Brooklynn,
You just turned 1 and 1/2 years old. You are growing so fast, and time is flying by. It seems like we just brought you home from the hospital. You have the best personality, and are always happy. You have learned the word "no" and say it any time you don't want to do anything. You love to play with your older sister, and always try to do things that are too big for you - but a majority of the time, you are able to do them.
You are very loving, and are always hugging and giving kisses. You love waving hi to people in the stores, and wave bye any time we go any where and say "buh". You love animals, and any time you see a dog you yell "dah" and run towards it. You give Carmen lots of hugs and try to climb all over her. You are always busy, and don't like to sit still for any period of time. You have worn a path in our carpet due to you always walking in circles and up and down the hallways.
Some of your favorite things to do is play outside, play peek a boo and hide and seek. You love to look at books, but hate to sit down and have me read them to you. You love watching movies with your older sister. You are always exploring, and always putting things in your mouth. You are very curious. You are learning new words every day - and are constantly trying to discover new things.
What are some of the things I love about you? I love that when you see me you yell "Mah Mah Mah" and come running to me. I love when you get excited you scream. I love that when you see Curious George on the TV you point, jump up and down, and yell "Eeej, EEEJ!" I love when we ask you to dance you bob your head back and forth and pick your feet up and down. I love that when you get a little scared you hold on tight and cry "no". I love that you still need me, but are getting a little more courageous and trying to venture out on your own.
I love your smile - it is contagious and any time I am having a bad day, I know that smile will turn it around. I love that you are my "little brute" and are a rough and tumbling type of child, but you also love to play dress up with your sister.
Life is so much better with you in it. When I thought my heart couldn't grow any more after having your sister, you were born and taught me that there is SO much more love to give away to you! I am so complete with you in my life. I will always be there for you. I will always love you, even when you do something wrong - I will help you pick up the pieces and be there to teach you life lessons (even if you chose not to hear me at that point, you might remember it later on). I can't wait to see what great things you are going to do with your life! Thank you for being such a wonderful little girl!
Love you always and forever,
Mommy
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Izzy's half birthday Letter
Izzy,
You are 3 and a half now, and boy how grown up you are! You have such a big personality, and you keep me laughing constantly. Your language is exploding, and you hold conversations like a big girl (like really - I feel like you hold conversations that a 7 year old would have). You are very intelligent and catch on to concepts extremely fast. You are in the "I want to do it" phase, which is really fun, but also really hard for me to adjust to. I don't feel like you should be able to do everything yourself. So you get discouraged sometimes when I try to do it for you. You are very friendly and love to meet new people. Every time you go to a new place, you walk away with at least 1 new friend. You take excellent care of your sister and cousin Mia (who your Nana Sugar watches). You are always wanting to help, and are concerned when they are crying, and have a great time playing with them.
Some of your favorite things to play with are your baby dolls and Barbies. You love princesses, Dora, and dancing. You enjoy drawing, writing, and reading. Your favorite movies are anything Disney, and anything about princesses (of course). You love to apply make up and want your nails painted all the time. You started your first all day preschool this year, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and your friend Lilly is in your class, which you are so happy for. You did a great job on your first day, with only a few tears shed around naptime. You are starting dance class (ballet and tap) tonight and are SOOO excited for that! I can't wait to see you in your dance outfit! Again, it will remind me how big you are becoming.
You are very indepedent, but you are very loving. You are going through the "I will miss you stage" and do a lot of thinking about what you really want. You have a hard time deciding who you want to spend time with. You also have learned how to throw a massive tantrum - including stomping your feet, slamming doors, crossing your arm, and screaming and crying at the top of your lungs, when you don't get your way. Most of the time, these don't last too long, and you are pretty reasonable when I sit down and give you options.
So what are some of my favorite things about you? I love when you see me you come running to me and say "Mommy I MISSED you!" I love that when you are upset, and I tell you not to smile, you almost always smile and tell me that I am funny. I love that you try to be bigger than you are, by "working out" with daddy, trying to be a mommy to your sister and baby dolls, and just try to hold conversations with older kids all the time. I love that every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of my baby girl who is vulnerable and scared, but who is willing to try almost anything even if you are a little scared. I love that you still need me, because I am sure that before I know it, you are going to need me less and less.
I want you to know I am ALWAYS there for you and I will always love you. I will encourage you and support you, and I will hold you when you are hurt or broken. I might get upset with you at times, but know that I will attempt to come back and explain to you why I yelled, or got upset. I want to be able to talk to you about anything, and you to feel like you can talk to me about anything. My life is full with you in it and I love every second of the time I get to spend with you! You brighten up every life you touch - and II hope you always know that!
Love you always and forever,
Your mommy
You are 3 and a half now, and boy how grown up you are! You have such a big personality, and you keep me laughing constantly. Your language is exploding, and you hold conversations like a big girl (like really - I feel like you hold conversations that a 7 year old would have). You are very intelligent and catch on to concepts extremely fast. You are in the "I want to do it" phase, which is really fun, but also really hard for me to adjust to. I don't feel like you should be able to do everything yourself. So you get discouraged sometimes when I try to do it for you. You are very friendly and love to meet new people. Every time you go to a new place, you walk away with at least 1 new friend. You take excellent care of your sister and cousin Mia (who your Nana Sugar watches). You are always wanting to help, and are concerned when they are crying, and have a great time playing with them.
Some of your favorite things to play with are your baby dolls and Barbies. You love princesses, Dora, and dancing. You enjoy drawing, writing, and reading. Your favorite movies are anything Disney, and anything about princesses (of course). You love to apply make up and want your nails painted all the time. You started your first all day preschool this year, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and your friend Lilly is in your class, which you are so happy for. You did a great job on your first day, with only a few tears shed around naptime. You are starting dance class (ballet and tap) tonight and are SOOO excited for that! I can't wait to see you in your dance outfit! Again, it will remind me how big you are becoming.
You are very indepedent, but you are very loving. You are going through the "I will miss you stage" and do a lot of thinking about what you really want. You have a hard time deciding who you want to spend time with. You also have learned how to throw a massive tantrum - including stomping your feet, slamming doors, crossing your arm, and screaming and crying at the top of your lungs, when you don't get your way. Most of the time, these don't last too long, and you are pretty reasonable when I sit down and give you options.
So what are some of my favorite things about you? I love when you see me you come running to me and say "Mommy I MISSED you!" I love that when you are upset, and I tell you not to smile, you almost always smile and tell me that I am funny. I love that you try to be bigger than you are, by "working out" with daddy, trying to be a mommy to your sister and baby dolls, and just try to hold conversations with older kids all the time. I love that every once in a while, I catch a glimpse of my baby girl who is vulnerable and scared, but who is willing to try almost anything even if you are a little scared. I love that you still need me, because I am sure that before I know it, you are going to need me less and less.
I want you to know I am ALWAYS there for you and I will always love you. I will encourage you and support you, and I will hold you when you are hurt or broken. I might get upset with you at times, but know that I will attempt to come back and explain to you why I yelled, or got upset. I want to be able to talk to you about anything, and you to feel like you can talk to me about anything. My life is full with you in it and I love every second of the time I get to spend with you! You brighten up every life you touch - and II hope you always know that!
Love you always and forever,
Your mommy
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Brooklynn's 18 month appointment
Today I took Brooklynn for her 18 month appointment. We met a new pediatrician today! Some of you may not know but we had A LOT of drama with our last doctor's office - long story short - their old doctor left (like went to Wisconsin) told me she would follow up on Brooklynn's sleep study, and never knew if she did. Month later, we had no more information on her sleep study than when we started. So, since it took a month to get "we don't know what to tell you - call the pulmonologist office and ask your questions" and "we will refer you to a second opinion if you want but we have no other advice because we can't find her study" I was done.
SO we switched to my sister's doctor's office. And so far, I am very happy. We saw Dr. G. I told the office to give us some extra time as her history is pretty complex...and the doctor spent probably 30+ minutes going over her history, looking through her medical record, and examining her. She was 29 pounds, 33 inches long, and her head size was 21 3/4 inches (1/2 and inch more and her head size will be unplottable on the growth chart!) She could hear a murmur (which was to be expected), and said that she looks pretty good health wise.
I brought up my concerns about the sleep study and the interpretation. Pretty much, she agreed with me that she felt the apneas we discounted (her biggest concern was the obstructive sleep apneas, even though there were 2-3 that were listed, her concern was that it might be more than that on another night). She said her tonsils are very large, and she wouldn't be surprised if she had them removed at 2 years of age. She said she was not sure how to interpret the central apneas, but she was a little concerned that she dropped her saturations to the mid to upper 80's and the pulmonologist who interpreted it did not make any comment on that in his impression - just in the study itself. And she was healthy. So she agreed that when she is sick that these might be more significant, and that from one sleep study to the next there could be significant changes.
So her recommendation is to go to another hospital to have another sleep study done. She was a little concerned that the only thing that came of her sleep study based on the interpretation was periodic limb movement disorder. So we will be referred to another hospital and have another study done probably within the month.
It felt nice to have my concerns addressed (FINALLY after 3 months of waiting since the sleep study was completed), and that we are FINALLY going to be doing something about it! She said they really odn't get concerned unless sleep apneas last for 20+ seconds, which makes me feel a little better as well. Her concerns were more for her oxygen saturations and the obstructive apneas.
She said she saw the asthma action plan, and thinks it is okay for now - but is assuming that once winter comes, we will be upping her medications to more than once a day. I also said that I was nervous because both winters of B's life she has been hospitalized with RSV, and she answered that with she should have outgrown that possibility, or let's hope. So that was reassuring...at least a little.
Other than that the doctor summarized Brooklynn's medical history in a sentence "She is the sickest healthy kid I have ever seen". She also said if I have to make appointments for Brooklynn, to just go ahead and request more time - because she will need it.
On a VERY positive note - NO SHOTS!!! So this evening, we have a happy happy child :)
SO we switched to my sister's doctor's office. And so far, I am very happy. We saw Dr. G. I told the office to give us some extra time as her history is pretty complex...and the doctor spent probably 30+ minutes going over her history, looking through her medical record, and examining her. She was 29 pounds, 33 inches long, and her head size was 21 3/4 inches (1/2 and inch more and her head size will be unplottable on the growth chart!) She could hear a murmur (which was to be expected), and said that she looks pretty good health wise.
I brought up my concerns about the sleep study and the interpretation. Pretty much, she agreed with me that she felt the apneas we discounted (her biggest concern was the obstructive sleep apneas, even though there were 2-3 that were listed, her concern was that it might be more than that on another night). She said her tonsils are very large, and she wouldn't be surprised if she had them removed at 2 years of age. She said she was not sure how to interpret the central apneas, but she was a little concerned that she dropped her saturations to the mid to upper 80's and the pulmonologist who interpreted it did not make any comment on that in his impression - just in the study itself. And she was healthy. So she agreed that when she is sick that these might be more significant, and that from one sleep study to the next there could be significant changes.
So her recommendation is to go to another hospital to have another sleep study done. She was a little concerned that the only thing that came of her sleep study based on the interpretation was periodic limb movement disorder. So we will be referred to another hospital and have another study done probably within the month.
It felt nice to have my concerns addressed (FINALLY after 3 months of waiting since the sleep study was completed), and that we are FINALLY going to be doing something about it! She said they really odn't get concerned unless sleep apneas last for 20+ seconds, which makes me feel a little better as well. Her concerns were more for her oxygen saturations and the obstructive apneas.
She said she saw the asthma action plan, and thinks it is okay for now - but is assuming that once winter comes, we will be upping her medications to more than once a day. I also said that I was nervous because both winters of B's life she has been hospitalized with RSV, and she answered that with she should have outgrown that possibility, or let's hope. So that was reassuring...at least a little.
Other than that the doctor summarized Brooklynn's medical history in a sentence "She is the sickest healthy kid I have ever seen". She also said if I have to make appointments for Brooklynn, to just go ahead and request more time - because she will need it.
On a VERY positive note - NO SHOTS!!! So this evening, we have a happy happy child :)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Corpus Christi Vacation
This month we went on a family vacation with my side of the family. We went to Corpus Christi/Padre Island Texas. It was the first time we had been on vacation with my family in 10 years (yes, that is before we got married, had kids, and towards the VERY beginning of Sam's and I's relationship). It was due.
