Food

Hello friends!

We've missed updating you on how Ellie's doing!

There is one reason, and one reason only we went "dark".  :)

We've been busy trying to get Ellie to EAT!!!

It has not been easy and has even caused one of us to wonder "if she'll ever eat".  But the other one of us calmly said "she's not going to have that tube forever".

So three times a day, we feed her food.  Let me explain "feed".  We mash up a banana.  We puree tuna salad.  We put peanut butter on our fingers.  Then we try to get the spoon/finger in the mouth and have some success!!  Much more success than we used to!  And I'm happy to report, she doesn't gag nearly as much as she used to!  AND hardly ever throws up!

All that good news is indeed good and we must focus on that. What I'm trying not to focus on at the moment is her uncanny ability to PUSH food out of her mouth.  All bites, all food, all the time.

Here is what tuna fish looks like after sitting in her mouth a few minutes and she decided she'd had enough fun playing with it.

I hope and pray some is getting down.  What we decided to do was pull back a bit on the liquid tube feeding for two reasons.  One, to prevent her from throwing up if she gagged on the feeding trial.  Two is to see if she could gain weight at a steady pace with hopefully the few extra calories she's accidentally swallowing?

Here she is asking me - "You really gonna try to give me some more, I thought I told you already, I'm done."

 Now she's REEEEEAAALLLY done.

"I so sorry Mommy, I didn't mean to behave that way. I'll try again later, you just don't give up on me O.K.?"

 O.K. Ellie girl - we're here for you.  Tonight we gonna try some mushed up chili!