Counting Sheep

Mom! I love Isaac, and I was about to cry happy tears because I love that he's my brother.

Moments like that, make me happy. As a mother, what more could I ask for? I want Isaac and Isabella to be close. Actually, they don't really have a choice, because one day, she will have responsibilities with him that we never thought she would have. Sometimes Walter and I worry that Isabella's needs are put on the back burner because of Isaac's needs, but in a way, this is just how family works. We compensate for each other, and we have to learn that from the start. It happens in families that don't have a child with special needs. The older child has to learn that someone else has greater needs that moment than their own. It's a hard lesson to learn, but one that I think my parents worked hard to instill in us.

It's like taking the time to see my brother off to his spring dance. We didn't have to go. Both kids were crabby and I knew they would be unhappy most of the time we were at his girlfriend's house, but I told Walter, I have to do this for Josh. I'm glad we did. And yes, both kids cried most of the time we were there.

It used to be that Isabella had her computer time while Isaac was napping. This was because anyone spending time on the computer in front of him, made him think he should have computer time. And all of that led to a lot of unnecessary tantrums. But now, he's okay with just watching.

Speaking of tantrums. Isaac is perfecting them. We're talking full blown screaming, head banging, flailing, throwing anything in sight....mmmhmmm, it's fun. We're having so much FUN around here. You should be jealous. The screaming is usually induced by our recent attempt to cut back his TV time. He's an addict and needs a serious intervention. TV Addicts Annonymous, we have a new program member for you. I know what you're thinking, this is all your fault. You're the parent...blah blah blah. Well guess what?! I completely agree! But once upon a time, the only way to get the kid to swallow was if he was watching Dora or some other show that is equally as annoying or worse, Elmo (seriously, whomever created Elmo, should be in jail). So anyway, we're trying to cut back, and use other ways of distracting him while he has a feeding. But he usually gets really mad and throws things at us, so I've started wearing helmet--just kidding.  Today the feeding therapist was talking about how we really need to work on compliance and our behavioral issues. I agree. So I don't recommend coming to our house for many months, unless of course, you don't mind having things thrown at you.

On a happier note. We went to a sheep farm. A little back story, the little girl in the first picture, her name is Ellie, and she also has a feeding tube. Now, how on earth did I track down another kid around us with a feeding tube? I met her mom in line at the grocery store. Yep, we have a pretty amazing grocery store. It gets better, I met Laurie in line at the grocery store the day before Isaac's PEG surgery. I know! Crazy! We exchanged numbers and she said to call anytime, which I did, at about 9:30 p.m. the night we got home from the hospital when I was having a very emotional freak out moment regarding Isaac's newly placed tube. She was amazing, and I am so thankful to have met her and her wonderful family. They have quite the story, and she and Ellie are fighters, so we get along.

I hope this Llama makes you laugh. It made me laugh. 

I keep forgetting to write about something really great. You know the blender company, Blendtec? I emailed our story to them, and wrote about how I wanted to start Isaac on a blenderized diet so that he could "eat" whole foods, and they donated a blender to our family. A blender may not seem so cool, but Google it, and you'll think it's cool. And if you know anything about constipation and administering suppositories, you'll really think it's cool when I tell you that Isaac is pooping every day. Yep, now you're hooked with the coolness, right? What's going in his feedings....

(not all at once, of course) whole milk, whole milk yogurt, multi grain cereal mix, avocado, banana, peaches, pears, spinach, carrots, flax seed, wheat germ, almond butter, cottage cheese, beef barley soup, stuffed bell pepper soup...

We're down to about sixteen ounces of formula a day and the rest is blenderized food. Aside from his new ability to poop on his own, he also seems to have more energy. And I am happy that he's getting real food, even if it isn't by mouth. I still count calories, fat, and protein so that he is getting the same amount as he would with his usual formula intake, but he's up to twenty pounds, so we're doing really well.