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| Saying goodbye to my Mazda 6 |
But at least it is worth it...
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| Joy says thank you daddy |
Saturday, August 31, 2013
All Good Things Must Come to an End
I bought my first car in 2004. It was the car of my dreams (at the time) compared to the Toyota Corolla that I drove when I was in college. It had a great sound system, a sporty look, and a V6 engine that allowed me to "zoom zoom" by everyone on the freeway. But as a father of one and with a 2nd baby on the way, I realized that this dream car needed to go. It breaks down several times a year, including 2x during Joy's feeding program. We needed something more reliable with more space/features for a growing family. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
So this is my new car...Selena's old car. Selena now drives a Toyota Sienna. The sacrifices dads have to make for their family.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
New Changes for Joy
Physical Development: Joy has now learned how to transition from tummy to sitting.
Feeding Update: For the past several weeks, Joy has been drinking less formula. After some discussion with Jennifer Berry and Dr. Weich, we agreed to switch to Vanilla Elecare for a few days just to see if taste made a difference.
Unfortunately, Joy didn't really like it and drank even less. So on Friday, we switched back to regular elecare and to our surprise, she gulped down 5oz of formula in less than 5 min. On Sat, we left Joy with grandma and again, she drank 5oz before her dinner meal. On Sunday morning, she drank almost 5oz before breakfast and another 5oz at dinner time. She broke a record by drinking over 15oz in one day. We hope this trend continues!
We still offer her pureed food in the morning (mixed with miralax) and then again during the dinner meal. She has been a little better with accepting it now that we are only giving her the stuff we know she likes (chicken and sweet potatoes, corn and butternut squash, winter squash, and banana and pumpkin).
For table foods, she is now a full fledged self eater for chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, oranges, and grapes. She doesn't seem to like cauliflower, squash (which she used to), green beans, and peppers. She also drinks water on her own too!
And during those playful fun meals, she's even willing to share her (and mine as well) favorite food!
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| Chewing on toys |
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| Displaying skills closer to real crawling |
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| Yummy foot |
Unfortunately, Joy didn't really like it and drank even less. So on Friday, we switched back to regular elecare and to our surprise, she gulped down 5oz of formula in less than 5 min. On Sat, we left Joy with grandma and again, she drank 5oz before her dinner meal. On Sunday morning, she drank almost 5oz before breakfast and another 5oz at dinner time. She broke a record by drinking over 15oz in one day. We hope this trend continues!
We still offer her pureed food in the morning (mixed with miralax) and then again during the dinner meal. She has been a little better with accepting it now that we are only giving her the stuff we know she likes (chicken and sweet potatoes, corn and butternut squash, winter squash, and banana and pumpkin).
For table foods, she is now a full fledged self eater for chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, oranges, and grapes. She doesn't seem to like cauliflower, squash (which she used to), green beans, and peppers. She also drinks water on her own too!
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| Independent Joy |
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Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Friday, August 9, 2013
Self-feeding Joy
Joy fed herself puffs for the first time! Way to go Joy!
Adjusting to Grandma. Overall, Joy has been doing very well with Grandma. She has been eating with her though her sleep has been a bit off (it could be due to teething). We are also trying new types of foods with her, including pumpkin and banana squash puree, chicken liver (yuck!), and green beans. We're just thankful that we have another set of hands! Thanks Mom!
Weight Loss. We took Joy to the doctor today and unfortunately she lost some weight since her last visit. Thankfully it wasn't a lot. The plan moving forward is to stop doing weight checks until she reaches 1 year of age and possibly start giving her vitamins (she's on the low side for Vitamin D).
Battling with Insurance. It has been discouraging dealing with my insurance company. When Joy first started traditional feeding therapy (speech and OT), I was disappointed to hear that Aetna was only willing to cover 2 months of therapy. When we considered enrolling her into the Spectrum program, I wrote a lengthy letter asking them to consider covering the program because there were no other suitable programs for her. My reasoning was that it could save everyone (especially their company) a lot of time and money if Joy could just learn to eat. After some back and forth, they agreed to cover a portion of it but were unwilling to say how much. I submitted the paperwork after Joy was discharged from the program but have since received 2 denials of coverage. I call them several times a week and speak to different departments. I'm hoping to get some resolution soon but it doesn't look good at the moment.
In other news...
Adjusting to Grandma. Overall, Joy has been doing very well with Grandma. She has been eating with her though her sleep has been a bit off (it could be due to teething). We are also trying new types of foods with her, including pumpkin and banana squash puree, chicken liver (yuck!), and green beans. We're just thankful that we have another set of hands! Thanks Mom!
