Salty Toes

Hey everyone!  As you can tell, this updating-the-blog-thing is proving to reveal just how unforgettable I can be!  Sorry it's been about 2 weeks since my first post.  Ava is doing very well!  She hasn't thrown up since 12/30 (knock on wood everyone!!), which is an ENORMOUS achievement for her.  In the past, we were guaranteed at least one full feeding of vomit per day, if not two.  We've made a few changes to her plan of care so it's not exactly clear what is keeping her feedings down but we're just sticking to what's working so far! 
One of the additions we made, was regularly seeing a chiropractor.  On our first appt, he did what's called a nerve scan & it shows which nerves in the spine are under pressure.  Surprisingly, her very top, very bottom & every vertebrae in the thoracic region, were highlighted in red.  This meant that they were under a great deal of pressure, therefore he spends most of his treatment in those places.  It'll be very interesting to see the follow up scan!  In the first few weeks, she was being seen biweekly, now it's weekly due to her progress.  It's amazing how calm she is during and after our appointments.  Dr. Hart is amazing with her and it's fun to hear his "pet names" for her as his own daughter's name is Ava.  Nicknames like Aves, Ava-bear & A-lady are a few!  He's also working on her head molding (flat spot) every time we see him.  He understands my extreme concern & hope of avoiding a helmet, so we really try hard to work on this every time as well as at home.  Because of her g-tube, Ava never enjoyed tummy time and in conjunction with the "back to sleep" rules, her head inevitably became flat.  Her pediatrician isn't concerned, but as a NICU nurse, we spend a great deal of time repositioning babies so flat spots don't become a major issue, therefore I am a bit over-the-top with the subject! :)
New adventures with Ava:  This month, we started introducing fruits & meats to Ava.  As a baby whose taken applesauce multiple times a day since she was a week old, she clearly loves the fruits.  Meats...a different story!  Both beef & ham have needed to be mixed with applesauce or pears to apparently become tolerable for her.  Whatever...she's her father's daughter, that's for sure!  :)  Physically, she's able to sit with assistance and has mastered how to avoid falling flat on her face.  Before she'd just fold in half & face-plant but now she catches herself in time!  She's also learned a new tongue smacking sound...pretty funny to hear!  Lastly, she's discovered that not only can her hands reach her feet, but her feet can now reach her mouth!  Oh Lordy.  Yet another source of ingestion of Yukon hair!  Poor baby.
Enough babbling...here's a couple pics to enjoy!  Talk again soon...I think ;)
~Kate