Splish-Splash!

So, about a week or so before valentines day this is what came home with me in my market bag! When it fell out of the bag of potatoes I just had to grin at the Lord's sense of humor. I am pretty sure he was just saying, "Happy Valentines Day, ...I love you!"
The first couple weeks of Feb. were just gorgous! I finally decided that the warm weather was really here to stay this time and not just a two day fluk. So we put away the space heater, started to store away the extra blankets and heavy duty coats and finally went ahead and pulled out the wading pool and shorts and sandels. What fun!!!!!!! ...on pool day three a huge thunder, lightning and hail storm came through in the evening, and ever since then we are shivering again...I finally gave in and unpacked the extra blankets and put them back on our beds. Oh well, it was very fun while it lasted! : )

More Ramblings

My days just seem to run together lately...good grief! Has it really been over a week since I last posted anything? Well...I have all these great pictures...but they are still in the camera and so I can't post them and I have been nothing but busy, busy, busy with all that life entails. Its unbelievable how time slips right on by.
Last week we had another excursion to the hospital. We left home at 6am and got back at 5pm. Eleven hours! We saw the speech specialist who was pleased with Mic's general progress and gave helpful, practical tips for how to keep on working. I love appointments that go like that! And after a tooth and nail fight we finally got into the Endocrinologist (sp??? is that right in Eng.?) By the time I knew for sure that they would see us that day and that I hadn't wasted the whole day there in vain I was already tired. Then came a weigh and measure routine that was out of the ordinary and Mic came unglued. By the time we actually got to the doctor I was down right exhausted. This was an evaluation, so all we know for the moment is that she is tiny...oh wait, we already knew that! And that we will have massive blood work done before the next visit and then maybe we will know something new. And while I am dreading Mic's blood draw HORRIBLY I am still SO GLAD its blood and not urine that they want, but...I'll have to tell THAT story another day! : )
Mon. Feb. 9 we ended the second 15 day feeding therapy stint with Mic. I know I haven't really said much about it. ...I am having rough time getting my emotions processed lately in all that entails my baby girl's oral feeding. So...its easier to just try not to go there. ...except, ummmm, I have to deal with it all the time every single day, so there is no escape. Anyway, as soon as I can figure out how to use the graph maker (help Lorioux!!!) I will post her therapy graph for those who are interested in numbers. And we're fine,...really we are. There are some rescueable things happening, even good things. I just need to "deal" with this again and I'm struggling a bit. But even in my despair and struggle I have enough sense to know that "all things (really do) work for the good of those who love Him" and that He'll pull off something great in us just as soon as I can see straight again.
So in the mean time I need to run. We've got a killer week ahead with all kinds of fun and not enough minutes in each day. Tomorrow we see the ENT, and sometime this week my BIL will be swinging through to spend a day or two with us, and we somehow need to get another extra bed in here before that happens, and I need to blend up more BD, and, and, and........ ; )

COMING SOON:
The photo that I wanted to post BEFORE Feb. 14 of the valentine I got from GOD!!!!!!!

Some Cuteness

Well, so far, so good. The Lord has been gracious in keeping Mic healthy. Today is day thirteen. Two more days to go. There have been small steps in the right direction, but no drastic improvements in this round of therapy. However, it is worth it, because I know it is helping her bit by bit to "get there".

And below are just a few pics of the day to day cuteness in my life! : )
...I got sidewalk chalk out for the children and it was a big hit.

"PLEASE LORD..."

"...please don't let her get sick."

On day 14 of our 15 day feeding therapy last October, Mic got sick. A week later when it was almost over we finally figured out that she had Roseola.
Fast forward to now. Today was day eleven of our current 15 day therapy. I am holding stubbornly to my faith that all will be fine, but my mommy radar is picking up some signs that have me worried. She is a little tired, her eyes are a little glassy, her cheeks are a little too pink, and this evening she had a lower than normal temperature. I am not willing to ditch what we are doing just yet--it takes to much to get us here. ..."But please, oh please dear Lord, allow her to stay healthy."

EXCITING THINGS are happening in my yard!

Flowers on the way...

Makings for fresh camomile tea...

Cilantro coming in...

More flowers...

