Our Superhero is Nine Months Old!

Our Cute Superhero!

Can you believe nine months ago little brother joined our family? Time is just ticking away quickly and before we know it he will be a year old!  He has kept us busy night and day!  Unfortunately, he continues to be uncomfortable with acid reflux even with taking 2 ml of Zantac.  For example, he gags, throws up occasionally, coughs a lot after eating or drinking, and is very upset if we miss or late on a dose of his medication. He still "dream feeds" during bottle feedings and probably won't break that habit. We are offering him more fluids from the cup and he is slowly learning to slurp it and suck through a straw... He sill wakes up a lot during the night because he is hungry due to only being able to consume little amounts of food or bottle feeds.  If he doesn't wake up hubby or I dream feed him 1-2 times during the night to get in extra calories...  Three doctors all agree that he needs a feeding tube soon. In a few weeks, we will know when to expect his 3rd surgery for gastric feeding tube placement and possible acid reflux repair. First, he is doing an overnight ph study at Primary Children's Hospital on March 10th to see how bad his reflux is after meals and bottle feedings. Once the doctor determines the results from the test then he will get his surgery scheduled. We admire little brother's smiles and strength though all his medical issues. 

Milestones:He is currently 15 lbs 7 oz (1%), 28 inches long (32%) and 45.5 cm (63%). He is slowly making progress with help from Kids on the Move: physical therapy, occupational therapy, and a child developmental specialist.  Due to little brother feeling uncomfortable being on his tummy, he may not show any signs of crawling soon, which is very discouraging for me. I want him to succeed in all his milestones like a normal baby, but I've got to accept the fact that he will be behind for a while and will catch up in his own time.  For instance, he is not pulling himself up to stand or safely getting on his back from a sitting position instead he arches and falls backs, which we all think it is because of his bad acid reflux... I'm trying to teach him to place his hands on the ground to a crawling position then he can safely roll on his back... He has mastered rolling around all over the place and is eating finger foods. As for playtime, we recently took him to the park. He loved going down the slides with his sisters and flying like a superhero in the playground's swing! We love little bro!