We flew out with my oldest sister Stephanie. The whole time we were in the airport, flying, and than driving the 2 1/2 hours from San Antonio, Izzy was asking "Can we go to the beach? I want to go to the beach!" Of course by the time we got down there, it was 8pm so no beach that night. Our condo was amazing - right off the bay, with a fishing dock right behind us. Two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living area. My parents had their own condo that was a two bedroom. Jacob, my nephew stayed with them, Stephanie and Devon my other nephew stayed with us.
The first day, we ended up going to a few surf shops, and than Izzy's request, we went to THE BEACH! It was so much fun to see her and Brooklynn in the water and sand. Izzy was a little leary of the water at first, but than became a regular water rat. Brooklynn just cared about eating the sand :).
We spent almost all day there, and by the end we were all exhausted, and I was pretty burnt! So burnt that the next day, I couldn't wear anything on my shoulders. It was an excuse to wear dresses the rest of the vacation.
The second day, we went to a wildlife refuge, and went hiking and driving. We saw birds, alligators (YES ALLIGATORS YIKES), deer, jelly fish, fish, and other random wildlife. Izzy saw an armadillo (thanks to Rango, she knew what one was), but nobody else saw it.
On the way over the the refuge, Devon and I saw a dolphin when we were hopping the ferry, but that was the only time and it was quick. It was a fun, and exhausting, day. The weather was not too bad, but it was a little warm when the wind wasn't blowing. When the wind WAS blowing it was blowing hard.
The third day we went back to the beach, but to a different beach this time. We spent a lot of the day collecting seashells and sitting on the sand and a little time in the water. We also went to the pool that night, and Izzy put her face underwater for the first time! It was amazing.
The fourth day, and we went to USS Lexington, and than to Texas Aquarium. Both were fun. The USS Lexington definitely was not a kid friendly environment - lots of balconies, and steep stairs. The girls enjoyed it, just a lot of anxiety producing events for momma.
The Texas Aquarium was fun, and the girls LOVED seeing all the wildlife. Izzy loved the dolphins, and Brooklynn loved them too. It was so much fun to see the girls just enjoy themselves. Brooklynn learned that she LOVES her nephews! She would not want to get too far from them.
Our final full day, we spent again at the beach. It was so much fun to just relax! We spent some time fishing throughout the week, and caught quite a few fish. We ate at lots of great restaurants, and went to some really cute shops.
The following day, we left early and drove to San Antonio and did some walking on the Riverwalk and driving around. The whole flight home, Izzy kept saying "I want to go home, I miss Carmen and Busa!!" It was a great trip, but I think her comment fit where we all were at. While it is nice to get away, it is nice to be home. Now if there was some way to make home Corpus Christi....Just kidding, but it was beautiful down there!
We flew out with my oldest sister Stephanie. The whole time we were in the airport, flying, and than driving the 2 1/2 hours from San Antonio, Izzy was asking "Can we go to the beach? I want to go to the beach!" Of course by the time we got down there, it was 8pm so no beach that night. Our condo was amazing - right off the bay, with a fishing dock right behind us. Two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living area. My parents had their own condo that was a two bedroom. Jacob, my nephew stayed with them, Stephanie and Devon my other nephew stayed with us.
The first day, we ended up going to a few surf shops, and than Izzy's request, we went to THE BEACH! It was so much fun to see her and Brooklynn in the water and sand. Izzy was a little leary of the water at first, but than became a regular water rat. Brooklynn just cared about eating the sand :).
We spent almost all day there, and by the end we were all exhausted, and I was pretty burnt! So burnt that the next day, I couldn't wear anything on my shoulders. It was an excuse to wear dresses the rest of the vacation.
The second day, we went to a wildlife refuge, and went hiking and driving. We saw birds, alligators (YES ALLIGATORS YIKES), deer, jelly fish, fish, and other random wildlife. Izzy saw an armadillo (thanks to Rango, she knew what one was), but nobody else saw it.
On the way over the the refuge, Devon and I saw a dolphin when we were hopping the ferry, but that was the only time and it was quick. It was a fun, and exhausting, day. The weather was not too bad, but it was a little warm when the wind wasn't blowing. When the wind WAS blowing it was blowing hard.
The third day we went back to the beach, but to a different beach this time. We spent a lot of the day collecting seashells and sitting on the sand and a little time in the water. We also went to the pool that night, and Izzy put her face underwater for the first time! It was amazing.
The fourth day, and we went to USS Lexington, and than to Texas Aquarium. Both were fun. The USS Lexington definitely was not a kid friendly environment - lots of balconies, and steep stairs. The girls enjoyed it, just a lot of anxiety producing events for momma.
The Texas Aquarium was fun, and the girls LOVED seeing all the wildlife. Izzy loved the dolphins, and Brooklynn loved them too. It was so much fun to see the girls just enjoy themselves. Brooklynn learned that she LOVES her nephews! She would not want to get too far from them.
Our final full day, we spent again at the beach. It was so much fun to just relax! We spent some time fishing throughout the week, and caught quite a few fish. We ate at lots of great restaurants, and went to some really cute shops.
The following day, we left early and drove to San Antonio and did some walking on the Riverwalk and driving around. The whole flight home, Izzy kept saying "I want to go home, I miss Carmen and Busa!!" It was a great trip, but I think her comment fit where we all were at. While it is nice to get away, it is nice to be home. Now if there was some way to make home Corpus Christi....Just kidding, but it was beautiful down there!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
7/24 Coupon Shopping Trip
Went on a shopping spree with my sister today at CVS and Walgreens - I was pretty successful. Spent a little more than I wanted to spend, but got a lot of great things! I bought $215.68 worth of product, for $69.99. That is a savings of $145.69! Here is the list of my savings:
CVS
Crest ProHealth Toothpaste $3.99 on sale 2.99
- 2.00 Extrabucks + $0.75 coupon = $0.24
Oral B Satin Floss $4.19 on sale $2.99
- $2.00 Extrabucks + $0.75 coupon = $0.24
Optifree Twin Pack Contact Solution $17.49 on sale $14.99
- $5.00 Extrabucks + $3.00 Coupon = $6.99
Kotex Liners $4.99 on sale $3.49
- $2.00 Extrabucks + $1.00 Coupon = $0.49
Kellogg's Cereal - Fruit Loops (4.39), Apple Jacks (4.69), Corn Pops (4.69)
- On sale 3/$6, and coupon for $1/3 = paid $1.67 each
Post Cereal Honey bran raisin (3.99) and Almond (4.39)
- On sale 2/$4, coupon for $1/2 = Paid $1.50 each
Palmolive Dish Soap $1.77 on sale $0.99
- $0.25 coupon = $0.74
Banana Boat Sunscreen $11.99 on sale $6.99
Kleenex $1.29 on sale for $0.88
- Coupon for $0.50 off 3 = $0.71 each
Crest Scope $3.89 on sale $2.99 - Learning experience - there was a limit of 2 for the extrabucks which counted Oral B, so did not get this for the price I was thinking
- $0.75 coupon = paid $2.74 (might try returning this)
Finish Powertab Dishwasher Detergent $5.99 on sale $2.99
- Coupon $0.65 = $2.34
Duracell AA 4 pack $4.99 on sale $2.99
- Coupon $1.00 = $1.99
Walgreens
Reynolds Wrap $1.79 on sale $0.89
Mars candy bars each $1.09 on sale for $0.49
- Coupon for $0.50 on 2 = paid $0.24 each
Zyrtec pack of 5 $7.99
- Coupon $5.00 = paid $2.99
Benadryl Anti-Itch Spray $6.49 on sale $4.49
- Coupon $2.00 = paid $2.49
Hand Sanitizier $2.99 on sale $1.99
Edge Shave Gel $2.79 on sale $1.99
- $0.55 coupon = Paid $1.24
Vaseline Lotion on Sale for $1.05
Wisk Laundry Detergent - $6.99
- $2.00 off coupon = $4.99
- Received Free Snuggle Dryer Sheets ($4.59 value)
Huggies Wipes $3.99 on Sale $2.49
- $1.00 walgreens coupon + $0.50 manufacturer Coupon = $0.99 (bought 2)
Skintimate Moisturizing Shave Gel $4.49 on Sale $1.99
- Had one $1.50 and $1.00 coupon - bought 2 - one for $0.49 and one for $0.99
Duracell AAA 8 Pack on Sale $5.99
- $4.00 Walgreens coupon = $1.99 - I totally forgot to add Duracell Coupon manufacturer so I could have Saved $1.00 more!
Covergirl Mascara on sale for $2.12
- Had buy one get 50% off sale = $3.18 for 2
- Had $2.50 on 2 coupon = $0.34 each
Scunci Hair Ties $3.49 on sale for $2.99
- Buy 1 get 1 free = $1.50 each
Huggies Jumbo Bag Diaper $12.99 on sale $8.99
- $3.00 coupon = $5.99 (bought 2)
CVS
Crest ProHealth Toothpaste $3.99 on sale 2.99
- 2.00 Extrabucks + $0.75 coupon = $0.24
Oral B Satin Floss $4.19 on sale $2.99
- $2.00 Extrabucks + $0.75 coupon = $0.24
Optifree Twin Pack Contact Solution $17.49 on sale $14.99
- $5.00 Extrabucks + $3.00 Coupon = $6.99
Kotex Liners $4.99 on sale $3.49
- $2.00 Extrabucks + $1.00 Coupon = $0.49
Kellogg's Cereal - Fruit Loops (4.39), Apple Jacks (4.69), Corn Pops (4.69)
- On sale 3/$6, and coupon for $1/3 = paid $1.67 each
Post Cereal Honey bran raisin (3.99) and Almond (4.39)
- On sale 2/$4, coupon for $1/2 = Paid $1.50 each
Palmolive Dish Soap $1.77 on sale $0.99
- $0.25 coupon = $0.74
Banana Boat Sunscreen $11.99 on sale $6.99
Kleenex $1.29 on sale for $0.88
- Coupon for $0.50 off 3 = $0.71 each
Crest Scope $3.89 on sale $2.99 - Learning experience - there was a limit of 2 for the extrabucks which counted Oral B, so did not get this for the price I was thinking
- $0.75 coupon = paid $2.74 (might try returning this)
Finish Powertab Dishwasher Detergent $5.99 on sale $2.99
- Coupon $0.65 = $2.34
Duracell AA 4 pack $4.99 on sale $2.99
- Coupon $1.00 = $1.99
Walgreens
Reynolds Wrap $1.79 on sale $0.89
Mars candy bars each $1.09 on sale for $0.49
- Coupon for $0.50 on 2 = paid $0.24 each
Zyrtec pack of 5 $7.99
- Coupon $5.00 = paid $2.99
Benadryl Anti-Itch Spray $6.49 on sale $4.49
- Coupon $2.00 = paid $2.49
Hand Sanitizier $2.99 on sale $1.99
Edge Shave Gel $2.79 on sale $1.99
- $0.55 coupon = Paid $1.24
Vaseline Lotion on Sale for $1.05
Wisk Laundry Detergent - $6.99
- $2.00 off coupon = $4.99
- Received Free Snuggle Dryer Sheets ($4.59 value)
Huggies Wipes $3.99 on Sale $2.49
- $1.00 walgreens coupon + $0.50 manufacturer Coupon = $0.99 (bought 2)
Skintimate Moisturizing Shave Gel $4.49 on Sale $1.99
- Had one $1.50 and $1.00 coupon - bought 2 - one for $0.49 and one for $0.99
Duracell AAA 8 Pack on Sale $5.99
- $4.00 Walgreens coupon = $1.99 - I totally forgot to add Duracell Coupon manufacturer so I could have Saved $1.00 more!
Covergirl Mascara on sale for $2.12
- Had buy one get 50% off sale = $3.18 for 2
- Had $2.50 on 2 coupon = $0.34 each
Scunci Hair Ties $3.49 on sale for $2.99
- Buy 1 get 1 free = $1.50 each
Huggies Jumbo Bag Diaper $12.99 on sale $8.99
- $3.00 coupon = $5.99 (bought 2)
Monday, July 11, 2011
Coupon Trip 7/10
Here is my coupon trip from 7/10. I like keeping track of stuff just so I know later on down the road what all I have been able to get at what price.
