Aiden's Omphalocele

Another Surgery for Aiden

On Thursday August 13, 2015 we made a trip back to Jackson to Batson Children's Hospital to visit with the pediatric surgeon Dr. Berch. It almost seemed surreal to be back where things all began for Aiden. In fact it was exactly five years and one week to the day that Aiden's omphalocele closure surgeries were complete!
We had to go back to see Dr. Berch becauser Aiden's peg tube opening has not closed as it should since the feeding tube was removed. Many times once the tube is out there is a spontaneous closure and no stitches or surgery are needed. This has not been the case for Aiden. Since it was removed the hole has partially closed but not completely. It has continued to leak stomach contents and required a bandage to be worn for the past month. After talking with the surgeon, He explained that many patient's that have a feeding tube placed in infancy have to have surgery for closure. Since Aiden had the tube for several years, a well formed tract developed to his stomach where the feeding tube was placed. It is very hard for such a mature opening to spontaneously close once it has been present for so long.
We knew the words were coming..... but it made our hearts sink to hear that Aiden would once again have to be taken back to surgery. The feeding tube closure surgery was described to be a very simple procedure. They will have to staple the opening into the stomach closed and then suture the outer skin. We are not at all excited about ANOTHER surgery. I know how great the surgeon is that will be performing the procedure and that the surgery should be a very simple procedure. However, Aiden's abdominal organs are not placed exactly the same as everyone else. That makes any surgery involving these organs a little bit more tricky.
Please remember us in prayer as we head back to Jackson for the surgery Monday morning. There is extra sense of nervousness that we have just having to be back on the surgery floor at Batson. It brings back a flood of emotions that we have blocked out for several years now. I'm thankful knowing the hole will be closed and we no longer have to worry about a feeding tube. It's such a blessing that Aiden has progressed and healed so well from all that he has been through. I know without a doubt that God is watching over Aiden! Thanks in advanced to all our family and friends that will be praying for us. Your prayers have brought us through so much! We are richly blessed and grateful for all GOD has done and continues to do in our little miracle's life. Psalms 40:5, Joshua 1:9

GI associates appointment

We went to Jackson today for a big GI appointment. We are excited to say that it has been about six months since having to use Aiden's peg tube. He continues to grow and is charting at about the 10th percentile on the growth chart for his age. He weighs 34.6 lbs and is 43.5 inches tall. We saw the nurse practitioner today and she feels that Aiden is ready to have his tube removed. He continues to show growth without the need for tube feedings. The NP will be sending the notes to Dr. Shannon for her to decide if she will be the one to remove it or the surgeon at UMC. We are so excited. Aiden is so happy and proud! He enjoyed a special ice cream treat today for such good news. We have worked really hard to get to this point with his eating. We are so thankful to God for each step he has carried us along this journey with Aiden. We appreciate each and every prayer for Aiden since his birth. We also want to give special thanks to Melissa at Kids spot. We never could have gotten Aiden to eat and weaned off the tube without your outstanding therapy!! We can never thank you enough!!

Love and God Bless,

The Clemmons family

Aiden's progress

I have not posted any updates in a while, I can't believe it is less than 2 months until Aiden will be four years old! We are excited to share that Aiden has gained a pound in two weeks without us having to use his feeding tube except for a couple times! We are super excited about his progress this week!

Over the past several months Aiden has begin to explore more foods and textures. He has started to willingly try new foods we introduce without hesitation. Aiden has really expanded the variety of foods he likes and will eat. He is still very picky but we are making progress!!

Over the past month Aiden has become very interested in his tube. He is asking a lot of questions about it. He has finally recognized that no one else including his parents and friends at school has a "tube." He is very aware of his tube now and does not like us to mess with it. This has made using it very hard. In some ways this is good, because he would rather drink his high calorie drink rather than getting it put through his feeding tube! He is now only having to drink 2 cans of Pediasure a day, the rest of his calories come from food he eats! This is very exciting. We still are working toward a goal of being able to remove his tube! We are hopeful that he will continue eating well. As he begins to show significant weight gain without use of his feeding tube for a period of time, we hope the tube can come out!! The weight gain this week with minimal use of his feeding tube is definitely a step in the right direction!

