May 30

Elsie got to go on a field trip today to the neighboring Primary Children's Medical Center. It's connected to the U of U hospital by a skybridge; Elsie took this trip before when she was a wee little baby. It was pretty much the exact same as last time: Life Flight came and hooked her up to their incubator-on-wheels gurney, and we walked over to Primary's. We even went into the exact same radiology room as last time. She's a heck of a lot bigger than the last time she took this ride! And darn it, I forgot to take pictures this time, too! 

Anyway, the reason why we went over there is because before they place the G-tube, they have to do x-rays of Elsie's digestive system to make sure that it is anatomically correct & functioning properly. It was almost exactly like the swallow study that they did back in April. Elsie was placed on the exam table and fed liquid barium from a bottle. It was strawberry-flavored; I think she liked it. It took a few tries to get the exact shot that the dr wanted, but eventually, it was confirmed that her system is good. We already knew that, of course, but whatever, I'm not the doctor. Then we packed her back onto the gurney and went back to our happy little home at the U. 

The next step is getting the doctor to schedule the procedure to place the G-tube. I'm guessing that it will happen at the beginning of next week, but we'll see. 

Elsie is doing pretty good lately at nursing. We've actually started weighing her before & after I feed her to see how much she's eaten. She still only drinks about an ounce before she gets bored/frustrated/tired or whatever else is her reason for stopping, but it's an improvement. Yesterday after she ate with me, she was awake, alert, and happy for almost an hour. It was fun to play with her and talk to her, and to see her watching me. She's definitely sleeping a lot better at night, and you can tell.

At the NBICU, they have volunteers who come in and hold babies whose parents are not around all the time. It's a pretty sweet idea, and I like thinking that someone kind is holding my baby when I can't be there. Anyway, today, a nice elderly lady was holding Elsie when I came into the NBICU. The lady felt a bit of dampness through the blanket and put Elsie onto the crib so that we could change her diaper. Turns out that her wet diaper leaked quite a bit; Elsie's clothes were soaked, the blanket was soaked, and there was also a large wet spot on the leg of the volunteer's pants. What can I say, my kid leaves a mark on people . . . 

So wide awake and happy!

We love Aunt Roberta! Thanks for the cute outfit!