Weaning Day 13

Not the easiest day.

All the babies stayed up way past their bed times last night, which was annoying as we all love our time out around here. Tova woke up tired this morning and wouldn't snap out of it. So after play picnic she had a blood test, didn't cry at all (I sang to her). The blood tests came back all normal to my relief.

Yuval also woke up feeling tired and also couldn't snap out of it. He and Tova are both having a shluff now we are home (it is about 3pm). Nissim and I are eating everything.

Breakfast wasn't it's normal fun self. The grumpy waitress was on duty today and when we asked for 4 orange juices (there were 5 adults, so not really a big ask), she only brought us 1, when we asked the owner who speaks English to ask the waitress in German for 4, again she only brought us another 1. The same thing with the eggs, and the few that she did bring were still raw.. hmm.. I ended up not having breakfast; not really a problem as I haven't stopped eating the entire time we have been away.

Play picnic was uneventful, Tova had no energy, Nissim was asleep in the pram and I was worried something was wrong. Tova ate, but not as much as normal (we all have those days apparently). Anyway, her blood test shows that she is a normal healthy little girl.

It was nice being reassured by Marguerite that everything was ok.

We got a taxi from the hospital to home as Yuval was feeling like all his energy had been sucked out of his body (Marguerite said 'it is just Shabbas', perhaps she is right).

We possibly won't have the PEG taken out here in Austria, not because Tova isn't a superstar, just because it is a long flight home with allot of time adjustments once home too. No big deal, it will come out sometime in the near future.

Tova had a big sleep this afternoon, I am hoping that doesn't mean a very late night as I am ready for bed now at 7pm, Yuval is already asleep. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night. Even Baby Einstein doesn't work these days with our new Tova.

Nissim is a good boy and fast asleep.

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Weaning Day 12

The simple fact is that Tova eats food only with her mouth. She has NOTHING via PEG!!! Is this a dream? Miss T is maintaining her weight (even if it is a low weight), she was something like 8.10 today, Nissim is quite possibly 9 point something. Yuval and I are probably 9 point something more kilos than when we left Melbourne, I had to get Yuval to help me do up my jeans this morning.. hehe.. Fat!

Tova eats and drinks with her mouth, like the rest of us! I know I just said that, but holy cow, I might just be saying it over and over again for the next ages to come! If we had stayed in Aus it would have taken years and years for her to eat. My brain doesn't understand and I have no words for my lack of comprehension how the rest of the world don't have eating clinics. Seriously it isn't complicated. Come on Australia, you are renovating the RCH, why not include a weaning clinic?

So our second week hasn't been harder than our first (thank god). There are families that are having it very hard this week. I feel so much of their pain and admire their strength. I haven't seen anyone cry in public (I have been close on a daily basis).

We had lots of therapy today, PT (with our to-be-kidnap-victum Eva), Speech (quite good today), not OT (she is sick) and play picnic.
In play picnic today, I sat back and watched. I was sitting with the Irish mumma, Orla, mum of Lucy, they are having a tough week and Orla is amazingly strong (at least in front of me). Yuval was being magic with Tova as usual and she ate heaps.
Nissim made his record amount of mess, he went to every single bowl and plate and experimented with spilling, tasting and touching. He trashed the place!

We are going to play picnic again tomorrow (sat), recommended by the doctors as Marguerite wasn't there today and would like to talk to us tomorrow. Perhaps she will talk to us about removing the PEG? We can only hope.

One little boy left today as he is eating perfectly. I think he is a local (from Europe at least).

Next week is our last week.
We are starting to miss home.
The only thing we have bought so far is food, so anyone expecting presents, sorry, all we have to show for this trip are our new larger sizes and an eating Tova.

We will probably come home with a Tova eating from the syringe and take some time to transition to only using a spoon to eat. That is ok, the goal of eating has been met! Tova eats!!!

We are going for breakfast with the NZ family tomorrow morning. It is even more fun with them and even more eggs ordered!!

Home in just over a week I suspect. Ahh, no more hotel cleaners doing most of my house work!

Tova eats!

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Weaning Day 11

Day 11 already, that went fast.
Breakfast in the main hotel was fun. Between us we ate 7 eggs. The staff always look at us a bit funny when we order so many. There isn't really much else to eat, there is usually a small buffet which has some fruit (the standard of the fruit isn't what we are used to in Oz), cake, cheese, yogurt and ham; so eggs it is.

On the walk back through the woods Nissim fell asleep in Yuvals arms (no pram access along the track in the forest) and remained asleep when he was put in his cot. So Tova and I went to play picnic alone. It was fun to walk to the hospital and back alone, the hill was a bit hard, but not too bad as there was only one baby in the pram.

