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Life with a new tubie...
Since we wrote last, Caydence has adapted to her new tubie wonderfully :) Having her hands free has opened a whole new world for her and she is constantly reaching for toys, sucking on her fingers, and exploring her world. It's also so so nice not to have a tube taped to her face. Her cheeks are finally healed and now we can take her out without people constantly asking "What's wrong with her face?!?!?" "What's that tube for?!?!?" :P The peg tube is much more discreet; we can just tuck it in her shirt or pants. But not for too much longer because she will be getting her MIC-KEY button sometime in mid April, which will be nice because then she won't have an actual tube hanging from her tummy all the time. It will just be a port and then the tube will just be hooked up when she's eating.
Speaking of eating... Caydence is still not into the whole eating thing. I was trying to bottle feed her twice a day and spoon feed her baby food twice a day, but I think it was over stimulating her a little. So now I'm only doing each one, once a day. Either way, she still isn't doing the greatest. She usually ends up just spitting out any food or milk that gets in. Then she gets mad and yells at me. We're looking into seeing a feeding specialist.
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Getting Stronger...
Other than problems with feeding, Caydence is doing great! She actually rolled over from her back to her tummy for the first time yesterday. She had been trying for months to get from her side to her stomach, but she would always get caught up on her arm. Now she's finally got enough strength to roll herself over it. She just needs to figure out how to get from her tummy back to her side again.
Caydence is also putting weight on her feet now. I've been doing exercises to strengthen her legs the past month and it has really been helping a lot. Her legs used to be like two little wet noodles, but now they are getting much stronger and more sturdy. She still can't sit unassisted, but we're working on it. She can do the tripod position for a couple seconds before her arms give way. And she is doing much better in her bumbo chair. This past week is starting to learn to push herself up with her arms when she's on her tummy. But we still got a little ways to go.
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Teefers?...
I could be mistaken, but I think Caydence might be getting ready to pop her first tooth. Although, she is getting over her first cold, she has had a low grade fever the past couple weeks, constantly biting/chewing on her fingers, drooling and making biting movements. Who knows though, maybe it's just one of those things, cuz I still don't feel any toofers in there.
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Birthday Fun...
Since she reached the 9 month mark last week, I have started planning her first birthday party. It's a date we have been looking forward to since before she was born. When we found out about her heart defect, her surgery was kind of like a dark cloud looming over us. One of the things that kept us going was the thought of her first birthday party. We just kept telling ourselves, that if we can just make it to her first birthday, everything will be gravy! Her heart surgery will be over and we won't have this black cloud of death following us around! After everything she has had to go through her first year of life, her first birthday was kind of like a beacon of hope in the horizon.
The main problem I am having right now is figuring out what to do for her birthday cake. Most kids get their own little cake for their first birthday and dig in and eat it while getting it all over themselves in the process. But Caydence won't eat... And the thickest food she even attempts right now is stage 1 or 2 pureed baby foods. So I'm not too sure what we're gonna do about that. Maybe the feeding specialist will have some ideas... Anyone got any suggestions?
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Spring has Sprung!...
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous here lately! It's been so nice to get Caydence out on walks in her stroller the past couple days. Since we've been cooped up in the house all winter, the change of scenery has been more than welcomed. The warm weather and blue skies have made me soo happy. I finally feel hopeful that things are going to be alright :)
5 comments:
I think you should just let her dig into the cake even if she doesn't eat it. I think most of the kids I've seen just play with it anyway. The best part is watching them squish it in their hands!
I love the pictures of you two~~!<3
Great to have an update. You three have been on my mind a lot. So glad that Caydence is learning more every day. The eating part will come eventually. I'm sure the specialist will have some ideas. We'd love to see you at Easter or beyond. Spring Prairie misses you!
God's blessings have certainly been with Caydence and her mom and dad!
Peace,
Pastor Sylvia
Hi Jenny, Maybe an ice cream cake? If it melts she might dig into it. Either way, the cake is only a small part of the celebration! Enjoy the day!
Our Little J has DS and for his first birthday I made angel food cupcakes (box mix) with fluffy white frosting. Reddi whip in a can would also work well. He was eating baby food 1 and 2 but not much else. However, he would pick up anything and put it in his mouth so I figured he'd at least try a little cake by accident. The angel food worked great because it didn't crumble like regular cake. Check out my blog under birthdays for pics of Little J digging into his cake. Actually we had two parties and for one I made chocolate cupcakes. That was pretty much a disaster and he ended up with a rash all over his face. So my recommendation is angel food. It worked perfectly. Good luck.
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