The girls' Yearly Checkup

Today we had the girls' check up - Izzy's 4 year and Brooklynn's 2 year. It went really well. We met with a different doctor in the office, and I really really like her. She was very thorough. We were the first appointment in the morning, which I think helped. She spent an hour with us, and I never felt rushed which was wonderful. If you know anything about me, or us, I have been very nitpicky with the doctors, especially after everything Brooke has been through. I have a feeling this one will stick. Starting with Izzy. She looks wonderful. She is growing amazingly. She is now 42.5 inches tall (97th percentile), 37 pounds (50th percentile), her body mass index is a little under 50% which is great. Her blood pressure was wonderful 77/56. The doctor talked to her about safety things, and i was very happy that Izzy has been listening to us and could answer a lot of her questions. It is strange to have the doctor speaking directly to her and getting the answers...this is going to be a change for me :). She talked about stranger danger, riding a bike with a helmet, always being in a carseat, etc. She said she had no concerns for Izzy. She was hitting all her milestones, and looked healthy. She stated her tiredness and "my knees hurt" are probably just growing pains since she is so tall and lean. Her hemoglobin is 14.1, so that was normal. She needs her vision checked before kindergarten, and didn't need any immunizations (YAY). I still can't believe next time we will see her for a checkup, we will be preparing for kindergarten (YIKES) She spent a lot of time with us on Brooklynn, due to her complex history. I was very impressed, however because she knew a majority of the basics before she even stepped in the door. She asked about her hospitalizations, she knew she was being treated for asthma, and that we have had multiple checkups with different specialists. I was very happy because a lot of the questions I asked she answered without any prompting. Brooklynn is growing well too. She is 32.2 pounds (75%), is 35 inches (95%), and her head is 22.5 inches (unchartable). She asked how things were going with her head and her development. She was happy to see her head growth has slowed down, and that developmentally she has hit a lot of her milestones. There are some that she expressed a little concern for, but not a lot. She doesn't know at least 6 body parts (I told her it is hit or miss on the eyes, nose and mouth). She also was a little concerned about her speech. I told her she probably says 30-40 words, and says a few 2 word sentences, but I don't know if others would really be able to understand her. She wants to make a referral to hearing and speech, just to make sure her hearing is in fact good, and also to get her enrolled in speech therapy if we decide she needs it at an early age to ward off any troubles in the future. We are going to test her blood for different allergies, in hopes to find out what she is allergic to, and treating before she has any asthma attacks. She is hoping by treating the allergies, we can cut back or eliminate her need for asthma medicine. We can also be aware of what she is allergic to and be able to treat based on seasons. I showed her Brooklynn's cafe au lait spots (she has six of them). They are small in size except one, which is about an inch long, but because there were 6 she wants us to see dermatology. She says occassionally those spots can be linked with neurological problems, and so she just wants to make sure. She says since they are small she is not too worried at this time. So we will see yet another specialist at CMH...I should be very familiar with a majority of the clinics. Just a few minor other things, such as her tonsils were pretty swollen, with some drainage going on, so if we have to have tubes put back in her ears we than we should push to have those removed too. No ear infections though which is wonderful since one of her tubes have fallen out. Other than that she checked out. Now we have our cardiology appointment scheduled for tomorrow. Than we are waiting on the results from Izzy's urine screen, Brooklynn's lead, CBC, clotting workup, and allergy testing, and for the referrals to come through. I was so happy that the doctor was so thorough, but also very understanding on everything. Izzy was very at ease with her, which was wonderful. She gave some very good pointers on how to help the girls learn different behaviors, but never felt condescending which was wonderful.

Brooklynn's Second Birthday!

Brooklynn, So you turned two today. I can't believe it has been two years - two wonderful years since you were born. You have changed my life in such an amazing way. You have taught me resilience, and patience, and to have faith that all things will be good in the end. There might be lots of things that come into this world that are not ideal, but with love and strength, things will work out. You have been through a lot in these last 2 years, and thankfully all things have turned out just fine. You have always been strong, and may shed tears, but forget about all you have been through within minutes. Your personality is amazing! You have such a sense of humor, and constantly have me laughing. You copy your older sister in a lot of things, but definitely have your own personality, and your own way of figuring things out. You have always been relaxed and easy going. You are starting to show a little bit of a temper, but that is just fine with me. It shows that you are not going to do whatever others want you to do. You have so many facial expressions that nobody can question what mood you are in. Your laugh is contagious, and you are always getting others to laugh with you. Your language is exploding. You have never been much of a talker, but you will definitely let us know when there is something you have to say. You are starting to learn 2 word sentences, and are very quick to say Thank you and love you. You love to talk on the phone and get very excited when you hear someone on the other end talking back. You are a TV kid (yes I am going to admit this) There is nothing better than to watch you see a movie and start imitating, especialy when they are singing or dancing. I always thought your older sister was a princess, but I think you are going to be even more so. You love playing dress up, and you love playing with princess dolls and barbies. In fact, any time you see a princess, you freak out and yell "PRINCESS!!!" It's so adorable. I want you to know how much I love you. I will always love you and you will always be my baby girl. Your personality makes me so happy and you can always get me to smile. You have your daddy wrapped around your finger. I am excited to see what you will grow up to be, and so excited to see you develop even more into your own person. You look up to sister, and yet you are willing to venture out on your own. You are content to do your own thing, yet you love playing with other kids. Thank you for all you have taught me in your short 2 years of life. I am sure there will be much more that I will learn from you in the years to come. I love you forever and always, your mommy.