CVS PhARMACY:
Garnier Fructis Smoothing Milk Hair Gel - Originally $4.67
- On sale for 3/$10 (so $3.33 each)
- Had 3 $1 off coupons, so each of them was $2.22
Garnier Herbashine Hair Color - originally $8.29
- On Sale for $7.00
- Had a $3 off coupon - so was $4.00
When you spent $15 dollars on Garnier products, you received $5 extracare bucks (so that is $1.25 off each item)
- Smoothing milk ended up being $0.97 each
- Hair Color ended up being $2.75
Skintimate Shave Gel - Originally $3.49
- On sale for $1.99
- Had a $0.55 off coupon so paid $1.44
Kellogg's Crispy Nut Cereal - Originally $3.99
- On sale for $2.49
- Had a $0.70 off coupon - paid $1.44
Pampers Diapers box of 70 - Originally $24.69
- On Sale for $19.99
- Had a $2.00 off coupon - so made it $17.99
- Received $5 extracare bucks, so paid $12.99
WALGREENS PHARMACY
Curad bandages - originally $2.49
- On sale for $1.49
- Had a $0.50 off coupon - paid $0.99
Honey Crisp Cheerios General Mills - Originally $4.99
- On sale for 2/$4
- Had a $1.00 coupon for 2 - so it was 2/$3 - or $1.50 each
Hugges Wipes small pack - originally $3.99
- On sale for $2.49
- Walgreens coupon for $1.00 off - so paid $1.49
Charmin 6 roll - Originally $4.49
- On sale for $2.99
- Had $0.25 off coupon - paid $2.74
Colgate Toothpaste - Originally $3.29
- On Sale for $1 each
- Had $0.75 off coupon, so paid $0.25 (bought 3 of these)
Revlon Color Silk -
- On sale for $2.39
- Had $1/2 coupon - paid $3.78 for 2, so $1.89 each
CVS PhARMACY:
Garnier Fructis Smoothing Milk Hair Gel - Originally $4.67
- On sale for 3/$10 (so $3.33 each)
- Had 3 $1 off coupons, so each of them was $2.22
Garnier Herbashine Hair Color - originally $8.29
- On Sale for $7.00
- Had a $3 off coupon - so was $4.00
When you spent $15 dollars on Garnier products, you received $5 extracare bucks (so that is $1.25 off each item)
- Smoothing milk ended up being $0.97 each
- Hair Color ended up being $2.75
Skintimate Shave Gel - Originally $3.49
- On sale for $1.99
- Had a $0.55 off coupon so paid $1.44
Kellogg's Crispy Nut Cereal - Originally $3.99
- On sale for $2.49
- Had a $0.70 off coupon - paid $1.44
Pampers Diapers box of 70 - Originally $24.69
- On Sale for $19.99
- Had a $2.00 off coupon - so made it $17.99
- Received $5 extracare bucks, so paid $12.99
WALGREENS PHARMACY
Curad bandages - originally $2.49
- On sale for $1.49
- Had a $0.50 off coupon - paid $0.99
Honey Crisp Cheerios General Mills - Originally $4.99
- On sale for 2/$4
- Had a $1.00 coupon for 2 - so it was 2/$3 - or $1.50 each
Hugges Wipes small pack - originally $3.99
- On sale for $2.49
- Walgreens coupon for $1.00 off - so paid $1.49
Charmin 6 roll - Originally $4.49
- On sale for $2.99
- Had $0.25 off coupon - paid $2.74
Colgate Toothpaste - Originally $3.29
- On Sale for $1 each
- Had $0.75 off coupon, so paid $0.25 (bought 3 of these)
Revlon Color Silk -
- On sale for $2.39
- Had $1/2 coupon - paid $3.78 for 2, so $1.89 each
Asthma Action Plan
We trialed Brooklynn on asthma Flovent medicine. We didn't know if it really worked on Brooklynn's cough or if it was just time so I wasn't convinced she needed to be on medication. So we weaned her off the Flovent. Within 4 days she was coughing, sounding congested, especially after her sleep. So we put her back on the Flovent once a day and it worked on her cough. So we went to the doctor today, who said we should probably just bite the bullet and say she has asthma. We created an asthma action plan - for "green" or how she is now we will do 1 time a day of Flovent, with albuterol for breakthrough. If she has more trouble, than we go to twice a day flovent for 14 days, or her yellow zone. If she gets in the red zone we need to be seen and do albuterol breakthrough medication and have to be prescribed a steroid. Hopefully we never get here.
I also spoke with the doctor about Brooklynn's sleep study. I don't know if you recall, but we found out she has periodic limb movement disorder. Which means she moves her limbs frequently during the night, preventing her from getting good adequate sleep. So we started the iron.
I am a freak of a mom, and since I work in the hospital, I always go to medical records and get all her tests and consults so that I can keep record of all the specialized tests. I also am a visual person so I have to see what they are telling me. Well, reading the report they mentioned some things that they consider to be "normal" but to me doesn't seem quite so normal.
She had 18 periods of central apnea, which I guess can sometimes be considered a normal thing. She did not get woken up by these or stir, except maybe a few times, so this was considered "insignificant". To me, in my NICU mindset, central apnea is not a good thing. But I guess I am wrong. She had 4 episodes of obstructive sleep apnea or hypopnea (where she doesn't breath as well as she should), but none of these woke her up. They stated in their report that these could be underestimated because she only slept on her back 20% of the time, which is the worst position for obstructive sleep apnea. She had 5 episodes of desaturations, but only 86-89%. Again, I guess these are insignificant.
She had multiple periods where she desaturated from her normal range >3% (she would normally sit around 97%, but I guess she would fall down below that multiple times throughout the night). Again, they say this is normal.
She had a peak pCO2 of 51mmHg, which I guess is normal as well. I feel like, again, NICU mindset, 51 is not normal (normal range is 35-45mmHg, but I guess people have periods of having higher than this?)
She had one period of 5 minutes where she had 7 short, central apneic episodes, with desaturations ranging from 86-89%. To me that is significant, again they don't feel like it is.
I asked the doctor about this, and she stated she is not quite sure what to think. She has the opinion that the pulmonologist probably knows what is significant and what is not, but she will call them and ask them some more questions. I want to know how long these apneas were, why the are considered insignificant, and if I should be worried about these increasing when she gets sick. If she gets a stuffy nose, she sleeps so much more worse at night. Sam and I hear her waking up and gasping, and pausing her breathing after coughing, or even after she tosses and turns. But her sleep study doesn't reflect anything that we should be concerned about I guess. I asked if someone else looked at the sleep study, if they would find the same thing or if they would consider her episodes significant. She said let her call the pulmonologist and see what they say.
I don't want to sound like a crazy mom, or a crazy nurse. I want to trust what the doctor says, but I don't see how having multiple desaturation episodes at night is not significant, even if they are only into the upper 80's. Maybe I am being a freak. Maybe I should just relax. Maybe I need to just be happy that the doctor read it as normal and be on my way. But something keeps nagging in the back of my mind that tells me her sleep is not normal. I just wonder if this voice is one I should ignore and I am just worried for nothing.
Oh well. For now, she will continue to sleep in our room in her crib. Until Sam and I can get up the courage to try her in a separate room. I just don't know if I will ever feel comfortable with the way she sleeps.
I also spoke with the doctor about Brooklynn's sleep study. I don't know if you recall, but we found out she has periodic limb movement disorder. Which means she moves her limbs frequently during the night, preventing her from getting good adequate sleep. So we started the iron.
I am a freak of a mom, and since I work in the hospital, I always go to medical records and get all her tests and consults so that I can keep record of all the specialized tests. I also am a visual person so I have to see what they are telling me. Well, reading the report they mentioned some things that they consider to be "normal" but to me doesn't seem quite so normal.
She had 18 periods of central apnea, which I guess can sometimes be considered a normal thing. She did not get woken up by these or stir, except maybe a few times, so this was considered "insignificant". To me, in my NICU mindset, central apnea is not a good thing. But I guess I am wrong. She had 4 episodes of obstructive sleep apnea or hypopnea (where she doesn't breath as well as she should), but none of these woke her up. They stated in their report that these could be underestimated because she only slept on her back 20% of the time, which is the worst position for obstructive sleep apnea. She had 5 episodes of desaturations, but only 86-89%. Again, I guess these are insignificant.
She had multiple periods where she desaturated from her normal range >3% (she would normally sit around 97%, but I guess she would fall down below that multiple times throughout the night). Again, they say this is normal.
She had a peak pCO2 of 51mmHg, which I guess is normal as well. I feel like, again, NICU mindset, 51 is not normal (normal range is 35-45mmHg, but I guess people have periods of having higher than this?)
She had one period of 5 minutes where she had 7 short, central apneic episodes, with desaturations ranging from 86-89%. To me that is significant, again they don't feel like it is.
I asked the doctor about this, and she stated she is not quite sure what to think. She has the opinion that the pulmonologist probably knows what is significant and what is not, but she will call them and ask them some more questions. I want to know how long these apneas were, why the are considered insignificant, and if I should be worried about these increasing when she gets sick. If she gets a stuffy nose, she sleeps so much more worse at night. Sam and I hear her waking up and gasping, and pausing her breathing after coughing, or even after she tosses and turns. But her sleep study doesn't reflect anything that we should be concerned about I guess. I asked if someone else looked at the sleep study, if they would find the same thing or if they would consider her episodes significant. She said let her call the pulmonologist and see what they say.
I don't want to sound like a crazy mom, or a crazy nurse. I want to trust what the doctor says, but I don't see how having multiple desaturation episodes at night is not significant, even if they are only into the upper 80's. Maybe I am being a freak. Maybe I should just relax. Maybe I need to just be happy that the doctor read it as normal and be on my way. But something keeps nagging in the back of my mind that tells me her sleep is not normal. I just wonder if this voice is one I should ignore and I am just worried for nothing.
Oh well. For now, she will continue to sleep in our room in her crib. Until Sam and I can get up the courage to try her in a separate room. I just don't know if I will ever feel comfortable with the way she sleeps.
Some Recent Pictures
Here are some pictures. There are a few from Brooklynn's Cardiology appointment which included an EKG (where they watched the rhythm of her heart) and an echo (where they took pictures of her heart).
There are also pictures from the Fourth of July weekend. It was Izzy's first fishing trip and she LOVED it...she was really disappointed that we didn't catch any fish. We had a picnic at my parents house where we set off a few fireworks and let the kids hold some sparklers (with VERY close adult supervision - don't worry).
There are also pictures from the Fourth of July weekend. It was Izzy's first fishing trip and she LOVED it...she was really disappointed that we didn't catch any fish. We had a picnic at my parents house where we set off a few fireworks and let the kids hold some sparklers (with VERY close adult supervision - don't worry).
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Coupon Trip July 4th
So I went to do my weekly trip to CVS and Walgreens and did pretty good I think. I saved 53% off what I would have normally spent (this included items that I did not have really great coupons on but needed such as diapers). I told you I would keep track of things I did buy and I how I got them low so here goes.
At CVS:
Hershey Delight $1.19
- I used my extracare card at the kiosk and received a free hershey delight coupon. So after this coupon, this item was FREE!
Coke 2 Liter Originally Priced $1.99 on sale for 0.69. No coupons, just a good deal so I bought 2.
Gilette Fusion Razor Priced $9.99
- Had a $4.00 coupon, so down to $5.99
- Received $4.00 ExtraBucks, so paid $1.99 for this
Tampax 18 count Priced 3.99 on sale
- $1.00 of coupon, so down to $2.99
- Received $2.00 ExtraBucks, so paid $0.99
Mentos Gum On Sale for $0.99 each
- $1.00 off for 3
- Paid $1.97 for 3, or $0.66 each
Johnson's Baby Wash On sale for $2.99 - no coupon on this.
Just For Men Hair Color $6.99
- $2.00 off coupon
- Paid $4.99
Mitchum Deodarant On Sale from $3.99 for $1.99
- $0.75 off coupon
- Paid $1.24
Walgreens
Off Bug Spray On Sale for $4.99
- $1.00 off Walgreens coupon stacked with $0.75 manufacturer coupon
- Paid $3.24
Nabisco Crackers and Cookies On Sale for $1.99, and Buy 1 Get 1 Free
- Used $1.00 off 2 coupon
- Paid $0.99 for both, so $0.49 each
M&M Big Bag On Sale for $2.50
- Used $1.50 off 2 coupon
- Paid $1.75 each
- I goofed and I had a $1.00 off 2 Walgreens coupon on this, and it did not run through, but I did not take it back to get it fixed.
