Monkey?

Update coming tomorrow. We're fine, if not a little grumpy on Boop's part.

Almost There. 5-25-12

She knew she needed to do something. Boop just doesn’t quite have it, yet. Mom has been trying to get Boop to reach for her Grandma to pick her up. One of Boop’s daycare teachers, Miss T, said that her mother made her daughter reach before picking her up; she learned because she had to. I’m not sure if it’s developmentally appropriate for Boop at 4 months. When the pediatrician asked if she was reaching, I responded that, yes, she reaches for things, but no, she doesn’t reach for people. The pediatrician didn’t expect that she would. So, I’m not so concerned. I still reach and give her a chance to reach, in case she will.

Reaching for her bottle

One thing I’ve noticed that she’s done for a while, she will arch her back when she wants to be picked up. However, a few days ago, she did something that I thought was pretty clever. I leaned over on the futon to pick her up, and instead of reaching out to me, she spread her arms straight out and away from her body, in the shape of a T and looked at me expectantly. Why the shape of a T? I thought about it. Whenever I pick her up, I slide my hands under her arms by her shoulder blades to give her neck a bit of support. And what happens to her arms?…Wait for it… They move in the shape of T. Coincidence? I think not!

Down on the Floor. 5-24-12

I kept telling him that he didn’t sand enough. There were still spots where you could see the old floor. There were many other things I thought he was doing wrong, that I tried to say nicely. I didn’t let him leave on Monday until he swept up his mess. I asked him to vacuum, but the vacuum just shot everything out in a cloud of dust. He came back on Tuesday and sanded some more. He kept saying, “This looks good, this looks good,” and “You’re the customer so I want to please you,” as if I were somehow eccentric in my tastes. He said that he was going to put the stain down, but I could still see spots where the old finish remained. Of course, I mentioned it. Then I said, “I’m leaving this in your hands. You’re the professional, and I’m paying you for this service. I had cheaper estimates, but I picked you because you said you were experienced and could get it finished quickly. You need to do the job properly.”

I looked up at one point, and he was pouring stain from the can onto the floors. He had his friend come by, and they were both rubbing the stain in, leaving huge blotches. He looked at me and said, “This is coming along really well.” I must have looked horrified. I said, “No, I don’t think so.” We decided to let it dry, and it still looked bad. He said it just needed another coat and needed to be rubbed in a circular motion. If I was more optimistic, I would have thought I was on one of those Candid Camera type shows, but no. He put the other coat on, and it started to look bright red and still looked bad. He wanted to put on another coat the next morning. I told him I wanted to see it the next day in the light. I cancelled him coming over the next morning. 

Pediatrician Visit. 5-24-12

We actually made it to the pediatrician visit on time for our 8:30 appointment, but the pediatrician was held up at the hospital. It was time for Boop’s 4 Month Well-Child Visit. And, she was a well child J First, were measurements. Weight: 15.5 lbs., Height: 29.5 inches. Her legs are still bowed a bit. So, what do those measures mean? She’s at the 50^th %ile for height, which is average. Good. And weight? Well, my little chunk is at THE 90^th %ile!! A rough explanation of that means that only about 10% of babies her age are heavier than her. Or to put it another way: if you took 100 4 month old babies, only about 10 of them would weigh more than my precious pot belly.

Boop's 1st cereal was a big hit! She tried to 'help' me.

Everything seemed fine on her exam. All was normal. I asked her about cereal, and she was fine writing me a script for Boop to have a bowl of rice cereal at daycare each day. That takes a little pressure off me, and she will hopefully sleep a bit better. It will be interesting to try and feed her, though. As to the evening crying spells, the pediatrician thought it might be teething, but it’s hard to know. She said it was okay to give Tylenol if she responded to that. I asked about breastfeeding and meds. She said 3 were fine; so that was good news. And then the worst part, the shots. She did fine though. I left her sleeping in her crib at daycare, wondering if I would need to go back to give her more Tylenol. 

