If we have to sum up our trip to Austria in one word, it would simply be: SUCCESSFUL!
But the success is not ours alone and we would like to thank everyone who contributed so generously with their time, efforts in arranging fund raisers as well as those who dug deep into their pockets and assisted us in raising the amounts we needed to get Tayden to Graz. Thank you so much!
Our work is not over yet and Tayden will continue with OT and Speech Therapy on our return to PE but we have a little boy who is eating and drinking and it is amazing to witness! I know that our families cant wait to see for themselves how well he is dong and Raleen, l think you may just have some competition for those Christmas roast potatoes..Tayden was chewing on some yesterday at play picnic! I cant wait to arrange the party that l promised him - a combined 2nd birthday and an official THE PEG IS OUT party! Who-hoo!
We had a meeting with Prof Duntiz yesterday after play picnic and she just cannot stop smiling at Tayden. Says he is just so cute and now that he is eating, he is even cuter! (think she is very happy to have another successful case!) Got to laugh at that one! Everything in his case has gone quite smoothly and although we have been warned that he might start refusing food and drink soon, he hasnt done this as yet - as l say, l am not sure he has that memo yet!
Boy, and can he EAT!!!!! We had speech therapy with Elizabeth and she was playing a game with him where he had to feed the animals.
There were a whole lot of them, a pig, a cow, a dog etc and he was really happy moving them around in the tractor UNTIL she....brought out some food! The food was meant for the animals but Tayden took one look at the pretzel sticks and the HIPP (purity) that she was offering them and got stuck in. The more she told him 'Nein Tayden Nein, it is for ze piggie!' the more he flapped his hand at her and shovelled the food into his mouth. He started taking HANDSFUL of HIPP (purity baby food) and pushing it into his mouth until his whole face was covered in food and he had so much there that we thought he was going to spit it out or choke as he used to.
But no, he stood very still and after about a minute he had swallowed it all and was heading back to the HIPP jar! I have a photo of him standing licking the lid of the HIPP jar...Elizabeth, Rob and l were astounded! Even Elizabeth couldnt believe it, she says his progress has been amazing, she was hoping that she could get him to actually tough the food or even consider putting a pretzel stick in his mouth...she didnt think he was going to be wrestling her for the jar! We had to take the rest of the jar with us to play picnic...LOL....
We then went through to play picnic and Tayden was the first one in...he now knows the set up and walked through the foods until he found one that he fancied and took a spoon and tasted it. Had 2-3 spoons of custard, some roll, some potato and that was it. Not that l was bothered at all, since he had eaten such a lot! The Prof and the others tried to get him interested but he didnt care and l was happy, he had done so well!
We stopped at the Billa on the way home and bought some bread for the ducks and the lamas, or so we thought....It turns out Tayden wasnt too keen on sharing his food with them and stood once again with mouthsful of bread instead of feeding the animals! Got most annoyed with me when l tried to feed the ducks bread instead of giving it to him (please note that l had 2 loaves of bread, so there was more than enough for all!!!)
There is a lama here who is really cheeky, we have called him Blackie for obvious reasons and he is the leader of the pack here, and the first in line to get food from us! He sees us coming and follows us along the fence, he knows a good thing when he sees it! He hasnt, however, counted on Tayden not wanting to part with his snack so yesterday so him craning his neck as far as he could through the fence while Tayden stood with the bread telling him Nein! Nein! (ag, my little German boy!)
It is sad to have our last day here today and say goodbye to the people who have all been so good to us, assisting us and teaching us how to get Tayden to eat. If someone has to ask me exactly HOW it happened, l honestly dont know. All that l do know is that through alot of prayers, hard work, commitment and the magic of Graz our little man is eating again!
We wish Patrick, Christina, Niklas, Leoni, Felix & Nico and of course our special friend Jason as well as their parents all the best in the way forward to reaching their full potential.
I am not sure whether people would be interested in reaching further about our journey with Tayden and if l should continue the blog when we return home? If you would be interested in still following Tayden's journey, please leave me a comment saying so.