Energizer AA Batteries 4 pack On Sale for $2.99
- $1.00 off coupon
- Paid $1.99
Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner Each on Sale for $3.00
- Had $3.00 off coupon x 2
- Received BOTH shampoo and Conditioner for FREE!!
Oral-B Toothbrush On Sale for $1.00 each
- $2.00 off 2 x 2 coupons
- Received 4 toothbrushes for FREE!!
That is my list from last week. Again, I definitely spent more money than that, but these are the big items I used coupons on. I still have room for improvement but I am getting better. We also have a stockpile building up, enough to last a few months for certain items, so now I am getting to a point that I won't have to buy so much unless it is a GREAT deal! Woohoo.
At CVS:
Hershey Delight $1.19
- I used my extracare card at the kiosk and received a free hershey delight coupon. So after this coupon, this item was FREE!
Coke 2 Liter Originally Priced $1.99 on sale for 0.69. No coupons, just a good deal so I bought 2.
Gilette Fusion Razor Priced $9.99
- Had a $4.00 coupon, so down to $5.99
- Received $4.00 ExtraBucks, so paid $1.99 for this
Tampax 18 count Priced 3.99 on sale
- $1.00 of coupon, so down to $2.99
- Received $2.00 ExtraBucks, so paid $0.99
Mentos Gum On Sale for $0.99 each
- $1.00 off for 3
- Paid $1.97 for 3, or $0.66 each
Johnson's Baby Wash On sale for $2.99 - no coupon on this.
Just For Men Hair Color $6.99
- $2.00 off coupon
- Paid $4.99
Mitchum Deodarant On Sale from $3.99 for $1.99
- $0.75 off coupon
- Paid $1.24
Walgreens
Off Bug Spray On Sale for $4.99
- $1.00 off Walgreens coupon stacked with $0.75 manufacturer coupon
- Paid $3.24
Nabisco Crackers and Cookies On Sale for $1.99, and Buy 1 Get 1 Free
- Used $1.00 off 2 coupon
- Paid $0.99 for both, so $0.49 each
M&M Big Bag On Sale for $2.50
- Used $1.50 off 2 coupon
- Paid $1.75 each
- I goofed and I had a $1.00 off 2 Walgreens coupon on this, and it did not run through, but I did not take it back to get it fixed.
Energizer AA Batteries 4 pack On Sale for $2.99
- $1.00 off coupon
- Paid $1.99
Herbal Essence Shampoo and Conditioner Each on Sale for $3.00
- Had $3.00 off coupon x 2
- Received BOTH shampoo and Conditioner for FREE!!
Oral-B Toothbrush On Sale for $1.00 each
- $2.00 off 2 x 2 coupons
- Received 4 toothbrushes for FREE!!
That is my list from last week. Again, I definitely spent more money than that, but these are the big items I used coupons on. I still have room for improvement but I am getting better. We also have a stockpile building up, enough to last a few months for certain items, so now I am getting to a point that I won't have to buy so much unless it is a GREAT deal! Woohoo.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Brooklynn's Labs
We got a call back from the sleep clinic. We had her iron levels and ferrittin levels drawn to check to see if this was causing her Periodic Limb Movements. Her iron was 58 (normal 50-120) and her ferritin was 14 (normal 6-21). I guess when they have this syndrome they like them to be higher, so they will be starting her on iron supplements twice a day.
She can not have dairy 1 hour before or 1 hour after, and we have to space it out from her prevacid by 1 hour. I have to give it to her on an empty stomach, with 100% vitamin C juice. It takes about 4-6 weeks for the effects to kick in, so we go back in 3 months to get levels drawn again and hope to see the levels higher. It is not something that needs to be treated long term, as long as she maintains her level.
So we shall see. Hope this helps.
She can not have dairy 1 hour before or 1 hour after, and we have to space it out from her prevacid by 1 hour. I have to give it to her on an empty stomach, with 100% vitamin C juice. It takes about 4-6 weeks for the effects to kick in, so we go back in 3 months to get levels drawn again and hope to see the levels higher. It is not something that needs to be treated long term, as long as she maintains her level.
So we shall see. Hope this helps.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
The Results Are In...
For the sleep study. We finally heard back from them yesterday with Brooklynn's sleep results.
Good news first - no obstructive sleep apnea! So that means she snores, but it does not physically effect her. Yay!
I knew there was SOMETHING they found though when they ended that statement with "so that's good news..."
Than came what they DID find. She has Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. There could be much worse. Still, I was expecting one answer and got another. This Disorder is where she unconsciously moves her limbs periodically throughout the night (legs, toes, knees) that takes her out of REM sleep. There is not much data on kids her age with this, it is a newer diagnosis. They said with older kids anything over 5 movements an hour would classify them in this realm, with adults it is anything over 12 movements an hour.
Brooklynn moved 12 times an hour randomly, and 20 times an hour periodically, so pretty much they say she has this disorder.
So what does this mean? Eventually it could cause mood disorders and ADHD, learning difficulties, etc since she does not get adequate REM sleep. There are ways to prevent this from happening.
We need to get her iron and ferrotin levels drawn because low iron (anemia) can cause these symptoms. Ferrotin delivers iron to the brain, the brain uses iron and produces dopamine, which helps with REM sleep and sleep cycles. So low iron would decrease the dopamine cycle. So if her levels are low, we will start her on 2 times a day iron supplements and reasses in 3 months. If she is still doing this, we will go for 3 more months at higher levels, and than reassess.
If the iron does not work there are other medications they can use, but they cause some major side effects. Looking it up online, they are benzodiazopenes and drugs used for Parkinsons. This step would require a lot of discussion.
Hopefully the iron works.
So not the worst news we could receive. Just more follow up needed, possibly another medication. But at least we do not need to worry about adenoid and tonsil removal at this time!
Good news first - no obstructive sleep apnea! So that means she snores, but it does not physically effect her. Yay!
I knew there was SOMETHING they found though when they ended that statement with "so that's good news..."
Than came what they DID find. She has Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. There could be much worse. Still, I was expecting one answer and got another. This Disorder is where she unconsciously moves her limbs periodically throughout the night (legs, toes, knees) that takes her out of REM sleep. There is not much data on kids her age with this, it is a newer diagnosis. They said with older kids anything over 5 movements an hour would classify them in this realm, with adults it is anything over 12 movements an hour.
Brooklynn moved 12 times an hour randomly, and 20 times an hour periodically, so pretty much they say she has this disorder.
So what does this mean? Eventually it could cause mood disorders and ADHD, learning difficulties, etc since she does not get adequate REM sleep. There are ways to prevent this from happening.
We need to get her iron and ferrotin levels drawn because low iron (anemia) can cause these symptoms. Ferrotin delivers iron to the brain, the brain uses iron and produces dopamine, which helps with REM sleep and sleep cycles. So low iron would decrease the dopamine cycle. So if her levels are low, we will start her on 2 times a day iron supplements and reasses in 3 months. If she is still doing this, we will go for 3 more months at higher levels, and than reassess.
If the iron does not work there are other medications they can use, but they cause some major side effects. Looking it up online, they are benzodiazopenes and drugs used for Parkinsons. This step would require a lot of discussion.
Hopefully the iron works.
So not the worst news we could receive. Just more follow up needed, possibly another medication. But at least we do not need to worry about adenoid and tonsil removal at this time!
Friday, June 17, 2011
My first adventure in couponing...
So as many of you know I have started couponing...this is my first week. I am really starting to keep my eye out for deals. So far I have made 1 really great purchase (hey it's a start) and have 3 rainchecks. I was really upset that I couldn't do anything more than this but I guess it's an okay start. All at CVS...
I bought Mitchum Advanced Control Deodarant - original price $3.99. On Sale for $1.99. Had a 0.75 cent coupon. So got it for $1.25. Not too shabby.
I have 3 rainchecks too since they were out of the product:
- Charmin 4 count toilet paper - original price $4.99. On sale for $2.99. Have a $1 off coupon. Final price: $1.99
- Schick Hydro Razor - Original Price $8.99, on sale for $8.00. Have a $4.00 off coupon. Will receive $4.00 extra bucks to use on a future purchase. Final Price: Practically Free
- Colgate Total - Original Price $3.69. On sale for buy one get one free. Have two $1 off coupon. Final price: 0.85 cents each.
Stay tuned for some more success stories (I hope). One day I hope to have a $200 bill that I got down to <$100! We shall see :)
I bought Mitchum Advanced Control Deodarant - original price $3.99. On Sale for $1.99. Had a 0.75 cent coupon. So got it for $1.25. Not too shabby.
I have 3 rainchecks too since they were out of the product:
- Charmin 4 count toilet paper - original price $4.99. On sale for $2.99. Have a $1 off coupon. Final price: $1.99
- Schick Hydro Razor - Original Price $8.99, on sale for $8.00. Have a $4.00 off coupon. Will receive $4.00 extra bucks to use on a future purchase. Final Price: Practically Free
- Colgate Total - Original Price $3.69. On sale for buy one get one free. Have two $1 off coupon. Final price: 0.85 cents each.
Stay tuned for some more success stories (I hope). One day I hope to have a $200 bill that I got down to <$100! We shall see :)
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Start of Being a Coupon Mom?
I am making a change in my life. I am going to become one of "those" moms who clip coupons. After watching Extreme Couponing on TLC I have made a promise to myself - by the end of the year I am going to cut our grocery bill in half. By this time next year, my ultimate goal is to cut it down by 1/4! Do you think I can do it? I am not sure but I am definitely going to try!
I am starting to watch out for ads. I am keeping a close eye on CVS and Walgreens...I guess these are where you can really save money! I have discovered based on reading up on those that coupon that you should never pay for bath and beauty, or at least have over 75% savings on anything you purchased. Toothpaste and toothbrushes should be free. Deodarant and razors should be free or at least no more than a couple of dollars.
So how am I going to do this? I have been reading up on multiple sites - including couponmom.com, thekrazycouponlady.com, and coupondivas.com. I will get the Sunday paper and save all coupon books. I will keep an eye on ads, and match up manufacturer, store, and discounts at the store so that we can start building our stock. In a months time I hope to be starting ot create a stock of nonperishable items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc) so that we can not have to worry about going to the store for these items.
Can I do it? I don't know but I sure hope so. It looks like it might take some time - but if others are doing it and only paying $10 for $75+ worth or product why can't I?
For once, I am excited about saving money! I will keep you up to date on whether I actually accomplish this - and I am hoping to post when I get good deals so hopefully you can enjoy these benefits as well!!
I am starting to watch out for ads. I am keeping a close eye on CVS and Walgreens...I guess these are where you can really save money! I have discovered based on reading up on those that coupon that you should never pay for bath and beauty, or at least have over 75% savings on anything you purchased. Toothpaste and toothbrushes should be free. Deodarant and razors should be free or at least no more than a couple of dollars.
So how am I going to do this? I have been reading up on multiple sites - including couponmom.com, thekrazycouponlady.com, and coupondivas.com. I will get the Sunday paper and save all coupon books. I will keep an eye on ads, and match up manufacturer, store, and discounts at the store so that we can start building our stock. In a months time I hope to be starting ot create a stock of nonperishable items (toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc) so that we can not have to worry about going to the store for these items.
Can I do it? I don't know but I sure hope so. It looks like it might take some time - but if others are doing it and only paying $10 for $75+ worth or product why can't I?
For once, I am excited about saving money! I will keep you up to date on whether I actually accomplish this - and I am hoping to post when I get good deals so hopefully you can enjoy these benefits as well!!
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
I have been a Posting Fool!
So I know I have just posted on my blog. I have been updating pretty regularly actually compared to my normal. But I posted mostly facts.
Now I am going to post some thoughts.
This has been a roller coaster of a ride...this thing called being a mom. The first time around I felt like it was easy - I had a daughter who was growing well, a pretty great baby whose only downfall was crying...a lot. But she was so cute I could handle it.
