Three Potato Four

While progress on eating is painstakingly slow (sometimes so frustrating that I have come to feed LJ with one hand and pour wine into my glass with the other), all is not lost. I've been trying to get Lew to eat some pureed sweet potatoes mixed with rice cereal. I tried it with the preface that maybe the rice cereal alone was a little too bitter for him. While his eyes light up a little bit, the taters got more love than the rice cereal alone. What a mess it is. First I try getting a little on the tip of his tongue with a spoon. Then I try dipping his pacifier in the mixture to work on his sucking. And last I work with a small pipette dropper full of the sweet potato mixture. He takes my spoon in his hand and flings it all over- in his hair, on his clothes, all over the room. LJ won't sit in his bumbo seat so the bouncy seat will do for now.

Seems that his big brother has given him a cold. He's pretty congested making it harder to work on sucking and swallowing. I would happily give him the entire container of sweet potatoes to enjoy if he would tolerate it. I think eating is definitely his biggest challenge right now (followed by sleeping).

We're getting over a touch of the blues by enjoying the warmer weather. LJ, Nanny and I took a nice walk yesterday. Another first was getting out and inspired by the Baltimore Crafts show. We did really well in the car, and I think living in the moment helped me capture that positive experience. Lew didn't have any major meltdowns (it also helps to have someone sitting in the back seat willing to shake a rattle toy until their wrist starts to cramp!) and he slept most of the way.

We've also been drawing on our energy and learning more about Lew's vision problems. The ophthalmologist thinks the patching has made some progress with his eyes focusing and tracking. But he still prefers his right eye. When his right eye is covered up it takes a minute for him to adjust and use his left eye. It is still turning inward when its not patched. So, we will continue setting trends and alternating the eye patch for the next two months. Surgery is definitely possible. There is a small window of opportunity to improve LJ's binocular vision and if we decide to go the surgery-route the doc wants to do it around 8 months of age. He'll be fine I'm sure. Me, I dunno.

On another note, we started Lew on Reglan for his retching syndrome. Since we discontinued the use of Erythromycin he hadn't been on anything for about ten days. We really noticed an increase with the retching after every feeding. The GI doc had prescribed the Reglan within a few days of his allergic reaction but we were reluctant to give it because of the medication's side effects. Its been known to cause seizures, muscle jerks and jitteriness. After discussing it with Lew's neurologist and pediatrician, we determined that the benefits outweighed the risks. And luckily we haven't seen any seizure activity so far.

Enough of that. Something wonderful and nice that really thrills me is the emergence of Lew's smile this week. Playing peek-a-boo and tickling his chin...making exaggerated eye movements and silly faces. So we're still taking things one day at a time.