So, shortly after I wrote the last post, our plans for Jared's graduation got derailed by a trip to the ER followed by a weekend stay in the hospital. Since then, we have a new plan for Charlie that we are hoping will work. Essentially, it has been determined that he has "gastroparesis" or, in layman's terms, his stomach is not moving things out the way it should, which is making him feel full, and causing him to not be able to tolerate the volume of food he needs to thrive (or survive). So, on Monday, we are getting what is called a g-j tube, which will be put in through his existing g-tube but feed him directly into his intestines and skip his stomach altogether. The g-j is a temporary solution as they come out of place frequently and so, if it works, we will get a permanent j-tube placed in about a month. The bummer is it looks like this is going to be a permanent struggle for him. I struggled with this a lot over the past two weeks (it wasn't really my plan for him to have one hole in his stomach, much less two and I certainly never thought it would be permanent) but I am choosing to focus less on that and more on the happy, sweet, funny little boy in front of me. He really is a trooper.
One of the things I miss A LOT about California is In N Out Burger (so much so that I think this isn't my first post on that topic). They apparently have no plans to open stores here in Oregon. Boo. Anyway, I love hamburgers. They are certainly one of my vices and not particularly helpful with weight loss or cholesterol but...so it goes. So, I recently tried Five Guys, for which there is a location close to my house. Five Guys is always busy and I've read they are similar to In N Out. By the way, according to new blog rules, I think I need to state that I am not being compensated by anyone for this review. Anyway, back to the burger. I can see why it has been compared to In n Out--you walk inside and it looks virtually identical! That all ended at the order counter. At Five Guys, you choose what toppings you want. There are no pre-determined packages. By that I mean, you add absolutely everything to the blank burger...nothing comes standard. I wasn't expecting this, so I was a little flustered when I got to the counter and didn't know what to do and there was an impatient line behind me. So, I ordered a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup. I'm sure I could have been more adventurous than this but like I said, I was a bit out of my element. I ordered fries, which, like In n Out, they make fresh there. They do not have milkshakes. The burger was good, but not like In N Out. Definitely better than a McDonalds burger or other major chain fast food burger, but not earth-shattering as well. As my friend Tara pointed out, it was kind of like a backyard grill burger. The fries were better tasting than In n Out, I think. But very greasy. All in all, it was as decent a substitution for In n Out as I am going to get here in Oregon but my heart is still in California when it comes to the In n Out burger.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Graduation!!!
This will be a very quick post--as we are headed out the door. We are headed to Eugene to go to dinner with Jared's parents to celebrate Jared's graduation from DePaul University. This has been a crazy four year adventure--since starting his program, we got married, made two major moves, made three job changes, had two children and have spent countless hours, days, and weeks in hospitals with the kids. Yet through it all, Jared persevered in his studies and is graduating TOMORROW with his Bachelor's degree...and then on to grad school. I am so stinkin' proud of my husband!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
"Am-a-namce"
Jack's premature birth was my first big failing as a mother. Now, I know that it wasn't my fault, nor did I do anything to cause it other than being the unfortunate carrier of a defective uterus. However, regardless of fault, a mother is supposed to be able to care for their child. In the weeks that Jack spent in the NICU, I was acutely aware that he was being cared for in every way by people far more qualified than I. The one thing I could do, though, and do better than anyone else, was feed him. My milk was better than anything a nurse or doctor or formula company could provide for him. So, I pumped. I pumped every 3 hours around the clock. I had a little portable, cordless pump that was discreet enough that I could pump anywhere I went. I pumped until he was 14 months old. He grew on my milk and I took satisfaction in watching him grow from a tiny 4 pound baby into a toddler. I learned that feeding your child is one of the most intimate and meaningful acts of motherhood. It is one of the first things that shaped my relationship with Jack, that defined me and set me apart as his mother, uniquely qualified to do this very important thing. Feeding your child and choosing how and what and when to feed them is such a defining characteristic of motherhood. It is probably what ignites such passion in the breast vs. bottle debate.
