An Eating Milestone

I can't believe it...Connor has finally BIT into his food. Let me give you a brief overview of what we/ he struggles with daily:

What most people don't realize is that Connor has trouble eating in ways we would not even understand. He started eating baby food around 4-5 months old and I tried very hard to transition him into regular solids as recommended and with Paul gone a lot on TDY and various training, I didn't rush it but didn't give up either. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why he preferred pureed foods over solids. It wasn't until he was over a year, nearly 18 months old that he was even interested in trying anything new and even then, he was extremely picky. Picky to the point that he ate the same thing daily. Guidance from other parents and doctors allowed me to relax since I was told that "Toddlers can be picky eaters, they will eat if they are hungry and stop when they are done. Don't worry." I relaxed for a while but still found that new foods were a battle and even after he would realize that maybe they weren't all that bad, he still had trouble with physically eating them. I had to cut EVERYTHING into small pieces as he would still not bite into anything. Even then, when cutting food into small bite sized pieces, he would over stuff his mouth making it difficult to chew and swallow. He even has occasional moments when he pockets food in his cheeks and hours later, it is still there so we have to remember to check his mouth before letting him down from the table. Again, I believed this was nothing more than, "Wow, he really does like this food and just can't get enough of it!" He never choked or really even gagged so I figured it was a natural step in the eating process. Over time, I learned that this is not true. Of course, it all went back to his sensory issues I learned about late last year. Since then, we have tried to do the best we can to read up and learn about how we can help him in this battle and two Speech and OT therapists later, we still haven't received the proper guidance in what to do. I have learned that finding a good therapist is like finding a pair of well fitting jeans. If you are a woman, you can imagine my struggles. Ha! As Connor's parents, we have done our best to just work with him in the best way we know how. We have worked him up to eating at least one bite of everything we eat and if he doesn't like it, he can have HIS meal. He surprises us and himself sometimes so we celebrate another new milestone and add a new meal to his short list of tolerable foods. Long story short (not really lol) he hit another AMAZING milestone this week. He has bit into 2 of his favorite foods that he previously would not do at all and ate another food that he used to not be able to tolerate the texture of! Like any other day, we asked him to take a bite, and for once, it clicked. He took a bite, we celebrated, and from there, he kept doing it. He loved seeing the excitement on our faces as we clapped and gave him lots of verbal praise. I find it so amazing that throughout all of this, God has been with us giving the guidance that even the professionals haven't. I know people think I am crazy but I just know that without a doubt, this kid WILL one day live a normal life and be healed. I get that we all have personality quirks that we and others have to live with....he will too, but I believe with my whole heart, he will blend in while still being exceptional. ;)