November 14, 2006

Back in Haiti
Brett is now in Haiti with us! We saw Dr Billmire, the G-tube surgeon on Oct 26 and she said everything was looking great at the G-tube site. The nissen was doing its job as Brett has not been able to throw up since the surgery. The other positive is that he is finally gaining weight again. He is now around 14 ½ lbs which is 2 lbs over his weight at the surgery. He actually looks chubby now!

G-tube feedings
Feeding Brett is now easier. We made our share of mistakes in the beginning, but we pretty much have it down to an art. Brett gets three- 4 or so ounce feedings 3 times a day with a continual feed throughout the night with a drip-pump. He continues to have uncomfortable times during his feedings during the day, but at night he handles the drip just fine. We were able to get a pump and bring it to Haiti. Dr Billmire said once we were used to it, we’d like it. She was right. Along with the formula G-tube feeds, we give Brett rice baby cereal at least once a day. He is doing fine with this for which we are thankful. Some children become fearful of anything in their mouth and they must be trained to allow food inside. It is good that this does not appear to be a problem with Brett. We just pray he will grow to DESIRE food as he grows and realizes he has tastes buds that can get excited!

Brett's set-up for his G-Tube Feedings..the syringe allows him to "burp", the pump in the background allows the feeding to be delivered at a certain volume and rate.

Therapy
Brett received his last therapy a few days before we left. The Dev. Therapist was encouraged by Brett’s progress over the past few months. She encouraged us to continue stimulating his mouth, tracking with his eyes, and holding and grasping toys. The PT was very uplifting at our last session as she saw many good signs of progress toward sitting and walking. We continue to trust God for Brett’s future, knowing it truly is in His hands, but it is helpful to have those in the field say “good” things about his progress. We will miss the sessions with these ladies!

Brett enjoying a moment break during Physical Therapy

On Down the Road
We will continue to work on pushing Brett to sit, eat, and move. Unfortunately he has been fighting a cold since we’ve arrived and now a week later, it seems worse again. Maybe he picked up a second bug here? Thankfully he continues to keep his lungs clear and he sleeps well at night. The heat makes Brett sweaty, which is partly due to his heart murmur. Thankfully is has cooled down some and we are all not so sweaty! He is still a wonderful baby, so easy going with little requirements. We know God made him this way to help us along this pathway. I will continue to update Brett’s page, probably every 2 months or so. Thanks for checking in on him, for continuing to pray for him and for us. We continue to trust in God’s plan and ordering for our lives. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23

Brett getting some love from dear Bro. Eugene Huber