With Charlie, it was all different. At first, I didn't even want to breastfeed because my experience of actual breastfeeding Jack was such a nightmare. I intended to pump for him but had very little interest in breastfeeding. At the urging of friends and sisters and nurses, I gave it a try when Charlie was born. And it was a totally different experience. He learned to breastfeed easily and it was a good match for both of us. For 6 weeks, he grew. Then, he started arching and crying and refusing to eat. His breathing got bad and his weight slowed. We found out he was aspirating as he drank so I reluctantly gave up breastfeeding and started pumping. We gave him bottles of breast milk thickened to the consistency of honey. But, he still didn't gain weight, his breathing was still bad. So, we had a surgery and they gave him a feeding tube and took away oral feeds altogether. I stubbornly continued to pump and give him breast milk through his tube. He screamed through his tube feedings. His weight continued to decline. He had blood in his stomach. We tested my breast milk thinking perhaps it was light on calories. It wasn't, it was very rich, in fact. So, we switched him to a special prescription formula and he gained weight for the first time in 3 months. I was relieved for him--I want him to grow but I am aware that it my milk was causing him major pain and difficulty. I struggled with that for a long time, even though I am so, so grateful for the technology that has made it possible for Charlie to eat.
Yesterday, Charlie took his first ambulance ride ("amanamce" in Jack lingo), the result of intermittent choking episodes at daycare. Upon arrival at the ER, he threw up some blood. His stools then tested positive for blood. That means he is bleeding somewhere in his GI tract.
That morning, before school, I decide to eschew medical advice and I had given him a teeny, tiny bit of strawberry (we are talking about the size of a newborn's pinky fingernail) because I just couldn't say "no" one more time to him and turn around and give his brother what he had politely asked for. Not thrown a fit over but politely asked for. That's what kills me. I just wanted him to have a taste. He choked, I turned him upside down, whacked his back, retrieved the offending bit of strawberry and all seemed okay again. Until his school called asking me to come quickly. I was certain I must have missed something and he had a piece of strawberry in his lungs. I cried the whole drive there, completely panicked over what I had done. Turns out it has nothing to do with the strawberry and instead he has a small tear in his esophagus, the result, I guess of not being able to tolerate his feeds, and so it is making him cough and retch. The blood from the tear then pooled in his esophagus, he would cough to clear it and then choke and gag on it. That's my non-medical understanding of the situation.
We had a follow-up visit with our GI doctor today. He needs some additional testing to figure out why he can't tolerate his feeds, which are currently at the most minimum level they can be at for his size. He is continuously being fed at a rate of just over an ounce an hour and he can't even tolerate that. I look at Charlie for who he is, not in terms of numbers on a chart but today, the doctor showed me his growth chart and pointed out that he has gained less than 4 lbs in a whole year. I already feel out of control with him. I don't get to choose what to feed him, when to feed him, how much to feed him and I still feel like I'm not doing a good job at that. My baby isn't growing and I don't know why. I am frustrated and I know I am in good company because so far, no one else can figure it out either, but it makes me feel like a failure as a mother. I should be able to feed my baby.
Charlie has been the biggest challenge of my life. I wouldn't trade the challenge for anything but I am constantly second guessing my decisions and choices when it comes to him and these situations like yesterday just make it that much harder. I guess this is what real parenthood is all about? Why isn't there a "What to Expect" book for this situation?
Now, to end on a lighter note (I'm actually not drowning in self-pity over here, by the way)...I want to remember this...this weekend, we were at Costco. Jack loves Costco hot dogs but always eats the hot dog and the bun separately. He had finished his hot dog and we were telling him it was time to go and he said he wanted to bring his bun. So, we said "Okay, grab your bun and come on." All of the sudden, Charlie grabs his bum. We weren't sure he did what we thought he did so we said it again, "Grab your bun," and again, he grabbed his bum. It was too cute. :-)
With Charlie, it was all different. At first, I didn't even want to breastfeed because my experience of actual breastfeeding Jack was such a nightmare. I intended to pump for him but had very little interest in breastfeeding. At the urging of friends and sisters and nurses, I gave it a try when Charlie was born. And it was a totally different experience. He learned to breastfeed easily and it was a good match for both of us. For 6 weeks, he grew. Then, he started arching and crying and refusing to eat. His breathing got bad and his weight slowed. We found out he was aspirating as he drank so I reluctantly gave up breastfeeding and started pumping. We gave him bottles of breast milk thickened to the consistency of honey. But, he still didn't gain weight, his breathing was still bad. So, we had a surgery and they gave him a feeding tube and took away oral feeds altogether. I stubbornly continued to pump and give him breast milk through his tube. He screamed through his tube feedings. His weight continued to decline. He had blood in his stomach. We tested my breast milk thinking perhaps it was light on calories. It wasn't, it was very rich, in fact. So, we switched him to a special prescription formula and he gained weight for the first time in 3 months. I was relieved for him--I want him to grow but I am aware that it my milk was causing him major pain and difficulty. I struggled with that for a long time, even though I am so, so grateful for the technology that has made it possible for Charlie to eat.