Than I got pregnant with my second. I loved every minute of it just like the first. But I was living on the edge. On the edge of will I be having her early? Will I be able to go back to work? Will I ever make it to term?
And I got close...4 weeks early just like the first. She was on the verge of being concerned when she was born. She was only for observation but just enough to worry me with her breathing, her sugars, her bilirubin, and her head. But never enough to worry the doctors.
Than her head started growing...quickly! And the doctors were worried. The tests were negative, but I was still worried. And we looked at her head 4 times with different tests - all pretty much the same - enough to be a little concerned and follow but not enough to do anything.
Than her breathing became an issue. She was holding her breath at night, she was snoring, she is constantly getting sick, and now we are working her up for asthma. Again, not enough to really worry the doctors, but just enough to worry momma!
And now we have this tiny thing called a PFO. I went in to cardiology thinking we would hear that her heart is perfectly normal - or rather perfect! Instead, we heard that she has a tiny whole in her heart. Again, not enough to worry the doctors, but enough to worry her momma...again.
Don't get me wrong. I am SOOO very grateful that everything we have done has not found anything serious. I just wish that every doctor we went to see would not find something tiny that we still have to monitor. Because a "it's essentially normal but we have to monitor" is not good enough for a mom. I want to here "it is normal and there is no concern."
I hope you don't think I am complaining. I hope you don't think I am not grateful for the fact that I have two beautiful girls who are growing and interacting and developmentally perfect. This is, however, my blog where I can write how I feel. And that is how I feel.
Still waiting on the sleep study and again...I am worried we will hear something is wrong. Something else to make me worry that one of these days the rug is going to be pulled out from under me and something will actually be really wrong.
On an end note - I love my family and I always will. I love being a mom, even when I am on the uphill sweep of this roller coaster.
Now I am going to post some thoughts.
This has been a roller coaster of a ride...this thing called being a mom. The first time around I felt like it was easy - I had a daughter who was growing well, a pretty great baby whose only downfall was crying...a lot. But she was so cute I could handle it.
Than I got pregnant with my second. I loved every minute of it just like the first. But I was living on the edge. On the edge of will I be having her early? Will I be able to go back to work? Will I ever make it to term?
And I got close...4 weeks early just like the first. She was on the verge of being concerned when she was born. She was only for observation but just enough to worry me with her breathing, her sugars, her bilirubin, and her head. But never enough to worry the doctors.
Than her head started growing...quickly! And the doctors were worried. The tests were negative, but I was still worried. And we looked at her head 4 times with different tests - all pretty much the same - enough to be a little concerned and follow but not enough to do anything.
Than her breathing became an issue. She was holding her breath at night, she was snoring, she is constantly getting sick, and now we are working her up for asthma. Again, not enough to really worry the doctors, but just enough to worry momma!
And now we have this tiny thing called a PFO. I went in to cardiology thinking we would hear that her heart is perfectly normal - or rather perfect! Instead, we heard that she has a tiny whole in her heart. Again, not enough to worry the doctors, but enough to worry her momma...again.
Don't get me wrong. I am SOOO very grateful that everything we have done has not found anything serious. I just wish that every doctor we went to see would not find something tiny that we still have to monitor. Because a "it's essentially normal but we have to monitor" is not good enough for a mom. I want to here "it is normal and there is no concern."
I hope you don't think I am complaining. I hope you don't think I am not grateful for the fact that I have two beautiful girls who are growing and interacting and developmentally perfect. This is, however, my blog where I can write how I feel. And that is how I feel.
Still waiting on the sleep study and again...I am worried we will hear something is wrong. Something else to make me worry that one of these days the rug is going to be pulled out from under me and something will actually be really wrong.
On an end note - I love my family and I always will. I love being a mom, even when I am on the uphill sweep of this roller coaster.
Brooklynn's Cardiology Appointment
Today we went to see Dr. Bingler in cardiology. They started with measurements - she was 81.2 cm long, 12.2 kg, and her blood pressure was 107/66. I asked about the blood pressure because it is the same as mine, and they said it was in her leg which is usually higher and also that the dynomaps that they take them on are not 100% accurate. Okay...I guess I am okay with that answer.
They did an EKG which I am assuming was normal because they did not say anything. The doctor came in, said he heard a soft murmur, and therefore wanted to do an echo. We did the echo, and found out that she has a 3-4mm PFO (patent foramen ovale). This is a whole that is there in utero to help with blood flow from the placenta to the lungs in the fetus, but should close after birth. Hers did not. He said that there really are no complications that they know of for sure with PFOs. If they are large enough it can cause respiratory infections (which he said it sounds like hers are not necessarily from here - but it could have complicated things when she had RSV as a baby and required oxygen). He said since this is the first time we have seen her, we don't know if her PFO was larger when she was a baby, and therefore it is hard to determine if it is closing or staying the same size. They will be following her again in 9 months with another echo to see if the PFO has grown larger as she gets bigger, has gotten smaller, or closed.
I guess there is some research out there that this possibly might increase the chance of her having a stroke when she is older, but there is such conflicting research that it is not sure if this is true. He said hopefully in 5 years we will know more and that will be beneficial for her if it is still there to know this research. He said there is no risk at this time of a clot, and if it was less than 2mm they wouldn't even follow it any more. So let's just hope next time it is closed. Makes me a little nervous for a long term outcome, but hopefully the research is not true!!
We are still waiting on the results of the sleep study...
They did an EKG which I am assuming was normal because they did not say anything. The doctor came in, said he heard a soft murmur, and therefore wanted to do an echo. We did the echo, and found out that she has a 3-4mm PFO (patent foramen ovale). This is a whole that is there in utero to help with blood flow from the placenta to the lungs in the fetus, but should close after birth. Hers did not. He said that there really are no complications that they know of for sure with PFOs. If they are large enough it can cause respiratory infections (which he said it sounds like hers are not necessarily from here - but it could have complicated things when she had RSV as a baby and required oxygen). He said since this is the first time we have seen her, we don't know if her PFO was larger when she was a baby, and therefore it is hard to determine if it is closing or staying the same size. They will be following her again in 9 months with another echo to see if the PFO has grown larger as she gets bigger, has gotten smaller, or closed.
I guess there is some research out there that this possibly might increase the chance of her having a stroke when she is older, but there is such conflicting research that it is not sure if this is true. He said hopefully in 5 years we will know more and that will be beneficial for her if it is still there to know this research. He said there is no risk at this time of a clot, and if it was less than 2mm they wouldn't even follow it any more. So let's just hope next time it is closed. Makes me a little nervous for a long term outcome, but hopefully the research is not true!!
We are still waiting on the results of the sleep study...
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
bp photography
I am starting a new blog to display my photography work. If you are interested in being a member please let me know.
It is http://photographybybp.blogspot.com.
Either join just to be able to look at the pictures (there will be lots of the girls I am sure), or feel free to contact me for a session.
If you want to book a session contact me either through here, facebook, or e-mail me at kityhawk13@aol.com.
It is http://photographybybp.blogspot.com.
Either join just to be able to look at the pictures (there will be lots of the girls I am sure), or feel free to contact me for a session.
If you want to book a session contact me either through here, facebook, or e-mail me at kityhawk13@aol.com.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Brooklynn's Genetics Appointment
Today we had our genetics appointment (finally after waiting for 3 months!) It was a great appointment. They took our family history, family tree, and B's medical history. They measured our heads and sure enough - we both have large heads (not to the capacity that Brooklynn does). They did all sorts of measurements (measured the space between her eyes, her ears, her hands, her feet), took her height and weight, measured her head, etc. etc. Dr. A determined that based on her growth being so perfect and her development being on point, there is no concern or reason to do any more tests. She said based on what she had been told she was prepared for us to have her chromosomes drawn, but after meeting her, and seeing how cute she was (her words not mine) :) she determined this did not need to happen. She is saying that we will label it "familial macrocephaly".
She did say, however, that if there were ever any concerns that popped up (she stopped hitting her milestones, her growth halted, we found something medically wrong) to call and they will see us again. If we find out anything at cardiology to notify them and they will probably want her seen. I have a feeling our cardiology appointment will go smoothly as well - she only has an intermittent murmur and she is growing leaps and bounds so I don't see how it could be anything wrong.
Other than that we are doing really great! Had a wonderful weekend taking pictures of the girls and going to the pool and enjoying the SUPER hot weather!! Still waiting on the results from the sleep study, hoping to hear about that soon!
She did say, however, that if there were ever any concerns that popped up (she stopped hitting her milestones, her growth halted, we found something medically wrong) to call and they will see us again. If we find out anything at cardiology to notify them and they will probably want her seen. I have a feeling our cardiology appointment will go smoothly as well - she only has an intermittent murmur and she is growing leaps and bounds so I don't see how it could be anything wrong.
Other than that we are doing really great! Had a wonderful weekend taking pictures of the girls and going to the pool and enjoying the SUPER hot weather!! Still waiting on the results from the sleep study, hoping to hear about that soon!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Brooklynn's Sleep Study
Brooklynn had her sleep study last night and it SUCKED!! We arrived at 7:15pm, and they started putting wires on her by 7:45pm. It took them 45 minutes to put them on and the whole time she was crying. Literally the only thing that calmed her down was the movie Curious George. Thank heaven for Child Life because they found us a portable DVD player and the movie!! She finally was able to lay down and fall asleep by 8:45pm. Unfortunately, the whole night either she woke herself up or the RT would wake her up because of the wires falling off. I bet it was probably about 10 times throughout the night she was woken up. She looked like a war victim! There were probably 20 wires going from her head, one on her chest, one on her back, 4 on her legs, a sat probe on her foot, and two bands that wrapped around her chest and abdomen. This afternoon she is back to her old self and smiling and playing! So I guess it did not effect her too much!
They told us it takes 2-4 weeks to have the results read. The RT however said that he thinks ours will be read earlier than that because he is putting it on the top of the list. He said she snored so much throughout the night that it worried him. Strange, because I felt like other than her crying and seeming exhausted from that, I felt like she was quieter than normal. I guess we will see how it is interpreted. I will be really freaked out if they show she is doing something really bad because she was 100x worse prior ot starting the Prevacid back up.
Thank you to my mom who watched her this morning so I could sleep! Here are some pictures of her adventures last night.
They told us it takes 2-4 weeks to have the results read. The RT however said that he thinks ours will be read earlier than that because he is putting it on the top of the list. He said she snored so much throughout the night that it worried him. Strange, because I felt like other than her crying and seeming exhausted from that, I felt like she was quieter than normal. I guess we will see how it is interpreted. I will be really freaked out if they show she is doing something really bad because she was 100x worse prior ot starting the Prevacid back up.