We recently witnessed a conversation between Aiden & his cousins concerning belly buttons. While his cousins discussed "innies vs. outies" he proceeded to tell the he was a "none." While this made me smile, it did break my heart. I'm sure this is only the beginning of questions and concerns he will have regarding his beautiful scars. I will always see them as beautiful and life saving, although I know he will not always see it that way. We are so thankful for all God is continuing to do in our lives. Aiden has endured many challenges throughout his four years of life. I never imagined all the life lessons Aiden would teach me through these challenges. This is just another realization that God has greater plans and purpose for our lives than we could ever perceive!! I look back on the first few months of Aiden's life with amazement. He has come a mighty long way from the baby in NICU swollen beyond belief, on a ventilator, with his intestines exposed. My thanks to God for only HE could perform such miracles!! I am richly blessed!!! Thank you once again to all who have prayed for our precious boy over these past four years. Continue to remember us as we try to reach our goal of Aiden being feeding tube free!!

A great doctors visit at last!!!

Today we traveled to Jackson for Aiden's GI check up. We received great news at his visit. We were overjoyed to learn that he gained over 2 lbs since his last visit in May!! Aiden now weighs 26.4lbs. He measures 36.5 inches tall. We are so excited!! For the first time since Aiden's surgeries he is back in the 5th percentile for weight on the growth chart! This is a milestone for us!!! After all the trips to the feeding therapist, countless hours of struggling with eating/tube feedings we are finally seeing some big results!!

We also must mention that Aiden was started on Periactin at our last visit to help stimulate his appetite. Although, we have struggled to notice any increased signs of hunger in Aiden. It seems to be helping! Aiden is currently only taking the medication once a day which is a lower dose than usually needed to see results.

Now that Aiden has shown this growth, Aiden's doctor is finally on board to let us back off on his supplemental feedings. Up until now, we have had to try and make sure Aiden received 4-5 cans of Pediasure per day. As you can imagine, this has really been keeping him full. His desire to eat by mouth on some days has been practically non-existent. Not to mention if he did not want the milk we were them forced to keep a busy 2 year old still for a tube feeding. We are very excited that we have finally got an okay to back off on the Pediasure! Aiden's therapist has insisted for months that she thought this would help us see an increase in his eating. We have FINALLY been given the Green light to try to let him get hungry! We pray this will help to increase his desire to eat some real food!! We also hope that this will be one more step toward us weaning completely away from the feeding tube!!

We are so thankful for all the prayers that have carried us through the many struggles with Aiden over the past Three Years!! Yes, I said three years. it is hard to fathom that at this time three years ago we were uncertain how things would be once our baby boy was born! There were so many questions to ponder, and scared does not even begin to describe the feelings Craig and I felt. On Sunday, we will celebrate Aiden's 3rd Birthday! We are so blessed with how far he has come. We are thankful for each Doctor, Nurse, and Therapist that has Cared for Aiden along the way. We have the most handsome little boy that is so full of life! He is our daily reminder of God unwavering grace! God is so good!! We could never praise Him enough for all He has done for Aiden and our family.

Aiden's progress on the growth chart!!

Eating so big! We sure hope he keeps it up!!

Christmas 2012

I know I have not updated in quite some time. Aiden has done very well since getting his second set of tubes in his ears. We have made it through the fall and start of winter with no ear infections!!! Aiden is really growing. We still rely on his tube for most of his nutritional needs. He is starting to explore more foods and is beginning to ask for particular foods he likes. Although, the amount of food he will eat by mouth is small. His favorite foods are pizza, spaghetti, and mashed potatoes. He also loves any kind of crackers. The speech therapist has determined that crackers are his "safe" food. He is most comfortable with crunchy textures. He takes very small "mouse bites" so we are working on bigger bites of foods now. Getting Aiden to eat is a very slow and sometimes frustrating process. We pray that we can soon begin to decrease the tube feedings and hope that he will then be more hungry. Hopefully then he will have more desire to eat. We are now working on potty training. Aiden is making progress and loves to wear his "BIG BOY" underwear.

Aiden in his new underwear! I was afraid the smallest size would still be to big but they fit!!!

Aiden had a blast this Christmas! He had so much fun with all the toys from Santa! His favorite two gifts were his basketball goal and John Deer Tractor from his Pop and Mimi! We also got to go visit his Nanny and Pawpaw in Florida. He was so excited to get to visit them!

Here are a few photos from the past few months and from Christmas.

Christmas 2012

John Deer Tractor and Boots! Making his Big Paw Paw Brock proud!

Aiden with his Stompeez from Nanny!

