Colds, Pottys, And Pounds

Well the kiddies have colds....and such is life in the winter with kids I suppose. I just keep telling myself that every cold they get is one less cold they will ever have again LOL....cold comfort at times.

A simple cold is complicated at the Salvucci house in part because I have all sorts of sinus/immune issues that can turn a cold into months of infectious torture. But now little Anna with her tube is a whole new complication. First she is gaggy on the best of days so when you add extra mucous and post nasal drip....we have had some projectile vomitting spells the last few days. And it also means reduced feedings for her, which means she is not getting the calories she needs and is not gaining at the rate she needs. Missed and lost feedings are a big deal for Anna right now. Thankfully she is starting to come out of it.

We finally got in to see the Nutritionist this week (after a cancelled appt a few weeks ago) and got an overall good report for Anna!! She gained a pound! She weighed in at 18lbs6oz!! And the nutritionist felt she looked healthier (even with the cold)...her hair is growing like crazy and she said her skin looked healthier etc.

Because Anna has been having trouble with gagging and spitting up towards the end of her feeds she is being put back on an antacid. Prevacid this time. And she is being put back on the erythromycin to help her motility problems. In addition she is also now getting 9 extra ounces of formula through her tube (via syringe, not he pump) to ensure she is getting the calories she needs. So she shold get 3oz three times a day after meals. This sounded like a simple enough thing but so far it has been a big messy hassle that I dread! I have a 2oz syringe, but it requires so much resistance that I can't push the formula through it into the narrow tube. So I am using a 10ml syringe and there are 30ml in an ounce...so that is 9 syringes worth with a wiggling 18M old. To complicate things further the clamp on the tube where you attach the pump or the syringe has become very loose and leaky so the clamp will burst open spraying the formula all over us, it drips a lot of formula while I am pushing it in, and twice it has opened on is own at random times and then leaked the contents of Anna's stomach all over her clothes (gross!). We hate the thought of removing and replacing her tube JUST because of the clamp when the rest of the tube is healthy.....so sort of catch 22 here. But we push on! The important thing is that despite all of the issues she is still having with the feeds she is gaining weight!!

So we are on try #3 with potty training Benjamin. Yesterday was day 1 and considering he is sick I was impressed he stayed dry all day, but we did have a poopy accident....which may be worse than 8 peepee accidents! Today was a nightmare. He wet his underwear/pants two or three times, but he also peed on the floor once when he was wearing NOO underpants?!?!?!?!? WHAT IS THAT?!??? He hasn't done something like that for E.V.E.R. I assume at some point he will just GET it. In fairness to Ben he has had so many distractions from potty training between illnesses of his own and Anna being in CHOP etc etc. Cla wonders if at this point he figures if he makes enough messes we will give up. So again....we push on! (and do lots of laundry!)

The video above is Ben dancing. It has been so bitterly cold that we have all been so cooped up. He has a lot of energy to burn and is getting stir crazy. I think once he is over his cold I will bundle him up and regardless of weather or temp just let him OUT! If you can understand his congested 3yr old language you can hear he is talking about Annabella who was napping at the time. He says she dances and likes to spin. When Anna is napping he can barely wait to have her back and as soon as he hears her peep he begs me to go get her! LOVE IT!