All I can say is YIPPEEEE, we have ONE new item added to Tornado Boy's PICKY list of acceptable foods! There is hope...and the clouds parted and there was light!Picture...mom doing the happy dance...yeah booyah, yeah booyah!
We are planning a trip to Washington, DC in a couple of weeks and we are all excited but, Tornado Boy's SPD dietary "wants" make traveling very interesting....he is pretty limited to what he eats and 99% of his choices are not normally found in most restaurants....food is either too yucky, too smooshy, too salty, too sour, too hot, too spicy....on and on...the joy of SPD! So we talked about making a deal...he said he would be willing to try one new food a week so that maybe we could try some new restaurants while we were in DC. So this week's new food was...tada.....grilled cheese (with the crusts off of course)....and YES it was a HIT. We had tried it a year ago and it was spit out with lots of "yucks" and gags followed after...and this from a child who would consume an entire bag of cheese sticks each day if he was allowed. Well, for some strange reason today(I will not look a gift horse in the mouth)it was "great" and "yummy" and was devoured in under 20 seconds AND more was asked for. YIPPEEE - Grilled Cheese is probably one of the most popular items on kid's menus so DC here we come.....next week - Macaroni and Cheese - keep your fingers crossed!!
I bring a small suitcase or bag full of food I know they like, because even if mac and cheese or grilled cheese is available, it is never served the way they want it! Wrong cheese, wrong sized noodles etc. Ugh! I keep waiting for that day when they eat me out of house and home, but we aren't there yet! Yahoo for you, any new food that makes it into the mouth is cause for celebration!
ReplyDeleteOh Andrea I so know what you mean...we usually come with a whole cooler full of stuff but on an airplane trip we are limited...so I have been really nervous! My little guy would win a blind fold contest if you stuck 3 different cheese sticks in front of him - I guarantee every single time he would be able to pick out "his" cheese in 2 seconds flat. Attempt to sneak in a different kind of chicken nugget...forget it - no chance in a million years! I have friends that all suggest a gluten free diet or the Feingold diet - HA is all I say - my little guy is so stubborn he would starve himself before changing any of his food.
ReplyDeleteWhen all else fails, and it did, we headed for Dunkin" Donuts. Not my favorite, but the kids ate and I had coffee!
ReplyDeleteWe always have to bring a case of food when we travel too. For the little one it is because of his multiple food allergies. And for the older one it is because he only finds about 9 or 10 foods to be acceptable. And like Andrea said, even if you find a place that serves a food they technically like, if it comes out the wrong color or shape or whatever it is still a NO GO! Arrgh!
ReplyDeleteHave a great time on your trip. And good luck!!
it is SO nice to hear that we are not the only ones in this boat!! Last week when we made the hotel reservations I had to call ahead and speak to the chef that works in one of the restaurants - he told us that he would send in writing that the hotel would provide a microwave and fridge free of charge in the room just in case he does not like the hotdogs/fries/grilled cheese the chef can make :-) Makes life a lot more interesting!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I was just at a conference and atteneded a session about gifted kids -- this kind of "pickiness" is not at all uncommon among gifted kids. "Gifted" often equals "more" -- more intense, most sensitive, etc. -- so these kids are affected by tastes, smells, textures more than others.
ReplyDeleteAnd interesting, shortly after that conference, my oldest (age 11) told me that the reason he doesn't like my homemade baked mac and cheese is that it's "too furry."
Oh that's great Jennifer - "too furry" :-)There have been MANY times I have sat and pondered lately and now more since we got his very high assessment scores back whether my little guy honestly has SPD or does he act the way he does because he is highly gifted and has Over-excitability issues. hmmmmm
ReplyDeleteMy husband just found your blog after googling "tornado cake". I have only begun to read your posts, but it seems your kid and ours have a LOT in common. We need to make a tornado cake for our tornado-obsessed son's 6th birthday. Our child does not have any type of diagnosis, though I have wondered more than once whether or not he has Asperger's, only to come up with lot of reasons why he doesn't. I need to find out more about SPD. Thanks for sharing about your experiences.
ReplyDeleteHave a great trip.. thanks again for the lovely thoughts about my Mom.. by the way, did you make that grilled cheese? It looks fabulous! I know your little guy is going to have a great time in the museums.. We are going to try that when Tom can handle the bright lights... safe trip!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful time! I know your little guy will have a blast in the museums.. thanks for the kind words about my mom.. by the way, did you make that grilled cheese? Looks fabulous.
ReplyDeleteHave a safe trip...