Button button, who has the button?

I thought I would just record what happened this morning so that on those days when my kids are all grown and I’m feeling all sad, and wishing I had more babies, I can read this, and feel the “joy” of the early morning feedings. 

So, some background.

Bogey is still being fed 99% via g-tube.  We’ve graduated from constantly running the formula through an automatic pump, to gravity feeds every three hours, which is where we pour the formula into a 60 oz. syringe and let it flow through the extension tube which is hooked into his button.  The button is what was surgically placed back in April when he was 3 weeks old.  It has a tube that goes directly into his stomach.

 

 

(Button)

(Syringe and Extension tube)

 

On occasion, that button has come out.  Just back before Christmas, Gimme was holding Bogey and had her arm under the button, and when she stood up, that button popped out.  She didn’t realize it until I panicked when I saw the button lying on the floor! 

Usually, Ace is the one who replaces the button, and I’m in the corner taking deep breaths through my nose (out through my mouth), trying to keep my lunch down.  Let’s just say, I’d NEVER make it in the medical field.  Anyway, Ace was gone, I couldn’t get the button in, despite my best efforts (between gags)…long story short, we ended up in the ER getting that thing forced in.  There was blood…ew…never mind.  That’s enough.  

Back to this morning.

I was sleeping super good (as in, for the first time in 8 years, I didn’t wake up when one of the kids was crying.  Double Bogey woke up screaming.  Ace got up, got him a bottle and got him back to sleep, and I had no idea…because I was out…).  My alarm rang at 6 a.m. alerting me that it was time for Bogey to be fed.  I got up as usual, got the bottle, syringe, and extension tube ready to go.  I got little Mr. Sleepy all situated in my bed so I could feed him in comfort. 

For lighting and alertness purposes, I had my phone out, and I was doing a word search.  I poured in the first two ounces, and started searching for  “aggressive” or “feasible” etc.  It’s important to note that I’ve achieved some pretty impressive records on the word search app, and this morning, I didn’t want that to change.  So as I waited for the formula to drain through the 1 cm hole in my sons stomach, I was focused, determined, and intent on improving my time.

At this moment, I realized that Bogey (bless his heart), was awake and actively gumming the extension tube, which was dripping into the button that Bogey was currently holding in his hand, as the liquid was pouring out onto the pillows and sheets.   Somewhere in my list of 40 words (about 30 still to be found) I lost track of the task at hand.  Bogey had pulled his button all the way out, and so everything that I had given him up to that point was now leaking out of the hole in his stomach (too graphic??  Sorry.) 

With my cat-like reflexes, I leapt off the bed, sloshing the remainder of the uncovered bottle contents all over whatever parts of the bed that were still dry.  Amazingly enough, there was still some formula left in bottle, and I knew I couldn’t be running through the house with the stuff because I didn’t want it all over the carpet we just got cleaned.  So I just set the bottle down and grabbed the necessary supplies to replace the button. 

If you are wondering if Ace was awake at this point, yes he was.  I don’t know if it was my gasp or the seeping formula on his pillow (I had Bogey lying in the middle of the bed, and it just so happened that he sort of turned more onto Ace’s side) that awoke him, but either way, he knew he had a job to do.  I tossed him the equipment and he easily slid the button back in. I then realized that either on the way out or on the way back into the bedroom, I had kicked the bottle over, and there was formula splattered all over the professionally cleaned carpet.  Like I said before, cat-like reflexes.   Needless to say, I had to start all over on the bottle, and there was no going back to sleep (um, soggy sheets?  Yes. We had those.)  Double Bogey was up and at ‘em shortly after Ace left for work , and it was past time to get the kids up and rushed to school. 

 

Oh…are you wondering what Bogey was doing the whole time?  Um, he looked a lot like this:

 

Little stinker.