The holiday season is upon us, and with it comes an increased shortage of "free" time. Sorry it has once again been nearly a week since blogging. Gabe is napping and Kendrick is playing a game on the old computer, so I have snagged a few of those freebie minutes. Gabe continues to make progress and amaze his therapists. Just this morning, his PT told us that she was noticing obvious change in his abilities on a weekly basis. Naturally we are quite proud of him! He works very hard and is very eager to please. He is also getting more and more interested in eating! Last night we tried peas for the first time and despite some initial reluctance, he was actually opening his mouth for them. He must be going through a growth spurt b/c we have actually witnessed some hunger-induced tantrums. Because he is tube fed on a pretty regular schedule, he really hasn't shown us any signs of being hungry before now. Friday evening Josh was holding him when I got home from working and Gabe was fussing. I looked at the clock and knew it was just a few minutes shy of feeding time. He usually doesn't fuss unless you are really late (which is rare, amazingly enough!!), so we both figured he was just tired. but I mixed up a little cereal anyway and surprise surprise, he was leaning in for the spoon. OK, so most 6 month olds will do that, but not Gabe, not normally. We are usually stuck using a crow-bar method to get his mouth open with a spoon, or using our fingers, which the OT explained are less intimidating to an oral-averse baby. So for Gabe to be leaning forward with his mouth open is a big deal. Back up a couple more days and I actually got him to take a few drops of milk from a dropper with his tube feeding - no coughing or other signs of distress. Ginger, his OT, suggested that we might soon try some milk thickened with rice cereal (safer) in a soft, two-handled sipper cup. He may be showing signs that he could tolerate a bottle, but the problem with introducing a bottle now is that if he does do well and decide he likes it, we would likely have quite a battle on our hands converting to anything BUT a bottle. Since it is getting close to sipper cup age, that is probably the best option for getting him less dependant on the tube sooner - over the long haul....if that makes sense. On a funny note, Josh noticed that Gabe is starting to play with his paci. If he is just sort of hanging out and has it in his mouth, he will flip the "handle" with his fingers. He'll just sit there and flip it up and down. Really cute, and YES, we are easily amused.

Ok, I am seeing signs that my time here is just about up. Before leaving, I would ask you all to share in our excitement over these little victories - you have been with us through everything, so please join us in our joy!! I would ask you to keep the Becker family in your thoughts and prayers as well. Uncle big Justin (Kaci's husband) lost his Grandmother (his Mom's Mom)Thursday night/Friday morning. They have done so much for us and were there for us all summer long whenever we needed them. I am sure this is a difficult loss, especially so close to the holidays. Our minds and hearts were with them all weekend, even though we couldn't be there for them in person as they have been for us.