Yesterday, Charlie took his first ambulance ride ("amanamce" in Jack lingo), the result of intermittent choking episodes at daycare. Upon arrival at the ER, he threw up some blood. His stools then tested positive for blood. That means he is bleeding somewhere in his GI tract.
That morning, before school, I decide to eschew medical advice and I had given him a teeny, tiny bit of strawberry (we are talking about the size of a newborn's pinky fingernail) because I just couldn't say "no" one more time to him and turn around and give his brother what he had politely asked for. Not thrown a fit over but politely asked for. That's what kills me. I just wanted him to have a taste. He choked, I turned him upside down, whacked his back, retrieved the offending bit of strawberry and all seemed okay again. Until his school called asking me to come quickly. I was certain I must have missed something and he had a piece of strawberry in his lungs. I cried the whole drive there, completely panicked over what I had done. Turns out it has nothing to do with the strawberry and instead he has a small tear in his esophagus, the result, I guess of not being able to tolerate his feeds, and so it is making him cough and retch. The blood from the tear then pooled in his esophagus, he would cough to clear it and then choke and gag on it. That's my non-medical understanding of the situation.
We had a follow-up visit with our GI doctor today. He needs some additional testing to figure out why he can't tolerate his feeds, which are currently at the most minimum level they can be at for his size. He is continuously being fed at a rate of just over an ounce an hour and he can't even tolerate that. I look at Charlie for who he is, not in terms of numbers on a chart but today, the doctor showed me his growth chart and pointed out that he has gained less than 4 lbs in a whole year. I already feel out of control with him. I don't get to choose what to feed him, when to feed him, how much to feed him and I still feel like I'm not doing a good job at that. My baby isn't growing and I don't know why. I am frustrated and I know I am in good company because so far, no one else can figure it out either, but it makes me feel like a failure as a mother. I should be able to feed my baby.
Charlie has been the biggest challenge of my life. I wouldn't trade the challenge for anything but I am constantly second guessing my decisions and choices when it comes to him and these situations like yesterday just make it that much harder. I guess this is what real parenthood is all about? Why isn't there a "What to Expect" book for this situation?
Now, to end on a lighter note (I'm actually not drowning in self-pity over here, by the way)...I want to remember this...this weekend, we were at Costco. Jack loves Costco hot dogs but always eats the hot dog and the bun separately. He had finished his hot dog and we were telling him it was time to go and he said he wanted to bring his bun. So, we said "Okay, grab your bun and come on." All of the sudden, Charlie grabs his bum. We weren't sure he did what we thought he did so we said it again, "Grab your bun," and again, he grabbed his bum. It was too cute. :-)
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Charlie Update--18 mos!
Charlie turned 18 months last week! We have had a momentous month.
First, earlier in the month, we stayed overnight in the hospital for a 24-hour EEG. While we were in the hospital, our SLP (speech language pathologist) visited us and suggested that we do a swallow study to see if Charlie's swallowing function had improved and could possibly begin to take something by mouth. Of course we said yes! I think I was more nervous walking down to that radiology lab than I have been before any of the surgeries. I didn't want to get my hopes up too much. Well...I should preface by saying that we have been working very hard at home on keeping Charlie's skills up. Even though he can't eat by mouth, we give him a spoon, cup, and bowl and teach him how to use them. His school does the same thing. We are very sensitive to the fact that a child who has been non-oral for most of their life has a high chance of developing oral aversions and that the road to eating successfully by mouth can be bumpy, even after they are safe to eat. So...we didn't really know what to expect. Well, our efforts paid off! We sat Charlie in that seat and he knew exactly what to do with the cup and spoon! The good news is that he passed his study on pudding thick consistency purees. He did not pass on any liquids or solids but we were so thrilled to have a starting point! It was a very emotional appointment, with even the radiologist in tears. Charlie was SO excited to eat. So, we went home with permission to start doing a little bit of pudding-thick purees (a couple of ounces a day). We were nervous because we had the added issue of not knowing what kinds of foods he would tolerate since he has been on an elemental diet since he had so many issues with breast milk and he has never had anything other than his formula and breast milk in his entire life. So, we started with peas. All went well for the first week. Charlie loved eating and he would sit at the little toddler table we have and use a spoon. By the end of that week, however, we noticed his breathing was getting froggy and he was starting to cough. By the end of the second week, he was refusing oral foods and his cough was worse. We had another visit with the SLP, his airway wasn't clear and so he was taken back off of anything by mouth. I am bummed about this but I don't want to take any chances with him. His cough and breathing cleared up as soon as he stopped eating orally again. I think he is just not ready. It seems like it always two steps forward, one step back. It's tiring.
