The Grand Initiation

The morning came way too quickly, especially when Susanne stayed up talking to her mom well into the wee hours of the morning. It was well worth it though because they got to catch up. Gigi's goal today was to learn how to set up Paxton's NG feedings and to learn his medication schedule. When she was last down, she learned how to breakdown his feedings, but now she was ready for more of a challenge. The reason she was being over zealous was because she wanted to feel comfortable with Paxton's total care by the time Susanne had to go to work on Wednesday. She had planned on giving Moppy a break and staying long enough to be able to help out with the child care this week. What a treat!

Paxton had a typical morning where he was slow to rise and he struggled to organize the secretions in his mouth well enough to know what to do with it. It was difficult for Gigi to watch Paxton have episodes of gagging and dry heaving, but she quickly learned that it was part of his routine. Gigi got to watch Susanne initiate therapy and she even learned some techniques she could use when Susanne wouldn't be around.

Gigi actually got to watch Paxton's therapy session in the afternoon. This helped to reiterate what Susanne had shown her earlier in the day. Finally, Paxton was holding both arms down by his side for longer periods of time. He was also opening up his hands more, which was something Susanne had been working on a lot over the last week. His new favorite thing was to have his hands down by his side and explore the world around him by continually opening and closing his hands on any material he could reach. It didn't matter if it was his clothes, a blanket, or a toy, they were all just as interesting.

The day flew by. Susanne was able to check some things off of her endless to-do list, which was relieving. One of the things she needed to do was to run to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things for dinner. Gigi volunteered to watch Paxton at the house to make it easier. It hadn't even been an hour since Susanne had left when she got a call from her mother. Paxton had managed to pull his tube out. This had definitely become his favorite way to initiate new babysitters. It was like a game to him. Luckily, Susanne was on her way home and it was in between feedings.

Gigi got to watch Susanne replace Paxton's NG tube, which was never fun. This was not a preferred spectator sport for anyone. It went as well as could be expected. He survived with only a few tears shed. Susanne always enjoyed trying to make him laugh afterwards so that he would quickly forget what had just happened. This always seemed to do the trick.

After Paxton went down for the night, Susanne and Gigi cooked dinner together. They tried a new recipe that Gigi had found that sounded delightful. It ended up turning out really well. Other than the major garlic breath that ensued, they were both pleasantly surprised.