Faith's Blended Diet and Other Things that Help with Her Digestion

-
Image
This page contains affiliate links and Faith's Mom may earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, Faith's Mom earns from qualifying purchases.  Learn more.   Ever since Faith was born, she has struggled with her digestion. When she was in the NICU, she would spit up after eating even the tiniest amount of formula. Her dad and I were convinced her tummy was too small to handle large volumes of food. Sometimes when she ate, her heart rate would drop really low, which is why she needed to be in the NICU for longer. She just could not get the hang of eating and breathing at the same time!  Faith receiving food through an NG tube in the NICU.  Grandma giving Faith a bottle when she was 2 months old.  After finally bringing her home, eating continued to be an issue as she struggled with severe reflux and constipation. We tried various formulas, but she was never able to drink enough formula to gain a lot of weight. She also had trouble burping, and she...
2 comments

Tuesday Tidbits - Pumpkins, Presents, Parties

-
Phew! What a weekend! I'll try to give a recap of everything that has happened over the last three days.

On Saturday we went to one of Faith's favorite places - Papa's Pumpkin Patch. It was the perfect way to celebrate her birthday and the fantastic Fall season we have had. It was about 50 degrees but still nice because there was no wind! 

Faith had a blast, especially with her a few friends from school. She was very blessed with lots of wonderful gifts, especially lots of new pajamas, which she really needed.

Faith and her friends blowing out her birthday candles

On Sunday Faith went to a friend's house for a Halloween Party. There was a total of about 25 kids all dressed up in very cute costumes such as Jesse and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, a few princesses, a butterfly, a pumpkin, a cowgirl, a monkey, Dorothy from Wizard of Oz and Faith went as Supergirl.

The highlight of the party was a blow-up haunted house that the girls would run through screaming at the top of their lungs. Faith didn't want to participate at first, but her friends talked her into it. I took her out of her chair and carried her, running through the house. Of course after the first time, she wanted to do it again and again. It was quite the workout for me!

Making crafts at the Halloween Party

Monday was Faith's birthday. She was so excited to go to school and pass out her treats and be the helper of the day. I had ordered cupcakes from Dan's, and they looked so pretty with orange/white frosting adorned with fall leaves. At school she also got to do show and share. She chose to take her new stuffed puppy called a Webkinz, where you can virtually take care of the puppy on the Internet.

After school she really didn't feel like going to speech therapy, but we forged ahead anyway. When she got there, she was okay because she got to pass out cupcakes to everyone in the Pediatric Therapy Dept. We decided though that this would be her last speech therapy session at the clinic for the year. After school she is just so tired. We will reevaluate all of her therapies in January to see about starting up again.

Last night when we finally got home from our busy day, Faith opened a few presents from her mom and dad. She got some toys from Toy Story 3 called Action Links. She and her dad had lots of fun with those. We also tried to SKYPE her grandparents in Canada, but they were having technical difficulties, so we talked the old-fashioned way, by speaker phone!

Faith having a blast playing with her Toy Story Action Links!

All in all, it has been a great three days but I'm glad we have nothing planned for next weekend! I'm also thankful the weather held up to take Faith to the Pumpkin Patch as this afternoon we will be in a blizzard warning! I guess it was inevitable.

Have a blessed week!

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

Guest Post: Who Needs Sympathy?

-
Image
Guest Post by Stephen Gallup Last week, a columnist for the local newspaper interviewed me in connection with a memoir I wrote that’s being published this year. It was a comfortable, low-key discussion in which he asked about the basic facts regarding my disabled son Joseph and what I’ve learned that might be of value to other families. It was the sort of dialog that required no special preparation in advance. I just sat down with him and talked about the subject closest to my heart. But looking back on it now, one thing bothers me. In concluding the interview, the reporter expressed heartfelt sympathy for everything I’ve endured. He was being more than polite. I mean, he laid the compassion on with a spatula. Startled, and already thinking ahead to what I had to do next that day, I just thanked him and said goodbye. But now that final note troubles me. I don’t want sympathy! First of all, from the point of view of a new author hoping to promote his book, sympathy...
Read more

Our Review of Wheel of Fortune: The New Era

-
Image
This page contains affiliate links and Faith's Mom may earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, Faith's Mom earns from qualifying purchases.  Learn more.   Last year, when I heard the news that Pat Sajak was retiring from Wheel of Fortune , I knew I better prepare Faith. When season 41 began, I told her, "This is Pat's last season. Next year, there will be a new host."  Faith likes Vanna but loves Pat!  Faith and I have faithfully watched Wheel of Fortune every night since she was about 5 years old. It's how she learned that AEIOU were vowels. The show was also a great way to reinforce the rest of the alphabet. Counting was reinforced, too. When Vanna turned the letters, she counted how many T's, N's, or other letters there were.  She also learned some geography skills with the different trips they gave away. Upon winning a trip to Aruba, she would ask, "Where's that?" Sometimes I honestly didn't know and had to loo...
Read more

Faith's Blended Diet and Other Things that Help with Her Digestion

-
Image
This page contains affiliate links and Faith's Mom may earn a commission if you use them. As an Amazon Associate, Faith's Mom earns from qualifying purchases.  Learn more.   Ever since Faith was born, she has struggled with her digestion. When she was in the NICU, she would spit up after eating even the tiniest amount of formula. Her dad and I were convinced her tummy was too small to handle large volumes of food. Sometimes when she ate, her heart rate would drop really low, which is why she needed to be in the NICU for longer. She just could not get the hang of eating and breathing at the same time!  Faith receiving food through an NG tube in the NICU.  Grandma giving Faith a bottle when she was 2 months old.  After finally bringing her home, eating continued to be an issue as she struggled with severe reflux and constipation. We tried various formulas, but she was never able to drink enough formula to gain a lot of weight. She also had trouble burping, and she...
Read more

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month: Reflecting On Our Journey So Far

-
Image
Did you know there are 1 million people in the United States who have cerebral palsy? I guess that means Faith truly is one in a million!  Faith was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was six months old. Prior to that, she had been given the diagnosis of Periventricular Leukomalacia  (PVL). During her premature birth, there was a lack of oxygen to her brain, which resulted in damage to the white matter, or inner part of her brain.  I will never forget receiving that news. Faith's Dad and I were told that nobody knew what the long-term effects of PVL would look like for her. All I could do was stare at my tiny daughter lying in her isolette, hooked up to all kinds of tubes and lines, and choose to believe she would be okay.  Faith in the NICU a few days after she was born. After over 70 days in the NICU, we finally took her home to Watford City. There, she would receive regular visits from an Early Intervention team who would assess her and ensure that she met al...
Read more