Izzy Turns 4!

Dear Izzy, Today you turn 4. Boy this age has hit your momma hard. You have grown so fast, and every day you prove to me that you are no longer my baby girl, but are my little kid. The other day, it hit me how big you are getting. I signed you up for pre-K - you are no longer in "daycare" you are in pre-K which means one more year and you will be in Kindergarten - that's like big kid school!! So looking back on this last year, where have you gone? Your vocabulary has become ridiculous - you speak in sentences that are longer than what I speak, and you catch on to concepts so quickly. You hear something once, and you can repeat it back. You are learning how to spell, and are pronouncing words in syllables so you can figure out what letters they are made of. You "read" books and can describe a whole story. You can write your name, and can copy other words, such as Nana, Papa, Brooke, Mama, Dad. You know all your letters by sight, and learning what sound each one makes. You are interested in so many things. You love playing baby dolls, Barbies, dress up. You love anything with music, including singing and dancing. You LOVE dance class. You go every Thursday, and as soon as you are done, you ask when you get to go back. You love school, and enjoy playing with all your school friends. Your best friend is "Lilly B". You are learning your socialization skills. We go to a park, and within 5 minutes you make kids who are complete strangers your friends. If only I could have your forwardness and the ability to walk away with more friends than you walked into a room with. You have many strengths, and a few weaknesses. You still need me to fall asleep at night. I don't know if I will ever be ready for the day you go to bed without needing me there. You are very emotional, which has both its good and bad moments. You throw fits if you don't get your way, and many times I have a vision of what you will be like at 16...boy am I in trouble. But those emotions also are very sweet. You don't like anyone hurting, and you will do whatever you can to make others feels better. If it is a kid who is younger than you, you will make sure they are taken care of and treat them like you were their big sister. You love your little sister. You give her hugs when we pick you up from school. You love when she copies you (I am sure this is something you will come to not like so much...hopefully that is years from now). You love when she does something new, and you get as excited as I do. You pull her around the house, and love to dance and sing with her. You melt my heart every day. I love the hugs and the kisses. I love your laugh, especially when you really find something funny. I could have the worst day, and you will start laughing that way, and it gets me rolling. I love seeing the relationship between you and your daddy. Thank you for changing my life the way you have. I know this next year will bring lots of fun and joyful times. I am sure there will be some hard times, and there might be some times I get mad or upset with you. But know that I will always love you and you can never make me too mad. I am excited to see how much you will continue to grow. I love you and I always will. Love always and forever, Your Mommy

Brooklynn's Neurosurgery Appointment.

I have not blogged in a long time...way too long. So here I am making a promise that I will be better. Especially these next few months because it will be filled with multiple different things, including doctors' appointments, follow ups, tests, and (yikes) the girls' birthday! Today we went to our 1 year follow up for neurosurgery with Brooklynn. I was really excited thinking we would be completely cleared! After all Brooklynn has been doing great developmentally. Sure her head size has grown but I feel like she is growing into it. We went and she weighed 32.7 pounds, stood 2 feet 11 inches tall, and her head size is now 57 centimeters (not 100% what that is in inches off the top of my head). Which means, it continues to grow. It is still on a pretty decent curve for her but it is now officially unplottable on the growth chart. After meeting with Dr H., who I know from work as being pretty conservative - he felt we needed to do another CT scan. He feels like he is not too worried, but he wants to make sure her ventricles aren't increasing any more. He felt that after that scan we could probably follow up in 1 year. So here we go ago - she will be exposed to radiation and possible sedation (a lot less sedation than what would be required for MRI). While I am happy he felt that she was developmentally on target, I was really disappointed that we weren't released from their services. So next week we go in for this scan and see how that goes! I am just ready for everything to be over and done with and for Brooklynn to no longer have to endure any appointments.

Brooklynn's Half Birthday Letter

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

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

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 :)