Thank you to my mom who watched her this morning so I could sleep! Here are some pictures of her adventures last night.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Brooklynn's 15 month appointment
We went to see Dr. N. today for Brooklynn's 15 month appointment. Measurement wise she is doing okay. She weighed 26 pounds, which is actually down in the graph, she is at 80% (down from 90% which is still good but she felt it was due to her coughing so much the last 3 weeks. Her height is on a steady growth at 70% at 31 inches. Her head didn't grow!! It was at 21 1/4" which is flatlined from last time! Yay! We talked a lot about differnt things, including whether I should be concerned about her genetics appointment. She stated she didn't feel like she had anything in her head disorders wise and the ones it seemed like the genetics were concerned about based on conversation that the results all came back. She said since she is on point developmentally we shouldn't be too worried. Developmentally she is on point. She is starting to walk on her own - letting go of things and walking between objects (sometimes up to 10 steps). She points to what she wants, she says 3-5 words (no, done, more, hi, bye), and with food she is doing amazingly. We need to work on getting her off the bottle (which I promised we would work on after her sleep study), and we need to work on stacking blocks. I asked about working her up for allergies, which Dr. N. stated she likes to hold off until 2 years old so we dont get false negatives. Shots we are holding off for 2 weeks until after her sleep study and other appointments. Assessment wise - her ears look great. She has no murmur at this point, but we still need to see cardiology to rule out structural defects. When she cries she gets tight and does not have much air movement, but no wheezing, and she still has a nasty cough. So that brings us to our next topic....working her up for asthma. For the last week we have been trying to use albuterol treatments when she has coughing fits per request of the Sleep Clinic Doctors. It was really hard to tell if the treatments helped her because she always coughs a bunch after a nap, and than gets better. They seemed to help a little bit but it was hard to know. We are still wondering why she has this long term cough. It goes from a tight sounding cough to a loose cough, and she will have fits of up to 15 minutes after waking up. So we were prescribed flovent to try giving her twice a day for two weeks. If she improves, than we will be calling it asthma and doing an asthma action plan. Tomorrow night is our sleep study - so I am sure I will be posting pictures and information about how that goes! Isabella is becoming more of a little person. She LOVES performing - infact she performed her slippy fish song for the doctor today. She loves art. She is obsessed with her new swimsuit which she wears every other day. We have not gone to the pool yet thinking it would be a little too cold still. Hopefully soon.She found her new favorite movie - Tangled. It is super cute. Today we went ot get ice cream and Izzy was feeding Brooklynn ice cream and water. It was SOO cute! She is such a little momma.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Next three weeks of appointments
We are starting our countdown for appointments for Brooklynn this next few weeks. On Tuesday we went to the sleep clinic for evaluation of her sleep patterns. They informed me that she has the potential to have an asthma/reactive airway disease diagnosis due to how sick she gets and how frequently she has a cough and requires some sort of treatment. We did start her on Prevacid 3 weeks ago to see if her nighttime symptoms could be caused by reflux (breath holding, snoring, tossing and turning) and the reflux could be causing more swelling. It has seemed to help substantially, but she still has minimal snoring, occassional stridor, still wakes up about 2-4 times a night, and wakes up coughing quite a bit. Due to all this they felt like she needed a sleep study, which will be done on June 2nd. We have to be there at 7:15, at which time they place 20+ wires on her head and body and expect her to sleep through the night...that ought to be interesting!! We also learned something new - she has a high arched grooved palate, which might be some of the problem. It means her airway is smaller than most in her mouth, which if she has any swelling in her throat (aka swollen adenoids and tonsils) this could potentially make things worse. She is also a mouth breather, and when she coughs she sounds tight. I was thinking - great just one more thing to add to the list when we see genetics...
On Tuesday night we took her to her pediatrician due to her having a cough and being REALLY irritable. They tried giving her albuterol nebulizer treatment, which she screamed and hollered the WHOLE time and did not seem to improve. However, we were told to try to albuterol breathing treatments at home if she has a coughing attack and see if that helps. If it works 2-4 times, than we will be diagnosing her with asthma. Yikes. The doctor did not hear a murmur this time, which she said is encouraging.
Next week we go for Brooklynn's 15 month appointment on Wednesday, and than Thursday night is our sleep study. On June 6th we go see genetics and on June 8th we see cardiology. So we have lots of unknowns that will hopefully be answered within the next two weeks! I am REALLY nervous but really glad to have that chapter done. Let's just hope they all clear us and say that everything is perfectly normal and we can start living without doctors appointments all the time!!
Well there is my update on Brooklynn!! Izzy finished her first year of school last week, and she loved every minute of it. I have a feeling next week she will start realizing she is not seeing her friends and her teacher and will be really upset. But we will be going back to that school next year so hopefully she will have some friends in her class!
On Tuesday night we took her to her pediatrician due to her having a cough and being REALLY irritable. They tried giving her albuterol nebulizer treatment, which she screamed and hollered the WHOLE time and did not seem to improve. However, we were told to try to albuterol breathing treatments at home if she has a coughing attack and see if that helps. If it works 2-4 times, than we will be diagnosing her with asthma. Yikes. The doctor did not hear a murmur this time, which she said is encouraging.
Next week we go for Brooklynn's 15 month appointment on Wednesday, and than Thursday night is our sleep study. On June 6th we go see genetics and on June 8th we see cardiology. So we have lots of unknowns that will hopefully be answered within the next two weeks! I am REALLY nervous but really glad to have that chapter done. Let's just hope they all clear us and say that everything is perfectly normal and we can start living without doctors appointments all the time!!
Well there is my update on Brooklynn!! Izzy finished her first year of school last week, and she loved every minute of it. I have a feeling next week she will start realizing she is not seeing her friends and her teacher and will be really upset. But we will be going back to that school next year so hopefully she will have some friends in her class!
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
More Tests?
We took Brooklynn in to her pediatrician tonight because she has still been having problems with her breathing at night. She goes from snoring, to coughing and pausing her breath, to stridorous breaths. She also have periods that are almost like she is sobbing in her sleep that lasts for 10 to 15 minutes. We have brought it up at previous appointments, but it never really worried me too much. But it hasn't improved, and if anything it has increased in her snoring.
Dr. N. said we would try a couple of things. First, we will try the prevacid again (she was on that her first 6 months of life) to see if maybe reflux is causing swelling and making it worse. She said if that doesn't improve it in two weeks to call and she will prescribe a nasal allergy medicine to see if it is swelling in her nose. We already know that her adenoids and tonsils have been swollen in the past, but we need to get her to at least 18 months of age before they will even THINK about doing any surgery. So hopefully these will solve those issues. We are going to be referred to the sleep clinic as well to do a sleep study. She said this takes a while to get into, so that should give us time to know if the other two options are working, and if they are we will cancel. If not, we will be scheduled for a sleep clinic.
She weighed 26.6 pounds today which was crazy! She is getting to be such a big girl.
When Dr. N was listening to her she heard a murmur. She said it was faint and hard to hear, but she had not heard it previously in other exams (and other doctors have listened to her and they had not heard it). She had a murmur when she was younger, but it went away. So she wants us to go see cardiology and get an echo done to make sure it is benign. She said with her breathing stuff it might be a good idea to check it out just in case. So one more test my poor baby has to go through.
But that is it. Her ears looked great - which is wonderful news to us since we have had so much trouble with them in the past!
PS - Izzy is doing great! She is super active and always singing and dancing! She sings "ABCs" "Twinkle Twinkle", "Farmer in the Dell", etc and knows almost every word! It is super cute! I think the older she gets the cuter she gets! Too bad she is starting to learn how darn cute she is and using it to her advantage :).
Dr. N. said we would try a couple of things. First, we will try the prevacid again (she was on that her first 6 months of life) to see if maybe reflux is causing swelling and making it worse. She said if that doesn't improve it in two weeks to call and she will prescribe a nasal allergy medicine to see if it is swelling in her nose. We already know that her adenoids and tonsils have been swollen in the past, but we need to get her to at least 18 months of age before they will even THINK about doing any surgery. So hopefully these will solve those issues. We are going to be referred to the sleep clinic as well to do a sleep study. She said this takes a while to get into, so that should give us time to know if the other two options are working, and if they are we will cancel. If not, we will be scheduled for a sleep clinic.
She weighed 26.6 pounds today which was crazy! She is getting to be such a big girl.
When Dr. N was listening to her she heard a murmur. She said it was faint and hard to hear, but she had not heard it previously in other exams (and other doctors have listened to her and they had not heard it). She had a murmur when she was younger, but it went away. So she wants us to go see cardiology and get an echo done to make sure it is benign. She said with her breathing stuff it might be a good idea to check it out just in case. So one more test my poor baby has to go through.
But that is it. Her ears looked great - which is wonderful news to us since we have had so much trouble with them in the past!
PS - Izzy is doing great! She is super active and always singing and dancing! She sings "ABCs" "Twinkle Twinkle", "Farmer in the Dell", etc and knows almost every word! It is super cute! I think the older she gets the cuter she gets! Too bad she is starting to learn how darn cute she is and using it to her advantage :).
Monday, March 28, 2011
ENT and Baby Mia
Brooklynn had her ENT appointment a couple weeks back. She ended up not passing her hearing screen on her right side, but when the Dr. looked in her ear he said there was a little blockage on her tube so hopefully that is all it is. We go back in 8 months for a repeat hearing screen and follow up appointment instead of 1 year. He said everything looked pretty good. He looked at her adenoids and tonsils again, and he said that her tonsils were slightly swollen, but not touching. So we still have the concern for risk of sleep apnea. Brooklynn still has pauses in her sleep and wakes herself up with loud breathing, but it is infrequent and not too long of pauses, so right now we are just watching her.
Friday March 18th I had a phone call from my mom saying my sister was going to the hospital (on her DUE DATE!) in labor. After work, I met my mom and dad with my girls at the hospital. She was in labor and progressed throughout the night. We were there ALL NIGHT (luckily we were the only ones in the waiting room since we took over the whole place). At 3 am we were told she was complete and would be pushing. Took a little nap and woke up at 5:30am without any news. My sister ended up pushing for 3 hours but had to have a c-section. We were able to see Mia Harlyn (we did not know if it was going to be a girl or boy) at 9am. Izzy loved seeing her little cousin through the window. She weighed in at 8 pounds 1 ounce, 21 inches long! I was so excited - she is super cute and I am really loving that I have a new niece! We went back that night to finally hold her and I fell completely in love! Izzy has been over to my sister's house for 3 days, and every time she wants to hold Mia! She keeps asking when Mia can come to our house and I tell her when she is a little bigger. That makes her sad because she doesn't think she can hold her! She loves her cousin Mia - and I love it.
Brooklynn is starting to cruise A LOT more and when we hold onto her hands she goes crazy and walks really fast! So I think she will be walking any moment now!
Friday March 18th I had a phone call from my mom saying my sister was going to the hospital (on her DUE DATE!) in labor. After work, I met my mom and dad with my girls at the hospital. She was in labor and progressed throughout the night. We were there ALL NIGHT (luckily we were the only ones in the waiting room since we took over the whole place). At 3 am we were told she was complete and would be pushing. Took a little nap and woke up at 5:30am without any news. My sister ended up pushing for 3 hours but had to have a c-section. We were able to see Mia Harlyn (we did not know if it was going to be a girl or boy) at 9am. Izzy loved seeing her little cousin through the window. She weighed in at 8 pounds 1 ounce, 21 inches long! I was so excited - she is super cute and I am really loving that I have a new niece! We went back that night to finally hold her and I fell completely in love! Izzy has been over to my sister's house for 3 days, and every time she wants to hold Mia! She keeps asking when Mia can come to our house and I tell her when she is a little bigger. That makes her sad because she doesn't think she can hold her! She loves her cousin Mia - and I love it.
Brooklynn is starting to cruise A LOT more and when we hold onto her hands she goes crazy and walks really fast! So I think she will be walking any moment now!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Izzy's 3 year and Brooklynn's 1 year appointment
Last week we had the girl's well child check ups. It went pretty well. We will start with Isabella. I was concerned because she is a really finicky eater and I was not sure how she would be on her growth. She is doing really well though with that. She is 39" long (putting her in the 90th percentile) and 33 pounds (placing her in the 50% which is really good she used to be in the 25th). So she is long and lean (which I already knew!) Developmentally she is on point and doing all the things she should be doing. She received one shot and did not even flinch! She was so excited - as we were walking out of the office she told all the nurses "I am better now". She loves going to the doctor.
Brooklynn did pretty well too. She was weighing in at 22 pounds 6 ounces (placing her in the 80th%), her length was 29 3/4" (she dropped from being in the 90th percentile into the 75%ile). Her head of course was well above the 100%ile measuring at 21 1/4". If her head grows much more she won't even be on the growth curve chart. Developmentally though she is doing pretty well. She is not walking but the doctor said that could be up until 15 months before they even start worrying at all. We do have to follow with genetics in June just to kind of finish off the checklist due to her head size. I am kind of happy we are going down that route because than if they say she is perfectly fine people can stop worrying. If they are afraid of something than at least we will know from people who see genetic disorders. They are so specific on exams (literally they measure ears, feet, distance between eyes, etc) so they really take a look at all her measurements and see specifics which is nice.
We are following up with ENT tomorrow. Since her tubes she has not had any ear infections which is AMAZING! I need to bring up that she occasionally has the loud breathing and pauses in breathing (but less than 10 seconds, and definetly not 5 in an hour). So we will see what he says about that. She has been waking up the last two nights really upset and crying and we have a hard time calming her so not sure if she is teething, getting sick, or if these pauses are starting to wake her up, or a little of everything.
My sister Kristen is due any day for her baby which I am super excited about! She is due Friday officially. I can't wait to be an aunt again! I love that there will be another baby in the family!
Well that is it for the updates for now. I am sure you will hear from me again soon.
