Playing catch up....

So, Maryam has been eating really well. We've been able to take her out places and have her eat! Thursday night we took her to Bistro 29 and she ate a plate full of mashed potatoes. They didn't have gravy which drove her insane!!! But she managed. Friday night we took her to the 29 Palms Car Show and Street Fair and she didn't do as well. She refused to eat anything! All she wanted to do was run around. She wouldn't drink her Pediasure or even eat a chip, so we had to leave early to try to get her to eat at home. By the time we got her home she was so aggravated that all she wanted to do was go to sleep.
The weekend was much better. Maryam ate all of her meals and is even doing better at trying new flavors. She's been doing wonderfully with any and all soups. She likes to add pepper and usually adds too much, but she still eats it all gone. Breakfast is still her most challenging meal. I have found that if I give her the Ensure pudding in the morning, she tends to eat it all, vs giving her pancakes or waffles where she only takes a few bites and gives up. At lunch she's been eating a whole cup of soup or a whole hot dog. Its pretty cool being able to watch her eat all of her food. She has a total feeling of pride and accomplishment.
At dinner I've been able to puree pretty much whatever we're eating and she's been doing really well with it. If we have a pasta, I just puree it with extra pasta sauce, if we have a meat, I add gravy, I'm learning the tricks to making it taste better. And if she doesn't like something, which she tells me immediately, I'll make her a soup or let her pick what she wants.
Maryam is loving snack time. I've been letting her sit in her favorite chair and watch her favorite TV show or read her favorite book and she will eat an entire bag of chips! Its fascinating to watch her chew and swallow, something she wasn't able to do before we went into the CHOC program. Right now our biggest challenge is getting her to drink her Pediasure. Its killing me. Last night I had to bribe her to drink her Pediasure by promising that if she finished her 3 ounces that I'd give her water. Until I said the magical word water, she wouldn't go anywhere near her Honey Bear Cup filled with "pink milk." Ugh. She needs those calories!!!!

In non-Maryam news, I had another high risk appointment on Tuesday where I was put on blood pressure medicine. I'm pretty bummed that I'm already having blood pressure problems this early in my pregnancy. I'm only 20 weeks! Ugh. So, if it doesn't go down in the next few weeks I'll be put on bed rest. How does a mommy of a toddler go on bed rest? I'll be completely dependant on Brett, my parents and my Maries. I just hope Maryam understands. I don't want her getting mad or disappointed that I can't play with her as much. I feel like I'm choosing the new baby over her. But I know I'm not. Its just a crappy situation to have to be in.