Until later, God Bless and over & out from Graz!
But the success is not ours alone and we would like to thank everyone who contributed so generously with their time, efforts in arranging fund raisers as well as those who dug deep into their pockets and assisted us in raising the amounts we needed to get Tayden to Graz. Thank you so much!
Our work is not over yet and Tayden will continue with OT and Speech Therapy on our return to PE but we have a little boy who is eating and drinking and it is amazing to witness! I know that our families cant wait to see for themselves how well he is dong and Raleen, l think you may just have some competition for those Christmas roast potatoes..Tayden was chewing on some yesterday at play picnic! I cant wait to arrange the party that l promised him - a combined 2nd birthday and an official THE PEG IS OUT party! Who-hoo!
We had a meeting with Prof Duntiz yesterday after play picnic and she just cannot stop smiling at Tayden. Says he is just so cute and now that he is eating, he is even cuter! (think she is very happy to have another successful case!) Got to laugh at that one! Everything in his case has gone quite smoothly and although we have been warned that he might start refusing food and drink soon, he hasnt done this as yet - as l say, l am not sure he has that memo yet!
Boy, and can he EAT!!!!! We had speech therapy with Elizabeth and she was playing a game with him where he had to feed the animals.
There were a whole lot of them, a pig, a cow, a dog etc and he was really happy moving them around in the tractor UNTIL she....brought out some food! The food was meant for the animals but Tayden took one look at the pretzel sticks and the HIPP (purity) that she was offering them and got stuck in. The more she told him 'Nein Tayden Nein, it is for ze piggie!' the more he flapped his hand at her and shovelled the food into his mouth. He started taking HANDSFUL of HIPP (purity baby food) and pushing it into his mouth until his whole face was covered in food and he had so much there that we thought he was going to spit it out or choke as he used to.
But no, he stood very still and after about a minute he had swallowed it all and was heading back to the HIPP jar! I have a photo of him standing licking the lid of the HIPP jar...Elizabeth, Rob and l were astounded! Even Elizabeth couldnt believe it, she says his progress has been amazing, she was hoping that she could get him to actually tough the food or even consider putting a pretzel stick in his mouth...she didnt think he was going to be wrestling her for the jar! We had to take the rest of the jar with us to play picnic...LOL....
We then went through to play picnic and Tayden was the first one in...he now knows the set up and walked through the foods until he found one that he fancied and took a spoon and tasted it. Had 2-3 spoons of custard, some roll, some potato and that was it. Not that l was bothered at all, since he had eaten such a lot! The Prof and the others tried to get him interested but he didnt care and l was happy, he had done so well!
We stopped at the Billa on the way home and bought some bread for the ducks and the lamas, or so we thought....It turns out Tayden wasnt too keen on sharing his food with them and stood once again with mouthsful of bread instead of feeding the animals! Got most annoyed with me when l tried to feed the ducks bread instead of giving it to him (please note that l had 2 loaves of bread, so there was more than enough for all!!!)
There is a lama here who is really cheeky, we have called him Blackie for obvious reasons and he is the leader of the pack here, and the first in line to get food from us! He sees us coming and follows us along the fence, he knows a good thing when he sees it! He hasnt, however, counted on Tayden not wanting to part with his snack so yesterday so him craning his neck as far as he could through the fence while Tayden stood with the bread telling him Nein! Nein! (ag, my little German boy!)
It is sad to have our last day here today and say goodbye to the people who have all been so good to us, assisting us and teaching us how to get Tayden to eat. If someone has to ask me exactly HOW it happened, l honestly dont know. All that l do know is that through alot of prayers, hard work, commitment and the magic of Graz our little man is eating again!
We wish Patrick, Christina, Niklas, Leoni, Felix & Nico and of course our special friend Jason as well as their parents all the best in the way forward to reaching their full potential.
I am not sure whether people would be interested in reaching further about our journey with Tayden and if l should continue the blog when we return home? If you would be interested in still following Tayden's journey, please leave me a comment saying so.
Until later, God Bless and over & out from Graz!