THE FIRST BLACKBERRY!!!!!!!!

(Sorry, but unless you were born and raised where they gr0w wild, then moved to where they don't theres just no way you will understand this excitement!!!)

And despite a massive and late pruning, the peach tree is even blossoming...

The Park!

You know, its sad that getting to the park is such a big deal for us. I wish I could take the kids there oftener. But getting there and back really is quite the event! Awhile back we spent an afternoon at the park, had a picnic lunch and meet some friends for a play date. Oh! what fun was had by all!!! Below are some pictures to prove it.

Mic and Bless--its so much easier to be friends when on "neutral ground" where no sharing of one's own things is required. : )

"The boys"
All four kiddos in motion!

Look mom! I LOVE this!

Swinging like Boots!

Another Round

Just a quick petition for your prayer support for us. Starting today we are going to do another two week round of "therapy" with Mic. We are at home and have support from our dear therapist Lorioux via email. To explain briefly, much of her day to day progress depends heavily on our ability to maintain structure and expectations for Mic as well as attending to a host of details such as motivation, positive meal time experience, trust, hunger, textures, calorie counts etc.
If you could imagine her progress shown on a graph the idea is that the line that represents oral consumption keep stair stepping up, up, and up. We have been flat lining it for awhile now--so we are maintaining what we have gained, but we have stopped gaining. Thus the plan is to follow the technique we learned in therapy, and apply another two week calorie cut, along with high energy meals and strong motivation. We hope this will help to pop us out of where we are at and, with the Lord's help, get us moving forward again.

PS
Notice that in my list of meal time issues, vomit is no longer a day to day problem!!! Both vomit and acid reflux have become only occasional issues!!! Thank you, dear Lord!!!

Just Trying...

...To keep breakfast interesting!

This is how things look by the end of each meal...
...not that I am complaining, believe me!!! He eats, by himself...and enjoys it throughly.
What more could I ask for?
...Maybe that he use his silverware?...nah, it'll come in time!

Eating Diary

Here are some recent stats from Mics oral feeding diary:
Monday:
Volume Eaten:
Breakfast: Enriched Eggs 28 grams, Ketchup 1 TB
Lunch: Mortadella 34 grams
Supper: Homemade Tostada 2 grams, Chicken 10 grams, Cheese 18 grams, Apple 16 grams
Snack: Gummy Bear Vitamins

Day's Total Oral Calories 294.5

I don't know if you have ever bothered to weigh out a gram of anything...its not much volume. However, for a child who has had significant struggle transitioning from one flavor or texture to the next, that supper was AMAZING! She also had a bite of lettuce to go with it, which didn't give us any calories, but it did give her a grand total of five DIFFERENT foods that she dealt with in one sitting. ...its goooood!

Why pay for Six Flags???

...when you can spend roughly 70 cents on a public transportation ride. Fly down narrow streets, stop on a dime seconds away from plowing the vehicle ahead, catch air on speed bumps, and barely maintain your fanny on the the seat... Thus was our ride home from the park yesterday in the back of the VW van turned public transportation. What made it fun was that though the ride was a bit crazy our driver wasn't being down right stupid, and everyone else crammed in with us seemed to be in as good as a mood as we were, so instead of the classic swearing and confrontation that often comes with such incidents, there was much good natured laughter as we all tried to keep ourselves and each other from falling off the benches into a heap.

On other matters, today we had another outpatient appointment. Hmmmmm, how can I sum this up simply and quickly...basically we have all the same unanswered questions and no new answers. You know, I get by day by day just taking it one day at a time, trying to let the future--Mic's future, take care of itself. And most of the time that's OK, its the way it is, it is what it is, and really it is how the Lord would recommend that we live. (as opposed to being caught up and destroyed by worry) But when, like today, I sit down and hash it over for an hour with the doctor the reality's and unknowns are pretty hard to ignore and I become thus unsettled. Her growth and lack thereof, oral feeding and lack thereof, inefficient swallow, general development...these are "small" issues when compared to the fact that there are many small children laying on the beds in that hospital losing their battle for life. But none-the-less these are the unknowns that try to consume me...especially on a day like today.

The good...its almost bedtime! Soon we can go to sleep and tomorrow we can get back to "normal".