Good-Bye (then Welcome Back!) to Tucker's Feeding Button

We decided a few weeks ago that after over 7 years of Tucker having a g-tube in his tummy, it was time for it to come out. This tube had provided Tucker with nutrition for years, but lately it was just a nuisance as he takes all of his food and medicines by mouth. He scratches at it often, and baby brother tries to rip it out when he gets close enough. I put it off for a long time, as really he should have probably got it out last summer. I called the pediatrician’s office and the surgeon’s office, and we set the date for the simple in-office “procedure” of taking the button out.

So I suppose my Mommy heart knew the g-tube removal would not go smoothly. After all, this is my child we're talking about, right?

In 90% of cases, the tube is removed in the office, and it closes on its own within one hour. So on Monday morning, we got Tucker dressed in his school uniform, I took him to the doctor, he got the button out, then I brought him to school. I worked at home in case the teacher called. Well, two hours later, she called, saying that the chocolate milk he drank came out all over his shirt and shorts. He was soaked. They have extra clothes for him, but really why would they keep him at school if he can't eat or drink?

So I picked him up and brought him home. I called the nurse, she said the soonest the dr would see him was Thursday morning, as him leaking was still very normal at this point. So by Monday night it was no better, even though I made him lay on the couch most of the day so that it wouldn't drain out. On Tuesday Chris stayed home with him and he barely got any liquids. So basically he ate goldfish, cheetos, and pizza all day while watching Thomas the Train on Netflix! LOL what a life!

He still had in-home therapy starting at 3, so he at least had some distraction. On Wednesday I called to make the Thursday appointment, and my mom kept him for the afternoon so that I could go to work. He continued to leak. We had a ton of gauze on his tummy, we tried using clothespins to hold beach towels wrapped around him, and at one point I taped one of Easton's diapers to him! Nothing held in the milk, but the poor kid was thirsty, so he mainly laid down from Monday until Thursday eating food and having anything liquidy come right back out. We laughed about it, calling it "Tucker's diet plan." Well, on Wednesday night we weighed him, he lost 2 pounds in 3 days...that is when I stopped laughing.

So on Thursday morning we went for what I thought was an appointment to cauterize the wound. This was supposed to help it close up. So on the way to the appointment, I started to wonder how this would actually work? If the doctor closed up the skin wound, but the hole in his stomach was open, that really wouldn't solve the problem. Waiting in the dr office was a comedy of errors. Tucker kept trying to get up out of the chair, and I kept saying "stop, you're going to leak everywhere!" The other parents must have thought I was crazy. Then he got his foot stuck in his stroller and I could not get it out. Then I had my water bottle in my purse and it spilled everywhere. So I was already frazzled before the appointment even started.

I mentioned my concern about the stomach not closing up to the doctor. He told me I had misunderstood, he would not cauterize the wound if the stomach wasn't closed. I said great, lets get the surgery set up to get this closed. He said "sure, but we have to put a tube back in to prevent leaking until surgery." So basically the last four days had been for nothing. :/

The tube was leaking a lot, but it had actually started healing; this was evident when the dr put a new button in. They numbed it with emla cream, and the nurse and I held his hands while the surgeon used a dilator to open the stoma enough to put a new button in. Tucker shook and had the goosebumps, I cried. That was too much for me, I was not expecting it. I really think we do a good job of explaining procedures to Tucker and letting him know what to expect. I don't lie to him; if I'm taking him to the dr for a shot, I tell him that he'll get a shot, it's going to hurt, but it will be over soon. I did not prepare him for this at all.

So five minutes later, he was fine and asking to go to the toystore. We went downstairs and spent about an hour getting him pre-registered for his surgery next week. It has been four years since he has had surgery. Geez, how the time has flown! We have been so blessed, really, that I have forgotten the whole pre-op, post-op procedures that used to be second nature to me. He will have outpatient surgery this Thursday, he will be tired and maybe in pain for Good Friday, then he'll be fine for Easter weekend. Easter really is his favorite holiday, so it may seem like an odd time to get this done; I just want it behind us, and the two week no-swimming recovery period behind us before the hot Louisiana summer hits. 

