Solid Foods

We took Lilly to her pedi last week and she has decided it's time to start rice cereal! Ahhh! : ) She's getting so big, but staying so small. haha. We talked about Lilly's progress and then got the dreaded 4 month shots. Lilly did amazingly well, actually. She still screamed and cried, but not near as much as she did with her 2 month shots. She cuddled up real close for a few minutes afterward and then got a bottle. It pretty much immediately put her to sleep. : ) 

We started rice cereal last night (Sept. 1). I'm making all of Lilly's baby food myself, so it was brown rice ground to a powder and then boiled to the correct consistency. She got about 5 spoonfuls before she gave up and decided this was not her thing. I think it may have been a little too soupy for her to really grasp the fact that she was eating something solid. We'll be trying again tonight with a bit thicker batch. I may also add some cinnamon for flavor. If she doesn't do well tonight, we may wait another week or so to try again. I know most doctors recommend that babies be able to sit unassisted, and she's not quite there yet. I guess we will find out tonight. 

 Unfortunately, Lilly has decided she doesn't want to eat as much as she was. We have gone from 3oz every 3 hours to 2oz every 3 hours. I am not a fan of this. I called Dr. Hess today to see if we should up her medication or if there might be another reason she is eating less. I had to leave a message with her nurse, and have not heard anything back yet. I guess it will be first thing tomorrow morning. I can sometimes get her to eat an ounce in between feedings, but not every time. This terrifies me that she might be at her stopping point. Some heart babies will stop gaining weight completely at a certain point, and that automatically means surgery...no matter what else might be getting better. I am praying that this isn't the case, and that she is just going through some sort of weird phase. Please pray that's all it is. 

The date of our sedated echo is getting near. The reality of surgery is also getting closer and closer, so we are trying to prepare ourselves. I called Cook Children's to find out about scheduling a tour of the operating room and PICU. They do them once a week, or they can even schedule private tours. The lady I spoke with said to wait until about a week before her surgery(if she has to have it) to schedule one. I also scheduled a second opinion appt with Dr. Blumenschein in Dallas. That appt is on Oct. 5. She works through Children's Medical Center of Dallas. I am struggling on which hospital to choose if we do need the surgery. Maybe I should let that one go until we find out for sure that we will need the surgery. That might be a good idea and take some stress off me. : ) 

That's about all the updating I have for now. Keep us in your prayers please. : )

We love you, Lilly.