Floor Effect. 5-21-12

I am setting here as the guys are working on my floor. At first, I was planning to go to work, but I decided I should stay and work from home. I went ahead and took Boop over to daycare. The floor sanders might have scared her, and I didn’t want her to be exposed to the dust and chemicals. I really don’t want to be exposed, either, but I felt like I needed to keep an eye on things. Turns out, it was a good decision, they had a lot of questions. They admitted today that they don’t do this sort of thing very often, but the guy with the contractor had experience. Fortunately, after talking to so many folks about my floors, I had a pretty good idea of what needed to be done. Unfortunately, they had lots of problems. The first rental sander didn't work properly, they had to get another sander, and they still didn't get the floor sufficiently sanded. More sanding tomorrow, more allergy problems :( I can’t wait to get everything back into place. I have never opened Boop’s Pack-n-Play, and I can’t wait to get that set up. She’s almost to the point of being able to sit up and roll over.  

Flashback: The day Boop left the hospital.

Hoochie Mama. 5-21-12

Mom and I got out to do a bit of shopping. I hate buying clothes when I’m this size. I don’t want to make myself too comfortable by buying bigger clothes. I still need to lose almost 20 lbs. At the same time, I need to try to look reasonably presentable and don’t want to wear the same exact clothes every week. Plus, I need things that I can nurse in. So, even if I do have clothes that fit me, if I can’t nurse easily in them, it doesn’t do me much good.

And so, we set out with Boop. We hit Lowes first. It was getting pretty warm, and Boop got a bit hotter due to the liner in her seat. Fortunately, we got a bit cooler doing some clothes shopping. I didn’t take the time to try anything on, just found a few things that looked like they’d fit. I found a strapless summer dress with a string to go around the neck. A bit more hoochie than what I normally wear, but with breastfeeding, well, let’s just say I can fill things out a bit better.

She looks so innocent here--incapable of such a mess, but looks are deceiving!

It’s one of those things where I just needed to rip off the band-aid; so since I was working at home, I ventured out in the dress this morning. I ran Boop over to daycare as I managed the guys working on my floor. At lunch time, I went over to nurse Boop. We were doing pretty well until I brought her back to the room after feeding her. She peed all over the changing table—not a good sign. <We will see the pediatrician on Thursday.> Then, when I picked her up, she spat up on me. Not sure if she had really good aim or how, but the spit up went in my cleavage, down my stomach, and I caught it on my calf. I was soaked. She was apparently determined to get me—if not by pee, by vomit.  

Taking Stock at Boop’s Week 18. 5-23-12

Here’s what’s happening at Week 18:

• Still no floor in the living room. Well, not one that we could use, anyway. All of my stuff is still crammed everywhere. Makes it hard to live. More on this later.
• Boop is due for her 4 month check-up. We’re scheduled for first thing tomorrow morning. I think we’re on the right track. Hopefully, she’ll get a good report. I bet she’s in the 75^th percentile for height and weight. She’s a big girl.
• One thing to discuss at the pediatrician is what kind of meds I can take with breastfeeding. My knee is starting to swell and my 2^nd toe on my right foot is looking like dactylitis. It’s looking red, but it’s not full tilt Vienna sausage looking toe, yet. None of the med options are particularly good. But I need to do something because I can’t be on crutches and take care of her.

A Fussin’ and a Feudin’. 5-21-12

I saw a little of my Paw-Paw. It was quite unexpected. My mom and I have a history of bickering. When it’s just the two of us together without a buffer, we start to nitpick. It’s worse the longer we’re together. So, a couple of days we can usually manage, but a week, well, things tend to escalate. As Fran said on the Nanny, “The big cats can’t share a cage.”

My Paw-Paw used to live with us in our house when I was a little girl. He we a big fella, and I would fall asleep on his shoulder, which he loved. And when my parents would argue, he would always distract me and try to make me happy. He could be a little ornery at times and would like to make a bit of mischief now and then, but/and he had me pretty good and spoiled. He was pretty good about figuring out a way for me to get out of being punished.  

And so Mom and I were arguing about something or other, I don’t remember. I thought she didn’t hear me; she thought I was lying about something. And then in a flash, I thought, ‘We’re arguing in front of Boop. This can’t be a good thing.’ Boop was nursing and about that time, she looked up at me, she gave me a big grin with an almost/probably wicked twinkle in her eye, and then she went back to nursing like nothing happened. My Paw-Paw would have adored her, especially her sometimes devilish little giggles. My angelic little imp!

Waxing Patriotic. 5-22-12

Off to get photos at Wally World.
Mom liked the bib because it matched her dress.

