Fall Fun

We've been enjoying the last few warm days of the year by playing outside. When they put in curb, gutter, and sidewalks this year they had to redo our driveway, so it slopes toward the house now. Andrew pushes himself up the driveway with his feet and then lets himself roll down. He gets a thrill of it every time.
Tyler got a bike for Christmas last year, but hasn't really been interested in riding it. And he really didn't care to learn how to use the pedals. But one day, a few weeks ago, he got on the bike and started pushing the pedals! I think next summer will be full of bike rides. Neither Ryan or I own a bike at this point, but I'm sure we'll be investing in a set soon.

Isn't Drew cute in his undies! (This will go on file for all future girlfriends and high school events). We did the potty training bit for a few days, but I am inpatient in general and even more so with potty training, because I just finished with Tyler. So I thought I'd give in and wait. But this week I've seen Andrew grabbing himself when he wets his diaper. So I guess I'll start up again. We'll be on the go for about a week, but after that I've determined to give it a solid effort.

For some reason Andrew pulls this face all the time. It's just to be silly, I think.

As far as the medical aspect goes- Andrew is doing well with his eating. He eats and eats and eats. Seriously, we have breakfast, snack, bottle, lunch, snack or two, dinner, maybe another snack, and another bottle at bedtime. We eat ALL day. We have been about 6 weeks without any tube feeds! He hasn't gained any weight overall. He got sick and lost .4 kg, then gained it back, and has lost another .2 kg in the last 3 weeks. His pediatrician was mediocre on it until I told her that Drew was really sick 5 days, had a green runny nose after that, and has had ear infections (probably from the yucky mucous of the green nose) and has been cutting 4 teeth. Then she was excited, and said he's doing great to have all that going on, and not loose weight. So we're giving the tube-free trial another couple months! Tube feeding doesn't take a ton of time in reality, but it's sooooo nice to not have to hook him to a pump at night, or make up 16 oz of formula every night. And it's so nice to not need to be as careful about making sure I have tube supplies with me every time I walk out the door. It's been a huge relief. I keep a spare tube, extension, and little syringe in my purse now, and don't think about it beyond that.

As far as dilation's, we're back on the same track as before and he needs dilated every 2 weeks. The surgeon said it's probably time to give up and do surgery. They would go in through the same incision, under his shoulder blade, as the first 2 surgeries. Cut out the scar tissue, put the esophagus back together, and hope that it doesn't stricture this time. Ryan and I are REALLY not wanting to put Andrew and our family through that. It would be at least a week in the hospital, and it's awful to leave Tyler and know that Andrew has to go through the trauma and pain of another surgery.

It just so happens that I went to a class last week that I learned about another type of energy healing therapy. It's called BodyTalk. It may sound 'out there' to many of you, but I am so excited about it. I had learned some of the techniques before from my awesome friend Lisa, and have seen them help me and my boys. The instructor did a free session at the end of our class, and I was the lucky name drawn from the bowl. It was amazing, and I feel so much better this week than I have in a long time. So, we are going to try this therapy for Andrew. It's at least worth a shot, and I really believe it will help him in so many ways. His first session will be next Thurs.