Thursday, October 29, 2009

Funny Pic

Brooke after I told her that she was not allowed to spray Kacee (the dog) with water...She likes the word "no" just as much as her mommy!

BMT- Bilateral myringotomy

Bilateral myringotomy with insertion of tympanostomy tubes. Fancy way of saying, we are putting tubes in your ears!

While I am glad today is over, it couldn't have gone more perfect. It is almost like Brandon knew something was going on, or that I was stressed because he was about as well behaved as you could ask for from a 9 month old.

As far as Brooke goes, she was AWESOME! Doing this for the second time a 2yrs 9months was 1000 times easier on all of us then when we did it the first time at just over 12 months. Needless to say I had been preparing myself for the worst, and I was ready for it all this morning. As suspected, when she was given the choice of who she wanted to go back with her at the beginning of the surgery she chose Daddy. I was kinda bummed about this but at the same time, I went back last time, so I was glad Eric was able to do it this time. Even though she chose him to go back at the beginning, I made it clear that I wanted to be the one who was there when she woke up. Especially after the way she came of out anesthesia last time...I would definitely need to be there.

So, Eric takes her back and joins me in the surgical waiting room. About 15 minutes later the doctor appeared....she was done...thank god. I couldn't walk fast enough to the recovery area. I just wanted to be there to hold her. As I walked in, I saw her sitting up in the adult size bed talking to the nurse as the nurse tries to make she she doesn't fall over. No screaming or crying or arching or back or anything this time. I couldn't believe it. She looked like all she had done was woken up from a nap.

I was soooo happy that she wasn't upset this time. Last time it broke my heart even though I knew there was nothing I could do about it. It is just awful seeing you baby upset. Back to the story...I was beyond thrilled that she wasn't upset AT ALL. Not even one tear! I guess daddy couldn't have gone in after all. So we sat in the rocking chair for about 15 minutes or so, just her and I rocking back and forth. Since Brandon's arrival I cherish my alone time with Brooke. Even though the circumstances weren't great, I loved sitting there with just her in my arms all snuggled up.

After that it was back up to the pediatric wing to get her to eat something, drink something and take more vitals. We had to hang out for an hour to make sure she was ok, then we were free to go. I am glad it is over, I am glad it went well and hopefully this will be the last time!

Last time we did this, I didn't bring my camera and I regretted it, so here are some pictures from this time.







And one of Brandon just because



Flowers, a bear, and "a fork" from Aunt Tracy, Uncle Bob, Aunt Manda, and Uncle Teve. She loved the bear and got really excited about the "fork" that the little card comes on!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Brandon 9 Months & Brooke Pre-Op

This morning was long, but I am glad to be done with both kid's doctors appointments. We will start with Brandon First. I can't believe the little guy is 9 months old today. It feels like he was just born.

BRANDON

Stats:
18lbs 13th percentile
27.5" 26th percentile

Since is 6 month visit his weight jumped from the 48th percentile down to the 13th and his height from the 31st to the 26th....So it looks like he is slowing down, but he is still right on track! He still looks huge to me :)

Now the fun begins of starting him on some real food!

Everything is looking good for him besides the fact that he has had a cough for a month. After today's visit the doctor spent about 30 minutes with me (the practice is awesome) discussing his cough. It looks like we could be looking at another month of coughing for him. Today he wasn't wheezing, lungs sounded clear, and his ears were clear, but he is still coughing. Since he is a happy kid with a cough and no other symptoms, it appears that he has bronchiolitis...not to be confused with bronchitis: (there really isn't much we can do except wait for it to clear up)

Bronchiolitis is inflammation of the bronchioles, the smallest air passages of the lungs. This inflammation is usually caused by viruses.

The term usually refers to acute viral bronchiolitis, a common disease in infancy. This is most commonly caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, also known as human pneumovirus).

So that is where we are with that. I can handle one more month of coughing if that is the worst.


BROOKE

Brooke had her pre-op appointment for her second round of tubes which is scheduled for this Thursday the 29th. I am not looking forward to it at all, but I know that it is what it best for her since right now she is having trouble hearing. After looking into her ears this am, the doc said they were filled with fluid that looked like the consistency of snot. Sounds fun! So stick your fingers in you ears and talk...that is how she is hearing right now.