Well Ver-sed. 5-19-12

We decided to take Boop on to daycare before the procedure. I thought it would just be too difficult for her waiting around while I had everything done. After leaving Boop at the daycare, we headed on over to the hospital. We registered, and they called me back. The central area had a collection of sock monkeys, including a sock cow—adorable. Boop already has her sock monkey. But no sock cow. How hard will it be to say ‘no’ when Boop wants and I want it, too!

In came the parade of nurses, all of them determined to get my vein for the IV. No digging, I say, take as long as you want to find it, but no digging! What did the 1^st two nurses do? They dug. If Mom hadn’t been with me, I would have given them the what for. I tried to be nice but firm. The first one stuck me twice; I only allowed the second nurse one try. She was pretty angry about it. Both were just sure they could get it. Of course, it’s my fault that they couldn’t get it. My fault that I wouldn’t let them dig for 10 minutes, I guess. I kept asking for the stat nurse. Right before my time, the nurse for the procedure came out ready to take me back and was wondering why I wasn’t ready. You know, when I told them I was a hard stick when I first went back, you’d think the nurses would have started working on me then, rather than waiting until the last minute. Anyway, the nurse from the procedure room asked if I would give her a try. I told her she had 1 chance and to take her time to really find the vein before going in. She got it, and afterwards she admitted that she was sweating it, pretty nervous about trying.

I was so looking forward to the Versed to get some rest, and after answering a few questions from the GI MD, I was out for the upper endoscopy. That’s not a good one to be awake for, because the one time I was awake for it, I felt like I was choking and gagging. It doesn’t bother me too much to be awake for the colonoscopy, and I remember some of the procedure. Non-event. There was nothing wrong. Thank goodness. Done and done for a few more years J

Close-Up. 5-20-12

A little closer than Mom intended... Boop grabbed her cell phone.
We're fine; we'll be back later.

The Prep 5-17-12

It's that time again, time for another screening. Yep, I have to have another colonoscopy. And an upper endoscopy. So fun. Oh, the prep. The procedure is a non-event. In fact, as a Mommy of a 4 month old <she's 4 months old!>, I am sooo looking forward to the sleep. Kinda sad, right? But there are 2 things that I dread: the prep and the IV. 

WV t-shirt from K and A

I've tried the colyte prep several times. The 1st few times, I was able to do it fine. Well, not really fine, it's quite unpleasant, but I managed to keep it down. However, the last couple of times, I haven't done so well. I usually wind up in a bit of a panic, having to call the doctor on call to figure out an alternative. The last time, I did the Phospho prep, which went okay, but I didn't feel well afterwards. My MD sent me to the ER to get checked. They've since stopped recommending the Phospho prep. This time they wanted me to do half lyte--a special diet for a few days and then half the colyte. I knew it was still a bad idea; so I'm doing the Miralax prep with Gatorade.

The other thing I dread is the IV. The first thing out of my mouth when they come to do the IV is that "I'm a hard stick. I'm going to need your best sticker." Usually the nurses appreciate immediately what that means, and then they sigh and say that they need to try before calling someone else. Okay, I say. It's much worse when I've been fasting for the procedure. Fortunately, they haven't had to result to ultrasound, yet. I'm encouraged a bit, as this time, I can drink until 2 hrs before the procedure. Maybe that will help my blood pressure.

Verklempt. 5-13-12

Oy, I’ve been on the verge of tears for the last couple of days. Mommy tears. I didn’t think it was possible for me to be more sentimental than I already was, but then I became a Mom. Well, maybe I’m the same amount of sentimental but just react more to the sentimental things.  

Mom called me back, and I was fighting tears. Mom asked, “What’s the matter?” “I’m just on the verge of tears.” Mom replied, “I knew I should’ve come up this weekend!” “No, it’s not that at all. I just got a message after I called you. It was G-, and she said that Boop and G wanted to take me out to dinner for Mother’s Day.” Mom laughed, “Well, if that’s the case, then you’re best to just get it out.” My aunts S and D were with her, and she put me on speaker phone. She continued, “Tell them what you got.” “I posted it on the blog this morning.” She went on, “She got a picture from Cecilly and flowers from me.” “I got flowers from S and S, too!” Then, Mom got confused about Boop’s artwork, and I was telling them about the poem on the flower pot—at which point my voice cracked.--"Talk amongst yourselves!"