Brooklynn did pretty well too. She was weighing in at 22 pounds 6 ounces (placing her in the 80th%), her length was 29 3/4" (she dropped from being in the 90th percentile into the 75%ile). Her head of course was well above the 100%ile measuring at 21 1/4". If her head grows much more she won't even be on the growth curve chart. Developmentally though she is doing pretty well. She is not walking but the doctor said that could be up until 15 months before they even start worrying at all. We do have to follow with genetics in June just to kind of finish off the checklist due to her head size. I am kind of happy we are going down that route because than if they say she is perfectly fine people can stop worrying. If they are afraid of something than at least we will know from people who see genetic disorders. They are so specific on exams (literally they measure ears, feet, distance between eyes, etc) so they really take a look at all her measurements and see specifics which is nice.
We are following up with ENT tomorrow. Since her tubes she has not had any ear infections which is AMAZING! I need to bring up that she occasionally has the loud breathing and pauses in breathing (but less than 10 seconds, and definetly not 5 in an hour). So we will see what he says about that. She has been waking up the last two nights really upset and crying and we have a hard time calming her so not sure if she is teething, getting sick, or if these pauses are starting to wake her up, or a little of everything.
My sister Kristen is due any day for her baby which I am super excited about! She is due Friday officially. I can't wait to be an aunt again! I love that there will be another baby in the family!
Well that is it for the updates for now. I am sure you will hear from me again soon.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Happy 1st Birthday Brooklynn!!
Brooklynn,
This note is a little past your birthday. I wanted to wish you a WONDERFUL 1st birthday. You truly are such an amazing little girl and have blessed our lives so much. When your daddy and I decided to try for a second baby, we knew it was going to lead us into a new world we could never imagine being in, but we had no idea how wonderful it would be. You came into this world and have had so many things you have had to go through, and through every bit you have had a smile on your face. Your attitude is truly endearing and makes us laugh every day!
Watching you grow over this last year truly has been a blessing. Every day you grow and learn new and exciting things. Your language is expanding every day (you say so many words - mama, dada, cat, dog, papa, baba, hi, bye) and you are starting to repeat things we say. You are very interactive with your environment and get so excited when you learn you can do something new. You stand up and cruise along furniture. You wave hi and bye, blow kisses, come crawling to us when we walk in the room. You laugh at your sister when she acts crazy, and you try to make her laugh back at you.
I have grown so much being a mother to you. I love watching you interact with your older sister, and I love watching her interact with you. She truly loves you more than you can ever imagine! She stands up for you and tries to make you happy when you are sad. You have so many people in this world who love you. Your eyes and smile brighten anybody's day who comes up to you! Your laugh is contagious. I am so excited to see what this next year is going to bring to our lives!
Thank you so much for being such a beautiful, loving girl, both inside and out. I am so grateful for every moment I get to spend with you! I love you so much, more than you could ever imagine!! I truly am the luckiest mom in the world.
Love you always and forever,
Mommy
This note is a little past your birthday. I wanted to wish you a WONDERFUL 1st birthday. You truly are such an amazing little girl and have blessed our lives so much. When your daddy and I decided to try for a second baby, we knew it was going to lead us into a new world we could never imagine being in, but we had no idea how wonderful it would be. You came into this world and have had so many things you have had to go through, and through every bit you have had a smile on your face. Your attitude is truly endearing and makes us laugh every day!
Watching you grow over this last year truly has been a blessing. Every day you grow and learn new and exciting things. Your language is expanding every day (you say so many words - mama, dada, cat, dog, papa, baba, hi, bye) and you are starting to repeat things we say. You are very interactive with your environment and get so excited when you learn you can do something new. You stand up and cruise along furniture. You wave hi and bye, blow kisses, come crawling to us when we walk in the room. You laugh at your sister when she acts crazy, and you try to make her laugh back at you.
I have grown so much being a mother to you. I love watching you interact with your older sister, and I love watching her interact with you. She truly loves you more than you can ever imagine! She stands up for you and tries to make you happy when you are sad. You have so many people in this world who love you. Your eyes and smile brighten anybody's day who comes up to you! Your laugh is contagious. I am so excited to see what this next year is going to bring to our lives!
Thank you so much for being such a beautiful, loving girl, both inside and out. I am so grateful for every moment I get to spend with you! I love you so much, more than you could ever imagine!! I truly am the luckiest mom in the world.
Love you always and forever,
Mommy
Friday, March 4, 2011
Happy 3rd Birthday Izzy!
Izzy,
Yesterday was your 3rd birthday and what an amazing day it was! You had school in the morning, but I picked you up a little early so we could have a day together. We went with your Nana Sugar and sister Brooklynn and met up with Aunt Sara and Cousin Mason at Zona Rosa. We ate at Stone Canyon Pizza Kitchen and than I surprised you and took you to get a haircut and a manicure and pedicure done at Sheer Madness. You had a great time! You did exceptionally well considering the mani pedi took 45 minutes! You were so excited to get pampered. You had butterflies and stripes painted on your toes and polka dots painted on your fingernails. We picked out your birthday party outfit, and than went home to wait for daddy. When he came we gave you your birthday presents - you opened up some books, a microphone, chalk, and a barbie doll. Daddy went and brought you your BIG dollhouse (that took me 1 1/2 hours to build!!). You were SOO excited!! You put your Barbie in there right away and put her to bed, played on the elevator, and just had fun playing pretend! Than daddy and I took you and your sister to Red Robin for your birthday dinner. It was such a wonderful day - in fact I am sure I enjoyed it even more than you did!
It is amazing to me that it has been 3 years since you were born. I still remember the moment I first laid eyes on you - my heart just melted right there and then. You had me wrapped around your little finger (literally and figuratively) from the start. You have grown to be such a big girl in just the last year. You speak a mile a minute, and there are times where you brain moves faster than your mouth so you make up words to fill in while you try to process what you want to say. You love your little sister more than I ever could have imagined which to me is one of your best qualities. You always try to make sure she is taken care of. Even when you get mad at her for playing with your toys you will usually go grab her a toy to play with instead.
Your drive to learn new things amazes me every day. You catch on to concepts so quickly and learn so fast. You are so creative and imaginative and I love that about you. You have changed my life in every way possible and have made me such a better person. I have changed more in three years due to being your mom than I have in the 23 years prior. You show me how to enjoy life (big things and little things) and to appreciate everything around me. Your fascination with the world astonishes me.
Every year gets better with you in it. I can't wait to see what this next year is going to bring to our world. I just know you are going to grow into such an amazing human being! Yes, you are stubborn, occasionally throw fits, and at times want things EXACTLY your way, but you also are loving, and determined, and so full of life and energy! Thank you for enriching my life as much as you have! I love every part of you!
Love always,
your mommy!
Yesterday was your 3rd birthday and what an amazing day it was! You had school in the morning, but I picked you up a little early so we could have a day together. We went with your Nana Sugar and sister Brooklynn and met up with Aunt Sara and Cousin Mason at Zona Rosa. We ate at Stone Canyon Pizza Kitchen and than I surprised you and took you to get a haircut and a manicure and pedicure done at Sheer Madness. You had a great time! You did exceptionally well considering the mani pedi took 45 minutes! You were so excited to get pampered. You had butterflies and stripes painted on your toes and polka dots painted on your fingernails. We picked out your birthday party outfit, and than went home to wait for daddy. When he came we gave you your birthday presents - you opened up some books, a microphone, chalk, and a barbie doll. Daddy went and brought you your BIG dollhouse (that took me 1 1/2 hours to build!!). You were SOO excited!! You put your Barbie in there right away and put her to bed, played on the elevator, and just had fun playing pretend! Than daddy and I took you and your sister to Red Robin for your birthday dinner. It was such a wonderful day - in fact I am sure I enjoyed it even more than you did!
It is amazing to me that it has been 3 years since you were born. I still remember the moment I first laid eyes on you - my heart just melted right there and then. You had me wrapped around your little finger (literally and figuratively) from the start. You have grown to be such a big girl in just the last year. You speak a mile a minute, and there are times where you brain moves faster than your mouth so you make up words to fill in while you try to process what you want to say. You love your little sister more than I ever could have imagined which to me is one of your best qualities. You always try to make sure she is taken care of. Even when you get mad at her for playing with your toys you will usually go grab her a toy to play with instead.
Your drive to learn new things amazes me every day. You catch on to concepts so quickly and learn so fast. You are so creative and imaginative and I love that about you. You have changed my life in every way possible and have made me such a better person. I have changed more in three years due to being your mom than I have in the 23 years prior. You show me how to enjoy life (big things and little things) and to appreciate everything around me. Your fascination with the world astonishes me.
Every year gets better with you in it. I can't wait to see what this next year is going to bring to our world. I just know you are going to grow into such an amazing human being! Yes, you are stubborn, occasionally throw fits, and at times want things EXACTLY your way, but you also are loving, and determined, and so full of life and energy! Thank you for enriching my life as much as you have! I love every part of you!
Love always,
your mommy!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Life is Grand!
There has been so much that has been going on in our life that I am so ready for a period where I can just sit and enjoy what life has given me. So here I am...taking a break and enjoying it all!! So here is my blog about all the things I appreciate. I feel like lately it has all been about negatives and worries.
I have a great family (both immediate and extended) who is always there ready to support and love me and my little family. My parents are always there willing to help me out when I need it and watch my girls while I have to work. They constantly remind me how much it means to be a parent and that no matter the age of the child you are always going to love them and want to provide for them. I can always trust that they will be there to help bring up when I need it and to sacrifice their own time and money when I am struggling to hold it together. I am going to be forever grateful for that.
My husband works super hard to help provide for our family. He helps care for our girls and plays with them. He is not afraid to act goofy when Izzy wants to play, and he is always providing love and support for the girls when they are hurt or sad. He is there for me on days that I have a hard time at work, or when I just am not feeling up there in my moods.
And than of course there are my girls. They have completely changed me inside and out. They have shown me to be appreciative of even the little things - the smiles and the laughs, the hugs and the kisses, the small accomplishments and the big. They bring me up when I am having a hard time just getting out of bed. They make me smile when all I want to do is cry. And on those days that I just don't know if I can handle one more negative they remind me to appreciate all the positives. They remind me that what I do for work is really needed because I am helping moms and dads bring their own little ones home in the safest way possible. And they make every second of life worthwhile. I created these human beings and I am the one (along with Sam) who is helping to mold them into grown ups. No matter what else I do in my life, that is a pretty amazing accomplishment. They provide so much love and joy to the rest of the world that if that is all I manage to accomplish, I am proud. I will forever be a loving momma to those girls. And one day, maybe we will bring more kids into this world so we can help mold them as well.
I have a great family (both immediate and extended) who is always there ready to support and love me and my little family. My parents are always there willing to help me out when I need it and watch my girls while I have to work. They constantly remind me how much it means to be a parent and that no matter the age of the child you are always going to love them and want to provide for them. I can always trust that they will be there to help bring up when I need it and to sacrifice their own time and money when I am struggling to hold it together. I am going to be forever grateful for that.
My husband works super hard to help provide for our family. He helps care for our girls and plays with them. He is not afraid to act goofy when Izzy wants to play, and he is always providing love and support for the girls when they are hurt or sad. He is there for me on days that I have a hard time at work, or when I just am not feeling up there in my moods.
And than of course there are my girls. They have completely changed me inside and out. They have shown me to be appreciative of even the little things - the smiles and the laughs, the hugs and the kisses, the small accomplishments and the big. They bring me up when I am having a hard time just getting out of bed. They make me smile when all I want to do is cry. And on those days that I just don't know if I can handle one more negative they remind me to appreciate all the positives. They remind me that what I do for work is really needed because I am helping moms and dads bring their own little ones home in the safest way possible. And they make every second of life worthwhile. I created these human beings and I am the one (along with Sam) who is helping to mold them into grown ups. No matter what else I do in my life, that is a pretty amazing accomplishment. They provide so much love and joy to the rest of the world that if that is all I manage to accomplish, I am proud. I will forever be a loving momma to those girls. And one day, maybe we will bring more kids into this world so we can help mold them as well.
Monday, February 14, 2011
It FINALLY happened!
