And... We're Here!

Well gee whiz. That was almost TOO easy.

We're on Day 2 of 100% blended diet, no more formula, and it's already old hat to Hank.

Not only has he totally tolerated everything we've given him, but darned if he doesn't almost look a little better and have a little bit more energy ALREADY!

In the short span between yesterday and today, we've accomplished THREE MASSIVE goals, of which i literally cannot stop gushing about:

1. Increased volume of food (no longer calling it FEED) to 180 mls/meal (200 mls starting tmw) from 150 mls of formula. I've read a ton about folks literally doubling volumes and their children tolerating it just fine, but we haven't had to do that, nor do i really want to in the very beginning.

2. Total elimination of the pump. We feed exclusively via a plunger syringe. Six times a day. Which has led to...

3. Total elimination, already, with ease, of his overnight feed. He is no longer hooked to a pump and receiving 600 mls of formula all night long.

I am downright freakin GIDDY! Seriously folks!... this is HUUUUUUUUUUGE!

The other observance totally worth noting, that i would not have predicted by any means, but i think might have been touched upon in Eric's book: I have been brought closer to Hank, both literally and figuratively, by having to feed him with the syringe. I have to BE with him, which is NOT a duty or chore by any means. I sit him on my lap, or next to me, give him a toy or a food to mouth, and plunge away at his meal! I swear he knows what i'm doing. He glances at me, glances down at the syringe, then back up at me and smiles!!! It brought a tear to my eye today, when i was flooded with this realization.

I'm no longer punching in numbers, hearing a bunch of beeps and boops, which would equal about 45 min of time hooked to the tubing and pump. I'm spending five minutes syringing the meal, sitting down, and feeding him for about 15 minutes. Then we can either keep snuggling, read a book, or send him on his merry curious way.

"YES, BUT ISN'T IT MORE WORK?"

Sure. Yes. It is. I spent close to 2 hours finagling my blender to make a simple FOUR DAYS WORTH. Don't forget, i haven't gotten the Blendtec yet - i'm just using my trusty ~15 yr old blender to blend/puree already blended/pureed type foods together. But i was pretty much making my already-small-kitchen a disaster area. Using a pot here, a bowl there, using already-blended food to toss back into the blender to help blend more ingredients, etc.

And then there's the whole brand new "Free Water" concept.

Free water means that we now have to GIVE HIM WATER for hydration. A healthy shot of it about 30 min before a meal, prepping his belly and clearing old foodstuffs out. I've read this water bolus greatly aids in digestion and toleration of the higher volume of food; we've seen this in action with Henry already! Because it's REAL FOOD, the body naturally tolerates the higher volume over formula. This is why so many 'converts' like us see IMMEDIATE improvement and almost always total elimination of vomiting, wretching and reflux issues (all separate concerns, btw, but often several or all can be encountered together!). And by immediate, i mean THESE KIDS NO LONGER VOMIT EVER AGAIN, after vomiting 8-20 times **A DAY**. There is no way in hell that is coincidence. No way.

So yeah - i've got to remember the free water bolus 30 min before a meal, and then to remember to flush his tube immediately after feeding him (which i've already made part of the process). We got lazy flushing his tube after a formula feed, so we didn't do it. And we never did free water, cuz the formula already had water in it.

And it is different, though quite welcome, as stated above, having to sit down with him and actively plunge his meal. I can no longer "multitask" while Hank's eating, but then again, i'm only feeding him for TEN to FIFTEEN minutes. I will gladly sit and chill with Henry for that amount of time versus the previous 45 minute before. Gack. It almost seems comical that that was the norm.

I'm ridiculously THRILLED with the idea of no longer having to gauge outings or activities based on how long Hank's feed would take. Don't wanna go to the park just yet, cuz he's in the middle of it. Or his feed is due in 10 min, and i don't wanna have to hook him up while we're there, although i could use car time for some of the feed time... oh i know what, we'll take a little drive, to eat up more feed time in the car... etc etc. I cannot think of a sitch where i can't take 10-15 min to feed him and 'get it over with.' Or conversely, take that time to chill with my lil guy for a couple hugs.

No. Big. Whoop.

COST?

Well, these few days are kind of an anomaly. First of all, i'm using baby foods. I won't be using baby foods when i get the Mother Blender (i'm hoping by Thursday!). So yeah, even buying Beechnut (a lesser brand than Gerber, or better, Nature's Market organic goodies) is $0.53/jar. That shit adds up!

... but then there's the almond milk, and flax seed oil (which i'll get to - haven't yet), and coconut milk... all things i've read ROCK, but we've never used or had to buy before. And they aren't cheap, really. But i feel they are totally worth it. I bought a damn JUG of EVOO, which i know Ron will cook with as well, and i know is really good for us. Turns out, i'm buying healthier stuff all cuz of Hank, which is totes a good thing. I even made fruit and yogurt smoothies for the kids when Sam made a special request, watching me make Hank's food. I get it, a ton of families already make smoothies. But we don't.

But now we do. Wait'll Sam sees what that Blendtec will blend. Shoot - wait'll **I** see!!

Needless to say, this life change for Henry - for us - is proving it is worth its weight in gold. It's been entirely uneventful, externally, as far as a negative effect. Like i said, he seems to have more pep in his step! This is clearly one of the best things we could have done for him. I feel like a great Mama!