Sara is 2!

Yesterday was Sara's 2nd birthday. We don't do parties for the kids very often and we didn't yesterday, just cake with the family. :D But here's some pics from the last two years!

Sara update...

Well we had Sara to the ped again yesterday. Ped ordered an xray. (Why does it cost so much more at the hospital than it does at an urgent care?)

Ped called about 2:20pm and said that her skull was indeed fractured!! I feel so awful! At least I know how it happened! Hubby is going to be taking that ladder off the bunkbed!! We are going to get a couple baby gates to keep Sara from wandering the house.

So...Ped said that she would have to report it but that she would tell them that she did not suspect any abuse/neglect and that she believed it was just an accident. I am so glad we have been seeing the same ped for so long (9 years) and that she is a good doc. I hope that her assurances will carry some weight.

Please pray for us...I am worried. I know how bad it looks for her to have TWO fractures in such a short time. I think I figured out what happened the first time too. I had been at WalMart and I was carrying Sara and Wes ran off...I chased him and slipped and fell and Sara hit the ground too. I am sure that was the initial injury the first time. Then she hit her head again in the same spot and then that's when the bump appeared. Crazy fluke accidents! It looks bad though...it really does!

Prayers needed for Sara

Some of you may remember the deal with Sara several months ago. To make a long story short, she developed a hematoma in her head. For those of you not familiar with medical terms, let me explain. It's where a bubble of blood develops, usually in your brain area. It's very bad, because if you get blood actually on your brain, you die.

Her hematoma several months ago was formed by a skull fracture. This morning, she has another suspicious-looking 'bubble' on her head. My mom just called us, and asked us to pray. She's very upset right now, because this same thing happening in the space of just a few months...doesn't look good.

Sara bumped her head last night Mom thinks, and that's probably our cause. Please pray that Sara will be OK, and that we'll be able to get this fixed without getting into any trouble with the government.

Thanks!



Update!
Sara is okay, no alarming symptoms and the ped doesn't seem worried. Were supposed to get a CT scan but didn't have the $750 to fork over and since Sara seems fine otherwise I decided to skip it. Ped called at about 6 pm and asked about Sara and said she wanted to see her on Mon at 9. She did not seem alarmed when I told her I didn't get the CT done, just sympathetic about the cost. So we shall see...

Sara's MRI

I hope I NEVER have to have another baby sedated or have an IV! What an horrible ordeal!

She screamed so that her eyes are bloodshot, poor baby. It took five tries before they got the IV in. So Sara has a bruise on each hand and foot. I still feel on the verge of tears three hours after the MRI was over. Some of that could be due to lack of sleep. I've been up since 3am with Sara. I drove her around for two hours to keep her asleep. Poor thing was so hungry!

I am thankful for modern medicine, but I hope I don't have to make use of this ever again!

UPDATE:
Ped's office called and everything looks normal! YEAH!

I hate waiting!!

Sara's MRI is scheduled for July 8!! I can't believe it is nearly two weeks away! I am going to be a wreck!

I don't want anymore bad news!!

About two weeks ago Sara got a bump on her head, but it was soft. Never had seen a soft bump like that so I took her in to the ER. ER doc said that it was likely just a hematoma and nothing to worry about. I still just had this feeling that something wasn't right, so I called the ped the next morning and got her in. Ped ordered a CAT scan and yes the bump on the outside was a hematoma, but there was also another hematoma next to her brain. So today I took her for another CAT scan, just to be sure the hematoma was going away. Well, this time they saw a fracture and there is a bleed as well so now we get to have an MRI done! YEAH! :S I am so glad that I did not listen to that ER doc!!

But that hasn't been the only thing going on. A few months ago Kyla was in to the ped for strep. The NP heard a murmur while we were there so they sent her to see a cardiologist. That appt was last week. When he was examining her he asked if she'd ever suffered from joint pain and an associated rash. I told him about something that had happened about 7 or eight years ago...

Back then Kyla had complained of joint pain. We had taken her to the ped and she was referred to an allergist who diagnosed her with JRA (juvenile rheumatoid arthritis). After a few months on the meds she was no better so I quit giving her the meds (those were some serious drugs and not to be taken unless one REALLY needs them) I never felt comfortable with that diagnosis. Anyway, after a month or two off the meds Kyla's symptoms disappeared, and we assumed that it was just growing pains and that Kyla was a weanie. She has had a couple other episodes of joint pain since then.

Well after hearing that the cardiologist said that he believed what she had was rheumatic heart disease. That is caused by untreated rheumatic fever which is a result of an undiagnosed or improperly treated strep infection.

Kyla suffers a lot of strep (3 cases in just the last year). With rheumatic heart disease each case of strep causes more damage to the heart. Different parts of the heart can be affected. In Kyla's case it is her aortial valve.

Kyla will have to be on antibiotics for the next 5 years, or more, to prevent future strep infections.

I hope this is all I have to deal with right now...I just don't know if I could take anything else at the moment!

