A Hot Dog Rocket

I just had to post this really quickly. I have talked before about how particular Ethan is when it comes to food. It is a large part of his sensory processing disorder, and he is very adamant about what he will & will not eat. It helps if new food is cool....therefore not having a strong smell. And texture is a big issue as well. He has NEVER eaten any kind of lunch meat because it is too slimy feeling....on his fingers & in his mouth.

Ethan holding a hot dog during lunch

Well, today at lunch, my son had THREE bites of a HOT DOG!!!! This kid who eats basically the same thing EVERYDAY tried something new!? I was giving part of one to my niece becomes she LOVES them. Then, I just nonchalantly asked Ethan if he wanted a hot dog too, and he said YES! After I picked myself up off the floor, I gave him part of one as well. I encouraged him to eat it like his cousin, dipping it in ketchup & eating it like a french fry or chicken nugget. AND HE DID!!!!! OK, so he only licked off the ketchup but he TOUCHED the "slimy" hot dog & didn't wig out! Then, I decided to make the hot dog more enticing and turned it into a rocket.

First, we had to fill up with gas (dip it in ketchup). Then, we blasted off after Ethan counted down. As I made a rocket sound, the hot dog went high up in the air. I asked Ethan where this hot dog rocket was going to land? As he looked at me with a smile on his face, I could tell he didn't know how to answer this new question. So, I told him that it was going to land in Ethan's mouth! He squealed with excitement as the rocket slowly headed for his mouth. As the hot dog landed in his mouth, I told him to take a big bite.....AND HE DID!!!!! AND HE ATE IT!!!!!!!

Ethan posing for me with the hot dog

Usually if he doesn't want to eat something, he will ask us if he can "PLEH".......which means spit it out. (It can also mean he needs to vomit....fyi.) But he ate it, and asked for MORE!?!?!? AWESOME!!!!!!!! We did this 3 more times, and each time his bite was bigger than the last one. Then, he moved onto his pretzels & then was done eating.

I am soooooooo excited! Yet another benefit of watching my sister's kids during the day! I keep telling her I don't do it for the money, although that is much needed & very helpful to our household. I do it for things like this. Ethan taking 3 bites of a hot dog is worth so much more than the money she pays me for babysitting her kiddos. He is getting more exposure to playing with other kiddos, to increased noise levels, to sharing his toys, to taking turns, to sharing mom's attention....all of the benefits that he would have if he had siblings. And this may not be a big deal to most people, but this is huge. Today, Ethan took yet more steps towards overcoming some of his sensory challenges. And that, my friends, is priceless.