Our Last Few Weeks in Pictures

I'm smiling a lot more now! 

My super cheesy smile

Meeting my Uncle Ryan

First time in bumbo...mm, not too sure.

Look at my rolls! Mom is thankful for those! 

Meeting cousin Brayden 

And Cousin Rylie

Meeting Cousin Kent 

Rylie is sooo pretty...

Listening to Dig Dig 

Uncle Michael 

I wasn't sure how to be in this thing. I just wanted to stare at mom! 

Back at children's for my 5th dilation of my espohagus. 

I love my lamb! 

I would watch it and talk to it, and then grunt when it turned off! 

Getting an EKG, my heartrate did funny things in the night so they just wanted to check. 

My "uh oh" face when I threw up my tube last week. 

After getting tube back down, so exhausting. I gag, and cry, and scream every time I get this done! It's not fun! 

My "don't give me a glycerin suppository" face, I can poop on my own! And I did. A LOT.  I have done this a few times in the NICU too..I wait until someone mentions suppositories and even gets it in their hand, ready to go....and then I'll go. I just like to see how serious everyone is about it. Come on, no need for those desperate measures. I just do things in my own timing sometimes! Mmm..maybe I DO have something in me from my mom!! 

Loving on my lamb in the ER.... my 2nd time in two days to get the tube put BACK down because I threw it up- AGAIN. :(

Dad's so good with me. 

Super Asher! Always calm and collected in times of crisis. :)

My superman pose

We've had a busy last few weeks meeting lots of relatives and then this last week, being in the hospital off and on for different issues. Not so fun. Asher is scheduled to get the g-tube this Friday and it can't come soon enough. Going to the hospital two days in a row to get his NG tube dropped again was terrible! It's a long process of waiting, and then waiting some more. Meanwhile, Asher gets hungry and irritated and then the actual putting the tube down is awful. He screams and gags, and the 2nd time I was just done. I was done with him having to have this tube. I was at a breaking point...I either was going to burst into tears or rip someone's head off. That's a mama bear for you I guess! The NG tube has been a lifesaver, providing him the nourishment he needs, but it is such a pain and definitely causes him discomfort. We are ready to move on! Bryan and I have both realized eating is going to be a long road. Asher is getting older and wiser. And he's starting to choose whether or not he wants to eat. He's really just protecting himself I think. He's experienced enough negative things while trying to eat, discomfort with the tube, gagging on it, throwing up, reflux....so we think he's just decided he'd rather not. I can't blame him much..he's put up with a LOT in his first 6 months. But hopefully getting the g-tube will be a step in the right direction. If we can remove the irritation of the NG from the back of his throat, maybe we can start taking steps forward with therapy. There's a chance the NG contributes to throwing up, to extra mucous production (body's response to a foreign, irritating object), and aversion because it hits his gag reflex often when he sucks. So, we are trying to keep our chins up and realize we won't be here in this spot forever, we will get good help, go slow...and work back up to eating being a fun, positive thing! I look forward to the days when feeding doesn't take up our whole day and we can do some fun things too. Right now it takes almost 2 hours to run his food slowly through the tube (to help in not throwing up) and give his tummy a break in the middle of the feed, and then sitting up at the end to avoid throwing up. It's exhausting for both of us and hard to fit in play time, or anything else besides some cat naps during the feeding and a little after. So, looking forward to an easier schedule for all of us!

I am up late tonight finishing a feed with him and I was holding him while he slept and I just thought "you won't get to do this forever..he won't be this small and able to sleep like this on you forever". Although I'd much rather make memories during the day...I'll still stop and be thankful! Being content where I am is a theme song that plays over and over on the soundtrack of my life! Cheesy analogy, but- hey... it's really late. :) But it's so true.  I know I've said this over and over. But it's hard lesson to learn and swallow! To find joy in the moment...joy in whatever "right now" looks like in my life. So, being home all the time and not getting to go anywhere either with or without Asher- there is joy to be found in that. In getting to spend LOTS of time with my baby. Some people don't have that luxury. And it feels like he'll be a little baby FOREVER, but they tell me he won't and he WILL grow up. I'll believe it when I see it! Ha.  I just had a flash forward of busy days with Asher playing sports, going to school...and I just imagining then we will wish for more down time at home! Ok, I better sign off because who knows what I'll type next if I stay up too much later I'll probably be eating paper again for lunch! (Today I ate almost ALL my sandwich and THEN noticed the paper between sliced cheese was there- in my sandwich...yup, ate paper for lunch. Guess that's "mommy brain" I've heard about...brain function isn't quite the same when a baby enters the scene.)  Good night!