Yummy yummy!

For the last 3 weeks, Arabella's had nothing obstructing her face. It's made such a difference. On top of that, it feels incredible to be able to pick her up without any long tubes or cords. It's like we've all been set free! 

Just look at this picture taken before her surgery...

I can't believe that's the same Bella we see today.

Now she can roll around all she wants, without us worrying about her getting tangled or caught on anything. 

She loves this new-found freedom. There are no more chains to hold her down!

And it's been well over a month since Arabella's g-tube surgery. Before the procedure, she didn't want to eat anything. She would barely lick the spoon, and then she would immediately turn her head away. Her body language would speak volumes. 

Water or juice was out of the question. Every type of food or drink that she took by mouth caused her to gag, retch, and throw up. Eating was not fun. Eating meant pain and discomfort. 

The experts called it a 'feeding aversion', and we wondered how long it would last. They blamed it on reflux. They blamed it on a milk intolerance. They blamed it on the NG tube that was constantly around her throat. They blamed it on her prematurity and all the procedures she went through.

I'm excited to say that we can finally put all of that behind us...

Here's Arabella enjoying some tasty mashed avocado. She enjoys it so much that she sticks her tongue out when she knows it's coming. 

She really likes yogourt...

We give her the spoon and she has a great time. Food is slowly becoming enjoyable - and it makes us so happy to watch her do the most simple things. 

It's like we have a new child in the house!

Here she is munching on some baby crackers...

And even some salami 😂

We've been told to slowly expose her to everything. Arabella will try anything these days, and she'll smack her mouth and lips when she sees Kiera and I eating in the kitchen. So now we all try to eat together, as a family.

Arabella's even started to drink from a sippy-cup. She's discovering a whole different world of tastes and textures. And now that eating has become pleasurable again, we can only hope she continues to eat more and more, so that eventually we can cut back on her formula feeds.

Bella's fed primarily through the g-tube. That's how we ensure she gets enough calories and nutrition. But as she continues to eat more and more, we'll slowly be able to substitute a few real-food meals for formula.

In the coming weeks we'll also be working with a nutritionist to develop a plan for a puree diet that we can hopefully give to Bella through her g-tube. I can only imagine how much bigger and stronger she'll get once we start to give her portions of real food!

The future is so bright for this little one - and just in time for the sunshine. Better get your sun hats out!