Thanks for all of the prayers and support! Tucker is a trooper and has done very well throughout this craziness. His parents, on the other hand, we are too old for this. 

2014 Goals, Six weeks in

I set quite a few goals for us in 2014, and so far we’re doing pretty well.

One of my goals is to read the whole Bible, and with the youversion.com daily Bible plan, it’s going well. Of course, it started with Genesis and Exodus, which are very interesting books. I suppose that once I get to Leviticus it won’t be as much of a page turner…

Another goal was to post to the blog weekly, well, that hasn’t quite happened. J

I decided on December 30 that Easton, Chris, and I would start a more healthy lifestyle. Tucker already eats very healthy food, but I have starting making his better, too.

My goal was to eliminate chemicals from our home and slowly add more healthy and whole foods to our diets, especially organic and unprocessed foods. I usually go all out with a goal for a week or two, then get burnt out and give up. So this time I thought we’d try things slowly, adding one or two recipes per month and slowly eliminating processed foods.

Well, slow and steady is not me, lol, so in our first month, we have made a ton of changes! Poor Chris just wants his bread and cereal back, and Easton really wants his crackers and cheerio diet restored.

Easton has been eating lots of fruits with little fuss, the veggies are much harder. Tucker didn’t notice a difference by switching to organic sweet potatoes, avocados, and bananas (all of which he eats on an almost daily basis) so that is good.  I traded my morning coffee for green smoothies, which is easy and tasty, plus I get two servings of veggies in before 9am.  If only I could get the kids or the hubs to drink them…

We all need snacks, so I’ve made a few cookies, cupcakes, and energy bites with natural ingredients and extra protein so that we have lots of good choices made with real ingredients. We’ve also tried baked zucchini, roasted zucchini, spaghetti squash, and cauliflower rice.

Did I mention that I hate to cook, and I’m not very good at it? I am known among family and friends for burning pop tarts and being confused on instructions for boxed macaroni…so this is completely out of my comfort zone.

Easton’s eczema is much better, and his mood is much improved, so that gives me the motivation to keep going. He has also had a growth spurt recently, so it helps to know that all of the healthy food is doing something! 

I found a wonderful website wellnessmama.com that has lots of natural recipes.

As far as using natural products, I make home made laundry detergent that is cheaper, and that works very well. I also make home made baby wipes which we really like and I have mopped the floors with vinegar and water instead of chemical cleaners. I was pleasantly surprised that it worked very well. This month I need to order a few supplies, then I’ll try the lotion bars for Easton’s skin as well as the natural all purpose cleaner to disinfect and clean surfaces in the house.

Tonight I made home made chicken taquitos, as we love the frozen ones from Wal Mart. And I have no idea how many calories or crazy ingredients are in the store bought ones. But the home made ones were delicious so we’re going to keep those in rotation.

Well, this wasn’t the most exciting post, but I wanted to document this change to healthy living. We are hoping it stays, and that we’re not back to Oreos and frozen pizzas by March. ;)

Ear Infections all Around

Well my plan for blogging once a week is already falling behind! So here is update #2 for 2014, just 2 days late.

I need to update the design and maybe even the title of this blog, as Tucker is not the only story anymore.  There is still so much going on with him, of course, and so many emotions that come along with parenting him each and every day. But to say that Easton demands at least equal attention is an understatement. Easton is completely adorable, and that is his saving grace. J Because he is quite a boss! Since he was about six months old and was able to sit up and watch Tucker, he has thought that he should be able to do everything Tucker does. I say often that Easton thinks he’s 7. He screams when Tucker goes outside without him, when Tucker goes into the therapy room without him, gets on the schoolbus without him…the list goes on and on.

