We have started venturing out as a family this past week to the local rivers, park concerts and various social gatherings that spring up around our neighborhood. Rachel and I are doing our best to keep Steele on his 3 hour feeding cycle, which is not that bad during regular daylight hours, but the midnight and 3 am feedings are becoming increasingly more difficult to maintain. Our hope for the nutrition appointment this week will indicate some minor changes to his schedule so we can get more rest in the middle of the night. I almost forgot what the "Zombie Parent" syndrome was like when we went through this with Ryleigh. I couldn't imagine trying to get up and teach 200 high school students at the moment, hopefully when I return back in the fall, Steele will have a modified schedule that will better suit our need for consistent sleep. Ryleigh has been really helpful with his care, she is so curious about his needs and is trying to do the best she can. Last night when we were driving home from an evening concert in the park, Steele was getting fussy in the car. Ryleigh started singing to him and comforting him almost the entire way home. I am so glad that she wants to be a part of his care and role as a big sister, I was a little anxious about how she would respond to a new sibling. She truly has a caring nature about everything around her with the exception of the 12+ princess wardrobe changes that occur on a daily basis.
The venturing out piece has been going fairly well. It takes much longer to prepare and get out of the house within a 1-2 hour time frame. I have decided not to make any firm time commitments (except doc's appts) because the stress of getting him fed on-time and gathering up all the necessary gear is not worth it. For example. last night we wanted to head out for one of the free concerts that Portland Parks and Rec offer each summer starting at 6:30pm. It took us 2.0 hrs to get everyone fed for dinner, pack the car and leave. We have to learn how to streamline the process, but at the same time you cannot rush Steele's care or feeding schedule.
Recent photo's from our out-of-home adventures:
Molalla River
There's always a way to modify the feeding tube
Sellwood Park Concert (Thanks Jessica for the hilarious "Thwing 1" & "Thwing 2" T's!)
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