to suck, or not to suck

As most of you know, Eliot lost her suck reflex a couple of months ago. No pacifier, no bottle, nothing. This led us to give up the bottle for good, get a g-tube, and move on to eating solids and drinking from a cup (both of which she has done very, VERY slowly).

It is important for Eliot to put all kinds of things in her mouth to continue to stimulate her tongue, cheeks, and palate. We work with her constantly throughout the day with different toys and textures, so that when her acid reflux subsides, and she begins to enjoy the cup and solid food, she has the oral-motor capability to progress quickly.

This is how I found Elie Mak this morning. It is not exactly what Mike and I had in mind when we encouraged her to explore with her mouth.



That thing she is biting down on? That's her g-tube. Niiiiccce.