Operation Feeding Tube Freedom

Today was a good day.

I don't want to say too much because I don't want to jinx it, but this could soon be a part of Josie's past:

...because Little Miss JoJo is working really hard to get off the feeding tube.  And she now consumes all but 5oz of her daily calories orally!  We have been desperately seeking an effective path to G Tube independence for more than a year now and there is finally light at the end of the tunnel!  Hallelujah!!!

We took a little road trip to visit Josie's GI doctor today.  This particular trip was speeding ticket free (woo hoo!  Go me!) so that was reason alone to celebrate.

As usual, Josie tried to ditch her shoes anytime I turned my head. Here she is attempting to put them back on after her 400th lecture from mom.

 Josie was a very good girl for the hospital staff.  She was eager to discuss anatomy (by identifying her body parts), pop culture (by requesting both "Call Me" and "The Piña Colada Song") and she enjoyed exploring the functionality of the medical equipment with the resident.  I've never seen the doctor hand their medical devices to a toddler and I cringe to think of how much they probably cost, but Josie truly enjoyed the experience.

After receiving such promising news about the widely anticipated end of our g tube days, Josie and I decided to celebrate.  We paid a visit to the mall food court where she enjoyed some delicious curly fries.  We normally avoid fried foods but this was a special occasion and Josie loved it!  I loved watching my little girl consume food (and even a little bit of milk from a straw) like every other kid in that food court!

We decided to escalate the celebration by taking a little ride on the Merry-Go-Round but after further consideration, I nixed that idea so we opted to just pose for a photo by it.  Shoeless JoJo strikes again:

When we returned home, Travis asked me why we didn't actually ride the carousel.  I explained to him that I didn't know what to do with the stroller and my purse and that I didn't want anyone to steal them.  He laughed and said that Dateline isn't exactly doing exposes on the rampant rise of stroller theft at community carousels in the Midwest and that we probably would have been safe.  But hey, that's why he's the laid back one and I'm the neurotic one. 

While I'm hesitant go into further detail about Operation Feeding Tube Freedom because I don't want to speak too soon, I assure you that more information will be provided once our goal has been achieved.  As a desperate parent who spent many hours scoring the Internet for information on how to get my child off the g tube, I am happy to share any details of our journey that can possibly help someone else in our shoes so stay tuned!

Drinking, Bribery, and Becoming Cool

There have been many blog posts devoted to Josie's difficulty with drinking and our attempts to get her off the feeding tube.  Unimaginable energy has been spent on this pursuit by ourselves, countless therapists, medical professionals, and well-meaning friends and loved ones.  Always searching for answers, I recently read an article on a behavioral occurrence called "Shaping" ("Helping Children Cope with Everyday Activities, pg 11).  In a nutshell, shaping is when continuous reinforcement leads to a gradual change in behavior.  Shaping can intensify an undesired behavior but it can also be used to ultimately move an undesired behavior in a positive direction.  Essentially, a behavioral change can occur by having the child take gradual steps towards the desired outcome and using positive reinforcement (bribery) to celebrate each success.

Desired Behavior: Drinking (Pediasure, people.  We're not "shaping" at a frat party)

Gradual Steps: We started with 3 drinks per meal, built up to 5 drinks per meal, and  we are currently on 10 drinks per meal

Positive Reinforcement: Sunglasses (Josie's latest obsession)

Unanticipated Outcome: I may have misinterpreted the article; I'm not sure if my "shaping" technique is actually teaching Josie to drink or to count to 10.

Please excuse Josie's sumo wrestler hair - it's the quickest way to get her hair out of her eyes before breakfast.

I'd like Josie to hold the cup by herself.  She can; she just doesn't want to.  Once again, "shaping" involves gradual steps.  Ultimately, I'd like her to receive all of her required fluids orally and no longer use her g tube.  We're still a ways off but it's progress.  I'm getting what I want, and Josie is getting what she wants so everything is cool!