With Us Wherever We Go: Bathtime!

Today was Reese's first bath since sometime before August 27th (diagnosis day). It was much-anticipated by her parents who eagerly opened a plastic bag holding a special hooded towel, embroidered with her name. All of our kids have one, in their own special color, but Reese's has been sitting, unopened, in top of our bathroom closet, waiting for Reese to use it! We bought it in faith months ago (when we bought her brother's to match her big sister's). Throughout everything, it has helped to look to the future and plan for Reese to be there and thriving.

Turns out Reese was not as excited about her bath as her parents. Philip clung to my legs. Charlotte intermittently made a mess and sang songs to cheer Reese up while we bathed her in the sink. Nonetheless, Brian and I were there smiling, camera in my hands, soap and Reese in his! Reese's life experience has been very abnormal since she was 5 1/2 months old, so "normal" things are sometimes hard for her at first. Sitting in a tub of water was a bit overwhelming (sensory overload at its best) but she warmed up to it by the end of the bath.....and she smells heavenly! :)

Reese has had a good week following her central line removal. We are working up on her feedings even more so that we can hopefully give her bigger breaks off the feeds. The goal is to get her off the continuous feeds for at least 6 hours a day so that she can actually feel hungry. This will make teaching her to eat a little easier. She still isn't keen on the thought of food but she has surprised us, her doctors, her nurses, therapists, etc many times during these past 11 months....so I'm usually surprised if I'm NOT surprised when it comes to her ;) Reese has some limitations as a result of what she has been through. Her arms are not very strong because she hasn't been able to lay on her stomach to build up the strength in her back and arms. Her legs are weak because she has been in a hospital bed. Her hip flexors (muscles in front of your upper thighs that are stretched when you stand, lie on your stomach) are tight so she prefers to be a ballerina with her feet in the air. So, as she is learning to get around, she has created new ways to do some things. This week, she has started scooting forward on her bottom (while sitting) to get stuff in front of her. She has fallen over to her stomach a few times and pushed herself back up to sitting position! (huge!) When I pull her up to sit, she sometimes straightens her legs so she can stand up (with me supporting her).

4-5 weeks ago, she would not put her feet down to stand. 3 weeks ago, she put her feet on the ground for 10 seconds or so. 2 weeks ago, she stood for 30-40 seconds. This last week, she stood for 3 minutes, holding onto an ottoman for support (no help from us). Her therapists are VERY pleased with her progress! As she feels better and better, we see more and more of that feisty baby girl we brought home with us from the hospital 16 months ago! Her occupational therapist laughed this week because she was actually taking toys back from Philip (who had been sneakily taking them from her while she was having therapy). Let's just say, Philip may end up being glad Reese gave him a headstart. Poor Philip is going to be tough as nails after his sisters get done with him! :)

Brian and I also got to hang out with 2 couples this week which was really nice. I also had a fun friend stay with me while Brian was on call so our social interaction was up nearly 300% this week which is always helpful for me. I feel like being home with 3 age 3 and under (one with medical issues and one with an allergy to potty training and the other who never stops moving/climbing) had been so hard for me some days, but I feel like it has gotten easier lately. I guess I'm getting better at it...or maybe the potty trainee is finally conceding...or maybe it's because Reese is getting better...No matter what the reason, I'll take it!

Just wanted to share some pix