Sonia's PEG feeding tube has opened another world of food prep for most of us here. We have some pretty decent culinary skills in the family, and now we’ve added another one—making meals for mom that are processed in a blender.

Mom was sent home with a preparation guide for a commercial adult formula, but also with recipes for “real” food. We’ve now started her on the latter, using a combo of egg whites, squash, banana, bread, a little oil, and water. She’s tolerating it well, so far. Everything is liquefied in a blender and strained to make sure the meals do not clog up the tube. She’s loading up on her calories so that her frame fills out, and also so that she gets the full nutrient load and the full benefits of her meds. Feeding happens five times a day, four hours apart, starting at 5am. 😳😴 This is why we’re all still exhausted, especially mom—she can’t be lying flat on her back when she eats because she might regurgitate the food, increasing her risk for aspiration once again. So, we wake her up and transfer her to a chair. We are so looking forward to getting her back to three meals a day. 😊