OCH: Week 1

Well, Eli has been in the hospital at Our Children's House for one week now. We are finally more settled in to the routine now. The 7:30 am feeds are coming a bit easier and Eli actually told me today that he was hungry!!! We have our room all set up and it's pretty comfortable.

Ironically, Eli is sleeping on the queen-size air mattress and I'm in the hospital bed.... It's just more comfortable that way.

Eli has a pretty set schedule now. He has Feeding Therapy at 7:30 am, 11:00 am, 1:30 pm and 4:30 pm seven days a week, then Occupational Therapy at 9:30 am Monday-Friday, and Speech Therapy at 4:00 Monday-Friday. So far, feeding therapy is going really well! He has been eating applesauce now (about 3.5-4 ounces each time) and drinking Hemp milk in two sessions, then EleCare formula in 2 meals. We are working on transitioning completely to EleCare. This is what he is getting through his tube now, as well.

Eli actually ate some applesauce for us in the room a few nights ago!! This was the first time in about a year or more that he has actually eaten something other than go-gurt!!! We were SO excited!!!

They introduce new foods in Speech Therapy before introducing them in Feeding Therapy. They are still waiting for some things to be delivered. They are having a bit of a difficult time finding things that Eli can eat. But they do currently have Quinoa (a grain) that Eli can eat, so they are planning on introducing that this afternoon.

I am really impressed with the care they are taking to make sure that Eli does not have contact with foods he is allergic to. They have bought him his own blender and utensils to make sure there is no cross-contamination. He even has his own, personal feeding room that none of the other kids are allowed to use. Very pleased with the care they are taking!!

Between therapies, Eli has been having a really good time playing. He has been riding his scooter through the halls, which he is really enjoying!

A youth group from Odessa came to town for a Rangers game, but stopped by to play with the kids. Eli loved playing with the playdoh with them.... and all the attention!



Bizzy, the music therapist also stopped by. Eli had a BLAST with this! He loved dancing!


They have a great outdoor area that has been really nice. We've been able to escape out there several times and enjoy some fresh air!!

This week will be pretty busy for us. Eli has his first appointment with the GI group at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth. We are really excited about this and hopeful that they will agree to take Eli on as a patient. We had initially scheduled the appointment for a second opinion, but have since decided that we would prefer to find a new GI doctor, rather than keep the doctor in Lubbock.

We also have our first Care Conference on Wednesday. This is when we meet with the Psychologist, all the therapists, etc. to get feedback from them on how Eli is doing. We will also have the opportunity to ask them some questions.

There is a Parent's Lunch on Thursday that I am looking forward to. Supposedly, the food is really good! =) This is definitely something to be happy about!!!

Other than that, things seem to be going really well. Eli is making progress and we are very hopeful for GREAT things!

Thanks again for all the prayers and well wishes!

Oh, and I know several people are still asking for our address here at Our Children's House:

Elijah Rouse c/o
Our Children's House at Baylor
3301 Swiss Avenue, Room 121
Dallas, Texas 75204