Summer Is Certainly Here!

Summer's Here!!



Chillin' in front of the fan

Well folks, it actually feels as though summer is truly here!  We hit a humidex of 42 yesterday so it most certainly came in with a bang!  Poor Mr.B didn't know what to do with himself so he lay in front of our huge fan for hours.

We've had a busy couple of days (feels like I am always saying that!).  The big boys have been swimming up a storm at our local outdoor pool and have been astounding me with how far they've come in a short amount of time with their swimming lessons.

Pappa and his Calgary boys

The house has been busier than usual this week too with the addition of my In-laws here from North Vancouver.  The boys are all in heaven at being spoiled rotten (yes, rotten) by Grandma and Pappa and are being taken for regular bike rides and such.  It's nice to have laughter fill the house and the sunshine to go with it...it just feels lighter here now that B is home.

Braeden is getting more confident with his 'forward' mobility and will actually crawl a few feet to me if I stand and wait for him.  I didn't expect to see this day this soon and it is so very exciting!  He is also shamelessly blowing kisses now left, right and centre (and he blows ear kisses to go along with them!).  I will catch this all on camera soon I hope!

Catching rays with Ashley

Along with the extra abilities to move about also comes the extra retching episodes.  I'm still following the feeding schedule that Dr.Volmiero outlined before we left the hospital and am very hesitant to move forward on it (start dropping some of his continuous feeds at night).  He's still very retchy and it is still quite random for when it happens.  We are dealing with it and plugging along but not moving forward per se.

So much life to explore

I am certainly having issues with having to go back to very little sleep (as my family can contest to with their grumpy Momma).  It is hard when I know I have to be up to wash, change and refill B's feeding pump so I can't get into a very deep sleep (when I'm able to actually fall asleep that is).  The night feed is over 6 hrs so I struggle with the dilemma of whether or not to do 4 hours at the beginning (and go to sleep right away to make the most of the time) or do I do 2 hours, stay up and then change it and get 4 hrs of consecutive sleep (assuming B sleeps for that 4 hours).  I am still working on it but it's certainly not easy.  B's been very unsettled at night, not full on night terrors (thank goodness) but just very restless.  I am hoping the addition of the new sound machine from Grandma and Pappa will help with that tonight although it sounds as though we are right on the sea shore because he's found the volume button!

Mr.B is in his element when he's outside, he can't get enough
fresh air...guess that makes sense when you spend your first
219 days in a hospital room!

A cool thing has happened in the past two day as well, I've been introduced to two other kiddos with multiple issues that are now 3 and 6.  I had a woman approach us at the pool today when Mr.B's feed was running and asked if she could say 'hi' to him.  I said sure and she told me about her daughter who was g-tube fed since being an infant and how she's eating now.  She is now 6 and has been eating orally for a year and the Mom told me of her belief some days that she'd never get to this point.  I was so grateful for her story and to meet her little wonder!  Her daughter spent 2 1/2 yrs at ACH and she knows many of our familiar doctors as well.  Another little boy Liam I've 'met' (in cyber space) is so much like B in so many ways that it is astounding!  He's now a walking toddler and his Mom's photos and story have inspired me so very much!!  I can see B in the photos and I can finally picture him walking!!  I know it will happen on his own time but I have envisioned it in my head and I am so excited.  I love hearing from others and their stories, I find them all so interesting and empowering so please feel free to share!

I hope everyone is keeping cool in this weather and enjoying the season!  I have an incredibly exciting meeting/interview tomorrow that I will hopefully be able to share with you tomorrow night, fingers crossed!