And I'm DONE

If you are looking for a happy, little, fluff piece to read this morning- THIS ISN'T IT.  I'm in a mood.  Granted, I've been in this mood for a couple of days now.  Tried venting to the hubster, but he is not getting it.  So, here goes, cyber-friends.

Little Bubba finished up with the Marcus Feeding Program at the end of March.  Since then, we have gone every other week for follow up visits.  We are still doing 'chew training'.  WTF? Seriously, we even went back to the beginning of chew training.  Didn't Einstein call the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result?  Little Bubba is over it.  And when he is done with something- HE IS DONE. You need to vary your approach. I guess part of my frustration stems from the fact that he doesn't have trouble chewing.  Nope, that is not why we were there.  Little Bubba fully masticates his food.  We were there because Little Bubba's diet led him to contract scurvy last year and he ended up in the hospital. So, the main goal was just to get him to eat a variety of foods, including fruits and veggies.  They didn't force the texture issue at that time, we just needed him to ingest these foods.

 With the help of his teacher, I've gotten him to accept crackers, waffles and peas at table texture.  I just presented them to him at his meal- boom, he ate them. We had to eliminate one of his protein sources (hot dogs) because he showed an overwhelming dislike for them.  I presented strawberry yogurt to him and now he has added that to his repertoire of foods.  So, in a month, I've gotten him to accept four foods at texture.  Me- 4; Marcus- 0.

I am not told what we are doing during his appointments at Marcus, I can guess by what I have to bring with me.  So, I was a little ticked off when I was told to bring in the foods he eats at table texture so they can observe.  YOU WANT TO WASTE AN APPOINTMENT TO WATCH HIM EAT? What really ticks me off is that I have offered to video a meal and send it to them.  They were supposed to introduce the yogurt to him in clinic- I got tired of waiting, so I did it myself.  I have voiced my concerns to them at every appointment, but it falls on deaf ears.  I feel like I am wasting my time going and forcing Little Bubba to endure the chew training for 40 minutes.  Then, they get all concerned when he acts up.  Well, gee, what do you expect from an autistic child who 1.) doesn't like the therapist working with him and 2.) doesn't like the chew training.  Seriously, they put a hollow tube in his mouth and tell him to take 1 bite.  They then remove the tube and praise him to high hell.  I think we are up to four chews now.  I think I would rather watch grass grow.  I'm bored, Little Bubba is bored.  I'm having a hard time sticking with the program.  We started this chew training bull back in March when he was still there for day treatment.  Three times a day for 5 days a week for 15 days and little progress was made.  I'm tired of fighting the traffic to Atlanta, disagreeing with the therapy, and then fighting my way back home.

I'm done, I'm over it.  And I think we are making better progress at home. Told Little Bubba Thursday that we were going to Marcus and he had a total meltdown.  He didn't want to go, he probably got the vibes that I didn't want to go, either.  So, I cancelled.

I feel better now.  Venting over...for now!

Where's the love?

I don't usually comment on current events, but I can't let this one go.  The public in general has been vilifying the mother involved in the Cleveland Zoo incident.  Let's take a step back and examine the facts, or lack thereof.

Just this morning, I read a Facebook rant where this guy was saying that parents need to get off their phones, stop taking selfies and watch their kids.  I agree.  However, I haven't seen any legitimate article to state that is what happened here.  There are tons of memes circulating that state the gorilla was watching the child better than the mother.  Again, I have seen no such facts.  Why are we so quick to judge?  Let's face it, we have all been there.  You are out with your toddler.  You stop to get something out of your 'battle bag' (the large tote bag you haul with you everywhere that contains toys, tissues, wet wipes, change of clothes and other necessities for toddler life)  You look up not 2 seconds later and your little escape artist has vanished.  You look left, then right.  Now you spot him/her doing the thing you just got finished telling them for the 40th time not to do.  What happened to the village?  Did no one see this child? One adult stepping forward could have made a difference.  

Seriously, when did we stop caring? Granted, there are people who wouldn't appreciate your involvement.  Get involved anyway.  Be a jerk.  Block the hole the kid is attempting to climb through, alert the parent to the child's activity.  Don't stage whisper, "I would never let my child do that." Yes, there are asshole parents out there.  Take the high road.  I assure you, the zoo did not want to kill Harambe (the gorilla), but we need to remember that the gorilla is an animal.  We cannot know what his intentions were toward the child.  If it were your child, how long would you want them to wait to make a decision?  The child was already in the enclosure for 10 minutes before the command came down. Can you imagine?  You are watching  a gorilla drag your child around for 10 minutes.  

That is enough heavy stuff for today.  I'm going to return to my fluff blogging soon enough, but I just had to get this off my chest!!