So, what we learned from yesterday was our 6-year old has been attempting to play us... She ate an oatmeal cookie with no problem, but balked at eating macaroni and cheese, saying it was too hard to chew it and swallow.
This morning, we put it to the test. She had oatmeal... Soft, squishy oatmeal, almost the exact thing she had in the cookie, but wet and squishy... But we also added a consequence, knowing now that she COULD chew, but was just choosing NOT to chew and swallow. She even made a mistake on the way to breakfast when she told me she just wouldn't eat. I asked her if she wanted to get better and go home, and she said she liked it here... So, it is now Katherine and my job to make here MUCH less fun when she isn't working towards our goal of going home. Breakfast was timed, and the consequences for NOT finishing in the 30 minutes was a modified "Mellow Plan."
The Mellow Plan at the Kartini Clinic is extremely limited, minimal physical activity, usually reserved for patients with anorexia who have very low blood pressures and are designed not to put stress on them through physical activity. Our use was to make our daughter NOT have nearly as much fun at Ronald McDonald House. Her Mellow Plan was to be confined to her bed from breakfast to lunch on the grounds that we knew she could eat, but chose not to... And that is RIGHT where we ended up. She ate maybe a bite of her oatmeal, and drank her milk, and that was it. So, Katherine and I had a very frustrating morning, but then, we got to sit and read the rest of the morning in the room. It was actually very relaxing. Amelia was NOT pleased at all and tried to argue that the doctors didn't require her to be on the Mellow Plan and that she was going to tell them at the clinic (to which we replied "don't worry, we will tell them ALL about it..." and that shut her up RIGHT quick...).
Along comes lunch time... She got to pick her meal, a cheese quesadilla with a banana. At first, we were going to time the meal. At Kartini, it is 30 minutes each for breakfast and lunch, and 40 minutes for dinner. We were going to stick to that. And then, we adjusted it some and said as long as she was consistently making an effort to eat her lunch, she would get to be off the Mellow Plan for that afternoon, and we (she and I) would go to OMSI. It took a little more work than I would have hoped, but she ate a quarter round of cheese quesadilla, and all of her banana. I think it took about an hour, but it was progress over yesterday and progress over breakfast. She now knew we meant business.
On the up side, she and I got to go to OMSI. I haven't been there since it was still up near the Zoo. We went through the various exhibitions halls, which were a little disjointed, and not always as interesting for a kid her age. SOME of them were a little more fun (especially the ones with water and sand). Then, we went to the laser light show, which she first complained about having to wait 10 minutes in line, then was entirely blown away by the actual show. She kept on saying "mommy is really missing out! I'll have to let her know how much she would have loved it..." After the laser light show, we took the tour of the USS Blueback, the submarine docked next to OMSI. It is a small diesel electric sub. VERY tight quarters for about 80 guys. Interesting for me to go down through it. Amelia enjoyed most of it, but parts were scary, especially where she had to go across grates or plexiglass in the floor, or where there were loud noises.
We finished off OMSI with a visit to the Gift Shop, where she found a new friend for her (Gracie, the wolf, about a foot tall stuffed wolf) and Pine the T-Rex, which we got for mommy (and Amelia told mommy she had to snuggle with it tonight). Amelia also wanted a little poseable figurine that can just be played with or used for stop-animation filming, in green of course.
We got back just in time to take part in the dinner provided, a pasta casserole with salad and garlic bread. Amelia complained a little, but then ended up eating about 2/3 cup of the pasta salad and all of a slice of garlic bread. It was more than she has eaten in a sitting for us in a LONG time. She also did this with minimal fuss in about 30 minutes, giving us time to finish off the evening with a game of "King of Tokyo" (thanks Ken, it has been a HUGE hit).
So, overall, the day started out rough, but ended on a much better note. Herself is learning that yes, she is smart, but we do catch on, and we are smart and experienced. I am hoping this will be the start of good progress for her, the start of a realization that here is NOT just fun and games, and if she isn't working towards getting better, it will be a WHOLE LOT less fun and games...
Thank you for all the prayers. I know that is a big part of the reason for the improvements today, for Katherine and I keeping our sanity as long as we have, and for the bursts of happiness and enjoyment during this time. Thanks and please, keep it coming.
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