Cincinnati Children's visit

It is official! Lucas had a successful visit at Cincinnati Children's Hospital :) The final results from his bloodwork this time showed no elevated liver enzymes and completely NORMAL organ function! Yay!! We have follow-up bloodwork in 6 months but other than that he is good to do more important things...like sit in his toy bin :)

I must take a moment to reflect on the miracle of life. It will never cease to amaze me how precious the gift of life truly is. There are potential roadblocks and trials beginning at conception, continuing through pregnancy, and then lasting throughout life. At this moment I have either close friends or chance meetings with strangers that have revealed this truth. I pray for strength for those Mommies and Mommies-to-be every day and hope they feel my support.

Duke, Part 2

Lucas did great at his last appointment with the pediatric gastroenterologist. He was really quiet and still while Dr. Lin listened to his gut noises and didn't fuss too much when his abdomen was being felt for abnormalities. According to the Dr. everything seems normal...if it weren't for those pesky liver enzymes that are still elevated. After the appointment we had to take Lucas for some more bloodwork to test for thyroid issues, muscular dystrophy, and celiac disease. The muscular dystrophy results were slightly elevated but not enough to confirm a diagnosis. Just another piece of the puzzle :-/ The next step is to go to a liver specialist at Cincinnati Children's...Here's hoping this will be the end of this medical nightmare.

I must make a special mommy note here - it is not fun having to hold your child for routine care like shots and otoscope investigations. It is even less fun having to hold your child for countless blood draws. I find that Lucas is harder to hold now that he is mobile and screams louder. I can remember a time that he slept through a blood draw! Oh how I miss that. His little cries make me want to crawl in a hole and cry but as the parent I have to be strong. sigh.

6 months

Lucas turned 6 months this week...I can't believe how fast this time is going! It seems like just yesterday we were on our way to the hospital and I was super excited to meet my new bundle of joy while at the same time I was scared to death about becoming a mother. Funny how adaptable we are...Now I love being a mom and introducing Lucas to everything my imagination can fathom.

Lucas did great at the Dr.'s office. I guess 6 months is the golden age for pediatricians because every nurse, doctor, and staff member at the office cooed over him and talked about how this is their favorite age. The appointment began with me filling out a questionnaire about his development and he fell into the normal range for all areas they were concerned about - gross motor skills, fine motor skills, communication, social/emotional interaction, and problem solving skills. Yay! The doctor then checked him all over and found that his hips are pretty tight for a baby his age. Tomorrow we are going to have an x-ray to make sure everything is ok. She seemed to think it might be because he has strong legs and was resisting when she tried to roll his legs out. I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case because he kicks his legs ALL the time and prefers "standing" with a little help. So, we shall see! And then the appointment ended with the vaccines and a feeding schedule handout for me to follow (it is just some general guidelines recommended by the office). One general observation - I am sooooo glad adults don't have to strip down to our birthday suits when we go to the doctor. Can you imagine how uncomfortable that would be?!?!?!

Anyway....here are his 6 month stats:

Weight - 15 lbs. 10.5oz. - 21%

Height - 26.75 inch. - 66%

Head circumference - 43 cm. - 33%

Other developmental milestones: He can keep his head level with his body when pulled to sitting, bear weight on legs when held upright, sit with support, turn in the direction of a voice, razz, work to get a toy out of reach, pass an object from one hand to another, look for a dropped object, rake with fingers to get an object, roll both ways.

Duke, Part 1

Let me begin with the fact that I have been avoiding writing this blog post because I want my otherwise healthy little boy to be just that - completely healthy. Unfortunately, Lucas is not completely healthy and it is a medical mystery what might be wrong with him. So, we went to Duke University Hospital last week to begin the journey down the diagnostic road to figure out why his bloodwork is awry. When Lucas was 3 weeks old he was hospitalized for poor weight gain (due to his tied tongue and inability to latch properly to eat) and a virus. Since that visit we have been doing monthly bloodwork (sometimes more often) to monitor those pesky liver enzyme levels that just won't go down. We were hopeful that the pediatric gastroenterologist would look at Luke and his bloodwork history and say, "He looks healty, these elevated liver enzyme levels must be normal for him, no need to worry, sorry you wasted the gas coming to Duke". Oh we were wrong.