Playing with his Train from Santa!!

Aiden's 2nd Birthday!!!

We celebrated Aiden's 2nd birthday, July 21st with a Elmo and friends party! We had a few of Aiden's closest friends and family over for some backyard fun. He had a blast!!!

We can not believe it has already been two years since Aiden was born. We are still in awe of what all God has done for our special little boy. To think of where he was only two short years ago, really is a testament to God's powerful healing ability in our lives. We look at our little boy everyday and know we are blessed!!

Aiden is still stuggling with his weight, but he does not let being small slow him down! He is a rough and tough little boy. He loves to be outside, swim at his Mimi and Pop's pool, and play with his trucks. He also really loves books. We think he is going to be very smart ;) He has a big vocabulary and is starting to learn colors. He is growing taller but of course gaining weight is still an issue. Aiden is showing interest in a variety of new foods. He still is getting the majority of his daily nutritional needs through his tube. We pray he can eventually begin to take a higher quantity of solid foods and the tube will begin to be used less.

We are now preparing for Aiden's upcoming surgery on August 13th. We appreciate all of your prayers!

Aiden's new truck from Daddy and Momma.

Aiden in his new batman PJ's from his uncle Ryan. He also got him the mask. Aiden could not wait to put them on and be Batman!

Plans for Surgery

It has been several months since I have updated. Aiden has been sick on and off for the past three months with ear infections. Each time it leads to him having about a week long of either diarrhea or vomitting or both. He will not eat for a week each tome so this really hinders his feeding therapy. We also end up having to slow down his tube feedings and dilute his high calorie milk so that he can tolerate them without the sugars causing further diarrhea. Aiden now weighs between 20 and 21 lbs. Each time he begins to put on some ounces the cycle of stomach upset return. This is very frustrating for us as we really want him to gain weight! We are hoping that soon this will be resolved. The ENT doctors have finally determined that his tubes placed last October are no longer working properly. This is causing the fluid to build up in his ears leading to the infections. We are planning for Aiden to go back to surgery on August 13th for them to take out the old tubes and place new ones. We are hopeful that this will be successful in preventing Aiden from further infections. We hope that this is the only issue leading to the recent stomach problems and that they will resolve as well so Aiden can FINALLY put on a few pounds!!! Prayers are appreciated as Aiden goes for his ninth surgery since birth :(

21 months

It is hard for us to believe that Aiden is already 21 months old. In just three months we will be celebrating his 2nd birthday! He is growing so fast and learning so many new things! He is on the move and hardly ever slows down it seems. Aiden is constantly exploring and has now learned to climb! We are so thankful to report that for the past month we have not had to make one trip to the doctor! This is such a blessing for us because Aiden stayed sick most of the winter. We are so grateful to God for keeping Aiden well!!!

Aiden is showing lots of progress with his feeding therapy. He has finally learned that food is fun! He still does not eat a large amount but he is finally starting to explore new foods. Just this past week he ate almost all of his lunch one day at daycare. This is a major accomplishment for Aiden! He usually eats only a few bites. His progress is slow, but progress is progress! His favorite foods to eat are spaghetti, bananas, grapes, and crackers. For now we are still using his tube to supplement and maintain his weight. We are still doing bolus feedings through the tube and he is tolerating larger amounts of the formula now. This makes the tube feedings go quicker. This is a really good thing considering it is very hard to keep Aiden still long enough to do his feedings! Thankfully, Aiden has never pulled on or messed with his tube. He knows it is there but really just does not bother it, which is pretty amazing to me.

I'm amazed everyday at all Aiden has accomplished since coming into this world. He has already overcome so many obstacles! There is no doubt God has been with him and our family every step of the way. We are so blessed to serve an amazing Savior that never leaves or forsakes us! Thanks again to all those that have prayed for Aiden along the way. We are so thankful to each one of you for the love and support shown to our special little boy!

19 months

I'm so behind on posting an update, but this past month has been really busy for our family. Aiden has continued to struggle with ear infections. He also was sick with a stomach virus two times!! Two weeks ago his ear infection returned and his lymph nodes in his neck became very enlarged. It was very scary for us and painful for Aiden. Thankfully, we recognized this quickly and started back on antibiotics. We are so thankful that he is now better and FINALLY off all antibiotics! Praise God!! I pray that his ears stay well!

