Monty Hall

I had a bunch of different ways to start tonite's blog running thru my head, but one was clearly more prevalent. I received a comment from a LC mom who found our blog. Her 6 month old has a level 2 cleft like Sloane. Their family is currently working thru the all encompassing and overwhelming feeding tube/reflux stage.

I wanted to take a minute to tell, Keren, (in case she checks back in with us someday) that it does get better, easier, more normal and almost acceptable. I am thinking of you and your son. Our family has not forgotten those earlier days. They are engraved on our hearts and in our heads. Severe reflux is something only another parent who has dealt with it can understand and a LC is, as I have said, a teeny tiny life altering birth defect. Somedays, I can't bare to think about what our live was like during Sloane's first year of life. The only word that comes to mind is survival. We took it day by day and did what we could to get to the next one. Take care of yourself!

As for Sloane's journey, all was good! We had a very nice weekend. And there was a first! We headed to the beach with cuzzy and Ani (auntie) for the 1st time. I have to say it was successful if you do not count the lobster-ish color the mommies' arms are or the fact that we did not sit down once in 4 hours. It was a trip to the beach like the old days....we never took off our cover-ups, didnt have chairs to relax in, there werent any books covered with sand and we didnt bother to take time to sunscreen ourselves after we lathered the girls! Ha

My niece is a wonderful influence on Sloane in regards to drinking. When cuzzy is gulping from her sippy cup, Sloane 9 out of 10 times wants her cup. It is great!! Today though cuzzy's swigs werent grabbing Sloane's attention. We went to a parade altogether and it was HOT. Hot like dead of summer weather. Of course seeing as though it was dehydration type weather, it would be the   1 out of 10 times that cuzzy guzzled away and Sloane wasn't interested at all in her cup. Because of the heat, we were all like a bunch of Monty Halls trying to make a deal to get Sloane to drink. I think at one point 5 or 6 people had tried to stick the straw to her lips! Once she takes that first sip, she is usually hooked. But that first step wasnt happening today.

Sloane didnt drink much during the parade while she was sweating  much away. Not ideal!!! There was an unspoken concern between myself and my hubby. At one point, as I was chugging a bottle of water, I thought, I'll have to just go home and tube feed her some water. And from there...my mind ran away with thoughts of her becoming dehydrated during the summer and having to go back to more tube feeds. I honestly go from 1 to 10 in 15 seconds! Ridiculous!!

Once we were in the car and all the parade action was over, Sloane proceeded to gulp down not one 8 oz. cup of water, but two of them!!! To all the Monty Halls, that were standing on their heads, to get Sloane to drink..... she finally gulped, guzzled, swigged and chugged! Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!