Itty Bitty Kitty

The thing Mommy says most to me (after "I love you", of course) is, "Kate, I can't understand you." Mommy says it so much that she called some nice ladies to come see if I needed something called Speech Therapy. I don't, Mom just needs to listen more carefully.

While they were here, the nice ladies noticed some things about me. They told Mommy that my 'failure to thrive' could be because I have poor core strength and that makes me fatigue easily when I eat. If this is the truth, which is likely, then I have probably dealt with it since birth and it explains why I never eat much. They told Mommy that I probably only eat until the hunger pain goes away, but never until I'm full (I'm not telling!) because it's so much work. They also said they wanted to help me strengthen my jaw and chewing muscles since I probably never developed those either.

Miss Mary Ann, my nutritionist, comes and weighs me and teaches Mommy how to hide fats in my food. Chocolate milk?? No complaints! I gained 1/2 a pound in two week's time, which she said was good since I'm growing. But average weight gain for my age is 1-2 pounds a week. We still have some work to do.

Miss Darlene, my Occupational Therapist, is a rock star around here. She lets Eggie help me during the practice sessions and brings really fun things to do. I get to make funny faces, play with party blowers, use a straw to make bubble volcanoes, and chew gum sometimes! Mommy thinks she's a rock star, too, because this week she helped me with a major life milestone.

I've never put a piece of bread in my mouth. I refuse to let it near my plate. If something looks like bread or if Eggie tells me it's like bread, I refuse it. I will NOT do bread. (Miss Darlene says it's probably because it is hard to chew once it starts to break down in my mouth.) This week, Miss Darlene asked Mommy for a piece of bread. As soon as I saw it, I said: "Kate NO do!" But Miss Darlene is smart. She took the bread and made tiny balls out of it. Then she used a straw and stabbed the bread. She asked me to practice chewing it and acted like it was just gum or something else. I did it! And then... I swallowed it! Mommy and Daddy stood by and cheered while Miss Darlene helped me eat a bunch of bread balls. It was such a proud moment for all of us!

Click here for pictures of the week

Love,

Kate "No Do It!" McClinton