Backpack Backpack, Backpack Backpack

Ever since Owen has been crawling, I have been following him. At first it wasn't too difficult because he didn't want to go too far away from me and he was slow. Well, as time went on it got more and more difficult to follow him with his pump on a pole. My whole life became chasing Owen with a pole. He is such a nosy child and likes to go everywhere. He never sits in one place too long. As my sister's son, Carson, began to crawl, I became very jealous of her. She was able to sit him down on the ground and go about her business. She couldwash dishes, do laundry, go to the bathroom, leave the room for just a second, and not look over her shoulder and worry about how far away Carson was from his original spot. I, however, was not able to do that. I would always be running after Owen to make sure he didn't pull his g-tube out because he was crawling too far away.Well, not anymore!!! With his new backpack I am able to watch him crawl around and not continually stop him from going somewhere just because his pole doesn't fit or because I have something to do in a certain room so he would have to stay with me. Owen is free!!

He is adorable with his backpack on. I don't keep it on him all the time because he does get tired but he doesn't mind having it on most of the time. What a trooper he is!

Owen is my special little man :)

Showing off his new backpack!

Can you believe his pump and his bag of formula fits in there?

so cute

These boys are trouble makers (Carson and Owen)

ready to go!

Sitting Up!!!

Isaiah is sitting up!! As of February 26th, 2011 Isaiah is sitting up all by himself! He had been wanting to sit up by himself but would always fall. Well, we have been trying and trying. Finally, I sat him up, and he didn't fall. I let him sit there and he didn't fall. He sat up for a long time! It was so great to see! Now he sits up all the time :)

He is also starting to get up on his knees and starting to scoot. He will be 6 months tomorrow (even though tomorrow isn't really the 29th of February lol). I can't believe how fast he is growing up! It's weird because it seems very bitter sweet to me. It is so great to see how healthy and happy he is. He shows me happiness each and every day. Bitter sweet because I think about where I was with Owen when he

was 6months old. There are so many things I have to be thankful for. Isaiah is healthy, Owen is home, my babies are growing and my family is happy. Thank you God for giving me these milestones with my children.

family pictures january 2011

The day before Owen went into the hospital in January, we took family pictures with a professional photographer. There are a few pictures of Owen where he has a funny face I had never seen before that day. However, looking back, I understand that he just wasn't feeling well that day . . . poor guy. We still got some pretty great pictures and I thought I would share them here :)

more and more hospital time

Recently, Owen spent a couple weeks in the hospital. It was a very stressful experience. I think its when we finally realized that this is how we will be living our lives with him for the next few years. It all started with just a little cold. It wasn't bad at all. He had a day or two of a runny nose and a cough. His poops went from 3-6 a day to about 8-15 a day. Overall he was doing ok. After the runny nose and cough went away, he stopped pooping so much. In fact he was only pooping 1-2 times a day. I thought this was a good thing. One night he didn't poop. I usually change a poopy diaper every morning so it was a little concerning. Then he threw up but it wasn't much. I called his pediatrition and left a message. I thought if I could get suppositories for him he would poop and then he would be fine. However, after a few hours Owen threw up again. This throw up was extremely different from the first one. This throw up smelled and looked exactly like his poop. I immediately called his GI doctors in Oakland. They told me to go to the hospital to get a KUB to see what was going on in his intestine. The KUB showed a large amount of poop in his colon. They were worried he might have a blockage or some sort of "kink" in his intestine. They told us it would be best to admit him at Oakland Children's Hospital. After I found someone to watch Isaiah, I headed down to Oakland with Owen.

Owen spent just over 2 weeks in the hospital. They thought that there was a blockage in his intestine at first. After the first couple days they found that he just had a huge amount of poop in his colon. They gave him a suppository and for the next few hours he had huge, almost solid, poops. Now, if you know Owen, you know that solid poop is not a usual thing. He has constant diarrhea due to his short gut. After that, the next 2 weeks were spent getting his feeding rate back to normal with similar poops he was having before he went into the hospital.

Feeding Tube Awareness Week February 6-12, 2011

The goal of Feeding Tube Awareness Week it to spread awareness and educate as many as possible through Facebook status posts note, twitter, blog posts, email...basically however, you want to spread the word. The topics below are a guide. They will be posted daily on the Facebook Page but also encourage you to use them in your posts to others.
If you do not have a tubie child, but are just a supporter, spreading the word is fantastic!

Feb 6 (Sunday) - Video launch -- The video will focus on building awareness that there are medical reasons for tube feeding. The goal is for as many people to see the video as possible. If you have made or are making your own video, that is great!
TOPIC: Why does your child have a feeding tube?

February 7 (Monday) – Before and After the tubie – post pictures or a photo album
TOPIC: What is the most positive benefit your child has received because of tube feeding?

February 8 (Tuesday) - Addressing misconceptions
TOPIC: What do you want people to know about tube feeding?

February 9 (Wednesday) – CALL TO ACTION – Emailing Sesame Street
TOPIC: How would you like to raise awareness of tube feeding?

February 10 (Thursday) Engaging Friends and Family
TOPIC: GO AHEAD AND ASK ME! What do you want to know about tube feeding that you have been afraid or uncomfortable asking?

February 11 (Friday) – Turning a Negative into a Positive
TOPIC: Describe a negative experience you encountered because of tube feeding and explain how it could have been more positive. What should have happened?

February 12 (Saturday) WRAP UP
TOPIC: Describe a positive experience you have encountered because of tube feeding and what made it positive for you and/or your tubie.

Over the week I will try to post a blog about each of these subjects. I am a busy mommy so please forgive me if the post is up late or early lol. I can't wait to see what people have to say! Spread the word :) feeding tubes save lives!