"Eating"

Here is a video that captures Grayson's eating habits as of late.  Though he is now taking purees from a spoon, he is still chewing and spitting out most solid foods.  We will be scheduling a feeding evaluation soon to see if he is a good candidate for feeding therapy.

Grayson: 11 Months

Oh, my Grayson boy.  You have stolen my heart.

This month was full of activity and changes following Grayson's swallow study.  He has completely switched over to soy-based formula thickened to full-nectar consistency and did so fairly seamlessly.  He developed another round of chest congestion and a low grade fever the day of the swallow test but each day is doing a little better and we're praying this will be the last of it!

He doesn't get weighed again officially until 12 months but when we saw the doctor for an ear infection on the 10th, he weighed 19 pounds with his clothes on and had gained weight from our previous visit.

Since I cut out dairy from my diet before Christmas, Grayson's digestive system has shown vast improvement and even more so since switching to formula.  He has even started taking mashed and blended food from a spoon for the first time and expanding the number of finger foods he will put in his mouth.  He is still chewing and spitting out most finger foods but we are encouraged that a lot of his previous taste or texture issues seem to be more associated with discomfort from his dairy sensitivity.  I am hopeful that as his gut continues to heal and he can create new habits related to eating, he will begin swallowing more and more solid food.

To date, he will chew (and sometimes swallow) plain cheerios, multigrain cheerios, rice, blueberries, grapes, avocado, pear, apple, sweet potato, corn and peas.  He has tried but will not tolerate broccoli and bananas.  In the last few days he has happily swallowed applesauce, sweet potatoes and pureed prunes.  Hurray!

I cannot put into words the relief and joy it brings to my heart to see my 11 month old opening his mouth when I bring a spoon to it.  Such a small thing that I took so for granted with Ava!  It is hard to relinquish control over everything that does or does not go into my son's body but I trust that God will feed my baby and give me wisdom in how best to help him grow!

In the last month Grayson has gotten more sturdy on his feet and has started unlocking his knees and taking mini steps while holding onto furniture.  He has gotten more confident in his movements, can climb up and over and into just about anything and his curiosity keeps me on my toes.  Even feeling under the weather 90% of the time, this kid is a busy little trouble seeker.

Though I wouldn't say Grayson is consistently saying any actual words except for "dada", I have caught what sounds like "Ava" and "a-da" (all done).  He has also started repeating basic sounds of words as I say them.

He doesn't have the patience for reading any books yet but he does enjoy looking at Baby Animals and hearing me make a fool of myself imitating animal noises.  He is head over heels for Ava's old Elmo CD player and otherwise has to be coaxed into playing with actual toys and turning off his radar for electronic devices and Barbie accessories that he's not allowed to touch.

Grayson is still wearing 12 month clothes and some 12-18 and 18 month onesies and size 3 diapers (size 4 at night).  He is much more flexible than his sister ever was which serves our busier lifestyle well but his general schedule is below.  He is still taking 3 naps a day but can handle skipping one, is sleeping through the night when he's feeling well and is "eating" 3 meals a day.

7:30am  Wake up (sometimes as late as 8 or 8:30 and I rarely wake him early).  8 oz thickened formula

8:00am  Breakfast with Ava, cheerios and fruit

9:00-11:00am  Nap

11:30am  6-8 oz thickened formula, lunch with Ava (Cheerios, fruit and veg)

1:00-3:00pm  Nap with Ava

3:30pm  6-8 oz thickened formula

4:30-5:30pm  Nap if needed

6:00pm  Dinner with the family (Cheerios, fruit and veg)

7:30pm  4-6oz thickened formula, then to bed for the night

He is still wearing the Woombie (swaddle) to sleep and I'm at this point waiting until he is healthy for any stretch of time to try and ween him from it since it will be a scream fest.  He loves it and sleeps like a dream with it so despite the fact that he's almost a year old I'm in no hurry to break that habit.  It won't be long until he outgrows the largest size though so that will be a great thing to look forward to in the coming months.

In personality this kid is everything you could ask for.  Laid back, flexible, always smiling and quite the snuggle bug.  He is not all that opinionated, not easily frustrated or angered and though very curious and much more into things than Ava ever was, he has no ill-intentioned fiber in his body (yet).  I honestly am head over heels for this boy and his sweet face!

Modified Barium Swallow

Today Grayson and I woke up early and drove into the city to the Phoenix Children's Hospital.  It is actually a very cheery place, bright and welcoming, and I was thrilled to find that they could accommodate my Starbucks addiction on such an important day.

We checked in at 9am as we were instructed to, even though his appointment wasn't until 10am, and after the look the receptionist gave me I now know that no one actually comes that early.  We toured the beautiful lobby, cafeteria and gift shop until Grayson was awake enough to let me sit and drink my coffee while he entertained me with his smiles.

During the Modified Barium Swallow, Grayson was strapped into a seat resembling a plastic car seat next to a movie-type x-ray machine.  He was bottle fed liquid barium in three progressively thicker consistencies while the tech and speech pathologist watched the screen to evaluate his ability to swallow them safely and effectively.  They then spoon fed him barium and used a syringe to complete the study.

I'd say it was a little traumatizing for the boy but in reality I think he was just mad that he wasn't getting fed for real.  He did not like any of the barium offered (who would?) but he did swallow a little of each consistency and the pathologist was able to provide me with a lot of information.

Though we were doing this test to help understand why he hasn't been swallowing a lot of solid foods, they found a surprising and more pressing issue.  He was diagnosed with mild to moderate Dysphagia or penetration of his airway with fluid as he swallowed which can cause fluid to enter the lungs.  When I mentioned that he has been sick almost non-stop the last few months with colds and viruses as well as a few unexplained high and persisting fevers, the pathologist was very concerned and said that that is a tell-tale sign of aspiration in infants who are consistently fighting off infection in the lungs.  She said that he was at risk for Pneumonia but we have probably side-stepped that so far since he was primarily breast fed and breast milk absorbs back into the body better than formula.