Sara is 9 mos!

Well she actually turned 9 mos over a week ago!
She had her 9 mo check at the pediatrician on Monday. She is only 14.2 lbs. But she is active and her height and head growth are fine. The ped did detect a heart murmur and so now we have an appt with the cardiologist in June. I am not worried about that. I had a murmur as an infant so it is likely nothing.

Sara loves food! Especially Chili!! LOL I am so glad I bought that baby food grinder! She doesn't care for baby food but she will whatever we are having. I was worried that the Chili would be too spicy for her, but she loved it!! And so far it seems to have agreed with her okay. I bought her a sippy cup because she likes water and I figured she would like to use the cup herself. We only had it a few hours before the cat (Myth) chewed the 'nipple' part up! Crazy cat!!

Sara is crawling everywhere and pulling up. She does this cute little thing where she pushes up to her feet when she is crawling. Sara loves to play peek-a-boo. She likes to play on the bed with Mommy. She loves the bath, only problem is that she keeps putting her face in the water. I must watch her constantly! She also loves the trampoline! I really need to upload pics from my camera...

She absolutely adores Wesley, he is definitely her favorite sibling-for now anyway! She likes the other kids too, but she always has a broad grin for Wes. She liked Daddy too...as long as he is an arms length away and she is in Mommy's arms...poor Daddy!

I can hardly believe that so much time has passed! It moves too Fast! She will be a year soon...and then she'll be walking, talking, and before I am ready she'll want to drive! I must remember to cherish these days...they are gone too quickly!

Sara's weight update

I saw the LC again today. This time the differance between her before and after feeding weight was 2.8 oz. That is up .8oz from the last time. And she had gained 7 oz since last Monday!

I found something Sara likes!

CHILI! yes she likes chili!

I only gave her a tiny bit, but she wanted more! After all the sweet yummy stuff I have tried to tempt her with she likes chili!

I know chili is not an ideal first food for babies, but when you have a picky little stinker what can you do?! I am not one to start solids this early in general, the earliest any of my other breastfed babies had food was 9 mos, I usually wait until after a year. Sara isn't gaining weight though so I need to get some extra calories into her somehow. She is absolutely not interested in any of the other things I have tried.

I am hoping that the fenugreek will help my milk supply and that it is not the cause of the terrible migraine I've had since yesterday. I need to be pumping too but I don't get along with the pump very well. :P

Update on Sara's weight gain.

Well, I just got back from the LC's office. Apparently it is just a supply issue. The weight showed that Sara was only getting about 2 oz. So the LC suggested upping my dose of fenugreek. I had only been taking it once a day and she said to take it three times a day. I feel bad. I wish I'd been paying more attention... I have a new appreciation for moms who have supply problems. I never have before and this is discouraging.

Sara's six month check

Sara is not gaining. She has gained only 3.2 oz in about five weeks. Not good. Otherwise she is doing well. She is right on developmentally. She looks healthy and is doing all of the things she should be (sitting up, scooting, grabbing, babbling, etc) she just isn't gaining. She only weighs 12 lbs and 6.4 oz.

I had to take her to the hospital for blood work and a UA. The blood work was quick, but it took all day to get a urine sample! I started out trying to get her to pee in the hat. Well she heard me say 'potty' to the ped and she peed on the way to the toilet. Little stink! :P Then the first bag leaked. The second and third bags got poo in them because Sara did what she never does and pooped in the middle of the day. TWICE! The fourth time I got her to go in the hat. Hallelujah! Hours at the hospital for two teaspoons of pee!

I have never had a problem with a baby gaining weight. I never start solids until about a year. My breastmilk has been enough for 5 other babies (Kyla was formula fed). The hard part is that Sara is NOT interested in eating food. I did get three bites of baby yogurt down her last night and two bites of cereal mixed with juice and yogurt. To do that I had to hold her head and give her fish lips. I also got her to drink two teaspoons of formula with a medicine spoon. I hate having to do that. The ped seems pretty confident that it is just that Sara needs more calories. The blood work and UA were just a double check.

I wouldn't worry if Sara was just small, all my babies have been. She's not just small though. She is at least 4 lbs (a huge difference for a baby) lighter than my next smallest baby was at her age and she was the biggest at birth (8 lbs 14 oz). I am not a big fan of the growth charts, I think they can cause undue stress, but when I see Sara's I cannot help but cringe. She started out at the 75th percentile and is now at the 3rd.

This started at her four month check up when she'd only gained one pound in two months. From four to five months she gained a pound though. I had started taking fenugreek, marshmallow, alfalfa, vitamins, and DHA. I was pumping for awhile and trying to get Sara to nurse longer. I thought things were going well.

I am discouraged. The only words I could read on the scrips for the lab work yesterday was the word 'failure'. That is what I feel like. A big failure. I feel bad for not realizing that she wasn't gaining...

*The blood work came back fine, still waiting on the UA.*