That’s not to mention the nice notes and well-wishes folks have been giving me, especially this morning. It’s been coming on for a few days and building. I had pretty much been looking forward to a quiet day today, but if Boop and G want to go out, why not? It’s my first Mother’s Day. 

Taking Stock at 17 Weeks Old. 5-16-12

Here’s what’s going on at 17 weeks old (and a few things I may not have mentioned from before):

• Boop has now figured how to get the frog on her seat to play music by pulling it. She even turns in her swing so that she can reach the dangling elephant.
• When Winnie was a puppy, she hid her treats in my shoe. A few weeks ago, I looked in Boops car seat, and there was a little piece of dog food from Winnie :)
• I recognize the baby that I carried in my womb. Those arms and legs just go and go and go. Easter, I got some chocolate cookies from the Easter bunny, and I ate more than I should have. All night long, I felt those little bouncing legs and flailing arms, accompanied by, “Meh-meh, Meh-meh.” She was loving the chocolate milk—wanted me to stay awake and nurse her, and she was WIRED.
• Tummy time is increasing. She likes her little car mat, and she can tolerate being on her a tummy a little more every day.
• Countdown until Mom arrives: less than 1 day. I’ve been dreaming of many things: taking out the trash, shaving my other leg, and having a meal that doesn’t come from a box or plastic container. Practically nirvana, right? 

Graduation. 5-13-12

Boop wasn’t having a good morning. She kept crying, “Bwool,” which I think means bottle, and she did NOT want to nurse. Maybe she’s getting used to having formula at daycare in the morning. Unfortunately, her bwools were all in the dishwasher. I got her calmed down after rocking her a bit, and she fell asleep.

Great, I thought, I can make lactation cookies while she’s sleeping! I was making good progress until I dropped eggs on the floor from the neighbor’s hens. That woke her up, and she wouldn’t calm down. So, I gave up on the cookies until later, right before my helper came.  I was grateful when she arrived so that I could finish getting ready. It was our school’s graduation day, and we are required to attend. I wish I felt more connected to the students, but I only knew one of them. That would make the 3 hours go faster.

Mommy ticklin' Boop's belly

I got out the door and down to the venue to be there by 4pm. We had to be there an hour before the event. It’s a lot of standing around, fiddling with hoods, hunting down bobby pins, checking that your tassel is on the right side, and such. It’s nice to touch base with folks, and several asked after my little Boop, especially with the crazy health scares we had. Folks are in good spirits, enjoying the end of school, even if we do have to keep working through the summer. Then we lined up by responsibility and rank, made sure everyone had a seat, and clapped for the students as they paraded by. They put us up on stage instead of the students, which is a bit unfortunate. Finally, we made it through the nearly 100 graduates, and I did not stick around for the reception. It was already 7pm. With that I decided to make a quick trip to the grocery and made a mad dash to get a few essentials. Boop was happily waiting with my helper, who always seems to have a wealth of patience for my little Boop.

Ouch! 5-7-12

Boop is confused and not happy, but she is calm. It’s 11pm, and her sleepy blue eyes keep jolting open. This is the calm after the storm where the damage is assessed. Clearly it’s long past her bed time.

A photo of Boop at the hospital not long after birth

First, I tried antibiotic #3, which is the maintenance dose. She kept wincing and gagging and then crying. I tried to dilute it with another ounce of formula. Still wouldn’t take it. I tried to put in the fridge hoping that it would kill some of the taste. Still wouldn’t take it. She started to vomit again. I tried to nurse her, but ouch! I must have really hurt my skin when pumping, and I’m raw and really sore. Boop can’t nurse on that side, and she didn’t want to nurse on the other.

Then, I tried her previous antibiotic (#2) and diluting it in 4 ounces of formula. She wouldn’t have it either. I even put it in a different bottle that she liked better, thinking that might help. Nope. Screaming, screaming, and drooling out what little formula I got in, choking, etc. I’m sure she’d like to nurse herself to sleep, but I can’t do it. I need to heal, and this isn’t going to help my supply at all. In the mean time, I’ve put the word out to the local LLL to see if they have suggestions about my boo-boo. It may mean a trip to the MD.