Play picnic was good, Tova ate a little with the spoon and lots via syringe (close to a jar of baby food). She also had a good go of the sippy cup with water.

Tova has become more demanding (and loud) and has made quite a few changes since eating (developmentally), Hannes (one of the specialists) said that she has to discover making her own fun. We have spent so much time and effort doing so much for her because she has needed it, that our next challenge is to help her help herself.

All the other children are making progress. I think one already has his PEG out. We look forward to that day and hope it comes very soon! It all still seems so unbelievable.

When Tova and I got home Nissim had only just woken up, giving Yuval a nice break while we were gone. I don't remember ever spending so much time with another adult in my life. Yuval and I have been together 24 / 7 for over 2 weeks or is it 3? It has been good, we are a good team. However, it is always nice to have some personal space.

Today I asked about how the weaning program started. Apparently it was Marguerite who started it because of a child in the hospital (about 20 years ago) who wasn't eating and therefore tube fed, she weaned the child and that was the start... That simple. The hospital realised the need for it. The rest of the world will follow for sure! Eventually!

Tomorrow we have more therapy and play picnic, we might cancel speech again tomorrow (we canceled today) because we have been so spoiled at home with our speech therapist Mary, no one else can compare.

There hasn't been any new snow, but the old snow doesn't seem to be going anywhere. It is still freezing out there and very hot inside.

No photos of play picnic today, I didn't feel like it. There are photos of the kitty cat that lives here, he has become my new mate (even slept on my bed, and rolled in the snow for me) as I miss my cat lots, and Zev even a little bit. I hope they are coping with the heat in Melbourne.

Nissim needs to stop falling off everything before I kill him. He is the clumsiest boy in the world, I can't believe he doesn't have a brain injury from all the head crashes.

We are all pretty happy as Tova is doing so well. Our second week seems easier than our first week, I hope it stays that way.
Tova lost about 10grams since yesterday, I'm not worried, I think it is just because she ate earlier than usual before the weighing.

Tova is eating so well. What a brilliant girl!

Weaning Day 10

This place is incredible. The entire place looks like magic fairy land, with white lab coated foreign speaking people that cast spells on children whom are PEG fed.
Lucy is one of the three older kiddies that simply refused to eat. Lucy wouldn't even touch food, until today. Today this amazing little girl ate 8 spoons of baby food! She has some very proud family today, my eyes filled with tears when they told me.

Tova hasn't had any PEG feeds since Sunday night. She is getting better eating with a spoon, today she ate a good sized portion of mash and gravy in the play picnic (yep Beck, we have LOTS of washing each day).

Her weight today was 10g more than yesterday.

The doctors cooked pancakes for the parents today, Nissim thought he was a parent. He had about 10, no kidding! People have been pointing at his tummy, because it is MASSIVE, he is such a little clown.
He has been falling over allot the past few days, today he even managed to fall off nothing and hurt himself, not sure what happened, but he just kinda plonked on the floor. Poor little man.

Tova had a bit of a hard night last night and woke a few times. We aren't used to that, so we are all very tired today.
She is allowed to eat 24/7, meaning, if she is hungry at 2am, someone has to get up and feed her.. Maybe the PEG wasn't so bad.. hehe, only kidding of course. Eventually she will eat enough so that she sleeps through the night (perhaps tonight).

We only have play picnic tomorrow, so we will go to the main hotel for breakfast, that is always fun and chaotic. It is nice to have to walk for breakfast and then home again after eating too much.
It is all about food!!!

Tova eats!

Weaning Day 9

Miss T has put on 30 grams!! Tomorrow I suspect she will have put on more. She is eating HEAPS!
I knew we would get Tova eating, but I didn't know it would be so fast and relatively easy. Maybe only steps forward from now on and an easy second week? Let's hope so.
We still need to introduce the spoon as the only eating method, but for starters she is doing great things eating from a syringe.
For dinner tonight she had an entire jar of baby food (approx 100mills) and for second dinner another one a few hours later.

Not much else to report. Nissim is cute as ever, Yuval is wonderful as ever. It is still freezing in Graz. I think our pram is going to fall apart by the time we leave here, it wasn't designed for snow.

Thanks again for the emails, I get excited each day to see if I have new emails. It is a bit lonely here with no friends to visit or gym to attend. I miss understanding everyone and wish I listened more in German class at school. Yuval is still inventing his own version of German and I am sure he will be speaking it for months to come to bless the ears of everyone back home.

Enjoy the photos of much the same.