My dad just shocked the absolute crap out of me by sending me the following e-mail...

Go Giants!

How are your As doing?

I think it is kinda obvious I didn't get my love of baseball from him and he doesn't have a great grasp of how the playoffs work. But still. He realized something big happened last night in his city and connected it to one of my passions. Go Dad. And in my response I asked if he wanted to get me World Series tix and airfare. Long shot, but hey...why not ask.

ita !, insent.

I love our collective...sourcing.

So while I was rather annoyed with Devi for turning the tv on full blast at just before 5 am, it ended up being strategically wise. I had a lot of shit to do today and I had to leave for a dentist appt at 4. And it all got done. And then the dental office was running behind (hazard of late appts) so I didn't get to the pool until late and then I had to go catsit, and there was poop, as well as a cat who wanted me to cart her around while staring crazy at me and purring and then I got around to dinner and my own household crap and JEEZ, I WOKE UP BEFORE 5.

And I leave in 11 days. UNPOSSIBLE. I'm in denial.

You'll have an amazing time, sara!

Kat, they keep talking of putting my nephew on a G-tube because of his slow growth and allergies. If they do, we'll have questions.

Cash, here's my two cents. Do NOT put him on ao g-tube just for slow growth. When kids are put on g-tube (with continuous feeds or without) they often lose the ability to eat orally. If he's taking a bottle (or is he breast fed now? Also formula?) then you don't want him to lose the ability to suck and eat. So no g-tube, unless he isn't taking food by mouth or never has.

Is Reece's growth slow but still appropriate (like Grace is at 2% on that fucking curve and Noah is at 15%... but they both show growth at the right rate, just the wrong level) or is he not growing at all? Not growing at all is more concerning. Not at the right level? BFD?

Is he on supplemental oxygen? Breathing uses up a surprising amount of energy. Sometimes supplemental 02 can help.

Are they worried he's not growing because of reflux due to allergies? If that's the case and he's on formula try an elimination diet first. Take him off everything except for rice -- rice milk etc. Then slowly add the most hypo-allergenic foods back in first. Blend them and give them to him orally. Lots of kids on formula develop corn allergies and that makes them vomit and reflux like mad. If your sis can get him on real foods blended but by mouth, he may fare better long term than g-tube.

Good place to look is here: [link] which there should be info on elimination diets to identify food intolerances that cause reflux. The guy who founded the site passed away a few months ago but was a font of knowledge about real food vs. formula. Tell your sis that g-tubes should be a very last resort. I don't resent ours because Grace would never have learned how to suck while on a vent. But protect the oral eating as much as possible.

ita, the kid probably had an NG tube (nasal gastric) which would definitely have to be placed again at an ER. Those hurt like a bitch in all directions. Or so I here.

In other news, I need to be more confrontational with a coworker. I don't wanna.

Wow, go Strega! That's great info. ita, do you want one of us to call and ask theoretical questions tomorrow? I could do that.

Also noted: the manhattan beach whole foods is SCHMANCY! There's not only a "we cook your meat" bar and a gelato bar, there's a wine bar (with seating), more olives than I've ever seen, a Mexican food bar ( with seating) and a couple other areas. Madness!!

Echidna puggle!

My day just got that much better. The video is adorable. I suspect Ryan will agree when he gets home.

Check out these awesome wildlife photos:

I love those photos. Photo 4, of the Australian fruit bat: over much of its range, there are crocodiles in the waters where it drinks. Grabbing a drink in that fashion (dipping its chest in the water then sucking the water off its fur) minimises the time they're at risk of being snatched. (They can actually swim too, if they misjudge and fall in.)

Cash, here's my two cents. Do NOT put him on ao g-tube just for slow growth. When kids are put on g-tube (with continuous feeds or without) they often lose the ability to eat orally. If he's taking a bottle (or is he breast fed now? Also formula?) then you don't want him to lose the ability to suck and eat. So no g-tube, unless he isn't taking food by mouth or never has.

They found his allergy to milk protein just after she brought him home. He drink a special formula along with a supplement for extra calories. He's allergic to breast milk and soy formula.

He's growing but it seems like such a slow rate. He's 9 months old and weighs just 9lbs. He's gaining something like an ounce or two a week. Developmentally, he seems just fine. He laughs, babbles, giggles, grasps and rolls. He's not strong enough to lift up to crawl but he can hold his head up pretty well. He eats a little bit of baby food and cereal but for the most part, they are seriously counting every calorie so the food is just for tasting and trying.

Because of his small size, it means that even after 9 months they are on a strict feeding schedule and he eats every 3 hours during the day and every 4 hours at night. Exhausting, to say the least.

My sister constantly frets about how much he eats and how much he gains. He's only ever lost on one weekly weigh in but made up for it the following week. She is determined to keep him off the tube because her own instincts and the practical advice of the nurses and therapists. Of course, it's a lot different when she goes in to see the pediatric specialist who always reminds her of the possibility. It's another stress on her. I think Reece is going to be itty bitty for a while yet and probably won't make up ground for years. But it's really, really hard for her to stand her ground when she's exhausted and paranoid about his size.

Is she breast feeding him, Cash? Can they put him on a high caloric diet?

Is she breast feeding him, Cash?

He's allergic to breast milk, so I'm assuming not.

Damn, Kat--speaking of fonts of knowledge, I hate listening to preemie parents give such levels of detail, because of all the sleepless nights and stress and glayvin that came with that information. But it's good when it can be shared.

do you want one of us to call and ask theoretical questions tomorrow? I could do that.

I dunno? I mean...I'm frozen with indecision right now. Being right is so clearly insufficient. I'm in the mode now of trying to throw everything at once, but I am hitting a bit of a brick wall with the therapies. Fucking logistics, man. But other people do this! I am not exceptional. So what am I missing? How do these facilities have the narrow hours that they do? I mean, the water therapy place is basically only open during lunch, but not really near me. Home or office.

::sigh::

Did I mention frozen?