Her appointment definitely brought back some memories from last time. Since we have been through this before, you would think it would be easy, but it still isn't. It is never easy watching the doctors put the mask on your baby girl, and watch her slip unconscious from the anesthesia. It also isn't easy trying to soothe her when she wakes up. They have no idea what is going on and last time she would just burst into tears randomly for about 2 hours after the surgery. Once the anesthesia wears off they are fine....but I am not looking forward to it. I know it is only minor surgery and will only be under for about 15 minutes max...but still....I am not a fan.

She will most likely be #1 in line for the procedure since they go by age, so it will probably be around 7:30am. Which means we need to be at the hospital at around 6am. It is going to be an early morning! I can only hope that this round of tubes will be our last.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Why?

Just for the record I would like to state the I am not a big fan of the "Why Mommy?" phase. It started off cute.....But I have had enough... :)

Conversation tonight (one of many)

Brooke "Why are you eating Mommy?"
ME "Because I am hungry Brooke."
Brooke "Why are you hungry Mommy?"
Me "Because I haven't eaten since lunch time."
Brooke "Why?"
and it goes on.....

30 Minutes Later

As Brooke is rounding the corner of the couch pushing her metal shopping cart with it aimed right at Kace (our dog)
Me "Brooke, please don't chase Kacee with your shopping cart."
Brooke "Why"

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Panera and the Potty

So I obviously have a lot of catching up to do. I will get there eventually, but I am going to start with a little post about our day today. Most of you know by now that I am a complete Panera junkie. I try to limit myself to once a week, but sometimes I even have trouble doing that. When I was pregnant with Brandon, I think I had it at least twice a week, including every day that I was in the hospital when he was born.

But anyway, back to my original story... So back to our Panera trip today... You know you get your food to go entirely too often, when your 2yr old looks up at you as you are taking a seat and she has a huge smile on her face and is practically screaming, "Thank you for letting me eat here Mommy!!!" For those of you with kids, on most days, it is much easier and less stressful to just get it to go and to deal with the kids in your own house. So I guess I was feeling brave today. (I actually was starving and needed to go to the grocery story, so I didn't want to unload the kids at home, just to eat and load them back up again for the store.)

With Brandon entertained, I was actually enjoying my lunch with some casual conversation with Brooke. She can be soooo sweet sometimes! If you don't want to hear about potty talk...stop here. As I am eating I thought I heard her say something about not having to go potty. So I decided not to ask her what she was talking about. With about ten bites of my awesome salad left....I hear the dreaded words..."Mommy, I have to go potty."

Did I mention I was starving? So I ask her if she could wait a few more minutes. Sher replied with, "Mommy, I have to go potty...PLEASE" So that means, no, she can't wait. So I am by myself, her grilled cheese is half gone, my salad looks like someone just didn't want to finish it. There was no way I could leave it on the table without it all being thrown away? I had no one to sit there and watch my food, so what was I supposed to do. Just toss the food, or have a puddle on the floor? Well...I was REALLY hungry...but this post is getting long...so to make a long story short...There we are, Brandon in the stroller, Brooke on the potty, in the handicapped bathroom, her grilled cheese in the diaper bag, and my salad in the bottom pouch of the stroller. Crisis avoided and Mommy with a full belly...(I went back out to the dining area to finish...but I still felt kinda gross)

So what did I learn today...to go to the bathroom as soon as we get to Panera next time.

The Beginning of Something New

After reading a few blogs these days, it had me wishing I had started something with such detail when I found out I was pregnant with my baby girl who is now two and a half. I have the webpage with pictures and I have the typical baby book, but nothing that captures the little details that I have seen on some friends blogs that I don't want to forget. So...I guess better late than never. I am going to give this a shot and we will see how it goes. Wish me luck!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Before The Blog

For journal entries and pics from before I started this blog, check out

http://www.babysites.com/sites/babyselander/

This is the site I used beginning around the time I was due with Brooke.