I Brush My Teeth...ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch

Susanne had fallen into a bad habit recently. On the evenings that she came home from work, she would get settled in and then sit down to eat dinner while watching some TV. She would stay up until Paxton's midnight NG feeding and then have to try to stay awake until it was finished. She was usually successful, but somehow afterwards she would manage to get into her bed for a minute to try to muster up the energy to go through her bedtime routine. She would try to convince herself to get up to get ready for bed, but somehow she would always wake up hours later realizing that she had fallen asleep. It didn't make it any easier to do everything in the wee hours of the morning, but it would get done. Hopefully, she would learn her lesson.

Paxton slept well throughout the night. On most days, he usually started to stir between his 6:00 am and 9:00 am NG feeding. Most recently he would wake up gagging because he had so many secretions built up in his mouth from overnight. He couldn't seem to clear his mouth properly since he was still learning how to swallow normally. When he would do this, Susanne would generally pick him up over her shoulder and pat his back to elicit a cough. This would typically clear his throat enough that he would feel much better.

Susanne's new favorite thing to do in the morning was to take Paxton from his crib when he started to wake up and put him next to her in her bed. She had a sleep positioner in her room that was perfect for him to lay on while she snuggled right up next to him. She liked to hold his hands or cup his head while staring deep into his eyes. They would then fall back asleep for a short time before starting their day. Paxton always slept so soundly when they were hand in hand. They both felt so safe and warm when they were together.

Paxton had an occupational therapy appointment today. The main focus was to work on oral stimulation. Paxton did extremely well and impressed the therapist. They started the session by doing some light massage to his upper body, followed by some light touching to his face and neck. They gradually increased the pressure applied to his cheeks and lips to wake up his muscles. Once he appeared to be relaxed and comfortable, they tried massaging his gums. Early on, Susanne had started singing the Raffi song, "Brush Your Teeth", to Paxton anytime she went to do this. She thought that this would distract Paxton enough into thinking that it was something fun and exciting. He was always so responsive to Susanne's voice and he almost depended on her talking him through everything. He needed to always be reassured that whatever they were doing was safe and that he was doing a great job. Susanne thought of herself as Paxton's own personal cheerleader...she did have a lot of years of training under her belt...

Before the therapist left, she helped Susanne figure out how to make the Baby Bjorn work for Paxton. Susanne had tried to use it previously, but it always seemed to encourage bad placement of his head, neck, and arms. They had to get a little creative, but they found a way that he could safely fit into it and still be positioned nicely. He was well supported and he enjoyed being that close to his mommy. The therapist also helped Susanne figure out new sleep positions for Paxton since he was outgrowing his SECOND sleep postioner. This was unbelievable. Paxton continued to grow like a weed.

Throughout the day, Susanne worked with Paxton on different exercises. At one point, she actually witnessed him rolling over to one side without any help or encouragement. He also curled both of his legs to his chest on his own for the first time. He really seemed to be continuing to progress by leaps and bounds daily. This was so awesome.

Later in the afternoon, Susanne decided to see what Paxton would do if she put his rattle shoes on his feet. He was doing so well with kicking around that Susanne thought they would be entertaining for him. She was right, he was absolutely fascinated by them. Hopefully, this would help him to discover his feet.

She read him a couple of books before she put him down for the night. She was eager to try out some of the new positions for him to sleep and see if he would make it through the night with the new change. She would have to wait and see.

Susanne was bummed that "Pajama Party Thursdays" would not be taking place this week because Colleen was on vacation in Mexico. She was hoping that Colleen was having fun in the sun with a margarita in hand, but she did wish she could be there with her. Maybe next time.