I think this is why Easton fights the carseat and the highchair booster so much. Because Tucker has a carseat booster and sits in a chair to eat, and Easton is not ok that he has to do something different.  Thankfully he has no problem sleeping in his crib, but of course Tucker has to be in his big bed in the same room where Easton can see him.

His favorite word is “nine” meaning mine. He claims everything as his, and Tucker rarely fights back. I am waiting for the day when Tucker fights back and pops Easton in the face, lol. 

This morning right at midnight Chris got called into work. This is not at all a normal occurrence, and I thought he’d be back a few hours later My alarm went off at 510am, and in true Leigh spirit, I hit the snooze button and woke up exactly 2 hours later.  Chris gets me out of bed every morning, the boys and I are not morning people on weekdays.  I quickly realized that Chris was still at work, and that I’d have to tackle the morning-hating boys on my own. Easton’s first order of business was to claim Tucker’s feeding chair and milk cup as his own, and there was no fighting with him and hoping to get out of the door in time. So Easton sat in the therapy chair and drank 8oz of Tucker’s glucose control boost, along with eating Tucker’s banana…

Now if you know Tucker at all, he has no problem with this. He’d eat only Cheetos if it was up to him, and Easton could have everything else. So then I had to get more bananas and a new cup for Tucker.

On Dec 29 we went with Easton to the pediatrician for his checkup, This doctor has been Tucker’s pediatrician since he left the NICU. She told me that Easton’s ears were infected, which wasn’t a huge surprise since Easton had been acting so mean. That is Easton’s only symptom when he’s sick-a grumpy attitude. So this was Easton’s 3^rd ear infection since October, 4^th since August (I think-I really have lost count). His eczema looked terrible also, I told her that is how it always looks. She suggested that he go off of milk completely, so we did starting that day. We all got used to almond milk quickly.

Easton is a 100% junk food junkie. He would drink milk from his cup and eat junk all day long. He will refuse any food and you think he’s starving, and he will somehow survive on an Oreo crumb he digs out from under the couch and then refuse dinner also.  Tucker eats a very healthy diet. He eats bananas, yogurt and low sugar applesauce daily, has hummus, sweet potatoes, avocado, squash, potato soup, chicken pot pie (all pureed) as staples in his diet, along with his Boost glucose control. For several months Easton would just eat whatever was in Tucker’s bowl, but then he realized there is junk in the pantry.  He’d cry and point to the pantry during the entire meal.  So the next weekend Chris took Tucker to the camp, and the pantry was off limits for Easton the whole weekend. By Saturday, he was eating grapes, scrambled eggs, and squash. I also made homemade oatmeal cookies with no added sugar. I put a banana and applesauce to sweeten them naturally, but they definitely don’t taste very cookie-like…after a few days Easton was asking for them instead of junk.  (and yes we will always keep some junk food in the house, because Tucker will do amazing academic and social tasks if a Cheeto or pink frosted animal cracker is offered!!). we also switched from Dr. Bronner’s peppermint soap to the Dr. Bronner’s baby soap. Within a few days, Easton’s eczema was gone, and Easton was in a MUCH better mood.

Now I’m not just forcing Easton to eat healthy and then shoveling down the pizza myself. ;) I started making green smoothies, with 2 cups of spinach in them each morning. They are delicious! And replace my coffee addiction, although I do occasionally get a CCs fix in the afternoon at work.

On Monday afternoon Easton came home from daycare with a runny nose and an awful temperament. So I brought E & T to the doctor the next morning, going to see Dr B is one of Tucker’s favorite activities. He is weird, yes!  It turned out that both boys have ear infections, and Easton’s is pretty bad, even though he’s just been off of antibiotics for 4 days! Tucker of course had no symptoms and wasn’t acting “sick” at all, totally unphased.

