The Bun has been drooling so much from teething that it actually formed a mustache. I wish it was from the frothy foam of drinking too much formula, but maybe that will come some day.
Ella slept solid for a handful of hours last night, but was on/off from 3am forward. I gave up at 5am and called it a new day. Boy, this has been tough to finish up work with such little sleep. It is a good thing that moving forward, she will be my only focus while we are enduring the sleepless nights.
I think that Ella is fighting allergies or a cold. She seems more snarfy and congested. Throughout the day, she is coughing and retching from her own secretions. Today that simply led to a fussy Bun. It is hard to blame her when she is not feeling well.
The Dr. Brown bottles did work the best for Ella – – that became evident today. She took 120ccs via bottle throughout the day!!! Since the gas was so much less, I was able to bottle feed until Ella was tired (typically 20ccs at a time), then pause and vent via her g-tube. (In prior days, we had to vent simultaneously because there was so much air in her belly). So, we are making progress.
Also regarding bolus feeds, we have worked our way back up to 70ccs each feed, for 5 feeds per day. It worked yesterday and today. Starting today, I took the entire amount of 70ccs and bottle fed until she was worn out. Then, vented her g-tube and gave her the rest via g-tube.
We are hoping that Ella can stick with this schedule. She maintained 70ccs per feed for so long in the NICU, but then had such a problem since the last week of January. At this point, I am not sure we ever found a clear answer, but at least we are going the right direction.
When we go to see Dr. Kays tomorrow, we are looking forward to seeing the Brantleys. The last time they were in Gainesville on November 6, 2007, we had lunch with them. Jordan, their baby girl, was one of Ella’s roommates that was born 1 week after Ella on August 1, 2007. It will be exciting to see how big Jordan has become and for them to see Ella. It will be the first time that they will have seen Ella outside the hospital.
One highlight today was taking a bath. Although we take them frequently, Ella decided that she was going to have fun today. Plus afterwards, I left her in her robe and she had a great time just hanging out with me and playing with her toys.
Today was the last day that Grandma Eusey could visit this trip. She will be heading back to San Diego tomorrow morning. But tomorrow night, we have Grandma West coming. Once again, good to have the Grandmas visiting the Bun and help out while I am concluding work. We need to pray for safety in travel for both Grandmas, since Florida is supposed to get heavy storms tomorrow.
This picture below is just so sweet. She feel asleep in Grandma’s arms with no concerns…just relaxed. I think I am already learning lessons from my little girl.