On a "step forward" note, though, we had a full developmental assessment done last week. Charlie is at age level or above in EVERY.ASSESSED.AREA. I had suspected this...I feel like his school has done wonders for his development (we've been so lucky with very good providers his whole life) and he has just exploded developmentally lately. He was late to say his first words (16 mos) but once he took off, my goodness, he has just been a chatterbox! This is another area that can be affected by not eating, so we are so relieved! The speech therapist estimated that he is close to 50 words and says that he will soon put two word combinations together. And just following that appointment, I was putting him to bed and told him I loved him and he said "love you." I was a little blown away and, as if he knew I wasn't sure if I heard correctly, he then signed it, repeated it verbally and then giggled when I started loudly cheering for him. I love that little boy.
The area of development I think I am most astonished by is his walking. Because he is on continuous feeds, he carries around a 2.5 lb backpack. He has been hauling this thing since he started crawling (before that, we carried it for him). Well, he is all of 18 lbs and carrying this little backpack around constantly. And it hasn't slowed him down in the least. It just goes to show--where there is a will, there is a way. I am learning every day not to ever think my children can't do something...they remind me all the time of all the things they CAN do.
Just for stats, at 18 mos Charlie is:
18 lbs
29 inches
Wearing a size 3 diaper
Wearing 6-12 mo clothes
Has the tiniest little miniature feet ever
Is still not sleeping through the night, or on his own. :-)
First, earlier in the month, we stayed overnight in the hospital for a 24-hour EEG. While we were in the hospital, our SLP (speech language pathologist) visited us and suggested that we do a swallow study to see if Charlie's swallowing function had improved and could possibly begin to take something by mouth. Of course we said yes! I think I was more nervous walking down to that radiology lab than I have been before any of the surgeries. I didn't want to get my hopes up too much. Well...I should preface by saying that we have been working very hard at home on keeping Charlie's skills up. Even though he can't eat by mouth, we give him a spoon, cup, and bowl and teach him how to use them. His school does the same thing. We are very sensitive to the fact that a child who has been non-oral for most of their life has a high chance of developing oral aversions and that the road to eating successfully by mouth can be bumpy, even after they are safe to eat. So...we didn't really know what to expect. Well, our efforts paid off! We sat Charlie in that seat and he knew exactly what to do with the cup and spoon! The good news is that he passed his study on pudding thick consistency purees. He did not pass on any liquids or solids but we were so thrilled to have a starting point! It was a very emotional appointment, with even the radiologist in tears. Charlie was SO excited to eat. So, we went home with permission to start doing a little bit of pudding-thick purees (a couple of ounces a day). We were nervous because we had the added issue of not knowing what kinds of foods he would tolerate since he has been on an elemental diet since he had so many issues with breast milk and he has never had anything other than his formula and breast milk in his entire life. So, we started with peas. All went well for the first week. Charlie loved eating and he would sit at the little toddler table we have and use a spoon. By the end of that week, however, we noticed his breathing was getting froggy and he was starting to cough. By the end of the second week, he was refusing oral foods and his cough was worse. We had another visit with the SLP, his airway wasn't clear and so he was taken back off of anything by mouth. I am bummed about this but I don't want to take any chances with him. His cough and breathing cleared up as soon as he stopped eating orally again. I think he is just not ready. It seems like it always two steps forward, one step back. It's tiring.
On a "step forward" note, though, we had a full developmental assessment done last week. Charlie is at age level or above in EVERY.ASSESSED.AREA. I had suspected this...I feel like his school has done wonders for his development (we've been so lucky with very good providers his whole life) and he has just exploded developmentally lately. He was late to say his first words (16 mos) but once he took off, my goodness, he has just been a chatterbox! This is another area that can be affected by not eating, so we are so relieved! The speech therapist estimated that he is close to 50 words and says that he will soon put two word combinations together. And just following that appointment, I was putting him to bed and told him I loved him and he said "love you." I was a little blown away and, as if he knew I wasn't sure if I heard correctly, he then signed it, repeated it verbally and then giggled when I started loudly cheering for him. I love that little boy.