First Mother's Day. 5-11-12

This is a very strange turn of events. It's kind of like bizarro world. I'm a mother, and I'm getting things on Mother's Day. All of these years, it's been me trying to do something nice for the ladies in my family. My grandmas and great grandmas have passed, and I still try to do little things for my aunts as I can. However, most of my energy and dollars these days go to my little Boop. I did remember my mother with flowers, but I wasn't expecting anything for myself at this stage.

From S and S

From Mom

I was thinking about what it might be like for Boop to get me presents. And then I thought back about how I thought I was such a big girl getting my parents presents. My parents gave me a few dollars when I was 5 or 6 years old, and they gave me so long (maybe a half hour) alone in the drugstore to pick out presents. You can't really do that now because there are so many crazies, but back then I was very excited. I felt such a responsibility, and the longer I looked, the more stressed I got. I had to find just the right thing! I came away with a hot pink feather duster for my mom. I thought it was so pretty, so soft, and it looked like the mommies I saw on TV. I knew she would love it! My dad took one look at it and cracked up; my dad generally thought everything I did was adorable at that age. "Are you sure that's what you want to get your mommy?" "Yes, Daddy, I looked all over the WHOLE store, and I want her to have this." My dad knew this would go over like a lead balloon. Of course, she opened the hot pink feather duster and LOVED it. But strangely enough, it seems like not long after that, Mom made a rule that she was to get nothing for the house as a present. It had to be a personal present. So the next year, she got some stinky perfume that I thought was just fabulous! 

From Boop

And so, yesterday, I got my first Mother's Day present. Some lovely daisy's from my friends S and S, and Boop watched as I put them into the vase. That was so nice and so unexpected! Mom said she got her flowers from me yesterday, too. She also hinted that I would be receiving more flowers :) What a lucky mommy I am! What's more, at daycare, they had a special breakfast this morning for mommies. And then I got my first art project from my little girl, a bit misty-eyed as I relate. It was a paper with orange and purple finger paint flowers in a red pot. There was a photo of my Boop making it, a photo of me holding her, with a sweet little poem. It was laminated, too. Onto the fridge it will go, but after that, I'm going to need to do some thinking about what's best to do with it. It's her first one; so I may have to frame it :)

Kentucky Home. 5-6-12

There are some times I miss KY, and Derby Day is one of them. It’s been years since I’ve lived there, but hearing “My Old Kentucky Home” is usually the thing that gets me. And the uncertainties I’ve had about living here start up again. I’m trying to figure out what is best for her, and because she’s so dependent on me, at this point, I try to think of the place where I’ll be in the best frame of mind. Right now, that feels like having a solid income and health insurance. And there are plenty of other uncertainties about moving home other than income and health insurance, too.

Yesterday evening, after Boop was being so fussy for the better part of the day, I was feeling a little overwhelmed. She just doesn’t seem to be feeling well. The concern about having a UTI is eating at me. And it doesn’t feel right to wait until she gets a fever because they are hard to catch. Honestly, I think it’s a fluke that we caught the last one at the doctor’s office, and that could have just been a coincidence.

Unhappy Boop

Fortunately, a little sleep <very little sleep>, and I’m in a better frame of mind. Mornings are always better for Boop, and that makes life a little easier.

Decision for Treatment. 5-5-12

Boop in her sling from D

How do you decide when to seek care for your little one? When they are old enough to talk, they can tell you that something is wrong. When they aren’t, it’s much more difficult. A fever of 100+ is a good sign. The pediatric nephrologist told us to go to the ER if she was congested and had a temperature of 100.5 or more. At that point, they should start her on antibiotics and do a urine culture. I hate the urine culture because it means another catheter. Plus, Boop may be having UTI’s without a fever.

Boop didn’t take her medicine the night before last, after we got back from the party. She was upset, and in my haste, I don’t think I shook her medicine well enough. She kept wincing. Last night, she did take her medicine, which made me feel better. Then, we finally settled down. Boop has had a bit of a cold, and she sounds congested when lying down. All of the sudden, I heard a very productive cough and felt wet and then more. I turned on the light. Boop was vomiting for the first time.  My immediate thought: UTI. I took her temperature: 97.5. We’re probably okay. I called Mom. She thought it didn’t merit a trip, either.