So...we have done more bloodwork and a repeat abdominal ultrasound and are patiently waiting for all of the results. This is not a game parents like to play...wait and see. Especially because Duke has an online patient information and we can see his bloodwork results as they come in but have little idea what they mean. The Dr. did tell us to proceed as normal and hopefully we will get some answers at his next appointment.

Proceeding as normal....here is a little video of Lucas eating his first meal of rice cereal. He didn't like it :/

Tendonitis...

Holy bajoly... apparently having a mom body means more than a flabby belly and dark circles under your eyes. It also means you are at risk for tendonitis from holding your baby too much. How rude is that?!?!? I started having difficulty opening jars and wringing out dishrags but didn't think too much of it - when I casually mentioned it to my dr., she referred me to an orthopedic surgeon's office (what?!?!?!?!). And it turns out tendonitis is very common for new moms. The PA I saw mentioned that she had it with her first child so bad she couldn't even open a door! So now I get to sport this oh so cool wrist stabilizer. Interesting enough more people try to offer me assistance now. I guess I look a sore sight when I am out juggling a million things :) Other things to note in the above picture - Lucas has only one sock on. I think one foot has grown quicker than the other and now he perpetually is missing a sock. Also, I am wearing my favorite jeans from pre-pregnancy! I actually was able to fit into them a few weeks ago but decided not to blog about it until they passed the freshly washed test. Yay!
This is how I found Lucas the other morning. He may look like his daddy everywhere else but he has McConnell feet!

4 months

Lucas is 4 months old and had his checkup last week...the Dr. is happy with his growth and our discussion about his developmental achievements but not happy with his bloodwork. Next month we will be going to Duke to see a pediatric gastroenterologist (say that 10 times fast, ha!) to figure out why his liver enzymes are lingering in the high range. Time for some more medical mystery detective work :/

Here are his stats:

Height: 25 inches - 72%

Weight: 13lb. 7oz. - 28%

Head Circumference: 41.5cm - 51%

I have a book that helps new parents with developmental questions month by month and I subscribe to a weekly email that does basically the same thing and I have noticed both of these are beginning to focus on one thing - infant sleeping. In addition to these sources, countless people bave begun asking me questions about Luke's sleeping (what happens at night, naps, patterns, location, training, etc.). I guess 4 months is the time when moms are supposed to recognize/begin a sleep pattern OR babies are supposed to settle into a pattern of their own. I was concerned that maybe I was missing something, so after Christmas we began tracking his days to see if he actully had a pattern...turns out he follows a 3-4.5 hour pattern of eating, playing, sleeping (with no playing at night) unless I have errands to run and then everything is thrown off. He does not sleep through the night, his naps are variable in length, and I don't let him cry himself to sleep. This is Luke's "pattern".

At his Dr.'s appointment I asked about sleeping and napping to see what was normal and it turns out that when it comes to sleeping there really isn't a normal. At this age some babies can sleep 13 hours through the night while others wake up every 3 hours to eat. Some babies have distinct nap times while others are variable. Some babies respond well to sleep training while others do not (I guess it is easier to train the night time sleeping than it is naps). Luke's pediatrician recommended following his lead until at least 6 months of age for night time sleeping because babies wake up at night for 2 reasons: 1. habit or 2. low glucose levels. Since Luke has had abnormal bloodwork, we are going to err on the side of caution and feed him when he wakes up at night. Even though this means less sleep for me, I am happier with this choice because it is more in line with what needs to happen for Erikson's stages of psychosocial development (which I believe to be true). According to this theory, infants are attempting to master their sense of trust or mistrust from ages 0-2. Hopefully Luke will gain a sense of trust by having his parents respond when he calls out for help. Oh, being a parent can be so difficult!

