So, I know it seems out of the blue since I haven't mentioned it until now, but Lu started a trial of bubble gum this week.

Her psychologist really felt that we needed to try and get something that Lu could "eat" in an effort to ease some of her anger about the fact she can't have food, as well as to help with some of the oral cravings that Lucy may be having. The hope is that the gum will make Lucy a little happier and stop her from stealing food so much.

Things are actually going really well so far. Its been a trial and error process to try and teach a 4 year old how to "handle" gum. So far we've cut some out of her hair, removed some from her shirt, given warnings not to swallow it, and issued out the rule that the gum MUST stay in her mouth. She's got the hang of it now, even taking the gum out of her mouth when she sips water.

It seems shes tolerating it well also. The only thing we have to watch out for is that its sugar free and that it doesn't contain certain allergens. One particular brand had a warning about soy and as it turns out we needed the warning! So far, all the other types we've tried have worked out fine.

Lucy LOVES the gum!! Its opened up a whole world of flavors for her. She loves picking out her gum at the store. Its such a huge luxury for her!!! I hope we get to keep it!

Things are also moving along pretty well with her feedings. We got word from her nutritionist that we have a goal rate of 68 cc's/hr during the day and 58 cc's/hr during the night. Lucy is currently at 58 during the day and 48 at night, so we have a good 10 cc's an hour to go before we've reached our goal. I don't know if she'll make it there or not. She's had quite a bit of pelvic distention since we began using the GJ tube, and it only seems to increase as we speed up her feedings. We also are seeing some signs that she is moving formula backwards into her stomach on occasion.

Either way, we are still seeing tremendous benefits to the GJ tube so far. Her energy levels and mood are greatly improved and we can already see that she's put on some weight!