Old Friend, Good Time.

One of Susanne's closest friends from high school was coming up to visit with her this afternoon. She was in the Outer Banks for the week visiting her sister and decided to make a special trip up to meet Paxton. Brandy was a long time friend that Susanne was so excited to see. She currently lived in Georgia which made it difficult for them to visit with each other as much as they would like. Susanne and Brandy went way back. They were first introduced through cheerleading which was one of their mutual passions throughout middle school and high school. Susanne loved it so much that she would have continued it in college if the schedule did not conflict with her pre-veterinary course work. Susanne and Brandy were also involved in cheerleading gymnastics together, which was where they learned to tumble and do cool tricks. Susanne wondered if either of them could still do any of that. They went to cheerleading camps and cheerleading competitions together. They went to countless football and basketball games together. They even performed in a few half time shows with the band because of their sought after skills. During the spring, they ran track and field. They spent many days running "The Hill" together. Torture. Susanne even remembered how they danced the night away at prom. They had such a great time that they were the last to leave. It seemed like no matter what time of year it was, they were somehow connected. Even with being so busy, they managed to spend a lot of their free time hanging out and being kids. They shared a lot of wonderful memories together that they would remember forever. It was nice to know that they had always been there for each other. It was definitely a friendship that was built to last a lifetime.

Susanne tried to get up early enough so that she could straighten up the house a little before Brandy arrived. It was always so difficult to find a sufficient amount of time to do everyday chores because she was always getting interrupted by one thing or another.

Brandy arrived just in time for them to leave for Paxton's pediatrician's appointment. Somewhere between when Susanne went downstairs to answer the door and when Brandy got to meet Paxton, he had pulled out his NG tube. Susanne would typically be frustrated at the site of this, but she was actually glad he had done it this time. The only reason for this was that Paxton's skin was irritated and ulcerated underneath where the tube was laying and Susanne would not have known this otherwise. She had run out of the adhesive that she was using that went under the tube and protected his skin. The only option she had for securing the tube was what the medical supply company had provided her. Unfortunately, it was not sufficient because Paxton's poor skin suffered. The problem that Susanne was running into was that when he drooled or got a bath, the moisture would loosen the adhesive backing to the tape that was being used. This would in turn cause the tube to now be secure. If Paxton got a hold of his NG tube at the right spot, he could easily just pull it out because nothing was keeping it in place. She felt horrible that his skin had become so irritated. She was sure it was uncomfortable, but he couldn't tell her that it hurt. For now, she wasn't going to replace the tube until after Paxton's pediatrician could assess the situation. She was going to have to find an alternative for securing the tube because what she did the last time was not acceptable.

The pediatrician was so excited to see Paxton. She was specifically impressed with his weight gain over the last few weeks. He weighed in at 11 lbs 9 oz and that was post dirty diaper. She could not believe how different he looked compared to the last time that she had examined him. He appeared more comfortable and less stressed in the office setting. His physical exam looked good and she felt like he was stable. Since he was doing so well she decided to go ahead and give him some of his four month old vaccinations. Susanne liked the idea of splitting the vaccines up into two separate appointments to avoid overloading his system, especially since he had such a difficult time with the first round. Paxton was a champ for his vaccination. He didn't even cry. Paxton was braver for his vaccine than his mother had been in the past.

Before they left, Paxton's pediatrician calculated the amount of food that Paxton should be eating at this time. She was able to work it out so that Susanne could continue feeding him every three hours, but be able to skip the 3:00 am feeding. This was music to her ears. This would change Susanne's world so much. She would probably be a new woman after a few days of getting five consistent hours of sleep. What awesome news!!!

Brandy and Susanne talked non-stop for hours and hours. Somewhere between all of the catching up, Susanne cooked dinner and made cookies for the two of them. They were having such a great time together. It was so easy to pick up where they had left off the last time they saw each other. Finally, they ended up forcing themselves to go to bed around 1:00 am because they knew if they didn't they would regret it. After realizing how late it was, it was nice to know that Susanne wouldn't have to wake up in two hours to feed Paxton. Yippy!