The area of development I think I am most astonished by is his walking. Because he is on continuous feeds, he carries around a 2.5 lb backpack. He has been hauling this thing since he started crawling (before that, we carried it for him). Well, he is all of 18 lbs and carrying this little backpack around constantly. And it hasn't slowed him down in the least. It just goes to show--where there is a will, there is a way. I am learning every day not to ever think my children can't do something...they remind me all the time of all the things they CAN do.
Just for stats, at 18 mos Charlie is:
18 lbs
29 inches
Wearing a size 3 diaper
Wearing 6-12 mo clothes
Has the tiniest little miniature feet ever
Is still not sleeping through the night, or on his own. :-)
Threads and Stitches
Since getting my new sewing machine, I've moved on from only making Charlie's pajamas tube accessible and have been teaching myself to sew! I've been having so much fun! Although I don't have any little girls, I've found that sewing girl stuff is so much more fun than boy stuff. So, I've been making a lot of little dresses but have recently done a pair of pajama pants for Jack (and I hope to make him several pairs). My biggest passion though is in making tube-accessible clothing. So, I've been working on making little dresses that are tube-accessible. Here is a picture of one of my creations:
And another (this one has two access points--at the tummy under the skirt for easy access to a button and in the skirt to run extension tubing out without pulling up the skirt):
One of the by-products of sewing is this: I am an impatient person. I am generally a hurry-through-it, get-it-done kind of girl. This doesn't always serve me well. Sewing is not something you can hurry through and get good results. So, I am finding that sewing is teaching me a much needed lesson in slowing down, taking time to do things right, and enjoying the process as much as the result.
And another (this one has two access points--at the tummy under the skirt for easy access to a button and in the skirt to run extension tubing out without pulling up the skirt):
One of the by-products of sewing is this: I am an impatient person. I am generally a hurry-through-it, get-it-done kind of girl. This doesn't always serve me well. Sewing is not something you can hurry through and get good results. So, I am finding that sewing is teaching me a much needed lesson in slowing down, taking time to do things right, and enjoying the process as much as the result.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Spring!
Spring has finally arrived! We may have a lot of rain all of the time in the winter but our summers are spectacular and, when it peeks through, so is Spring. We have three trees in our front yard that, in aggregate, form a large canopy of branches covering the better part of the yard. Since we moved in January, we had no idea what the tree would look like fully dressed. Imagine our surprise when we received this unexpected gift last week:
It turns out the gnarled branches are a cherry blossom tree! I was so excited! I know it is fleeting but I am soaking up every minute of waking up and seeing those beautiful flowers filling my window.
The boys took a later nap today so we took advantage of the late afternoon and played outside. They had such a good time playing in the grass. A hard part of Oregon with small kids is the lack of ability to spend a lot of time outdoors in the winter.
Charlie has had little to no experience in the grass and he just LOVED it.
Jack has been on strike from the camera lately. Today, he was so drunk with the experience of being outside that he let me take his picture. :-)
It was one of those perfect days. Even this evening, when we were making dinner and chaos reigned...Charlie was squealing, Jack was pestering...Jared was disciplining...I had this acute moment of feeling like this is it, this is what I've always wanted, this is exactlywhere I am meant to be.
It turns out the gnarled branches are a cherry blossom tree! I was so excited! I know it is fleeting but I am soaking up every minute of waking up and seeing those beautiful flowers filling my window.
The boys took a later nap today so we took advantage of the late afternoon and played outside. They had such a good time playing in the grass. A hard part of Oregon with small kids is the lack of ability to spend a lot of time outdoors in the winter.
Charlie has had little to no experience in the grass and he just LOVED it.
Jack has been on strike from the camera lately. Today, he was so drunk with the experience of being outside that he let me take his picture. :-)
It was one of those perfect days. Even this evening, when we were making dinner and chaos reigned...Charlie was squealing, Jack was pestering...Jared was disciplining...I had this acute moment of feeling like this is it, this is what I've always wanted, this is exactlywhere I am meant to be.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tubie Pajamas
Here is what I've been up to today...
Making these...
