Chew Tubes

The therapist who gave Ronan his swallow study thought part of the problem with his food getting stuck may be that Ronan has weak jaw muscles. The weak jaw muscles make it harder for him to chew. The speech therapist asked me to call Ronan's regular OT and talk to her about getting him Chew tubes. I had no idea what chew tubes were but I called Ronan's OT as soon as we got home yesterday. She had been out of the office but she called me back first thing this morning. She agreed that Ronan had very weak mouth muscles and she had some chew tubes that she would bring over in the early afternoon.When she arrived she had three different types that she gave us. The chew tubes are a rubbery plastic. His only job is to chew on those as much as he wants. The type of material they are will help build his mouth muscles every time he bites. His therapist is awesome to bring them right over to us.Inara had an accomplishment today. She learned to hit two blocks together. On top of that she also got to get out with mommy and daddy and go to the mall. She has not been to the mall since she was two months old. What can I say I rarely get to the mall unless it's on a date with Isaac. Isaac took me to get my hair done . Inara had her red hat with the green flower and she attracted attention everywhere we went. The only problem was people would come over to see her and in high pitched baby voices they would greet her. In turn Inara would repay their greetings with screams and tears. Inara has stranger anxiety.
My normally happy, carefree baby was turned into a terrified mess who clung to me with everything in her. This proved quite problematic when I was getting my hair done. Daddy's attention wouldn't suffice and she would sob and bury her head into daddy's shoulder. She would seem to drift to sleep then she would turn and notice my three reflections in the salon mirrors and the tears would once again flow extensively.

When my hair was done I held her and she laughed almost giddy with joy to have familiar, safe mommy once again. Not only does Inara have stranger anxiety but she also has extreme mommy attachment.
My family came over for the evening. We had dinner and a Valentine cookie cake for dessert. Xander was my server. The boys played dinosaurs. I was excited to win an Ebay auction for Ronan's drink thickner. Imagine if the only liquid you could every drink was thickened with a sort of broken down oatmeal with a gritty texture. You could never have any type of smooth liquid to wash your food down with. This is what Ronan has been living with since he was born.
I could never thicken juice or water because with the rice cereal juice would not thicken properly. This left his only beverage choice as a gritty milk or pediasure. After he was in the hospital this last time they used simply thick which is what he had had in the NICU. I loved it. It made his liquids a smooth gel and he could drink apple juice. But the thickener retailed $70 a box. I checked multiple stores and finally I found an auction on ebay for a box for $15. We won the auction at $18 and I'm not going to complain a bit. My baby boy can now have smooth, refreshing liquids.I didn't realize this day was so extensive until posting this blog. Other highlights, the kids were beside themselves because they got new toothbrushes and toothpaste. They also got new books. Jadzia got a barbie purse book and the boys wanted the same book and decided to share it. Their book is a story about a stuffed horse who is afraid of the dark until a stuffed duck shows him there is really nothing lurking in the darkness. Xander's been having issues with the dark lately so I'm hoping the book will help. Ronan can multitask, he can do chewing therapy and play with his feet at the same time.Tomorrow is going to be a blast. We are meeting my in-laws for food and fun. All in celebration of Isaac's and his dad's birthdays! One last thing. Remember the cleaning challenge that I won? My surprise is being delivered on Tuesday! You'll get to find out what it is then. I'm very excited!!!