New Years Resolutions

Ryan and Lucas

Erin and me sporting some Bump it action :)

Ryan and Erin

This year we had a low key New Years celebration with our dear friends Ryan and Erin. They came to visit and we went out for a nice dinner downtown and then came home and brought in the new year in our pj's with some games, bubbly, and the ball dropping on the television. It has been a long time since we have had the chance to spend quality time with this couple because we live so far apart and Erin has been in a Ph.D. program followed by a residency that (obviously) required a LOT of time. I have to say that I am so happy to know them! I do not want to invade their privacy with the tiny details behind the fact that they are the inspiration of my first new years resolution...

1. To be more aware of my actions

I know - this is a serious resolution and covers a lot of ground, but I just can't continue living my life unaware. Instead of resolving to diet or work out more (let's be honest, these resolutions never come true) I want to be more aware of what I am doing to my body. Am I treating it right by eating properly and being physically active? Am I providing my mind with enough mental stimulation? Am I taking the necessary steps that will ensure a long and healthy life? Instead of resolving to save more or spend less (this seems nearly impossible to do in this increasingly paperless society), I want to be more aware of my family's financial situation. Where is the money going? Am I spending money on frivolous things? Are we successfully planning for our future? How will my decisions to consume today affect my family tomorrow? Instead of resolving to be a better mother, wife, friend, driver, etc., I want to be more aware of my impact on those around me. Am I in such a hurry driving that I cut others off? Am I saying something that is hurtful without realizing it until it is too late? Sometimes the way you phrase something can come across entirely wrong or you may discuss your good fortune before learning of another's trial. I guess what I am saying is, I hope to be more aware of my actions in order to become a better person to myself, my family, my friends, and even perfect strangers.

2. To be more present

There is nothing like the way having a baby can put your life into perspective. Let me try to explain...at several points in my life I have been too focused on the past or the future which has caused me to miss the present. I think my history of depression is partly to blame for this. There, I said it...it is out there. I have a history of depression. I recently came to terms with this fact and sought the help of the medical professionals placed in my life to help me out of my dark places. Society does not look favorably on depression - matters of the brain are scary and hard to understand. But my doctor helped me come to terms with it by explaining that it is nothing to be ashamed of - it isn't any different than someone who has allergies needing to take medication to get through their day. I learned that I had been living life like I was a passive observer watching someone else go through the motions, that I would "erase" whole portions of my memory when a friend or boyfriend broke my heart, or that I was constantly planning for the future so that I wouldn't have to live in the present. Finding out I was pregnant and having Lucas in my life has changed everything. Suddenly I am living each day from moment to moment and I LOVE it :) I feel so blessed and I want to resolve to continue down this path of living in the present and expand it to the other facets of my life...after all, I have an amazing husband and an adorable little boy to enjoy this life with :)

2 months!

Lucas is 2 months old and doing great according to the Dr.! He went in for his 2 month well baby checkup yesterday and had to have 7 vaccines (administered in 3 shots). It seemed like an awful lot for such a little guy but he did great. I know there is a lot of debate about whether or not children should be vaccinated...I will just tell you that I believe in modern medicine and the advances we have made thus far so I have no problem preventing my child from getting something like polio via a vaccine. Here is my rant: About 100 years ago the medical field decided to focus on acute illnesses by separating the body from the mind and treating for quantity of life vs. quality. At this point I believe they have significantly impacted this goal because people are dying less from acute illnesses than ever before (thanks in part to vaccines). The challenge for the medical community now is to shift gears a bit and focus on the chronic illnesses that are the primary killers; for example, cancer, heart disease, alzheimer's, and diabetes. This means the body and mind must be put back together and the medical community will have to focus on quality of life. This is just now beginning and I hope that significant strides will be made in my lifetime for obvious reasons. This does not mean we should forget about all the advances that hve been made for acute illnesses! There, I am done.

