Blender Marathons

Somedays I spend more time with the Vitamix than with my baby and husband.  I don't like those days, the dreaded "food marathon" days.  We are still working out our routine for what food is fed on which days so things have been a little crazy.  It has also been hard to solidify our "food marathon" schedule.  The original plan was to make a week's worth of food at the beginning of the week.  But, I usually go to Whole Foods toward the end of the week and want to blend everything while it is still fresh and I can guarantee that it won't go bad.  So, Thursday or Friday usually end up being "the" day.  Or both, as in this week.  I should count the hours I spend preparing and blending his feeds so I can better plan it into the week (and on a day when Mark is home and can help), but I haven't gotten that advanced yet.

As we increase James' feeds things are getting a bit more complicated, although I think I finally have a pattern going.  I had to make sure with his two different menus (we rotate every other day) that he was getting protein, starch, vegetables, and fruit each day, as well as the same amount of calories.  The half feed (James has 2 full blended feeds and one half while the rest of his calories are from one and a half feeds of breastmilk) threw me for a loop as I had to make sure that, when we double it, in the long run, it will also work (I forgot I could only use .5 tsp olive oil in a half feed - bummer!).  I think we finally have a new working menu (leaving out the "fillers" and "liquids"):

Day 1	572.5	calories
	Prune	Banana
	Quinoa	Carrot	Avocado
	Lamb	Cauliflower
Day 2	570	calories
	Peaches	Oatmeal
	Carrot	Sweet Potato
	Chicken	Green Bean

The original goal caloric intake was 550 calories, but now I have bumped it to 570.  He is gaining weight well, but it wouldn't hurt him to increase his weight gain a bit.  It is much easier to get higher caloric content in James now as we increase the blended feeds.

It has been an exhausting day.  I made his peaches and oatmeal, chicken and green bean, and (a bonus, in case we run out of anything) avocado and oatmeal meals today.  The freezer is looking better stocked, although it is a little out of control.

As 9 o'clock approached and I was still measuring and blending I got a bit discouraged.  But, God knew I would need an extra boost tonight.  Today in Whole Foods, as I exasperatedly searched for organic prunes which were nowhere to be found (substitute in plums!), a little boy walked up to James and said "Hi, baby!"  I didn't pay too much attention as he walked away and I was still searching for those elusive prunes, but he came back and said "Hi, baby!" again.  This time I started talking to him.  He looked like he was 6 and he was a very friendly little boy.  I wasn't sure at first, but I realized he had Downs Syndrome.  He said hi to both of us, took my grocery list and showed his mother.  Then he came back and gave me a big hug and didn't let go.  It was one of those "everything is going to be alright, Teresa" moments.  God knew that, as I was pulling my hair out trying to get the chunks out of that chicken mixture, the memory of that hug would stay with me and keep me going.  James is going to grow, be healthy, and learn to eat on his own and the time I take to mix these good meals for him will help him to be that normal kid, walking through the grocery store, saying "hi" to strangers, making someone's day.  He already has a big impact on strangers who smile at his happy expressions or stop to talk with him, I can't imagine what a heartbreaker he will be.

I didn't tell his mother that my baby has Downs Syndrome as well.  It was one of those "what do I do?" moments.  I wanted to treat that little boy as I would any other little boy that came up to me in the grocery store.  And I am at peace with my decision to not comment on the Downs, even though my comment would have been positive and relational.  I didn't see a little boy with Downs Syndrome, I saw a little boy that made my day.