Washing Feet: An Example of Service or Something More?

Jesus Washing Peter's Feet by Ford Madox Brown 1852-6 So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. - John 13:2-5 Today, in 2024 A.D., we don't give much thought to these few sentences. The impact of the activity of Jesus is lost on us because a) We wear shoes everywhere. Many of us even have "inside shoes" and "outside shoes". b) The Church's liturgy (as popularly practiced) often misses or lessens the importance of this event (pro tip: it's not simply Jesus giving and example of serving others). Contrary to what we see in the movies, the roads in the time of Jesus weren't all covered in perfectly placed cobblestones or silky, fine dust. If r

Day 8

Catherine woke up this morning more grouchy than usual, most likely hungry and thirsty. I gave her 3 oz. of water with her prevacid and she perked up a little. Then we went down to have breakfast and she licked her peanut butter cracker for a little bit and then I offered her some of my oatmeal on my finger and to my surprise she took it, and then 3 more tastes! This is good because it's a different texture than what she was eating (creamy vs. crunchy) and it has little lumps in it. Normally this might pose a problem to a child who isn't used to this type of texture, but she didn't seem to mind at all.

When we got to the first appointment, she seemed pretty tired and cried immediately when I put her in the high chair. So, I didn't think things would go very well. So I got her out and put her in my lap for a bit. After she calmed down I put her back in the high chair and she was fine. She licked her peanut butter cracker, a potato straw and ate some more oatmeal. When she tired of that, we put her down on the floor on a blanket and she ate some more oatmeal. She let me put some of the tastes in her mouth, but she mostly let me put it on her finger and then she would lick it off. Because she was so tired and sluggish, we are now giving her one ounce of her blenderized diet with her water during the day and keeping the one full tube feed at bed time. Karen says this shouldn't affect her appetite, just give her a little bit more energy.

So at the next appointment she went right in the high chair and ate some oatmeal again and then I tried giving her an avocado/coconut milk puree and she accepted several tastes of that off my finger. So probably 1/2 a teaspoon total for the morning. I think this is the first time I've ever been able to say that she ate something measurable! :-)

We then saw the nurse practitioner for the first time. She checks for dehydration, constipation, and weight loss. She was pleased with Catherine on all three counts. I don't think we'll see her again unless we or Karen are concerned about something.

At supper Catherine licked a few things in the high chair and then wanted down on the floor. I gave her several tastes of yogurt off my finger, probably another 1/2 teaspoon!

She will get weighed again tomorrow. I know she's lost weight, but I don't think it's too much and I think we are in a good spot to keep on doing what we're doing and hopefully she makes the connection between hunger and food soon!

Thanks for your prayers! God Bless!

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