Colton HaHa!

Pretty happy for a boy who can't breathe! He gives us so much joy with his little smiles and coos. That makes every tough day VERY worthwhile.
Here are the updates from the appointment with the occupational therapist; ear nose and throat specialist; and pediatrician today.
Occupational Therapist:
We went to see the occupational therapist a week or so ago. Her name is Erin and she is wonderful. We are so glad we went, especially since we had no idea what to expect. She taught us how to work around Colton's special needs. She showed us some feeding techniques to help him with his suck, swallow, breathe reflexes. She also gave us a couple of optimal holds that will help prevent "pooling" of milk in his throat and minimize the possibility that he will inhale the milk and possibly contract pneumonia. She also gave us these little disposable hospital bottles (that we will actually wash and reuse) that will help with the flow of the milk. They are smaller so they show in milliliters exactly how much he is eating (since the regular bottles only show ounces and it often seems he isn't getting anything. We continue to add the rice cereal but don't really see much difference either way. I'm still pumping so he is getting my milk every day too which hopefully will help give him the antibodies he needs to ward off any illness. She also said he is exhibiting developmental milestones that they look for in 6 month olds. Our boy is a smartie!
ENT:
Went to ear, nose and throat doc again yesterday. He says we just have to close our ears and tune out Colton's noises b/c there isn't much to be done. He says he does not think it warrants surgery - we just have to focus on the eating and ensure he is gaining weight. He said Colton not only has struggles eating, he burns more calories b/c of the effort he puts into it. He mentioned an option prior to surgery of a feeding tube at night while he sleeps. I'm not quite sure how that would work but I'm not even considering it, just hoping we won't get to that point. The main thing is that he confirmed our pediatrician's statements which is what we wanted. Also, he told us that it is a bit optimistic to think he will grow out of this by age 1. He thinks Colton will grow out of it by age 4. Clark and I were both really glad to know this so that we don't panic if he reaches one year old and still gasps/squeaks.
Pediatrician:
Went to pediatrician today. Colton gained weight - he is now 9lbs13oz. That is a 7oz weight gain in about 12 days. Doc says that is good but not great and we still have to watch him. Doc says he is gaining the bare minimum of what is acceptable and we'd like him to gain more. Unfortunately, even though he gained weight, he went back down to the 4th percentile in weight. Head circumference stayed at 10th percentile and height was up to 24th percentile. The most important thing is that the head continues to grow. He doesn't want us to change anything (trust me, I asked) and we will go back in two weeks for another weigh in and 3 month check up and immunizations. Can you believe he is already 3 months! Doc says our ENT was too pessimistic and this shouldn't last until he is 4 years old - he should grow out of it by 1 year. We will just take one day at a time.

Thank you so much for all your prayers - we'll keep you posted. Let's focus on the good things for now - the adorable, cutie pie boy that gives Clark and I so much joy. We truly appreciate you all being on this journey with us. We love our friends and family!