Painting the Town with Joey

 Joey turned 13 months old a couple of days ago, and today was our 5 year anniversary.  We had no night nursing last night, and our nurse called out this morning. I am going on night two of night shift.  It is hard on my body, but oddly enough, I get a lot done when there are no interruptions! I did some insurance work, and now I'm catching up on Joey's blog.  My mom came to visit, and she commented that I was the nurse and she never saw me stop working on Joey the minute she walked into the house. I had to do his gtube and trach care, start his feed, and get him switched over to his home vent.  Prior to this, I took Joey on a 2.5 mile walk around our neighborhood with Jessica and Ann Dee. The hills and Joey's stroller are a serious workout.  He didn't seem to mind the walk. It wasn't too hot, the allergens were low, and I think he really enjoyed just looking at the sky.  

Joey has been a busy boy these past few days. We visited the aquarium restaurant near our house. We didn't eat there, but just perused the actual aquarium.  Joey loves his toy fish tank in his crib so much that Daniel bought two, so we figured that he would actually love a real life aquarium. He was absolutely mesmerized, and it was so cool to watch.  Joey also went to his sister's volleyball game and his brother's football game. Whenever we take him anywhere, we keep him in his plastic bubble so that no one can even breathe on him.  At some point, I'd like to take him to the zoo and maybe a pumpkin patch.  We will be taking him to the drive through trunk or treat at church, and it's going to look different this year, since we won't be getting out of the car!  Either way, I'm excited this will be his first experience "trick or treating," even if it is behind a car window.  We couldn't seem to decide on a costume, so we bought two-"Baby Joda" and a kangaroo.  They are the cutest Halloween outfits.

We have been attempting to transition Joey to real food through his gtube, but it seems to cause him some constipation. We are trying everything under the sun to get him regular. I'm really focused on holistic measures such as prune juice to get that boy going.  It has been a lot of trial and error with an occasional suppository, although I really try to avoid them.

Some things I'm thankful for-sleep (although I'm not getting much these days), being home, time with family, Rowan and Claire, a husband that is involved in our lives,  fun experiences and milestones with Joey, wonderful friends, co-workers that I love dearly and allow me the flexibility to work odd hours, my business that helps pay for all the kids and Joey's special needs, and a supportive church family. I am grateful, thankful, and blessed!

Baby “Joda”