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| Friendly Joy waving hi to Grandma |
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| ZZZZZZZZ |
Weight Loss. We took Joy to the doctor today and unfortunately she lost some weight since her last visit. Thankfully it wasn't a lot. The plan moving forward is to stop doing weight checks until she reaches 1 year of age and possibly start giving her vitamins (she's on the low side for Vitamin D).
Battling with Insurance. It has been discouraging dealing with my insurance company. When Joy first started traditional feeding therapy (speech and OT), I was disappointed to hear that Aetna was only willing to cover 2 months of therapy. When we considered enrolling her into the Spectrum program, I wrote a lengthy letter asking them to consider covering the program because there were no other suitable programs for her. My reasoning was that it could save everyone (especially their company) a lot of time and money if Joy could just learn to eat. After some back and forth, they agreed to cover a portion of it but were unwilling to say how much. I submitted the paperwork after Joy was discharged from the program but have since received 2 denials of coverage. I call them several times a week and speak to different departments. I'm hoping to get some resolution soon but it doesn't look good at the moment.
Monday, August 5, 2013
Help (Grandma) has arrived!
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| Will you play with me? Mommy is too tired. |
We have been taking care of Joy on our own but thankfully, my mom arrived on Saturday to help us in August. She will be caring for her so that Selena can go back to work. It'll also give us the opportunity to prep Joy's new room (e.g. paint, buy furniture) and shop for a new carseat and stroller. Thankfully (and mercifully), Joy has already adjusted well to grandma!
Joy is a Bully
We had no idea that Joy would be a bully. But I guess we should have known better! The first few times we left her at the church nursery, she played by herself. Innocent and cute. But whenever another child grabbed her toy, she would grunt, get upset, and fight back by pulling the toy away. As a parent, I feel torn because I do want her to fight back but I also want her to learn to share.
I guess it's time we start socializing Joy with other kids. Last week Selena took her on a few playdates. I think she had fun!
I guess it's time we start socializing Joy with other kids. Last week Selena took her on a few playdates. I think she had fun!
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| Jackson and Joy playing together |
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| Things getting physical? |
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| Joy meeting baby Julian for the first time! |
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Joy Stinks!
Joy stinks...literally, not figuratively. Now that she eats solids foods, she tends to leave "presents" inside her diapers for us. It's like Christmas everyday! And when she eats, food gets everywhere - clothes, hair, face, etc. I think it's time we start to bathe her more frequently!
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| Playing with her foam letters |
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| Mohawk! |
Thursday, August 1, 2013
All Things for His Glory
God can use every situation, even the difficult and painful times, to bless and encourage others. I truly believe that our experience with Joy and her feeding problems would somehow/someway help other families deal with what we went through.
In the past several weeks, I have been contacted by several moms who heard about Joy's success in the Spectrum tube weaning/feeding program. I guess word is getting around! Their babies/kids currently have feeding tubes and have been struggling to eat with little success. We know how frustrating it is to watch your child continually vomit and refuse to eat. They wanted to know more about Joy and our experience in the Spectrum program. Some of them are considering the program in September. I warned them about the intensity, challenges, and adjustments during and after the program. I hope it was helpful and I'm glad that this blog has been a resource them and other families who are going through the same struggles we faced.
One of the things I learned through this whole ordeal is that we were not meant to struggle through life alone. So I wanted to take this opportunity to share about Piper, a beautiful baby girl who has a G-tube and does not eat much by mouth. Selena and I spoke to her mom a few weeks ago, and I was impressed by her dedication and love for her baby. I'm also thankful that her family continues to demonstrate faith in God through these difficult times. I am praying for them as they prepare for the September feeding program. If you would like to learn more or pray/support Piper, please visit these websites:
Caring Bridge
YouCaring
My prayer is that Piper will learn to eat through the program.
In the past several weeks, I have been contacted by several moms who heard about Joy's success in the Spectrum tube weaning/feeding program. I guess word is getting around! Their babies/kids currently have feeding tubes and have been struggling to eat with little success. We know how frustrating it is to watch your child continually vomit and refuse to eat. They wanted to know more about Joy and our experience in the Spectrum program. Some of them are considering the program in September. I warned them about the intensity, challenges, and adjustments during and after the program. I hope it was helpful and I'm glad that this blog has been a resource them and other families who are going through the same struggles we faced.
One of the things I learned through this whole ordeal is that we were not meant to struggle through life alone. So I wanted to take this opportunity to share about Piper, a beautiful baby girl who has a G-tube and does not eat much by mouth. Selena and I spoke to her mom a few weeks ago, and I was impressed by her dedication and love for her baby. I'm also thankful that her family continues to demonstrate faith in God through these difficult times. I am praying for them as they prepare for the September feeding program. If you would like to learn more or pray/support Piper, please visit these websites:
Caring Bridge
YouCaring
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| Piper |
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| Eat More Chikin |
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