Aiden and Big Pawpaw at Christmas

We also have had two deaths in our family over the past month. Aiden lost his Great-Grandfather to Lou Gehrig's disease. He was a wonderful christian man that will be greatly missed! I'm so thankful that Aiden was able to enjoy time with him before he became ill. We will all cherish the time spent with Big Paw Paw and especially the pictures of him enjoying Aiden! We also lost a very special uncle this past week. Please keep our family in your prayers as we continue to grieve the loss of two special people!

On a brighter note, sickness has not kept Aiden down. He is walking really well now, and is starting to pick back up with his eating. He has tried several new foods recently and we are very excited with the progress he is making in therapy! We traveled to Jackson last Thursday for a check up with Aiden's surgeon. He received a great report...He has gained weight!!! He now weighs 18 lbs 7 oz. and is 31 inches long. The surgeon was pleased that he had gained almost a pound since his last visit despite being sick. We don't have to go back for a check up for 2 months this time!!! We are praying that Aiden is finally turning a corner with his battle to gain weight and is really going to fatten up! He is drinking more milk now and is tolerating bolus feedings well through his feeding tube. Aiden is learning so many new things! He has started to say several new words. He has also learned to count to three. He loves being outside, playing with his trucks/cars, dancing, singing, reading books, and riding in his wagon. We are so thankful for Aiden's progress!! Aiden has such a wonderful spirit about him. He is a little comedian and keeps us laughing! We are so grateful God blessed us with our special little miracle. Aiden continues to inspire us and is forever a reminder of what a AMAZING God we serve!

Aiden has his cars & trucks all lined up!

Being silly!

18 months

We can not believe that Aiden is now 18 months old!!! This month we are very excited that Aiden is finally starting to walk! He is just starting to get confident enough to take a few steps without holding our hands. He is so proud of himself and we are very proud of him too! He has become very inquisitive. He loves to play outside, ride his tractor, play with his trucks, and play ball. He also loves books. He just cut his 14th tooth!! Now if we can just get him to using them and eating that would be great! We are still relying mostly on his tube for nutrition. He now weighs 17lbs 9 oz. Which is not much more that what he weighed six weeks ago at his last visit in Jackson. His surgeon is starting to get concerned because he is still not growing fast enough. He does not like to drink his milk. The few foods he does like are crackers, cookies, bananas, and yogurt but only on occasion. Thankfully, Aiden is finally back in feeding therapy with a new speech therapist. She specializes in therapy for infants and children with feeding issues. She is wonderful! We have only had two visits with her but she has already given us tons of information and tips to help Aiden. Unfortunately, He has been sick for over six weeks with ear infections and this is continuing to hinder any progress with his therapy. He has been on two different oral antibiotics which always seem to upset his stomach. Thus, making it harder for him to gain any weight! We thought getting the tubes put in would help but that doesn't seem to be the case. Finally, this week the pediatrician decided to culture the drainage from his ears and we found out that he has a resistant type of infection in his ears that can be very serious. We are thankful to have finally figured out why all the antibiotics were not getting him well, but now he has to take an even stronger one. We are praying the new medication does not make him sick! We are so ready to get his ears well! Our surgeon in Jackson has referred Aiden to a pediatric ENT. This will be the next step if the new medication does not work. We would like to ask for prayer that Aiden can get well and we can get his weight up soon!!

Aiden pushing his tractor!

16 months

Aiden's Daycare Picture

Aiden is growing! He now weighs 17 lbs 2 oz. !! (He can finally wear 12 month clothes!) While this is still very small for his age it is a steady weight climb and we are thankful! Aiden is still struggling with feeding issues. He still eats very little real food or baby foods. He will take a bottle or drink from a cup sometimes, but we are still relying on the tube for most of the feedings. His pediatrician recently changed his formula which has also been an adjustment. Aiden was eating much better before his ear surgery. The surgery seems to have caused a set back. We also had to stop speech therapy due to insurance changes and the out of pocket expense. We are hopeful that we can get him back in speech therapy soon. He is undergoing evaluation and will hopefully start having therapy through the Early Intervention Program. This will be great because his speech therapist will come do therapy with Aiden at his daycare. Until then...we continue to offer Aiden any and everything that he shows interest in eating.

Aiden is very inquisitive and is getting into everything. He still likes to "booty scoot" as we call it. He is pulling up on any and everything and stands very well on his own now. He is still not walking yet. He will take 3-4 steps but that is all so far. He now has 10 teeth!!! He cut two new ones in the past week!! Aiden is a chatter box and loves to sing! He also likes trains and trucks. Aiden keeps us laughing and is the joy of our lives. We are so very blessed!!!

