Happy 1st Adjusted Birthday!

(Alexandria's Shopping Cart Walk Video - As Promised - Taken November 1, 2009)

We had 3 appointments at CHOP today - loooong day...Thank God for Alexandria's blankie and her new friend Elmo! Our first appointment was with a nurse practitioner in the general surgery office. The valve in the Mic-Key button broke last week so we had to make an appointment to change Alexandria's button over to a new one. That appointment was today. The way they changed the button over was very quick and Alex did not even notice! They also had to treat Alexandria's granulation tissue with silver nitrate in order to get rid of it - I hope it works! The second appointment was with G.I. Nutrition. Today Alex turned 15 months; however, today she turn 12 months (a year) according to her adjusted (to her prematurity) age. Due to this milestone Alexandria will be weaned off of her preemie formula and will be put on a big girl formula. The formula she is being put on is a special, high calorie formula and this one will be covered by our health insurance and provided/delivered to us by the Home Care company. Yayy! It will be a week or so after the orders are received by the Home Care company before we receive our monthly formula order. Once we have it we will be weaning Alex off of her current formula and easing her into the new formula. The weaning/easing in process will take 9 days. Hopefully Alex will tolerate the new formula. Please pray that she does! The third appointment was with the G.I. Physician. It was just a follow-up appointment. One of the things we talked about was that Alex vomits her morning feed every Sunday morning...He said it is not unusual for kids on feeding tubes to vomit one feed once a week but it's funny that Alex does it on the same day and at the same time every week! Sometimes Alex vomits more then that one time a day so I am now to jot down when she vomits to see how much this is really happening. When Alex vomits about 3 times a day or over a 2 day period I stop the formula feeds and give her Pedialyte via the g-tube instead to give her belly a break and still keep her hydrated. The G.I. physician said to try running the formula feed over a longer period of time or mixing the formula half and half with the Pedialyte instead of just going to Pedialyte right of the bat. This is because we are losing calories and nutrition when Alex is given Pedialyte only. He also said that if she seems to vomit a lot or more to call him but if not then we do not need to be seem by him again for 3-4 months. Alex is gaining weight on the tube feeds and is growing very well. That was a test in and of itself the doctor said. He said that some kids do not gain weight on tube feeds because they have an absorption issue or some other issue and that is how it is uncovered. So he was pleased that this is not the case here. He said she will eat and drink by herself, it will just take time. After that I went down to the CHOP Pharmacy to pick up one of Alexandria's rx. Somewhere during the last part of my day - between the G.I. Physician, the Pharmacy and a few bathroom stops - I came home without the diaper bag! I use this bag all the time...and have it packed full of stuff I need when I'm out with Alex. Thankfully when I called CHOP their security office already had it (someone turned it in) and Steve will pick it up on Friday (he goes to an office in Philadelphia on Friday afternoons). Considering that traffic was sooooo bad today, parking awful and that I left the house at 10:00 a.m. and did not get home will 4:45 p.m. I would rather not have to make that same drive again this week just to pick up a bag I left behind...You Moms' know how it is though, you feel lost without the diaper bag...and I seriously need the things in that bag. I can wait till Friday though, no problem. We don't have any long or far outings planned till next week. Kind of funny, when I was pregnant with Alex I remember reading in more then once place not to put your purse, wallet, money, etc. in your diaper bag. The reason was that you may leave your diaper bag behind when tired, rushed or out of sorts but you are not as likely to leave your purse behind. Soooo...if your "valuables" are in your diaper bag you are now up a creek...I remember thinking to myself, "What kind of a Mom would leave her diaper bag behind???? That's like the essentials of Motherhood! I would never do that!" But took the advice and kept my 'purse stuff' separate. Glad I did! And I'm reminded once again to never say never...and to not think that we are above anything or anyone. How judgemental was that thought I had back then! But for the grace of God...Well, Happy 1st adjusted age Birthday little girl! You are doing great! Keep up the good work! Thank you Lord for your hand of mercy, protection and healing on this little one. And thank you all for your continual support and prayers.