Cora's Self-Feeding lesson

Perseverance.  That's what I would love to call this post, but the other title is a little catchier.  I have been working on getting Cora to feed herself for a little while now.  She still likes to open her mouth like a little bird and have us put the food on her tongue.  This is OK for most things but it has been getting to a point where she needs to learn this new skill.  So, I started the school of self feeding.

I have learned with Cora that the more you can think outside of the box, the better and faster she will catch on.  Cora seems to have been born with a feedback that makes her push against pressure rather than give with the pressure.  Let me explain....

A prey youngster, such as a foal (baby horse), is born with opposition reflex.  It is born leaning into any pressure; its natures built in life saver.  If a dog were to attack a foal, it most likely goes for a tummy grab.  If the foal were born moving away from pressure it would have a life threatening injury if it pulled away from an attack.  Being that it is born with opposition reflex, the foal will lean into the pressure and have a greater chance of escape with less injury.  It would be better able to kick and defend itself by leaning into the attack.

I saw this with Cora.  I know, i know,  she's not a horse.  Yet, some of her reflexes are the same as that newborn foal.  When I was teaching Cora to bend her arm (with my hand on her hand)and find her mouth with the food she held in her hand, she would straighten her arm out and push against me with all her strength.  I was getting nowhere with her.  She was getting frustrated and tired with me.  Then, when I started thinking about Cora and her response, I started comparing it to my years of horse training and started thinking like a horse trainer.  I figured if she was leaning into pressure (just like a foal) then I needed to change where I put the pressure.

I started pushing on the elbow crease and she started to naturally bend her elbow.  Up shot the cookie right into her chin.  Hmmmmmm, this seemed to work.  So I pushed again, up shot her arm and this time the cookie hit her lip.  TWANG! I saw Cora's eyes light up - the light bulb was lit and Cora was all game for this now.  I reached for her arm and pushed on the crease .....up shot the cookie and hit her in the cheek.  Cora let out a frustrated "EH" and I knew then that she completely understood what was needed.  Again and again we worked on this, with me gently guiding the cookie into her mouth if she came close.  Within 10 minutes Cora was getting the cookie into her mouth with now just a touch on her elbow crease.

Today, I can hand her a teething cookie and she gets it into her own mouth.  She just recently mastered picking the teething cookie up from her highchair  tray and getting it into her mouth.

If Cora and I hadn't persevered and if I didn't know how to think outside the box.  If Creator hadn't given me the life passion to train horses and people and the knowledge about opposition reflex, we might still be working at this new skill.  Both of us frustrated and impatient with each other. 

Creator not only gave me this child, he also prepared me in my life lessons before Cora arrived. 

So, instead of dwelling on the "what if " -  I am dwelling in the glory of watching my beautiful baby girl make a mess of her face while she eats a teething cookie......all by herself.