MINI BUTTON, BIG MISTAKE

So, good news is that Priya was up for a new g-tube button this week and she was able to get the mini Mic-key button, which is half the size of her first one.  The bad news is that I fed her before her appointment like I always do without even thinking about it.  THAT was a mistake!

FULL STOMACH + HOLE IN STOMACH/ABDOMINAL WALL = MILK GEYSER

The poor girl was a mess when they pulled out her old g-tube, and it put her into quite a bad mood!  The good thing, I guess, is that I did this in the doctor's office.  The next time it will be ME putting in a new button  at home in three months!  I will not make the same mistake again!

In other news, Priya is rolling over!  Unfortunately, my full video won't upload, so here is a shorter version.

FIRST FATHER'S DAY

We celebrated Mike's FIRST Father's Day on Sunday! Here are some pics!  He's a good daddy!  

We started off the morning having a walk and brunch at a crepe and coffee house with some very special friends.  Mike had a soccer game, so we had a fun day on Friday to celebrate Father's Day AND my birthday.  He was off work, so we went shopping for some art. We started in the morning with brunch with some friends and their twin babies and finished in the afternoon, hopping around coffee shops and art galleries in Franklin and Nashville and treating ourselves along the way--pretty fun day.  The only glitch was our car getting backed into while we were in one of the coffee shops, so we did have to take a momentary break from fun to deal with insurance and drop the car off at the collision center (never a fun thing to do).  We did find some art at one of our favorite galleries.  It is not the type we were looking for when we started our day, but the pieces made us smile and we couldn't leave without them.  They just made us feel good, which after doing some reading is exactly the purpose of the pieces...to make people smile (photos below).

W

GIRLS' DAY...DAYS

Priya's Grandma and Aunt Bobbi came to visit!  This was the first time Priya has gotten to meet her aunt.  Bobbi was supposed to be making the trip by herself, but  when I got to the airport to pick her up, I found out she had packed my mom! THAT was as cool surprise!

While they were here, we dined at coffee shops and pubs and haciendas. We walked through a magical art exhibit (LIGHT by Bruce Munro) in a botanical garden. We shopped antiques, read in bookstores, and watched the sunset in a vineyard. We talked and snuggled and watch movies. It was a BUSY week!  We will sure miss Grandma and Aunt Bobbi.  I guess will just have to make a trip to see them in the fall.

Priya is growing up fast and all is well with her.  Her G-tube is pretty much healed, which makes it much easier to take care of.  The skin around her stoma looks great!  We were feeding her on her side to help with coughing spells while eating, but she is already doing well with sitting a bit more upright again (speech therapist said to try from time to time as she seems to handle it).  She is smiling a LOT and trying to talk to us, which melts our hearts.  She is also getting better and holding objects!  I love watching her learn to do new things!  It is never boring with a little baby around.

MEETING NEW MILESTONES

My baby girl is growing up so fast!  I have been working with her on being able to hold onto objects, and today she finally did it!!!  I am so proud of my little girl!

COTTON CANDY KISSES...LIKE HEAVEN

It's back to one day at a time since there isn't much I can do about the hemivertebra issue until we get moved to Charlotte and find an orthopedist.  I do plan to ask my pediatrician about it at Priya's appointment at the end of the month.  It's in the back of my mind for now, but why waste my time worrying about something I can't do anything about for at least another month when I can be enjoying a whole month of spending time with my angel?

Being married to a psychiatrist means I get free life tips and tricks, and one of the things my husband has taught me is "being in the moment."  Practicing "being in the moment" actually rewires your brain. It is a REALLY good exercise to do when you are feeling anxious about something.  It slows all the internal stuff down.  To practice, you basically just really relish a moment in time, whether it be driving down the road or eating a mint or feeling the breeze or sun on your skin.  You describe the moment to yourself using all of your senses and then note how it makes you feel too.  I often forget to "be in the moment," but sometimes I remember to do it.  This afternoon I did it while feeding Priya her bottle and kissing the top of her head (one of my absolute favorite things to do in the whole world).  I won't go into all the descriptions of the moment, but I asked myself how I could describe how kissing her head feels, and the thought popped into my mind that kissing her head and lightly rubbing my lips across the wisps of her hair is like taking a small piece of cotton candy and brushing it ever so lightly across my lips.  It is literally the sweetest moment I can think of.  Then I thought how it made me feel, and all I can say is "like Heaven."  It seems to me that my heart cannot possibly be any fuller than in the moments when I am sitting quietly with Priya kissing her sweet little head.  I wonder if that feeling of heart-fullness, connectedness, peace, and bliss is what all the world wonders after in their religions.  It's like a love that cannot be felt any deeper, wider, or higher, wrapped into a moment of time connected with another...a God-moment for sure.  If only we could remember how GOOD it feels to be in this state all the time, I think it would be easier to empty one's self of selfishness and really try to connect with others around us.  Then we'd all be living in Heaven.

(It's also quite amazing to kiss her little toes too...LOVE!)