Gabriel Updates: January 2012

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Intensive feeding day 30

Tuesday
8:45am-9:30am - Meal 1
Ms. Ashley was back in the room feeding me where she left off yesterday.
SIS CAME TO VISIT during my break today!

Gabriel you don't have to be so dramatic!

This is my home away from home Sis.

What can we play with Bro-Ther?

Lets leave the 'jungle' and go play in the hall, Sis.

ooo that sounds fun Bro-Ther,

Okay I will count... one, two, TREE

That was sure fun Bro-Ther!

Ya, this is my favorite place to take a moment away from feeding therapy!

11:45am-12:30pm - Meal 2
Therapy said Ms. Ashley looks like a natural. She is doing a very good job feeding me!
12:00pm-2:00pm - Nap time
I even rocked nap time today!
2:45pm-3:30pm - Meal 3
Ms. Ashley got the okay from therapy to feed me! She completely rocked!
3:45pm - head home
Bro-ther

What sis?

Give me a big hug!

Um, EW, Sis!

But I love you brother!

No, Sis!

I'm Cute!

Sis, you are a mess!

A cute, lovely, little sister mess?

Um, really sis?

Hehehe

Bro-ther, give me that!

Now it is time for me to read.

Isabella, are you going to share the pictures with me?

NOPE.

Sis, I do love you and your silly backside!

Love you too Bro-Ther not so much your stinky backside!

Mom's notes -
Ms. Ashley from Loving Hearts, Little Hands childcare in Grand Haven did an amazing job learning how to feed Gabriel. You forget how many little things you have picked up in therapy though the years. It was interesting to watch someone who did not have all the background, learn how to feed Gabriel. I am so happy with how well things went. I know Gabriel is in amazing hands while he is at childcare!!!

Gabriel had a VERY 'wet' cough this morning. Therapy sped up the reading of Gabriel's swallow study. Ms. Kate has not had a chance to type up all of her findings yet but she did tell me what she saw. Gabriel is aspirating more than originally thought. He has the worst kind of aspiration, Silent. Gabriel does not cough, choke, make noises, or anything else when liquid enters his lungs. We will be having a meeting tomorrow to discuss what this means for Gabriel's drinking and feeding at this point. This too will be a blip in our radar down the road. I just want to make sure that we are keeping Mr. Gabriel safe.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Intensive feeding day 29

Monday8:30am - weigh in and measure
I am rocking out. I have gained 2.2 lbs in the short time I have been at feeding therapy!

8:45am-9:30am - Meal 1
Mommy fed me my meal just like always. And I rocked out!

11:45am-12:30pm - Meal 2
I go to the best childcare EVER! Ms. Ashley came to see me!

Loving Hearts, Little Hands in Grand Haven is the BEST childcare center EVER!!!

12:00pm-2:00pm - Nap time
I got to skip nap time to do a swallow study.

2:15pm-2:45pm - conference with team
You will have to ask mom.

2:45pm-3:30pm - Meal 3
Ms. Ashley fed me this meal.

3:45pm - head home
Look at what I picked out Sis!

What Bro-Ther?

I don't know sis, WHAT?

BALLOONS,

BALLOONS!

Oh boy,

I love balloons Bro-Ther!

I know Sis!

I love it when mom goes to the dollar store!

Mom's notes -
Childcare training ~ I am so excited to have full participation with our childcare (even if I mix up everyone's names)! We have witnessed childcare's saying they can no longer service a child because of the added time they are going to require with this feeding program. It took us so long to find the perfect childcare facility. I am so glad that they are willing to take on Gabriel's challenges! What an amazing place! I know my kids are in good hands each and every day!

Swallow study ~ We have some findings that answers some questions and creates many more questions. Gabriel did very well with his liquids out of the cup. He was even able to handle his liquid reduced to half nectar (this means half the nectar packet of Simply Thick per 8 ounce). However, when they did one step below that (no thicker) problems occurred. The liquid sat in Gabriel's throat. They could not get Gabriel to cough it nor clear his throat. (Further analysis of the film will let us know better what exactly happened but it is suspected that he aspirated the liquid into his lungs.) When they fed him his pureed foods he did very well. He had no problems with pureed, gritty or finely chopped. That being said he has had foods coming out his nose after eating them. We found that Gabriel is refluxing foods into his sinus cavity. That is why he is snotting out carrots, beans and whatever other creations he is eating. This may be why we can not get rid of sinus infections. It is not good for the sinus's no matter what but the only thing we can do for it is try to get Gabriel to allow us to do sinus cleanses. He had issues with foods that were thicker. He has thrown-up several times when his foods were too thick. The swallow study will be looked at closer this week to see what exactly is going on. It is believed that due to Gabriel's low muscle tone his esophagus is having a difficult time pushing the thicker food down toward his stomach. The more bites of thick food Gabriel takes the harder his esophagus has to work to push his food down which tires Gabriel out causing him somewhere in there to choke, gag and throw up. To take care of that right now we are thinning thicker foods (mac and cheese, stew, ect) with fruit puree's. We will have the official findings of the swallow study later in the week.

Team meeting ~ Gabriel is GRADUATING Wednesday, February 8th! We are so excited for him! I will shadow Gabriel the 9th and 10th to answer any questions and to make sure everything is in place. Isabella will have tubes put in her ears on the 13th and I will hopefully, cross your fingers, get to return to work on the 14th. I can't believe how far Gabriel has come. We are working to get everyone on board to keep Gabriel in the program all day each day and we will be rocking and rolling.