This morning, I changed her diaper. Bright yellow. Hm. I debated about whether to go to the pediatrician. They open at 9am, I think, for walk-ins today. Another yellow diaper. She feels okay. Then a normal wet diaper. I also saw some bright yellow on the kitchen sink. Maybe it’s the medicine making it yellow. So, I guess I’ll wait and see how things go…

Party Time. 5-5-12

Photos I found from a few weeks ago...

One of the students graduated, and the other students were having a party for him. It was in the middle of the week during grading; so some of the faculty wasn’t able to attend. I thought it would be good to get the baby out, and the students like to see her.  So, after daycare, I got her ready to head back out.

They had us in a separate room from the rest of the restaurant, and it was a bit warm. The students took turns making silly faces <Wish I had a camera because it would be pretty good blackmail ;)> and holding her. Boop was smiling, giggly, and friendly; she did very well. She especially loved the red balloons. We played games while waiting for the food, but about an hour later, we were all wondering where our food was. I was getting antsy because Boop was getting fussy. I tried to give her a little of a bottle she had left over, but she really wasn’t interested in it. Not long after someone went to check on the food, they brought it out. Boop was hungry and fussy; so we excused ourselves, and I tried to find a quiet place to nurse.

We wound up out in the hall, and I draped her blanket over us. We were cooking, and I was getting dehydrated. Boop was struggling, and we were both a bit frustrated. I decided that we should head home, and L helped me to my car. It was so nice to come home to a cool house, and we got ready for bed. Not long after we had settled in, there was a knock on the door. It was U with some of the students bringing Boop a huge bunch of the helium balloons.

Taking Stock at 16 Weeks Old. 5-9-12

Here's what's happening at 16 weeks old:

After the Ortho visit:
Get this baby home; she's about to wail! 

• Well, it looks like the radiologist created a lot of extra stress for no reason. Her heart is fine. Her hip looks okay. The time we’ve wasted (our orthopedist appointment was at 2:30pm today; we didn’t go back until after 4pm and left at 5pm) and the extra radiation exposure to Boop :(
• The orthopedist wants to see her back in a few months for another x-ray to double check her hip. Her feet still turn inwards, just like mine did when I was little. I wore corrective shoes. The orthopedist told me to put her shoes on the wrong feet to correct it! He looked at her thumbs and told me to move it out with my hand, which Mom and I have already been doing.
• My check up with the NP went okay. She thought I just had an abrasion and that it wasn’t thrush. She left it open for me to call if I wanted a script. With Boop on antibiotics, I’m keeping an eye on it.  (Some of the folks on the LLL thought it sounded like thrush.)
• I was telling the NP how much I was pumping: 3 sessions of about 30 min. each per day. I told her I was only getting 4 oz. She repeated, “4 oz.” and added, “each time,” as she was making notes. “No, 4 oz. total all day.” She seemed surprised but checked herself. She ordered thyroid and prolactin. I think they are both fine. I wouldn’t be able to do anything about prolactin anyway.
• Winnie is due for a vet appointment. Her rabies vaccine is expiring. Plus, she has a number of other shots due in June. Might as well get them all at once if they will let us.

Hips, Too. 5-4-12

The next morning, I walked over to the cafeteria to get a big cup of ice water before I started to pump. A call came in on my cell phone from the pediatrician. The hip results were in. Unfortunately, I was in the basement of the building, and the phone was going in and out. The radiologist and pediatrician had both read the x-rays, and then the details of the readings were getting lost with the phone. Then, it went totally out. I was able to get near to an external door and call her back.

Boop playing with a wrist rattle from Aunt D

The hip test was normal, thank goodness, but not totally normal. Her hip sockets were shallow; so the pediatrician wasn't comfortable giving me the totally green light. Basically, the tests were normal in that the hip was not dislocated, I guess.

Having a shallow socket means the joint is more likely to slip out. The way I understand it, it's kind of like carry an egg in a dish or in a bowl. It's a lot harder for the egg to come out of a deeper bowl than a shallower dish. My understanding is, that because the hip is not out of socket and because she is so young, there won't be any surgery involved. My guess is that the worst could be some type of brace to hold her legs in the frog position. So, we are scheduled to see the pediatric orthopedist next week. 

