I’m not sure how either of my girls do it. Ella was up pretty much all night and mom was right there with her. Ella has also slept very little today, and Tina has slept even less. As I write this, Tina is rocking the fussy Bun, calming her down, and….she just feel asleep and is now being placed in her travel crib.

Ella continued her rough spells throughout the day. She started off early this morning before her continuous feeds were totally done. We went to vent her, started to do so, and no food was coming up into the syringe. This was mysterious considering how upset she was.

Well the mystery was solved as soon as I felt around Ella’s side and realized her medicine port in her feeding tube opened up. So instead of draining into the syringe, the food was going all over her…yay. Considering it was 5:30am we weren’t about to give her a bath, so we did the baby wipe thing and got her cleaned up.

Tina then took her out into the living area while I slept a bit more. After a couple hours, we traded so Tina could catch some zzz’s before my workday started.

The trend of Ella fussing continued throughout the day. Most of the time she fussed, she was very inconsolable and would often require bringing her oxygen up to a liter, just to help her catch her breath. Singing does help to soothe her, and I’ve been doing this from the day Ella was born. The other thing that works is the singing monkey Aunt Shannon brought her a couple of weeks ago (thank you!!). In fact it’s crazy how well it does work.

Even with the consoling, these spells are so incredibly hard to watch. Some are so severe you think she’s going to pass out. I’m sure those of you with kids can relate to seeing you child in major discomfort. It’s just so hard to see over and over again too.

Tina does amazingly well through these episodes. I have times where I can handle them, and times where I have to hand her over to Tina. Thank God for my rock of a wife.

Ella also spiked a bit of a fever this morning (99.8 – 100.4F), but it has since dropped back down to normal. I’ve heard doctors say that teething does not cause fevers, but teething babies that put everything in their mouth is the cause of a fever. I’m not totally convinced that their theory is true, but either way, she had a fever.

I also believe her teething is the primary catalyst for her times of discomfort. Not that the feeding issue isn’t there. It is, and it’s something we’re still trying to deal with. But the teething has caused her even more congestion, which makes it harder to breathe, which is an area that Ella does not need more weakness in.

The secretions also drain into her throat, making her gag, which then spins her into a retching fit, which is making the feedings that much more difficult.

Even the most popular remedies for the teething (thank you for the suggestions) are causing more issues. She has such a sensitive gag reflex that almost anything you put in her mouth, besides her binky, will cause her to gag (even her binky does sometimes). We’re working on this, but it’s hard to make progress while she’s feeling the way she does.

We tried the Baby Orajel hoping that would east the pain, but instead, it made things worse be increasing the amount of saliva in her mouth. That’s no good for the Bun considering the scenario I described above. Plus, she does not dig the numb feeling in her mouth and down her throat as she swallows.

I did see the homeopathic teething pills some of you have mentioned, and I may take a look at them too. It’s a catch 22 though because if it increases her saliva, it could make things worse. Plus, Ella doesn’t take anything through her mouth yet, only through her g-tube, so I don’t know how she would handle having a pill in her mouth (even if it does dissolve quickly).

I’m also keeping my eye out for a teething device that vibrates. Some of you have mentioned that, but once again, not sure how Ella will do with it considering her oral aversion.

I think this situation has been overwhelming these last few days, and what has made it even more difficult is my struggle to trust God and hand it over to Him. My gosh, how many times have I learned about peace from surrender!

I can make excuses for why I haven’t been able to. Whether I’m too busy with work, or tired, or just taking care of Ella. The truth is, I need to draw close to God first, then take on these other things.

I really miss the interaction with friends and being social. I get energized from being around people, but with our state of affairs out here, it’s hard to do. I’ve even said that when things settle down, I’ll make time to get together with people.

Well, today I realized just how crazy that statement is. Things are not going to settle down, so I need to make time for what’s important. I need to take care of myself, so I can be a better husband to my wife, and father to my child.

So, I am going to have lunch with Matt tomorrow, a fellow NICU parent. We met him and his better half (you know it’s true Matt) on January 5th. Just talking to him on the phone today was such a blessing, and the spiritual support that we’ve received from this couple has been amazing.

And to top it off, we’ll be having lunch at Sonny’s BBQ so things just have to get better after eating there. =)

Thank you for all the unwavering prayer support. We continue to lift up our little girl’s health, and pray that her feedings will improve, and for the teething symptoms to subside. Our God is an awesome God and He is faithful through all these things.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.