You Know Like, Nuk Brush Skills, Swatting Skills...

So...Paxton had a rough night. He woke up around 11:30pm dry heaving and gagging. Susanne held him for a while and then tried putting him back to bed. He continued to retch. He would calm down momentarily when he was in her arms. She tried to see how he would do in his bouncer or on his wedge, but he wanted nothing to do with them. For some reason, the only place he was able to get comfortable was in his mother's arms. He continued to struggle and just could not settle. Susanne was extremely worried because he would hold his breath and panic during the episode, which in turn made him appear very pale. Susanne contemplated calling the doctor on call, but she wanted to try a few things first before she got too worked up. After an hour, Susanne decided to remove his NG tube even though it seemed to be well secured. She wondered if it was causing more irritation especially since he had spit up a lot throughout the day. Time passed them by. Susanne called her oldest sister, Leah, for advice. She was very reassuring and helpful. Susanne decided that once Paxton appeared sleepy again, she would replace his NG tube, apply some Orajel to his gums, and feed him. Susanne wasn't sure what made the difference, but he ended up finally falling asleep around 2:45am. He didn't wake up until close to the 9:00am, unlike Susanne who had to get up to feed him at 6:00 am. She was just thankful that he was able to rest.

Susanne decided to work with Paxton some once he woke up. Susanne bought him a new toy yesterday that played music and lit up if he hit it with his hands. He appeared to really enjoy it. It was so exciting to see the process of cause and effect register in his little brain.

Paxton tired quickly and he was ready for a nap in no time. For some reason, Susanne got the urge to clean while he was sleeping. She was able to get a lot done before Paxton's therapy appointment. A clean house always made Susanne feel so good.

Susanne had to wake Paxton up right at the beginning of his therapy session. She knew that he needed as much sleep as he could possibly get with a night like he had last night. He ended up doing surprisingly well. He did not gag, dry heave, or spit up the entire time, which was a small miracle especially since today they were working on oral motor skills. The therapist brought a new tool for Paxton that would help work on reducing oral hypersensitivity. It was something called a Nuk brush, which was used commonly by therapists to encourage oral stimulation and provide sufficient sensory input for the child's mouth. Paxton allowed both the therapist and Susanne to massage his face, gums, and inside of his cheeks with it. He even accepted the Nuk brush between his upper and lower jaw. He would occasionally munch on the nubby end. They even tried placing one of his vibrating teething toys against the brush to provide some additional gum massage. He was more receptive than they both had anticipated. This was very exciting and an obvious step in the right direction.

Susanne worked with Paxton throughout the day in between his naps. They even listened to a couple of his new CD's that Moppy gave him recently. Paxton really seemed to like the CD that had a compilation of silly songs. He had a wonderful day full of kicking, swatting toys, lifting his head, smiling, and laughing. Susanne was so glad that he was feeling better.

Paxton went down for the night with no problem. He was going to be so excited when he woke up tomorrow to find that Poppy had come up for a visit.