Time to eat during the day!

Evelyn went to the GI doctor on Tuesday and she should have gained about 2 pounds by now. She actually isn't even back to her pre-surgery weight. So the doctor wants us to do daytime tube feedings now as well. In case our days weren't crazy and full enough :)

So she gets fed 3 times a day. We sit her down for a meal. After the meal she gets hooked up and gets 4 ounces of formula over about 20 minutes. It isn't too long to do the feeding, it's the set up and clean up thats a lot of work! It takes about 30 minutes total plus the time to eat a real meal, so each meal ends up being about an hour. EEK! Then she still gets fed all night as well

Today was my first day by myself with our new routine. It was crazy. The morning routine takes almost an hour and a half. We get Evelyn up and change her clothes and have her go to the bathroom. Then we sit both girls down for breakfast. They take about 25 minutes. After that we have to set up her feeding, and plunk her on the couch and start it. In the mean time we get Sophia dressed and changed and both girls hair brushed and teeth brushed and all medications given. Then we try to wolf down some breakfast. After that we have to clean and re bandage her tube. Then clean up everything and get it ready for the lunch feeding. She doesn't have a huge appetite for a snack then since she ate so much

She started having bathroom accidents all of a sudden when we started day feedings. We were worried since we've seriously potty trained this child 4 times. We figured out it's just the massive increase in fluids and her body can't handle it. Taking her to the bathroom every hour seems to have helped with that.

So life is pretty easy now. The days are full and busy but it's no longer difficult and is second nature now. Teaching others is a whole nother story! We don't even attempt to teach her babysitters to feed her. We just do it when we get home. So far the tube hasn't come out yet which we are very happy about!

My Aunt Mary has offered to help make Evelyn a medical alert bracelet and I'm very happy! I bought the metal tag part but the bracelet parts are sooo expensive! I'm glad she can help us out. And I"m sure she'll have the cutest medical alert bracelet anywhere :)

We are going up north on Wednesday to our parents cottage. I think it's our first (and last!) vacation with just the four of us and I'm looking forward to it. The weekend after the girls are going to my parents and Patrick and I are going to stay on Mackinac Island for our 5th anniversary. I can't believe it's been 5 years already! And I'm still as in love with him as the day we got married :) I couldn't ask for a better husband or a better father for my children. I feel so blessed I can watch him interact with yet another child come February. 

Speaking of baby, I heard the baby's heartbeat at home for the first time last week. It was amazing. It never ceases to amaze me. What a miracle! We are truly blessed. While we have some challenges in our lives, we still are amazingly blessed.