Dr. Gaylord is happy with the growth curves he is following at this point. Such a relief! Not only is he growing like a weed, he is also beginning to socialize more and accomplish other developmental milestones... He can smile in response to a smile and spontaneously, vocalize in a way other than crying (he learned how to cough the other day and has been fake coughing and laughing at himself ever since), roll over, follow an object moved 180 degrees, and lift his head 90 degrees during tummy time. Something he can do that is not in the books - sometimes when his pacifier falls out of his mouth he can somehow get it back in on his own by fishing for it or using his fist. He is quite an amazing little baby boy :)

Here are his 2 month stats:

Height: 23.25 inch (88th percentile)

Weight: 10 lb, 10 oz. (39th percentile)

Head circumference: 39.1 (62nd percentile)

Bompa came for a surprise visit!

Hanging out in his swing

A cute face he makes when he is cooing

Frenectomy

Lucas had his frenectomy last week - which means the small flap of skin that attaches his tongue to the bottom of his mouth has been snipped allowing him to stick his tongue out and suck properly. Yea! Also, he aced his follow up weight check appointment so he is officially good to go :)

I heard someone say the other day (I think it was Ellen - yes, I am an Ellen junkie) that it seems strange that the more important things you do in life seem to come without instruction manuals - raising a child is one of them. I would agree with this statement based in my short 7 week experience. I always thought having and raising a child was going to be the most natural thing in the world because it is what our bodies were made to do and is something humankind has been doing since we were created. However, I can't help but wonder how we have come this far for those unnatural situations - for example, would a prehistoric or biblical time version of me have the support and knowledge to have a frenectomy performed on Lucas? Most likely not. In fact, maybe Lucas would not have made it because of his tied tongue and inability to get the proper amount of nourishment from his mommy. What a tragic thought! I guess right now I am feeling a bit smug in the eye of survival of the fittest - take that evolution! My beautiful boy is healthy and thriving despite the odds :)

For those modern day mothers who may experience the same thing, this is what I have learned...

Pediatricians used to routinely perform frenectomys within the first few days of birth. Now it is not even something they seem to look for at well-baby checkups after you leave the hospital. Even when the baby is having weight gain issues. If it weren't for the lactation consultants at the hospital suggesting the procedure, Lucas would probably be a formula fed baby (not that there is anything wrong with that, I think there are countless good reasons for formula feeding). What is even crazier about pediatricians not looking for this condition is that a tied tongue can also impact speech and oral health as an adult. Sometimes I feel like I am taking crazy pills! Anyway, apparently pediatricians got away from snipping in the past few generations. I wonder why.... a few guesses: 1. the push to feed babies formula of the 1970's (or was it the 80's? 60's?), 2. the revolution of the medical industry by insurance companies, 3. fear of medical malpractice claims, 4. the large groups of doctors who work together to cover the on-call medical emergencies (I don't have a problem with this - it just makes continuity of care during those first moments of life nearly impossible). Whatever the reason may be, Lucas had to have his frenectomy done by an ENT, pediatric dentist or oral surgeon. We were lucky because he was referred to an ENT who will do the procedure during an office visit using a topical anesthetic. Thank goodness he did not have to be put under general!

Whatever. Here are the facts - If you want to breastfeed and your baby is tongue-tied you will experience lots of pain at the nipple because of a poor latch. In fact Lucas continually fell off latch because he couldn't do it! How terrible is it that even if you grit your teeth and curl your toes through the pain of poor latching, your baby will become so exhausted from the struggle of feeding that he/she will not be able to empty the breast (depleting milk supply) and will end up burning more calories than he/she can ingest (causing weight loss). Your baby will also have a LOT of gas and possibly act painful when pooping (I hate to think he was in pain, but maybe he was). A frenectomy can help alleviate these problems. BUT, when he/she has the procedure done there will be lots of screaming, crying, and blood and you will question whether you made the right decision because no mother wants to see their baby in pain. I want to warn you that this is not an instant solution! Now you and your baby will have to re-learn how to breastfeed (yea! sore nipples again!). For Lucas we had to continue topping him off after each feeding with a bottle of expressed milk or formula to make sure he didn't lose weight again. In three days he gained 5 ounces, so now it is time for tough love - breastfeeding only until we have it down.

I am just thankful it is over... and thankful for all the support and prayers from family and friends

Resting after the surgery

No more frenulum!