Several updates.

Dental Surgery Update:

Can you believe that the very next day after our appointment with the VCU dental clinic, the scheduler called me to tell me that they moved Harlie's surgery date up to .... OCTOBER 23rd!  Isn't that fantastic?!  I am so relieved!  She will have a pre-anesthesia appointment a week prior and then a pre-op check from her pediatrician the day before.  I am so, so happy to know that she doesn't have to wait so long to get some relief.

And I just want to say thank you to everyone who cared so much about this on Facebook.  I was just venting and couldn't believe the response I received!  I can't tell you how grateful I am that Harlie is so well loved and supported!  So, thank you!!!

Nutrition:

Harlie had her annual well check with her pediatrician last week.  And she had an appointment with the feeding clinic, too.  Unfortunately, she's lost two to three pounds since April.  In April, we switched her diet from Pediasure 1.5 to Pediatric Compleat.  Both have the same volume per can, but Pediatric Compleat doesn't have as many calories (but it's a little easier to digest).  So, in order to give her the same amount of calories, we had to increase the number of feedings per day to five cans.
Well, her schedule was already a little nuts.  So, we tried to sneak the additional can into the middle of the day by breaking it up into two other feedings.  That just didn't work for her.  She would complain about her stomach hurting the whole day.

And when she covers her g-tube with her hand and says, "No! I'm not hungry." I just can't force any more into her.  I can be tough on her with a lot of things, but this is not one of them.  So, she suffered.  She lost weight, and as a result only grew one inch in a year.  You grow out before you grow up. (Although I cannot help but wonder how the heck Murphy is as tall as he is.  He is nothing but skin and bones!)

Now to catch up, she needs 5.6 cans a day.  Clearly, we have to make a change.  If I couldn't get five in, there's no way I can get 5.6 in!  After thinking long and hard, I made the decision to go back to continuous night feeds for a while.  I dusted off the ol' feeding pump and found a box of food bags in the attic.  I thought I wouldn't remember how to work the pump, but it all came back, no problem.

She now gets two cans during the night while she sleeps, and we bolus feed her the other 3.6 cans during the day.  It definitely feels like we are going backwards, but I don't see any other way.  I can't be accessing her g-tube every hour - that's just not sustainable for regular life.  And I don't want her to be uncomfortable during the day.  So, we'll see how it goes.  We have to go back for another weight check in two months.

Running:

I might have mentioned that I'm training for the Richmond Marathon in November.  As the miles are getting longer, working them into life is getting more difficult.  I have to document just how difficult it is so I don't forget it the next time I think about doing this again.  It's clear to me that our life isn't conducive to me running this many miles.

Last week, Harlie had three doctor's appointments.  At one time in her life, that would make for a slow week.  But, since we took some time off from all things medical, it was a shock to my system.  Throw in my part-time job (which is very part-time) and Murphy's after school sport (I might have forgotten to mention that we signed him up for year round swimming, more on that soon) and last week I was wiped.  Being at all those appointments messes up any kind of eating/drinking routine, too.  I had to skip a few meals, and glasses of water.

Normally, I run my long runs on Saturdays.  But, last weekend we went camping and we wanted to get on the road as soon as the kids got out of school on Friday.  So, I had to move my long run to Friday morning.  Luckily, it was a recovery week, so I only had to do 12 miles (I have to run 20 this Saturday).  Thursday night I told Tom that I didn't feel prepared for the run.  I had a really hard week, with not enough focus on eating and drinking.  But, it was too late to do anything about it.

Anyway, I had a hard time getting out of the house the next morning.  And after I finally did, all I could think about was all the stuff I had to do before the kids got home so we could be ready to go.  It's so much easier to set up camp in the daylight.

At about the five mile mark, I knew it was going to be a hard run.  I tried to talk myself up, but by seven miles, I reached for my phone and called Tom.  I asked him where he was (hoping he was out on a job close by) but he was in his office.  So, I said, "Okay, let me go.  I'm going to call my Mom and ask her to come and get me and drive me home."  I have never said that during a run before.  Never.  He encouraged me to continue and told me that we would still make it to the camp before dark - even if I walked home.  He said to run when I could, and walk when I had to.  I wanted to cry.  For real.

I forced myself to continue.  But I hated every minute of it.  As I ran/walked home, I kept on looking at every car that passed, hoping and praying that it would be someone I knew so I could ask them to drive me home.

Second. To. Worst. Run. Ever.  This was the worst.

After what felt like FOREVER, I finally arrived home.  And I have questioned my ability to run this marathon ever since.  One thing about running really sucks - all it takes is one bad run to completely destroy your confidence.

I ran ten miles on Wednesday and it went fine.  I need to put that lousy 12-miler behind me and move on.  And hope for MUCH better with the 20 on Saturday.  Ugh.  Why in the hell am I doing this?  Never again.  I will only do half marathons in the future.  I don't need this extra stress and anxiety.

Harlie's IEP (individualized educational plan):

I don't have enough energy to give this a proper update.  But, after a month of trying to get this IEP to happen, it is finally scheduled for Friday morning.  This is the first IEP I have ever dreaded.  I suppose that's not that bad, considering she's had more than I can count.  But, this is the first time I am asking for more than I think they want to give.  For home bound services, the minimum/standard is five hours per week.  But, that is for a typical kid, with no IEP, who can hear and talk and read and all that jazz.  Five hours per week is hardly appropriate for Harlie.  So, I want her to have more.  Since this is not something the school has ever really dealt with, there are a lot of questions for central office.  So, I asked the person with authority to make decisions on this to be in attendance.  I haven't met her.  So, I'm feeling a little nervous about having an "outsider" there, who has never met Harlie.  I'm hoping she's completely reasonable and excited about making a positive difference in Harlie's life.

No matter how many IEPs you have, it's never easy to sit around a table with a bunch of educators and talk about your kid and what needs to happen to help her learn.  I have a feeling that I'm really going to want a drink afterwards.  But, since I'm running those stupid 20 miles on Saturday, I can't have a drink.  Seriously, why am I doing this?!?!?!

I have to wrap this up now.  I have plenty more to tell you and I want to share some pictures from our camping trip.  But, I need to get to bed.  More soon!

Much love,
Christy xo