Here is an "inside" view:
For most, this probably doesn't look all that exciting (and no, I didn't actually sew pajamas...those are courtesy of Carters). For me, this is VERY exciting. Since Charlie got his g-tube, he hasn't been able to wear zippered pj's or one-piece outfits because there is no spot to run his tubing out of. Not a big deal when you can buy snap-front pj's and just avoid one piece things. However, apparently, they don't make a whole lot of snap pj's in sizes larger than 6-9 mos and Charlie is approaching the point where he is outgrowing the 9 mo pj's. This has been vexing me...because of the tube and his age, two piece pajamas aren't ideal. Then I saw someone selling pj's with a plastic grommet (think the round holes in certain draperies) inserted creating a (large) hole to accomodate tubes. I thought that was a great idea except the hole was pretty big and it was inflexible plastic. My in-laws then suggested button holes and reminded me I had a sewing machine that did buttonholes. So, last night, I hauled out the machine. I should add here that I am a (less than) beginner sewer. After struggling to get the thing threaded, I followed every direction to make the buttonholes and...nothing. It just didn't work. I called my mother this morning who helped me troubleshoot as best she could from the phone and then suggested I take my machine into a sewing store. I did and promptly learned that despite my lack of skills, my machine was actually not working. I also learned it was a pretty bad machine and probably not worth the cost to fix it. Then, after explaining what I was trying to accomplish, the woman helping me told me she had a tube-fed granddaughter! So, we set about making buttonholes on all kinds of machines and quickly learned that most machines will not make holes big enough to thread the tubing with the clamp through without considerable struggle. Which landed me in front of a very nice, pretty expensive machine that could make buttonholes of pretty much any size. So...after negotiating the price and the store also taking my machine as a trade in (they wound up only offering me $50 less than the price I paid for it 4 years ago!), I took home the awesome new sewing machine that probably does way more than I will ever need it to. Oh--and I got an embroidery machine in the deal. So...I got home, set it up and in no time at all, had retrofitted all of Jack's old 12-mo pj's into tubie pj's!
I am thinking of selling them to other parents in our situation. I understand now why the grommet worked--because most machines won't make a buttonhole big enough to accomodate the tubing. But, I like how discreet and soft these are.
So, I am pretty excited now and also excited to try out my embroidery machine. Not sure how much monogramming I need but it should be fun!
Making these...
Here is an "inside" view:
For most, this probably doesn't look all that exciting (and no, I didn't actually sew pajamas...those are courtesy of Carters). For me, this is VERY exciting. Since Charlie got his g-tube, he hasn't been able to wear zippered pj's or one-piece outfits because there is no spot to run his tubing out of. Not a big deal when you can buy snap-front pj's and just avoid one piece things. However, apparently, they don't make a whole lot of snap pj's in sizes larger than 6-9 mos and Charlie is approaching the point where he is outgrowing the 9 mo pj's. This has been vexing me...because of the tube and his age, two piece pajamas aren't ideal. Then I saw someone selling pj's with a plastic grommet (think the round holes in certain draperies) inserted creating a (large) hole to accomodate tubes. I thought that was a great idea except the hole was pretty big and it was inflexible plastic. My in-laws then suggested button holes and reminded me I had a sewing machine that did buttonholes. So, last night, I hauled out the machine. I should add here that I am a (less than) beginner sewer. After struggling to get the thing threaded, I followed every direction to make the buttonholes and...nothing. It just didn't work. I called my mother this morning who helped me troubleshoot as best she could from the phone and then suggested I take my machine into a sewing store. I did and promptly learned that despite my lack of skills, my machine was actually not working. I also learned it was a pretty bad machine and probably not worth the cost to fix it. Then, after explaining what I was trying to accomplish, the woman helping me told me she had a tube-fed granddaughter! So, we set about making buttonholes on all kinds of machines and quickly learned that most machines will not make holes big enough to thread the tubing with the clamp through without considerable struggle. Which landed me in front of a very nice, pretty expensive machine that could make buttonholes of pretty much any size. So...after negotiating the price and the store also taking my machine as a trade in (they wound up only offering me $50 less than the price I paid for it 4 years ago!), I took home the awesome new sewing machine that probably does way more than I will ever need it to. Oh--and I got an embroidery machine in the deal. So...I got home, set it up and in no time at all, had retrofitted all of Jack's old 12-mo pj's into tubie pj's!
I am thinking of selling them to other parents in our situation. I understand now why the grommet worked--because most machines won't make a buttonhole big enough to accomodate the tubing. But, I like how discreet and soft these are.
So, I am pretty excited now and also excited to try out my embroidery machine. Not sure how much monogramming I need but it should be fun!
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