We finally were able to get Brooklynn's tubes in her ears and I couldn't be happier! We arrived at 6:30am this morning and the surgery started at 7:30am. We were pulled in by the doctor at 7:45. Such a relief it did not take very long. By 8:00am I was able to see my baby girl. She was crying when I went back there and was so irritable, but now she is playing and smiling like her normal self. The doctor said she had fluid in her right ear and her adenoids WERE swollen which could explain some of the loud breathing, pauses in breathing, and the startling awake she has at night. So we will be watching her closely to make sure this is not causing any sleep apnea. He said that usually they will grow out of it, but they won't do anything surgically until at least 1 1/2 and preferably 2 years of age. I feel better knowing that I am not just being a psycho worried mother but there is actually something that is causing her to breath loud at night. Now I will just be even more of a worried mother counting the seconds her breathing is paused at night :).
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Brooklynn Update
We had Brooklynn's follow up CT of the head to follow her mildly enlarged ventricles seen on her MRI back in October done on Monday. Today we had the follow up appointment with neurosurgery to find out the results. They first take you in to measure the head and weigh her. Her head was 54.5 cm based on the nurse's measurement but 53 cm based on Dr Hornigs head measurement. Her weight fully clothed is 23 pounds 8 ounces. Dr. Hornig said she is looking good and that her CT scan showed that her ventricles are still mildly enlarged but no more than from her MRI. He also said her brain looked "happy" meaning it looks like it is growing appropriately and not pushing against anything. He did say though with the size of her head he is putting in a referral to genetics since we have not yet been seen by them. He said even if they find something there might not be anything we will do and they might not even find anything. We are however cleared from neurosurgery for a year!! So no more CT or MRI for at least that time frame which I am happy about. Now we just have to keep Brooklynn healthy until Monday for her ear tube placement surgery!
Now
Now
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Such big girls!
This week has been a big week in our household!! Brooklynn has croup (again) which bought us a trip to the urgent care for steroids. She is doing much better now...still has a cough so we still have to put her ear tube surgery on hold. Izzy is starting to cough now so I am guessing she is on her way to croup (hopefully it stays just as a cold).
Izzy is finally (dare I say) POTTY TRAINED!!!! She has a few accidents here and there but she has been living in underwear except at night and during naps!! I never thought we would get here. Now I have to start looking into dance classes like I promised!
Brooklynn has finally started crawling yesterday! Not the army crawl (she had been doing that for about 2 weeks) but the all out on all fours crawl! She was so happy when she realized she could do it! Now we REALLY have to baby proof because she is going to constantly be on the move.
We are still waiting on the results of the urine test - I am really hoping to hear back today or tomorrow! This waiting game is insane!
A couple of cute things Izzy has said and/or done that I want to write down for my records...
We were in the car and she asked for chocolate milk. I said "How about water for dinner than after you eat you can have some chocolate milk." She sat and thought for a minute than said "That might be better." How cute.
After I pick her up, she always says "it's dark, it is time for a nap". I hope she doesn't think she has to wait until it is dark for her to go to bed or summer might be a big struggle!!
Izzy and Brooklynn are now SO interactive together. They blow raspberries at each other and make each other laugh. Izzy ALWAYS has to hold Brooklynn's hand any where they go (in the carseats, while they are laying down for night time, etc). She will even give Brooklynn her "Nugny" (snugglies) when she is in a sharing mood.
Izzy has started stuttering a little bit, but I think it is a good thing. She has started listening to what she is saying and thinking about it before she says it to make sure she is saying what she means and in the right way. It is crazy to see her little mind work in that way! Tomorrow we have Parents As Teachers come over to do her screening so I am excited for that.
Izzy is finally (dare I say) POTTY TRAINED!!!! She has a few accidents here and there but she has been living in underwear except at night and during naps!! I never thought we would get here. Now I have to start looking into dance classes like I promised!
Brooklynn has finally started crawling yesterday! Not the army crawl (she had been doing that for about 2 weeks) but the all out on all fours crawl! She was so happy when she realized she could do it! Now we REALLY have to baby proof because she is going to constantly be on the move.
We are still waiting on the results of the urine test - I am really hoping to hear back today or tomorrow! This waiting game is insane!
A couple of cute things Izzy has said and/or done that I want to write down for my records...
We were in the car and she asked for chocolate milk. I said "How about water for dinner than after you eat you can have some chocolate milk." She sat and thought for a minute than said "That might be better." How cute.
After I pick her up, she always says "it's dark, it is time for a nap". I hope she doesn't think she has to wait until it is dark for her to go to bed or summer might be a big struggle!!
Izzy and Brooklynn are now SO interactive together. They blow raspberries at each other and make each other laugh. Izzy ALWAYS has to hold Brooklynn's hand any where they go (in the carseats, while they are laying down for night time, etc). She will even give Brooklynn her "Nugny" (snugglies) when she is in a sharing mood.
Izzy has started stuttering a little bit, but I think it is a good thing. She has started listening to what she is saying and thinking about it before she says it to make sure she is saying what she means and in the right way. It is crazy to see her little mind work in that way! Tomorrow we have Parents As Teachers come over to do her screening so I am excited for that.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Frustrating Day
So no CT this week. They can't do it for 4-6 weeks after her RSV. Which means we won't have any answers to if her brain has changed at all or if it is fine. Neurosurgery will be a week later, which really stinks because we will have to wait a whole week to hear the interpretation of the results! ARGH!! That is if she doesn't develop another cold. Which guess what - she has another cough...again. Just started this weekend so hopefully it doesn't progress.
And still no news on her labs.
And her Ear Tube placement surgery might be put off too because of the development of this new cough! She has been digging at her ears so I know she is developing another ear infection and she really needs these tubes placed but I have a feeling it won't happen until after the cold and flu season is over.
Just having a frustrating day...sorry to be negative nancy. Just thought I would have all my answers by the end of January and now it doesn't look like we will have them until at least the middle of February.
And still no news on her labs.
And her Ear Tube placement surgery might be put off too because of the development of this new cough! She has been digging at her ears so I know she is developing another ear infection and she really needs these tubes placed but I have a feeling it won't happen until after the cold and flu season is over.
Just having a frustrating day...sorry to be negative nancy. Just thought I would have all my answers by the end of January and now it doesn't look like we will have them until at least the middle of February.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Patience is a Virtue...and I'm not So Virtuous!
So I am not sure if you remember a couple weeks back when we had our pediatrician appointment. We had to have labs drawn for Brooklynn because of the abnormal urine that was drawn back in October and had been lost in her chart! The new pediatrician DID call genetics and big surprise (or not so much), they wanted to redraw her urine oligosaccharides due to it being abnormal and something called transferrin to test for another disorder. And again...we are in the waiting game. It takes 7-10 days for the labs to come back and we are now on day 7 and no news! I know I need to be patient and accept that it probably won't be until next week that I hear anything...but as my title states I am not so virtuous and have NO PATIENCE!!
I look at my daughter and know that she is fine. She is happy, and loving, and doing the things she should (granted a little bit behind others her age but she still hits her milestones at SOME point!). I just want to get the "abnormal" lab out of my thought process and hear the words everything is normal. Or if it is not, than I can at least start the process of understanding what that means. There is a possibility that no matter what the results are we will have to meet with genetics. Why?? To make sure they aren't going to be missing anything with her head and blah blah blah!! Can we not be done with all of this??
Next week we go to her neurosurgery appointment and have another CT to check on her mild ventriculomegaly that they found in the last MRI. I PRAY that this comes back fine and her ventriculomegaly has not worsened and that we can stop seeing the neurosurgeon! There is a possibility that she might have to have sedation medications for the CT, which I hope not. But if she has to have it I hope that I will be prepared and have our video camera ready just in case she starts cracking up the way she did for the MRI.
Than Monday the 24th we will be having her ear tubes placed. We had to wait 10 days after her cough stopped from RSV to be able to schedule her appointment and that Monday is the soonest we could do it. So my poor girl will have to have anesthesia for this procedure. I just pray that she does not get sick from now until than, which might be difficult since this girl gets sick at the drop of a hat. And she has started digging at her ears...AGAIN so we might have another ear infection brewing. Rats.
On a positive note (because I always have to have one after my posts of complaints) is Brooklynn has started going from her belly to pushing up to sitting...and started pulling up to her knees in her crib...and eating more table food. She looks at me and says "mamamama" which I LOVE!
Izzy has been growing up before my eyes! She talks more and more like a big kid and less like a toddler, which makes me tear up about every night. We are starting to plan (gasp) her 3 year birthday and Brooklynn's 1 year birthday! It will be nice to have them together, but it makes me realize how fast BOTH girls are growing and realizing that together is a lot to handle!
I love my girls and every day I love them even more! I thank God every day I have healthy girls in my life!
I look at my daughter and know that she is fine. She is happy, and loving, and doing the things she should (granted a little bit behind others her age but she still hits her milestones at SOME point!). I just want to get the "abnormal" lab out of my thought process and hear the words everything is normal. Or if it is not, than I can at least start the process of understanding what that means. There is a possibility that no matter what the results are we will have to meet with genetics. Why?? To make sure they aren't going to be missing anything with her head and blah blah blah!! Can we not be done with all of this??
Next week we go to her neurosurgery appointment and have another CT to check on her mild ventriculomegaly that they found in the last MRI. I PRAY that this comes back fine and her ventriculomegaly has not worsened and that we can stop seeing the neurosurgeon! There is a possibility that she might have to have sedation medications for the CT, which I hope not. But if she has to have it I hope that I will be prepared and have our video camera ready just in case she starts cracking up the way she did for the MRI.
Than Monday the 24th we will be having her ear tubes placed. We had to wait 10 days after her cough stopped from RSV to be able to schedule her appointment and that Monday is the soonest we could do it. So my poor girl will have to have anesthesia for this procedure. I just pray that she does not get sick from now until than, which might be difficult since this girl gets sick at the drop of a hat. And she has started digging at her ears...AGAIN so we might have another ear infection brewing. Rats.
On a positive note (because I always have to have one after my posts of complaints) is Brooklynn has started going from her belly to pushing up to sitting...and started pulling up to her knees in her crib...and eating more table food. She looks at me and says "mamamama" which I LOVE!
Izzy has been growing up before my eyes! She talks more and more like a big kid and less like a toddler, which makes me tear up about every night. We are starting to plan (gasp) her 3 year birthday and Brooklynn's 1 year birthday! It will be nice to have them together, but it makes me realize how fast BOTH girls are growing and realizing that together is a lot to handle!
I love my girls and every day I love them even more! I thank God every day I have healthy girls in my life!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
RSV...again
The girls started developing pretty significant coughs right after Christmas. I took them into Northland urgent care Monday night and was told it was croup. They were both started on steroids and I feel like it helped Izzy. Brooklynn's cough got worse as the week went on and on Thursday at my mom's she started having some wheezing, so we decided to take her into the ER. They hooked her up to the monitor and her oxygen levels were lower 90s and she was wheezing pretty significantly. After two albuterol treatments, two deep suctioning sessions, one racemic epinephrine treatment and eight hours later with no change in her oxygen levels, they decided to admit her to the hospital for observation. Before admitting her they checked for RSV and guess what....she had it! Ya the thing I was told in urgent care not to worry about because she is older she ended up being admitted for. This child can't do anything by the books.
Thank goodness we were only in the hospital for the night and by the time we were discharged her wheezing was non existant,her oxygen levels were mid to upper 90s, and she required no treatment on the floor! I was very grateful it was only one night because Brooklynn did not want to stay in the crib at all and the monitors were driving me crazy! I feel bad for parents who have to deal with it all the time! Every time I got Brooklynn to sleep and tried to lay her down in the crib, her monitor would ring off because either the EKG patch came off or it was not picking up and it was wake her up! I am just grateful that i was able to stay the night with her, I don't know what I would have done if I had to leave her!!
Thank goodness we were only in the hospital for the night and by the time we were discharged her wheezing was non existant,her oxygen levels were mid to upper 90s, and she required no treatment on the floor! I was very grateful it was only one night because Brooklynn did not want to stay in the crib at all and the monitors were driving me crazy! I feel bad for parents who have to deal with it all the time! Every time I got Brooklynn to sleep and tried to lay her down in the crib, her monitor would ring off because either the EKG patch came off or it was not picking up and it was wake her up! I am just grateful that i was able to stay the night with her, I don't know what I would have done if I had to leave her!!
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