We have an appointment with the ENT next Tuesday for Easton.  I am quite nervous that antibiotics aren’t helping to get rid of the infections, or that his immune system isn’t able to fight them off. I don’t like that. I am all for getting tubes, as he can’t seem to get the fluid off of his ears, and I know that having fluid on his ears can cause delayed speech. He also hasn’t walked yet, even though we all believe he has had the physical ability to walk for months now. He stands, goes to take a step, then gets scared and sits down. He has been cruising around furniture and holding our hands to walk for months. Chris thinks that he is just not confident of his balance because of the fluid on his ears. He will be 17 months old in a few days, not walking at this point is not cool.

The fourth annual Fishing for Tucker BASS fishing Tournament is on February 8 in Cabela’s in Gonzales, We are excited! 

Happy New Year!

2013 has ended, and I am embarrassed that I only posted twice last year! L

One of my goals is to post weekly in 2014, as life is busy and fun around here, and worth capturing in words.

2013 was a huge year for us, and I think Chris and I both agree it was a great year. There are several times lately when Chris and I just look at one another and smile, just happy that we get to raise these two boys together with all of the mess and noise it involves.

We sold our first home this year. It was a long, ugly process, as it turned out that our purchase 7 years ago wasn’t completely legal. !!! How does that happen? We still don’t’ understand. So we had an offer on our house in June, but we didn’t actually get the final purchase done until September 30. In the meantime, the buyers wanted to rent our house, then didn’t want to rent it, then did….so we rushed to move our stuff into storage and spend 6 weeks in my parents’ house (Dylan’s room to be exact!) and the people didn’t even move in to rent it. 

The whole point of selling the house and moving was to get Tucker (and eventually Easton) into a better school. And yes, Better is subjective, but we know that Tucker needed a change. I was so upset when I thought that Tucker wouldn’t be able to start the new school year at the new school, as transitioning him into a new classroom, then transitioning him to the new school in September would have been horrible. Luckily the new school agreed and Tucker started at Oak Grove in August. We kept Easton at the in home sitter that we love near our old house and my parent’s house, so that made for long morning drop offs for us.

Living with my parents and 3-4 siblings (Jessica is there from her mom’s house every other weekend) was truly insane. It was great in many ways, too, except that the boys really lost it when they realized they weren’t on a 6 week vacation J My parents opened their homes to the 4 of us, our stuff, our noise, our demands, and Tucker’s therapists. Poor Dylan slept on the couch for 6 weeks and had to knock before going into his own room to get his clothes.  But now that it’s all over, we miss each other.

We took part in two great weddings this fall-one of my best friends, Rachel got married in Illinois. Chris and I had a blast traveling with Lacy and her hubby, and spending four nights kid-free, hanging out with new and old friends. Their wedding was very beautiful, we were blessed to be part of it. Once we got back, the kids acted like we had been gone for years. This was the beginning of Easton’s severe mama-it is, he hasn’t left my hip since Sept 2, except for when he’s at daycare.

My sister Sarah married Bradley right before Christmas, so we had many wedding activities in 2013-the engagement party, shower, bachelor and bachelorette parties, and the wedding weekend in New Orleans. They asked Tucker to be the ring bearer, and I’m so glad they did. He was so excited to wear fancy shoes and to wear a suit that matched his daddy and Bradley.  He pretty much skipped up the aisle, he was so excited. Their wedding really was a fairy tale, complete with Sarah and Bradley riding off in the horse and carriage to a fireworks display. The food was SOOO good, Easton was grabbing food off the trays as fast as they’d serve it to him. ;)

Christmas was nice, it was our first one in the new house. Tucker really seemed to understand that Santa was the one brining the presents, although really the boys got more from their grandparents than from Santa J  Our Elf on the Shelf Barnaby arrived on December 1^st, and he was as unpopular with both boys as ever.  I posted the photos of Barnaby on  facebook, he is quite the good citizen…doesn’t get into all of the shenanigans that other Elves do. I actually miss him, lol!

We have a lot of goals and changes that we plan to make for 2014. I’ll post about them soon, as we are excited to work towards better health this year. I’ll also post more medical and behavioral updates about Tucker and the latest Easton antics.

Happy New Year!