The Nose Hose is gone...long live my tummy tube!

Sorry it's been two full weeks since I last wrote.  It's been pretty busy around here!

Last weekend, Boppy & Granddad came to visit and we had a great time.  We went wine tasting at Duckhorn winery, had some yummy local BBQ, and most of all, I got to spend some quality time being held by them!  Silly Mama & Daddy forgot to take good pictures, so here's the one Boppy & Granddad remembered to take.

Me with Boppy & Granddad

This week was a crazy week.  On Wednesday, we woke up at 4am to drive to Walnut Creek, back to John Muir Hospital where I was born.  This time I was scheduled to have a g-tube placed in my belly so that I can get rid of the horrible tube in my nose.  We got there super early and I immediately charmed the socks off all the nurses in the pre-op area.  Mama and Daddy were so tired that they both managed to fit onto my stretcher with me, and we took a little family nap while waiting for the nurses and doctors to check us in.  My favorite part of the morning was that I got my very own hospital gown...it fit me perfectly!  Mama thinks that the gowns are only for the benefits of the parents since they are so cute.  I guess it's true that I would have been just as happy in my diaper, but I sure looked adorable!  After all the nurses and doctors came to say hello, I was whisked away by a really nice Anesthesiologist and they took good care of me.  Mama and Daddy were just a little bit nervous, but they handled themselves decently.  I, on the other hand, was super excited and smiled the whole way back to the OR.  I was ready to get the tube out of my nose! 

 
Me all dressed up in my very cool mini hospital gown

 

 Mama and me waiting for my surgery

Mama and Daddy both managed to squeeze into the same hospital stretcher with me...

After an hour, I was groggily reunited with Mama and Daddy.  My endoscopy looked good; no ulcers or bad irritation in my stomach.  We have to wait for the biopsy results until next week to confirm that I don't have a funny allergy, but we have every reason to believe they will be fine.  I was really sleepy the rest of the day and a little fussy too.  My tummy was a bit sore.  But, I handled it really well, and even slept nearly the whole night thru.  Mama stayed with me in the hospital overnight, while Daddy had to fly off for a business meeting. Grammie came to keep Mama company and take turns holding me.  I used this experience as a great time to demand to be held constantly (just don't tell Mama that I was trying to milk the system!).  Grammie is pretty much a sucker...if I so much as make a whimper, I am promptly scooped up and held. This is a good gig! 












Me with Mama in the recovery room...I'm trying to figure out what just happened to me!


Me with Daddy - I'm still a little groggy...and Daddy is too!


I rapidly returned to my happy self, even in my hospital bed.  I was kicking and laughing and having a grand old time by the same night as my surgery.  Mama didn't recover nearly so quickly after her surgeries.  I even surprised everyone by drinking some pedialyte from a bottle!  I have been hiding my ability to drink from a bottle for the past few months, but when they starved me for 21 hours I finally caved & showed them that I can still do it.  I blew my cover! 

Here's me all comfy in my hospital crib showing off my new tube, IV & all!  Mama says I'm a trooper!

A cute video of me about 10 hours after surgery...

Some of my old friends from the NICU came to visit me too!  Dr. Kristin Hubert (my neonatologist) and Erin, one of my speech pathologists, came to say hi.  I showed off my killer smile, my fat tummy, my big blue eyes, and my insane ability to kick my feet in rapid succession.  Needless to say, they were quite impressed!  I can't wait to see them, and my other NICU friends, again soon!

We went home late on Friday night in the midst of a rainstorm.  This rain stuff is pretty cool...I had never seen it before, and with each drop that hit my forehead as we were walking to the car, I was completely astounded.  I loved it! 

Grandpa met us in Napa and took turns holding me (I have him wrapped around my finger too!).  I slept well at home, much to Mama's relief.  We are still working on getting my tummy to accept my regular volumes of milk, and we are nearly there.  It's a new learning process for everyone to use my new tube (there are a few additional steps compared to my old one)...but we are figuring it out.  Grandpa even put his handy-self to work to concoct some extension tubing to make life easier for all of us. 




 Sitting in the big boy chair of my stroller for the first time now that my neck strength is good

                                                                Dancing with Grandpa

Overall, the new tube is awesome!  I can't accidentally pull it out or tug on it, no more tape on my face, and no more gagging me when I turn my head or try to swallow.  I am sure this will help me learn to eat again...I promised Mama and Daddy that I would do my best with my new feeding therapist Anne who comes to visit me every week. 

I am so excited for this next week.  I get to meet my cousin Laura and Uncle Chris for the first time.  We are going to Tahoe for my Third time, and this time there is SNOW!  I'll keep you all posted next weekend.