Playing in the leaves!

As Christmas time approaches, I am reminded of how sick Aiden was last Christmas. He was struggling to keep any of his feedings down. We are so thankful that he is no longer vomiting and struggling with reflux. Although he still has feeding issues...he is no longer miserable at feeding time. We continue to be blessed and thankful to God for everything he has brought Aiden through!!

October

Aiden really enjoyed Halloween this year! We attended a fall festival at our church instead of trick or treating. He loved all the activities and seeing the other kids. He is very sociable. His favorite thing about Halloween was the pumpkins. He loved them! Every time he saw one he would point and try to say "pumpkin." Here are a few pictures from Halloween and our trip to the pumpkin patch.

14 months

Aiden has had a busy past couple of months. Aiden started daycare in August and that was a big adjustment. He really has enjoyed meeting his new friends. He loves his teachers and for the most part has adjusted really well. Aiden has learned so many new things in the two months since he started daycare. He is really trying hard to learn to walk. He can stand well on his own and has taken a few steps on his own! Just this week he has learned to pull up. Aiden has also learned to scoot on his bottom. It is so funny to see him scooting around! Although he has crawled a few times he would much rather sit up and scoot around. We have had a few set backs with his weight since August. He got a stomach virus only two weeks after starting daycare and although we maintained his feedings through the tube, he still lost 1/2 a pound. Then two weeks after getting the stomach virus Aiden got bronchitis and ear infection in both ears. We have been treating the ear infection for two months and still are struggling with ear aches and fevers. The continued infections have made feeding a struggle. Aiden has good days and bad days with eating. When he is not feeling good he refuses to eat anything and will not take a bottle. We are very thankful to have his tube during these times. Prior to the stomach virus he was really doing well with eating baby foods and some table foods but since then he has not shown as much interest. We continue to struggle with getting him to eat. He has not been as receptive to his therapy and we just hope once he is feeling better he will begin to eat better. Despite the struggle with eating Aiden has gained back the weight he lost He is still well under weight and will probably continue to be for a while.

Over the past few weeks the ear doctor and pediatrician decided that since he has not improved despite several different antibiotics that he needs tubes. His surgery is scheduled for in the morning. Since Wednesday, Aiden has been running fever and struggling with ear pain again. We are hoping we can keep his fever down so that he can have the surgery in the morning. We really hope he can get the tubes and that they will help!

Roll Tide! Aiden loves football :)

Aiden's First Birthday

On July 21st Aiden celebrated his first birthday!! We had his party last Sat., July 23rd at our house with all of our family and a few close friends. The theme of the party was Mickey Mouse, which is Aiden's favorite cartoon. He had so much fun playing with his cousins. It was such a blessing to celebrate such a special day and reflect on what a difference a year can make. This time last year, Aiden was just finishing his fourth surgery. His abdomen was not even closed yet and he was really going through his toughest days. We praise God that now he is doing great!!!

Aiden now weighs almost 15 lbs and is 28 inches long! He can stand well with minimal support but is still trying to learn to walk. He is almost crawling and getting much more comfortable on his belly. He loves books, to play ball, and being outside. He also loves to swim at his Mimi and Pop's pool. He is very inquisitive and points at everything he sees. He is still in therapy to help with his oral aversion. The therapy is really helping! In the past week, Aiden has started to eat more baby foods. His favorite are green peas, sweet potatoes, and apples. He also loves any of the puffs that he can feed himself. We are still working on teaching him to drink from a sippy cup but for now he is mostly still taking all bottles. He has been taking more of the bottles by mouth and we are not having to use his tube quite as much. Another big change is that we have just enrolled Aiden in daycare. He will be attending the First Methodist Early Learning Center. They have had a few other children with special health issues and even previous experience with tube feeding a child. We are anxious about this change for Aiden but we think he will learn a lot being around other children his age. I'm very sad to leave him but know he will be in great hands. It has been a long, hard first year for Aiden but he made it through by the grace of our Mighty GOD! We are very thankful to all of our family and friends for their tremendous support throughout Aiden's first year of life.