Heart of the Matter. 5-2-12

It would have to rain this morning. It was really pouring down. This was the earliest morning I've gotten out with Boop--other than the flight back from NOLA. I had a meeting with my mentor at 8:30am and wanted to bring Boop to show her off. We were also going to leave after the meeting and go get the tests done at a local hospital. My mentor asked how I was doing and doted on Boop a bit. She said we looked good. 30 lbs down, 20 lbs to go. Although I had sent an email of updates on Boop's health situation, I was giving her details about the test yesterday and how stressful it was. And then I reflected, "You know with all of these problems, I'm wondering if it’s syndromal. But she really doesn't look particularly dysmorphic." She cracked up, "I was thinking the same thing, the geneticist in me, but she looks good."

After a bit of shop talk, I finished up with my mentor and headed over to the local hospital. Thankfully, it stopped raining, but I would have traded for sun before my meeting and rain after my meeting. When we got there, they called the pediatrician to resend the tests. X-rays. Then, I worried about mutagens with our family history. Boop is getting a fair bit of radiation to be so young. I called the pediatricians office. Nope, they couldn't do ultrasound for these due to her age. <Well, future Boop reading this, I tried to prevent the exposure.>

Boop was in good spirits, and her smile was like a little magnet. I also got lots of compliments on her little sweater that M sent us with the matching Rome dress. Folks swore it had to be handmade. <I checked later. It was Gymboree.> They took us back for the x-rays, and she was still doing great. Donning my lead dress, the nurse and I held her down, and she did great. Not a whimper. Then, I put her clothes back on. Good. I started to put her in her car seat. That's when she started to cry. So I carried her. The folks said 3-5 days for the radiologists to review the films and send a report. That was reassuring. If they saw something, I told myself, then they would be moving faster. Boop cried again as soon as I put her back in her car seat, and we headed to daycare. 

Headed North. 5-2-12

Another photo waiting at the Market--looks like a different child

Last weekend, before I left, sleep was a challenge for all of us. Mom can’t sleep without TV and likes it quite loud. I usually sleep with the TV on but keep the sound down. Aunt D can’t sleep with the TV on. Mom had the TV loud, and when I saw she was well asleep, I got up and turned the TV off. I got out first thing in the morning to bring them breakfast in bed, sort of. At least they didn’t have to get dressed.

Then, we started to try to get things together. I tried to get as many thank you notes out as possible. Finding addresses has been the biggest problem. <If you haven’t received a note from me, I’m still working on them.>  Mom wound up taking a couple of the notes to find addresses for me. I hope she is able to send them. Aunt D and I also worked on the back mirror so I could see Boop’s face. Unfortunately, it had a suction cup, and it kept falling down.

Soon, we got on the road. Boop was in tears. At least I could watch her until she fell asleep, which wasn’t long.  Then, the mirror fell off again. Otherwise, we made it the 2.5 hours home without much trouble. 

Happy Derby Day and Cinco de Mayo! 5-5-12

GO, BABY, GO!

(We're pulling for Take Charge Indy...)

Not Far Behind. 4-30-12

Mom took this at the market

Once we stopped and Boop woke up, she was not having any more of the car seat. I managed to let Winnie tinkle and then get us inside. I nursed Boop for a bit and just left all of the bags in the car. Winnie was agitated and wanted a proper walk, but I managed to hold down the fort in the hotel. About that time, I was really appreciating my make-shift fence in the backyard—I missed being able to just open the door and let Winnie out. It wasn’t much longer before Mom and Aunt D got there, but I’ll admit it felt like longer than it really was.

When Mom and Aunt D arrived, Winnie managed to dart out the door and gave herself a little walk, but I managed to get her back into the room. Everyone was hungry; so my aunt and I walked over to the little Mexican place and got us all a bit of lunch. The 27^th, the day before, was Mom’s birthday, a very long day, and I had promised her a margarita or something fruity. So, Aunt D and I tried to get her a margarita, but we couldn’t take it out of the restaurant.

After lunch, I had to make a run to do some quick shopping, and fortunately, I found a daiquiri at the grocery store and a gift card to one of her favorite stops for dinner. She made quick work of her drink, and then, we got ready and headed out to do a bit of sightseeing. I drove them around downtown, to the capitol, and we even got to watch some auditions for ballet dancers. Afterwards, I drove around and around to find the little market I had been to about 2 years ago, and we had a little walk to look at the plants. We were a bit restricted in our movement with having Winnie with us, but I just hated leaving her behind. She loved it all, and Boop even managed the car seat.

