Updates

So, I did my first Mic-Key button placement all on my own yesterday afternoon. I was a bit nervous, although I had seen it done at the doctors office twice and it looked pretty easy. Doctors and nurses make things look easy when in fact they are quite hard. So, once I had someone on stand-by (my niece Jenny who is training to be a nurse), I decided to just go for it. Well, this was actually after I had read four versions of the tube placement instructions. So, in the end it was very easy and took no time at all. Lauren didn't even cry, which was good. I gave her the remote control to play with since she never gets to play with it. She was happy as could be.

We did go see her GI doctor today. In March she weighed 15 lbs 8 ozs and today she weighed 16 lbs 9 ozs. I thought for sure this wouldn't be enough of a gain, but she is still following her curve. We are increasing her night feedings by 5 mls per hour and we go back and see her when Lauren turns two. She will be switched from her Enfacare to Pediasure for her night feedings then. During the day I basically just feed her 3 meals and 3 snacks and then she gets fed via her feeding tube for 10 hours at night. It seems to be working, so we will stick with that schedule for now.

Lauren is very close to walking she just needs to build up her confidence. On June 16th a physical therapist is going to come out and evaluate her. Her OT is concerned because her feet turn out when she walks, kind of like a duck. She just wants to make sure that she doesn't need any additional walking support or inserts for her shoes. Her speech has really taken off and she is jabbering more and saying words like Duck, baby, Bye Bye, Thank You. We continue to be amazed at her progress and are so proud of her and thankful to God for all of the wonderful blessings he has given us.

Kristen is doing good too. She now is asking why for everything. It can drive you crazy at times, but I am just thankful that she can ask why because many parents aren't as lucky as us. She is going through a phase where she is scared of everything and afraid we are going to leave her places. On the way to church she says "Mommy, your not going to leave me. You'll always come back." It is really cute, but it breaks your heart. Our refrigerator had broken and we went to go pick up a part and she cried wanting to go back home.

She loves learning new things. She is now starting to recognize her letters and really enjoys the game Polar Bear A-B-C. My sister got it for and I highly recommend it for parents with toddlers. I haven't taken any pictures since returing home from our trip, but I promise to take some and get them posted soon.