This Past Week

     Remember that sickness I told you about? I'm thankful to say that Brad is back to work and I have not experienced more than a sore throat. Leo got stuffy and a cough. However.

    Leo has had really bad nights this week. We had one good night, but the overnight feed was set to a lower rate so he got significantly less food. Trying to figure out what he's feeling and what he needs is hard. Trying to help him be comfortable but also not wanting him to get too little food for too many days in a row. I'm not sure if that made sense. My mind is going a little bazerk. He's clearly agitated by something during the nights. He's had a fever at times. He arches really hard and even if I hold him to try and help him relax, it doesn't stop the arching. His hash movements instigate more puking (also maybe he feels nauseous). 

    Anytime Leo gets sick it's stressful in its own way. We have seen him get over covid and colds before. However, the toll on us comes with the more time that passes. The more pukes, the more bad nights, the more not eating as much as he should, the easier it is to stress about what's wrong, how big of a deal is it, should we be doing more, etc. I can say that I am confident in how we are caring for Leo. But it's not easy to quiet the voices.

    Brad has been able to work out a lot of things with the house. He's also been doing a lot to care for Leo and I so that Leo and I can eat, sleep, do appointments, and not have other pressing responsibilities. He's also been able to take more time up with Leo at night over the weekend. 

    All of this perfectly leads up to telling you that OUR NIGHT NURSE IS STARTING THIS MONDAY. My, does God know how to time things. I am hopeful that Leo will get better before she comes because I would like for her to experience a more "normal" night with him then this craziness. But God knows. And we know we need this! Prayer over this transition is appreciated. She will be with us 5 nights a week. I am looking forward to a stranger becoming a friend and newness becoming routine. We are very grateful for where God has led us to. 

    I almost forgot! We had a speech therapy appointment. It went really well. I don't think we necessarily need to do speech every single week, but we will get together with her frequently to work on mouth muscle things. She also has worked with our dietician before and can help in the process of moving Leo towards some solid foods (or something like that).

    And, as always, pray for Leo's weight, eating, and pukes.