A couple of days ago, the G-tube was replaced by the MIC-KEY button. One less thing for Eric to pull out. It went really well and Eric only cried a little when they popped it out. The only problem that we had, is that Eric is too big for the current MIC-KEY and we have to get another one to replace it. As soon as we do, they will show us how to take it in and out. This has to be done once a week so we can wash the button. It also teaches us what to do if we ever have to take Eric to the ER.

His Home Health Nurse (HHN) came and weighed him yesterday and now he is at 17 lbs 12oz. Eric is still doing a lot of catch-up weight gain. He is now in the 10 - 25% percentile for weight. Before the operations, he had fallen completely off the curve.

Eating is still a problem. Even when we manage to find something he likes, he still gags. We've even tried letting him feed himself with a teething cookie. We will be speaking to his pediatrician soon about doing feeding studies to see what we can do about this. The not eating solids is okay for up to a year (adjusted year, not actual), the gagging and trying to throw up when he eats is not.

As for development, Eric still makes his own rules. In some areas he is very advanced, even for his age group, others still need work. He is not too far behind. Now that he is no longer on the tube, we are hoping he will try to do tummy time more instead of rolling over. So far so good. The baby yoga and other play is really helping with the development. I try to work with him for a minimum of an hour a day. Both the pediatrician and the HHN are very pleased with his progress.

After seeing a couple of other babies do it, we decided to go ahead and teach him American Sign Language. Of course we have to learn it ourselves too. It usually takes a couple of months for progress to be made. Right now he is just enjoying the gestures.

The cats are becoming braver around him. Neko and Trey will snuggle Eric's feet (away from the pinching and hair pulling fingers). Eric will always smile and laugh when he sees them. He gets very distracted by them. He also loves the singing Schnuffel bunny. I have a feeling Eric is going to be a big animal lover when he grows up.