While you have all been sleeping in Australia this is what we have been doing in Austria.
Tova had a small breakfast, we think she has a slight cold, so fair enough.
We walked to the bus in the 'pouring' snow (it hurts when it gets in my eyes). Physio was at 10am. Both Tova and Nissim enjoyed that.
Play picnic at 12. Nissim was in fine form, jokes were made by specialists about what he must weigh now.. We should have weighed him at the beginning - how could have we known.
There has been some talk of removing Tova's PEG on Thursday, but no one, not us nor the doctors can make that decision until Thursday. My ONLY concern is the amount of water she drinks. I have to have a chat with them about that. Gosh, I can only imagine seeing Tova without something 'medical' about her.
After the hospital we went into town, it is so freezing these days, even my super jacket isn't keeping me warm. We, as usual didn't buy anything (other than food). There really isn't anything here we can't get at home, and for the same price. It was fun to walk around and look at the beautiful old buildings covered in snow.
Tova has had a pretty good eating day, and again ate a fair amount from the spoon with Yuval.
Nissim has a new trick in the bath where he tries to doggy paddle, we have to take him swimming when we get home. There was swimming at the hospital today, but Tova hates it so we didn't go.
That is pretty much it! The guest house is big and empty, just us, the old lady and her cat.
Home in a matter of days and a thirty something hour journey!
I am still feeling a bit traumatised by last week, but things are definitely improving.
Everyone slept in this morning after a late night last night. We got ready and walked through the falling snow to the hospital.
First was OT, she is brilliant. Tova loved it (so did Nizo), next was Physio (Eva), always good.
Before play picnic each day we weigh Tova, today she weighed 7.99kg. She gained more than 100grams over the weekend just by eating with her mouth!
This is such fantastic and encouraging news. If only she would drink water as well as she eats food! She will!
There are four babies in play picnic now. Lucy, Tova, and two other babies that started last week. It is a nice group.
Nissim sits in the middle of the floor now and entertains everyone.
He also grabs and eats food from babies that aren't interested in eating (ALL OF THEM!) and tries to feed the parents and specialists! Good fun to watch.
One parent that had been away for the week said that Nissim has 'filled out' hehe,, FAT! We all have 'filled out'. I guess that is what happens when you go to a freezing country to an eating school!
I love having Tova back. She is happy and playful and very excited about food.
She ate about 500grams of food today, 100g from a spoon!
Yuval was in the kitchen with Tova in the highchair (I don't go where she can see me or she gets upset) doing their normal play with the spoon and food. After they had been in there for a while Yuval came out with an empty container saying 'guess who just ate all of this?' UNBELIEVABLE!
We are all happy again.
Missing home but happy!
Wonderfully there isn't much to report today.
We went to breakfast this morning at the main hotel. Ordering was as hard as ever, they were as rude as ever and the walk through the woods was as magical as ever. They could have sworn I ordered bacon in my omelet! hmmm (I even apologised for being rude yesterday).
Nissim ate so much food this morning even we were amazed.
Orla, Ben and Lucy came to visit and feed the animals this arvo. Lucy is having a hard time with eating. Not sure what they are going to do. I am glad we are here for them and that they are here for us.
Tova isn't eating much, but she is eating. I have been giving her some water in her PEG about twice a day at the moment as she has been so sick and she drinks so little. Other than water she doesn't 'eat' with her PEG at all.
She is thin, even her anklet is falling off and her size 1 trakies are so big that when she stands up they fall off. HOWEVER, she is happy, energetic and in good spirits.
Feeding Tova takes up our entire day at the moment (still with a syringe not spoon). We feed her anything from hourly to every three hours at the most. I know it is going to be very hard to keep that up at home when Yuval returns to work, but I would much rather be doing that than tube feeding my princess every 4 hours with no end in sight (please remind me that I said that when I am going crazy at home).
Yuval and I are counting down the days till home. We will be back this time next week and we are so very much looking forward to it. There is so much we love about home, lovely water, sunshine, friends, family, our house, gym, and so much more.
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Tova is back to her new normal self. Grumpy, frustrated, demanding and happy! She has even been eating with some persuasion. Yuval and I are so relieved!
Nissim, who had stopped falling so much this past week, made up for it today. It is horrible to see him fall on his head so much, a helmet is the next option.
The weekend in Graz with a healthy Tova and an as always happy Nissim! What to do with ourselves? Everything in the universe (universe of Austria) is closed on Sunday, so anything we want to do that involves consuming has to be done today, Saturday.
I thought that finally I would get a chance to do some retail therapy! I went to have a warm shower (never any hot water here) but alas there was only freezing water. I called the main hotel who after much fussing around I ended up hanging up on (perhaps I am a bit fragile after such a crap week?) - I just wanted a shower! Eventually Yuval convinced me to get dressed with out a shower (I hate that feeling)..
The mall was ok, it was nice to see something different even if we didn't buy anything (other than food). The kiddies were so well behaved, I wish they were like that when I went to Chaddy (in Melbourne).
NZ start their journey home today. They left us heaps of food and odd n ends that they didn't want to take back. I suppose that we will be leaving an array of things at the end of the week too. It would be great if new weaning families moved in before we leave, so we can donate our 'extra' stuff.
We are going to have lots of extra room in our bags now that we don't have to cart around all Tova's PEG milk!
I am so excited about things being good again.
Tova has been loving what my friend Bec (hi Bec) calls 'magic pudding'! Chocolate is the key! And fruit, Tova loves fruit..
Perhaps we shall do the old 'walk thru the woods for breakfast' thing tomorrow morning. I am thinking that they might not be so happy to see me after I was rude to them today. Oops. Sorry my Yuvie, maybe I killed breakfast?
A big thank you to all the supportive emails while we have been sick and scared!
Well thank God! Tova seems to be feeling much better today. No blood test because it is obvious that she is improving. Spots are going and Tova seems to be coming back to us!
Thank God!
Tova has spent the last 7 days sleeping! The next 7 days she is going to have to work hard as most of the other families have gone home now, freeing up the physio and OT; look out Tova, therapy twice a day!!!! That is what you get for taking a week off!
For me it has been a week of worry and sickness. My mind went to stupid places and I was feeling quite down.
Yuval and I both get down when T is down, and up when she is up.
We are all feeling up today!!!
We rushed to the hospital this morning for our 9.15am appointment with Eva (and even made it almost on time) to show off our almost normal Tova. Eva was impressed too!!
We even went to Play Picnic today. Tova LOVED it, I put her on the floor she smiled from ear to ear.
Of course Nissim enjoyed himself, first thing he did was polish off a plate of cake (4 pieces). I am so proud of his strength and his happiness. What a little champ! He is such a delight. We are enjoying him so much.
The NZ baby had his PEG out today! Wow, well done Ollie and happy birthday!
Next week it is just us and Lucy from the original group, not sure of other families there full time.