quick update

As I sit here, the house is incredibly quiet. It's weird actually. Robbie took all the kids with him to Grace's gymnastics. She usually goes on Mondays but the teacher told Rob last night that she was ready to move up to the level two class which is on Tuesdays! So exciting for her, she really loves gymnastics and practices at our house everyday. She's quite the little gymnast!! I stayed home because starting in February I will be teaching aerobics on Tuesdays and tonight I wanted to go to the class. I'm really excited to sweat and feel the burn! Not just because Grace so lovingly squeezed the "love handles" Thomas so sweetly left for me and said, "Mommy, you have fluffies just like Dad!" I like that she called them "fluffies" and I'm also glad I'm not the only on in the house that has them. ;)

Yesterday I took Thomas into the Doctor again for a weight check. I knew he most likely gained weight so I wasn't so worried about that so much but I did have a few concerns and questions for the doctor. He is now 8lbs, 12oz. A pound up from his birth weight. He's now 7 weeks old! He's still a tired baby but is waking up more often on his own to eat. It's still is a struggle to get him to eat but he's also doing better, on and off, with that. During our Baptism weekend, my mother-in-law gave me some really good tips for Thomas. It was incredibly good talking with her and really helped in more ways than one. I realized there that Thomas has a very weak sucking reflex. I know have him set up with an occupational therapist to do some oral exercises with him to help with that, along with the exercise my mother-in-law taught me. Also, she noticed that his tongue may need clipping. I didn't notice that before but did notice that he didn't put his tongue on the top of his mouth like the other kids when he was sleeping. I know now that it's because he can't. We have an appointment this Friday to get his tongue clipped. Hopefully that will help his eating issue. I have been pumping and feeding him with a bottle since he was two weeks old and was still losing weight. I hope the oral exercises and the tongue clipping will help him and I can continue to try and nurse but I have peace about giving him the bottle and when my freezer full of liquid gold runs out I'm ok with formula. There's much more I need to focus on with all the kids and my main concern is for him to keep gaining, growing and becoming strong and healthy.

We've been doing the exercises with his hands that the PT taught us in Dallas. We think they've helped a little but I also think it helps that Thomas is actively trying to open his hands more too. He'll also grasp my finger, which I love. Since we aren't going back to Dallas until Thomas is 6 months, per my mother-in-law's advice and my mom's reiteration of that advice I asked the doctor about working with a PT here. Wonderfully enough the OT that's working his mouth will also help with his hands and will come to our house to see him. Fantastic, isn't it!?

I can't even tell you how all this has helped my spirits and a new hope!

Lastly, we're going in on Tuesday to do and Echo cardiogram on his heart. The doctor can't hear anything wrong through the stethoscope but because something "just doesn't seem right" she'd like to make sure all is ok with our little one's heart. Factors that play into this are his sleepiness, low weight gain, trouble eating and his little hands and feet are purple sometimes. My hands and feet do that too though so hopefully his heart will check out to be fine. I'm really glad she's ordering this. I just want to make sure everything is ok. I have never had such a heavy heart with any of my babies.
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I wish I could write more about the last 8 weeks but I've had this post saved for days now and haven't find more time to write yet! I will hopefully get pictures posted of Thomas' Beautiful Baptism and find time to write about the ups and downs and the continual growth of love of one another and Christ in these last 8 weeks.

Before I post though, we did get Thomas' tongue clipped this am. He did such a great job and looks like a new baby!! I can't believe the difference it made in appearance, I didn't expect that. Most importantly, I'm looking forward to seeing how it helps him with his sucking abilities! :) Gotta go, at least three children are calling for me and the only reason it's not four is because Bellarina is sleeping.

Much love and thankfulness,
K