push him or when he needs to stop. I am fearful that his lack of progress has something to do with me.

And then there's the whole argument that dealing with eating is so minor in the long run, considering all that Ayden has dealt with in his young life. Cardiologists try to comfort me by telling me that Ayden won't go to kindergarten with a feeding tube... I'm supposed to rejoice in the fact that that's not going to happen. I'm supposed to patiently handle however long Ayden needs to want to eat.

At the same time that I dread the feeding question, I know it's a blessing that people even care to ask, even if they can't understand the answer or relate to the situation. I realize it's something specific people know to ask.

So here's the update: Ayden has finally decided he's interested! Once a day, we have constructive feeding activities during a tube feed. (Other times during the day are more impromptu.) In August, I commented on how Ayden was demonstrating improvement with his willingness to try food and drink; however, he still required a lot of modeling and prompting. No more. Ayden initiates all eating and drinking on his own. He feeds himself with a spoon, puts food items in his mouth to lick (and sometimes bite), and takes sips from a sippy cup. Even though he isn't eating a whole lot, he is at least eating full spoonfulls, and his time tolerance has improved. Ayden's feeding therapist is thrilled and has even suggested that Ayden doesn't need to be seeing her as much. We are so proud of how our little man is tearing down his fears and learning to eat! God be praised!

I sometimes require four or five spoons to get the job done.

Some of Ayden's new favorite foods include: lemons, limes, pretzels, strawberry applesauce, pear yogurt, beef jerkey, and Oreos.