Let's stop there.  This was a lot to take in in a matter of about forty seconds.  I was shocked but also so relieved to get an explanation not only for some of his breast feeding issues (which I was not expecting) but for his poor health and frequent fevers that pediatricians just kept guessing were viral.

After the test was over we had a consultation with the speech pathologist and she was incredibly helpful, warm and informative.  I was directed to strictly bottle-feed (either breast milk or formula) and thicken all of his bottles with a thickening nectar.  This will help him swallow it more effectively and engage the muscles properly to close off his airway and send the fluid to his stomach.  She was encouraged as we talked to see that he would eat cheerios one at a time out of my hand but recommended us for feeding therapy for his delays in swallowing most solid food and his aversion to using a spoon.  She guessed that there is some pain associated with eating for him, whether from his acid reflux or the aspirating issue making him hesitant to swallow.

In the meantime, we are to continue with cheerios and try different flavors of them simply to expand his palate.  He does shovel in a few foods now by the fists full (blueberries, grapes, avocado, sweet potato, apple and pear shavings, and he'll pick at peas) but he chews and then spits 99% of them out.  I was encouraged to keep giving him as much as he wants, even if he is spitting it out, because eventually he will begin to swallow more and more.  She also told me to give him at least three spoon or forkfuls of food at each meal to help that become a safe and comfortable way to take in food, even if he spits it right back out.  She suggested giving him a cheerio on a spoon since that is a safe food for him so we'll see how that goes.

Stuffing his face with Avocado.

This evening Grayson did take his whole thickened bottle, something I never thought would happen right away since he is so picky.  I'm not convinced that tomorrow he won't reject the whole thickening idea but for now I'm encouraged.  I am planning to pump for a couple of days but begin to wean him as soon as I'm confident in his soy formula intake.  Pumping before every feeding on top of already supplementing with formula, thickening and cutting up massive amounts of finger foods for him to chew and spit into his bib is a little too much for me on top of making meals for Ava (and myself if I'm lucky).  We are just a few weeks away from being able to try dairy again (did I mention on here that he is allergic to dairy?) or at least switch to soy milk, so for my own sanity the weaning will begin now.

Breast feeding him has been a labor of love and not particularly enjoyable with his need to sit upright and fight to finish a feeding, but I was surprisingly emotional at being told I had to stop.  Just like that.  I have been looking forward to the end but I wanted to finish on my own terms, relish our last feeding together and make it to 12 months.  I compromised and when we got home, after tucking Ava in for her nap, I swaddled Grayson, rubbed his fuzzy little head and fed him one last time.

I was not particularly prepared for this blur of a day but I'm so thankful for a better understanding of what's going on in Grayson's body.  My heart aches knowing that he's been dealing with this discomfort and possibly pain for such a long time and I am amazed at his sweet, happy and care free nature in spite of it.  I cannot wait to get this boy healthy, clear out his lungs, get him fed and gaining more weight and see what this newfound energy will do for his unashamedly curious nature!  This boy is such a joy and a blessing to us!

InstaShare

Thanks to the glorious invention of social photo sharing media, I have been able to stay in touch with family and friends in a very personal way since our cross-country move.  I am so grateful for my little iPod touch and the ability to capture and share snapshots of our every day life here.

For the few of you who don't follow me in some other electronic manner, here are the "best-of" photos to sum up our last couple of months.

Mommy daughter date, shooting cars with soap at the car wash over donuts and coffee:)

 Watching a dozen hot air balloons get blown up during the 'Hot Air Balloon Glow' in our town.

Buying our live Christmas tree from a dirt lot on the side of the road!

Super excited about decorating the tree.

Loving some little boy time while Ava is at preschool.

And then he started pulling up.

Jealous.

Decking the palms.

Mr. Mischief.

We bought a hedge trimmer.  In December.

Portrait of mommy.

Practicing her letters.

Little dude did a little too much Christmas partying last night.

Guess who swallowed a sweet potato!

Rain dance.

Bike riding in December has yet to lose it's luster.

Ava was so blessed by the sweet hospital volunteer who brought teddy bears for her and Grayson.

Sibling comfort:)

Christmas Eve service at CCV.

Climbing a tree after church.

Christmas dinner!

Christmas morning with kids is the best.

Snuggle time with Nana.

Girls morning out!

Helping daddy fix the kitchen faucet.

Laundry time.

Mommy is happy.

Bike ride with my big girl!

Now I know who recorded those 87 episodes of Mickey Mouse.

Champion wheelbarrow racers.

Daddy's home!

I'm in trouble.

Sending a love note to her BFF.

Let's go PSU!

Sedona

The weekend after Christmas was Blair's first off of work since we moved here so we jumped at the opportunity to take a day trip out of Phoenix.  We drove north and not only did we find snow (our #1 priority), we were treated to rejuvenating mountainside views of our new favorite town, landscapes that resembled home and a return drive through falling snow with a gorgeous sunset to the west.  This spontaneous trip far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be revisiting the town of Sedona as often as we can!

About 2 hours from home, breath taken away.

I wish pictures did it justice!

Lunch in Sedona!

Family photos after lunch.

Attempted photo holding both kids.

The best view from a Starbucks.  Ever.

Starting our drive north toward Flagstaff in search of snow.

SO beautiful.

Looks like PA!

We found snow!

Getting bundled up.

Total bliss.

Capping it off with falling snow!

A beautiful end to a great day.