We got some amazing news yesterday!! Gavin had his height/weight check-in and (drum roll please) he GAINED weight!! Now while this may seem like a no brainer let me assure you it has been a battle.

About a year and half ago Gavin’s body went into protection mode and shut down so he stopped gaining weight and growing. We didn’t know that he wasn’t getting enough calories to keep him going. I know, how could we not know? Well, this was around the time that he was officially diagnosed with CP and we started to really learn what that meant. We just didn’t know enough about CP to know that every time he toned (muscles contracted) – which in a day is often – he was burning a ridiculous amount of calories. His doctors didn’t realize either until his body went into protection mode. So that’s when we started the process of calorie loading.

For a few months we were doing a good job. We started to see growth again – and even though he was (and still is) on his own growth curve the fact was he WAS growing.

Then the summer hit and things went downhill. He was hospitalized with some unexplained respiratory issue, got hit with mono (at 18 months old), had a recurrence of the earlier respiratory issue, a few ED visits and well his growth tanked again. Like the rest of us, when Gavin doesn’t feel well he doesn’t eat/drink.

When he was feeling well we’d give him anything and everything we could to eat. But his weight just wouldn’t budge. Finally at an appointment 2 months ago his doctor said that we should be over the typical “sick time of year” and that she’d give him 2 months to prove he could gain weight otherwise we’d need to seriously look at putting in a g-tube.

Gain weight, sounds easy right? Not so much. Gavin eats what essentially equates to stage 3 baby food (in terms of texture/consistency) to avoid choking. So everything we make has to be pureed to an extent (and no he won’t just eat stage 3 baby food). The pureeing isn’t so much the issue. The problem is with his tastes. Gavin has a very particular palate – at 2 years old. Kid likes flavor/spice! And chocolate (well LOVES really and I can’t fault him there). But if he doesn’t like something (texture or flavor) he refuses to eat – which can make meal planning challenging especially since he can’t tell me what he likes/doesn’t like ahead of time.

Unfortunately, one cannot live on chocolate alone (not sure why but something about vitamins and nutrients and such….) So with the help of his therapists we went back to the drawing board and came up with new, flavor filled, high caloric meal combinations. And he LOVES them (with a few minor exceptions)! For a kid his age/size his caloric intake is absolutely ridiculous but it’s working! NO g-tube!!!!!! Next weigh-in isn’t for 3 months!!

And on days when he doesn’t feel like eating? Well I slip him some chocolate or cream cheese frosting….hey there’s dairy in there….somewhere!