Flavor of the day

Since her esophagus does not connect to her stomach, Eloise can't eat anything. So all she ever gets in her mouth is the stinking replogle tube, and occasionally a sponge. This girl is going to have to hike a long road to eating orally, or learning that its okay to put food in her mouth.

But what she can have is Chapstick.

Today I had the brainwave of giving her every flavor imaginable of Chapstick. I took the three ladies at home and let them all choose a flavor for their new sister. What fun we had :). I bought almost every kind. Cotton candy. Tropical fruit. Wild berry. Chocolate. Jolly rancher. Skittles. I bought enough Lip Smackers to shame an enthusiastic thirteen-year-old. And you know what? We tried watermelon with Eloise tonight. Her eyes focused, she opened her mouth for more, and even cautiously licked it a couple times.

When life gets as complicated, heartbreaking, and as difficult as it is right now for me, I will grab happy moments with both hands, whatever flavor it happens to come in.