This world of eating is exhausting.

Like fall-asleep-in-the-middle-of-a-noisy-robotics-competition-after-eating-a-peanut-butter-sandwich kind of exhausting.

My first day on my own in this culinary world was last Tuesday. That morning I weighed in a 20 pounds, 15 ounces. Two days later, I had dropped down to 19 pounds, 15 ounces. My dietician wasn’t worried about the 4.9% loss of body weight. But Mom kicked it into high gear.

Meal times are now about nutrition and calories. Mom has started sneaking in some olive oil into my morning cereal for a little boost. Snack times give me a chance to practice feeding myself. And the dog, who loyally sits sentry by my side. Tonight at dinner, Mom left my tray off and I managed to get a dollop of blueberry yogurt on my big toe. I then proceeded to lick it right off. It was quite the party trick, showcasing both incredible flexibility and an ability to entertain.

All this hard work is paying off. Today I weighed in at 20 pounds, 4 ounces. It was exciting and I can now share in the celebration.

Things are trending up.