Slacker Blogger

I've really been slacking on this whole blogging thing. "Extra" stuff required by our state for teachers has sort of ruined typing long things for me ;) Even fun things like a blog sort of seems like a chore after going through all that, and I am still not done. Yet here I am, preferring to write this instead of working on that. Remind me of this as I am complaining and kicking myself for being a procrastinator two weeks from now!

Callista had a wonderful Christmas with family and this was the first year she truly "got it" when it came to opening gifts. She was excited about the paper and she knew that there would be something in there for her when she was finished. She was less than pleased when she got something and then we took it away to give her another gift! Overall, her favorite thing now is a band set, complete with maracas and a tambourine which combined make one heck of a drum set.  We chose to separate all of our celebrations with family to avoid overwhelming Callie and it was a huge success. She was happy at each one and really enjoyed herself.

Over winter break, Callista was also able to do something new. At the last feeding clinic, we got approval to up her calories and puree our own dinner at home. It's been very exciting for her to try new foods. So far, she's been a big fan of everything! Chicken fingers, roast beef and potatoes, turkey sandwiches, and sloppy joes. The girl even had her first taste of Subway :) With her birthday coming up, I cannot wait to puree some cake for her. It will be the first time that she's ever been able to truly try her birthday cake.

Callista is making a lot of progress in her speech skills. She's caught on that if she names and item we will get it for her. It's a good thing and a bad thing! She eventually just names each item she knows in rapid succession and we don't actually get to play with anything... But I have waited a long time to hear her tell me her wants and needs, so I'll continue to play along whenever she wants. She loves Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Elsa,  and the color pink.  Just to prove she's a typical small human, she demands her own TV shows and has tried to change her mind on her birthday them from Sofia to Elsa (sorry kid, Elsa can wait until next year!).

I'll be posting pics from her 4th birthday soon!!

Nom Nom Nom!

For the first time in a very long time I can say we had a great result from an appointment. Callista is healing up nicely from her decompression but still has to wait until her six week mark before she can start working on building up those neck muscles again. We're going to try to go back to therapy two times per week as long as Callista stays as happy as she has been.

The interdisciplinary feeding clinic was a huge success. We met this team for the first time on Thursday and already they've been more help than anyone else regarding Callie's GI issues. The doctors on the team agree with me that there must be something else besides reflux that is contributing to her excessive vomiting. After over a year of hearing there's nothing else we can do besides surgery they told us there are several medications that could possibly help. We have not just one choice, but many choices if this first med doesn't help. I couldn't believe it! The feeding team evaluated how Callista can eat by mouth and gave us suggestions on starting oral food as well as a referral to speech therapy. Not only can speech therapy help with oral motor skills, but maybe our baby will talk soon! I still have to schedule the speech evaluation. I know it's one more thing to add to our plate but we'll do whatever it takes to make her successful. We will also go back to the feeding team once every 3 months for them to reevaluate and give new suggestions, as well as see their therapist once a month for consultation. At least it's a change in scenery since this one is in Dublin rather than NCH.  Miss Callie is also very happy with this visit because she gets to try real food three times a day! She may not be completely sure what to do yet, but she sure enjoys the taste.

We have a GI appointment tomorrow and I'm guessing it will be our last. They've been less than helpful and it will be one thing for us to eliminate trips to Columbus for. The only reason we are going back this time is for follow up from her gastric emptying test. Wish me luck and patience...