Girls are not like boys

The teen girls at the house are very different from the boys. If there is anything that the girls are able to do...they will do it themselves. The boys will have you do it for them!
In the house this week are four girls for the girls teen weekend. There is Maggie, McKenna, Kirsten, and Juliana.

There is also Conner. Conner is a 3 year old boy from the Interior who is in the house (and Children's) as they try and figure what is happening with his tummy. He is having difficulty digesting any food he receives. Right now he gets ALL of his nourishment by way of intravenous lipids and proteins. I got to sit with Conner and we watched the hockey game. Some of the discomfort Conner is feeling is due to him swallowing a lot of air and his stomach is filling up with it. Every ten minutes or so he becomes really uncomfortable and the nurse will "depressurise" him by sucking out the air through his tummy tube with a syringe--anywhere between 100 to 200 cc of air each time. He also farts! When I sat down with him tucking his legs up with one hand and supporting him from underneath with the other he let one rip as a way of introduction.
Conner's mum, dad, and sister are all in the house and have been in town for a number of weeks. He also has a brother who is staying closer to home and being looked after by somebody else. His sister can do her school work while she is here. There is a full time teacher that looks after the kids and their siblings while they are away from home.
Conner's dad came by to sit with him. We all watched the hockey game and talked a little. Dad said some nice things about what we do as volunteers and how important we are...how important the house is...to everybody that needs the help. The house isn't just for the kids. It is for the kids and their whole families. Parents get a break from doing all the work that is needed to keep their children comfortable, or for that matter, alive. When they are at the house they can concentrate on simply loving their babies, or taking a break.