The whole day, Boop’s feet hardly touched the floor, or rather, she was constantly in someone’s arms, and every whimper had 3 grown women at her service. That’s how a little Boop gets very, very spoiled! 

Traveling. 4-29-12

Friday, I had a new helper over. He’s younger than most of my previous helpers, but he stayed on task well enough. I would have liked to have given him more direction, but I was trying to get us ready for the trip. Mom’s birthday was Friday, and we were going to try to meet her about midway on Saturday. My aunt D was also going to join her. I was very nervous about traveling a couple of hours with Boop alone and then trying to manage Winnie on top of it.

I haven’t even so much as gone to the grocery this week; so I didn’t have a chance to get my mom a present. She wasn’t interested in anything on amazon, but I had a gift in mind. Getting ready for the trip, I knew I had to limit the amount of running I did in the morning before leaving. The bank and gas station were the minimum. By the time I got to putting air in the tires, Boop was wailing.

Once the car started going again, she was fine. In fact, I heard nary a peep from her for the nearly 2.5 hours of the trip. I was hoping Mom and Aunt D would be there when I arrived in case she let go of all of that energy, but they were a half hour away. I went on to the hotel, let Winnie tinkle, and then nursed Boop until they arrived.

Taking Stock at 15 Weeks Old. 5-1-12

Here's what's happening at 15 weeks old:

• We survived the VCUG. It seems like a form of torture. I don't know if many adults could tolerate it. First, she had to strip down. Second, they put in the catheter. Unfortunately, they didn't give her any tylenol or any meds of any kind--no pain meds, nothing to relax her :( Then, they started strapping her down. They secured her arms beside her head with a band. They strapped her to a table. She screamed and screamed and screamed. It was heartbreaking. Next, they started to take x-rays. The catheter came out. Everything stopped. They undid her from the waist down and had to put a new catheter in. Back went the straps, and they started again. After a few minutes, they started turning the board to move her around in the air. The actual films didn't take that long, but the whole procedure was pretty traumatic. Bless her heart. Level 2, whew! But on both sides.
• Next, we went to the kidney specialist. They took her vitals first, and she was so upset that her blood pressure was 124/100! The doctor came in a bit later, and he said that Boop has a mild form of vesicoureteral reflux. However, she does have reflux on both sides, which increases the risk for complications. No surgery! I started with the questions: "Aren't antibiotics controversial?" "Yes, she can still get UTI's, but it helps some children." "Does she need probiotics?" "No, it shouldn't affect her. This is a very mild level of antibiotics." Our instructions are to take a maintenance dose of antibiotics for 1 year; go to the ER if she has a fever of 100.5 degrees, start antibiotics, and check for UTI; and go back to see the specialist in 1 year. At that point, we will reevaluate her kidneys. He sent us off to get some blood tests. Boop had to get harassed a bit more.

Done with the Doctor

• I took Boop on to daycare and came back to work. I knew Mom would want to know what was going on; so I called her to give her the report. As I was wrapping up my tale, another call came in. I switched over, and it was the pediatrician's office. I was expecting to hear what I already knew--that Boop had VCUG. It really wasn't registering what the nurse was saying at first. The radiologist saw something on the x-ray, and Boop needs to have more tests. I needed to take Boop to the hospital to have them done. At that point, it was registering... "Can you give me some idea of what they are going to looking at?" "The radiologist thought she may have hip dysplasia and an enlarged heart, but it could just be positioning. She just wanted her to get checked out." Oh boy. In my mind, I'm going through all of the things that could have caused it. I only had her in the Baby Bjorn for about 15-30min. one time. I don't think that did it. But there are things that seem consistent. She likes to be held in the fetal position while we're standing up. She doesn't like to be held sitting down. I did a quick look at Wikipedia. Those contraptions look just awful to treat hip dysplasia...
• And how am I doing through this? I'm feeling totally exhausted after this morning, but I'm relying on my natural inclination to go through mental checklists. This first, this next, don't forget this. My hair is falling out--probably not due to the stress, more likely due to post pregnancy hair loss and my psoriatic arthritis. One of my knees is in pretty bad shape. I don't know how I'll make it if I have to be back on crutches. I'm calling the rheumatologist now.