Aiden playing ball at his party

Aiden's new favorite toy

11 months

On 6/21/11 Aiden was 11 months old. As I am writing this I can't believe that in just a few weeks my little baby will be a year old. I can't believe the year has went by so fast...it is surreal! Aiden is getting bigger and at the last doctors visit was over 14 lbs. On average he is now gaining about a pound a month! At this rate he should be within the 5th percentile on the growth chart before long. That is our goal! He now has 6 teeth and boy can he bite!! We are still using his tube to bolus every feeding. Aiden has started speech therapy to help him learn to eat. He is taking his bottle better and is learning to use a sippy cup! It is still a slow process in trying to get him to take any cereal or baby foods. It is not that he dislikes the foods he is just not receptive to having anything of texture in his mouth. Therapy has given us some new techniques and they are helping. Aiden can stand and can walk well in his walker but he is still not pulling up on his own. It will come in time I guess. He still scoots or rolls to get to where he wants to go. He has started to lay on his tummy but is still not interested in crawling. Everyday we are still so blessed by the progress Aiden has made. It is amazing how far he has come in a year. He is doing so much better than he was doing even 6 months ago. He is the happiest baby and most people that didn't know his story would never know he was any different. We still thank God everyday for his blessings of healing and love! Every time we look at Aiden we have a precious reminder of what a GREAT GOD WE SERVE!!!

Fetal Medicine Center Reunion at UMC

Aiden and Ms. Phyllis-one of the wonderful nurses at UMC

Last Saturday we attended the Center for Fetal Medicine Reunion in Jackson, MS. The Fetal Medicine Team was there for us from the start of Aiden's omphalocele diagnosis. The Center for Fetal Medicine was just getting off the ground when we found out that Aiden was going to be born with an omphalocele. We were one of the first few patients to go through the program and be treated by the Fetal Medicine team. We are thankful that Dr. Lietchy came to Mississippi and started such a wonderful program. All the doctors and nurses were so wonderful throughout Aiden's journey over the past year and we can't thank them enough for being there for us. The state of Mississippi is lucky to have such a great program! It was so great to take Aiden back to visit with all the nurses and doctors that have cared for him along the way. We appreciate all they have done for our precious little boy.

Aiden and his buddy Carter

Two of God's precious miracles!!

(They were born about a month apart and were in the NICU together. We hope they are lifelong friends.)

Aiden's first beach trip

Aiden's first time at the beach was so much fun!

He loved playing in the sand! He was a little bit scared of the waves and ocean but he loved the pool.

10 months

Showing off his new teeth!

Aiden is now 10 months old. He weighs over 13 lbs and is growing well! Unfortunately, due to his teething we have had a slight set back with his feedings. We are still using his feeding tube every feeding. He does not like feeding time at all. He has been taking less of his bottles and does not show any interest in his baby food. We have tried getting him to take a sippy cup but it only makes him gag. Which is a whole other issue. We are so thankful he has the feeding tube and we are hoping that this is only a minor set back.
Aiden is still not crawling but has learned to scoot and roll until he gets to where he wants to go. He is standing well with assistance and loves walking around in his walker. He also loves to "talk" on the phone to his Nanny. Just this week he has learned how to catch and roll his ball. This is his new favorite game. We are amazed everyday that we look at our precious boy. He has already overcome so many obstacles in his short life. We are so very blessed!

9 Months

Our little Aiden is now nine months old! We took him back to the doctor in Jackson last Thursday and he is finally starting to put on some weight! He is up to almost 12 lbs!!!! The weight gain has really made him stronger. He is now finally beginning to sit up on his own! Aiden has become a little chatter box and he can now say Momma, Daddy, Bye, Hi, and Ba (which is his word for bottle). It seems like he learns a new word every week! Over the past month Aiden has cut two teeth. He is finally starting to show a little interest in baby food and we finally found a few things he likes (peaches, mashed potatoes, and carrots). As for the tube feedings... We still have to use the tube each feeding because most of the time he will not finish the full bottle. Thankfully, we have the feeding tube because it is helping him grow, but it looks like he may have it for a long time. Using the feeding tube has become pretty normal to us now and Aiden is used to it too. However, he is becoming more aware of its presence and we do have to keep a watch on him during tube feedings because he loves to pull on the tube. Aiden is such a happy baby now and he loves to be outside! Aside from being smaller than most nine month olds you would never know what a hard six months he had. One thing is for sure....God has had a mighty healing hand on Aiden and we will forever praise Him for it! We are so blessed!!