Sanka

When I got back from New Orleans, I immediately put the boys to bed (it was late) and then started up my usual "just got home" routine, unpacking bags, starting up laundry, etc.  Our house/pet sitter left me a note telling me the animals did great all weekend long, and that I'd need to feed them that night when I got home.

So, I fed all the animals, but noticed our usual loud and demanding Sanka was nowhere to be found (or heard).  The cat food dish had been left out, however, so I assumed she had already eaten.  I gave her her normal evening insulin shot (she's diabetic) and finished up with my chores before bed.

The next morning (Monday), I noticed Sanka was still not interested in eating.  What's worse, she was laying by the water bowl but totally not interested in drinking, even when I moved her closer.  I then carried her to her food for the morning but she wouldn't budge.  Not interested.

So, I decided to call the vet.  We had an emergency with her a couple of weeks ago where her blood sugar had dropped through the floor - I was worried maybe her sugar levels were out of whack again.  But, the vet tested her levels and everything looked normal.  She was, however, very dehydrated (not a huge surprise since she wasn't eating or drinking) and her temp was lower than normal (not a great sign).  I left her with them for the day so they could get some fluids back in her, and give her an appetite stimulant to see if she'd eat some.

When I picked her up that afternoon she was doing better.  Her sugar levels were still normal - and she was better hydrated and while not a lot, ate a little bit too.  The vet sent me home with some meds to help stimulate her appetite if she stopped eating again.  My instructions were to get her back to a stable state where she'd eat and drink again - since she was clearly not feeling well.

She did ok Monday night and seemed ok Tuesday morning.  But by the time I got home Tuesday night, she was in a sad state of affairs again.  In fact, she was MUCH worse than the previous couple of days.  I called Jon that night to let him know I was pretty sure she was on her last breath, that I'd be taking her back to the vet the next morning but that I was afraid we may need to put her down (something we had already discussed earlier when I was noticing her odd behavior).

She was extremely lethargic and still, not moving at all when I came to check on her (she was laying on our bed).  I picked her up and carried her to her food, but she just slumped down and laid next to the food, not interested in anything.  I tried holding little bits of kibble in my hand up next to her mouth, but nothing.  I took one of the pills the vet gave me, crushed it up, mixed it with water, and fed her the water through a syringe (since she also wasn't drinking out of the water bowl I put next to her).  She hated the syringe and kept spitting the water out.

That night, I made sure to put her next to the heat register, wrapping extra towels and blankets over her to keep her warm.  She cried out a few times in the middle of the night, not her normal meow but a very pitiful cry for help.  :(  It was about 1am, but I got up and searched for her (she wasn't in her bed anymore) and found her just lying very still, in her litter box.  It was alarming to find her there, because she really did look dead at that point, her energy was so low.  :(   I picked her up and carried her back to my room for the night, figuring she may not make it through the night and she'd want to be near me and the dogs.  I pet her awhile until she went back to sleep (she did finally purr a bit which was great), but was so worried I kept waking up throughout the night to check on her.

By morning, she again looked dead, she was so still and without energy.  She wasn't, so I wrapped her up and took her back to the vet (I took the boys to school first because I didn't want them to be with me if I needed to put her down). 

Sure enough, she was in a horrible state.  She was extremely dehydrated with a very low temp again, worse than before, and the vet was pretty sure her kidneys weren't functioning anymore, but instead shutting down.  He remarked she was likely "knocking on death's door" :(

I called Jon, teary-eyed and gulping down sobs, in between relaying what the latest prognosis was.  It was extremely hard for me because I so wanted Jon to be there and see Sanka one last time.  But, we decided, given how much pain she appeared to be in, her age (18), and that even using extraordinary efforts to prolong her life, the doctor thought she'd likely only last a few more days, we decided to put her down.

I stayed with her while while the vet and nurse gave her the shot.  They were incredibly gentle and kind through the entire process and we talked about how interesting it was that a young man (Jon) would have kept this cat (Sanka) with him for so long.  The vet remarked how unusual it was, and that usually men will part from their cats at some point in their lives, not taking them along with them, or for so long.

I agreed.  As a final story before Sanka left us, I described to them the first time Jon and I met and started dating.  Sanka immediately took to me, which really impressed Jon.  Apparently (so he told me), she "hated", hissed and clawed at any previous girlfriend he had dated, and she had never liked any of his girlfriends like she liked me.

The vet so wisely observed,

Aha, so Sanka approved.  She chose you.

And, driving home that morning thinking it over, he was probably right.  She definitely did approve of me and seemed to love me endlessly.  I like to think there are many reasons why Jon chose me.  But, it's quite possible that was also one of them.  ;-)


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When Jon returned home yesterday, I think it finally hit him - hard - that Sanka was gone.  He posted on Facebook about Sanka's passing later that evening, and I think his post sums it up nicely:

Through thick and thin, for better and for worse, she was always there for me. R.I.P. Sanka 1994 - 2012

Adenoids look good!

I forgot to follow up after our ENT visit the other day.  The x-ray procedure was a bit traumatic for poor Callum.  Since I had to hold him, the folks first outfitted me with a heavy lead apron and neck wrap, which scared the shit out of Callum.

Then, we had to hold him super still (me and another one of the assistants there) while they got the machines up really close to his face/neck for the x-rays.  He was NOT a happy camper but thankfully, the people there were awesome and really good (there were 4 people helping with his x-rays, besides me!), so they got clear shots on both, the first time through.  Here's a peek at what his x-rays look like!

As you can see (har dee har har), his adenoids are normal sized and look just fine.  Whew!  So, no surgery for Mr. Callum.  That said, if he has another series of ear infections which require another set of tubes, the doctor may look and remove the adenoids during the tube surgery, if it makes sense.  I'm hoping the one set is all he needed to get him over the hump and his ears (and sinus/etc) will be fine moving forward.  :)

On Marriage

A classic conversation between Jon and I last weekend:

Me: Hey babe, do your pants need to be washed?

Jon: Sure.

Me: Ok, can you go grab them for me?

Jon: Nah, they're good.

....

And yet, I still love being married to the (lazy) guy!  ;-)

Jon left bright and early this morning for a "work" conference this week.  Work being in quotes because, while he will do plenty of work and networking while he's there, he will also have more than his fair share of fun and drinking sprinkled in wherever and whenever he can.

I know, I know, I sound bitter.  I'm not particularly crazy about the timing of the trip, since I've been Solo-Mom for the last two weeks while he heals from surgery, and am pretty worn out.  But what can you do.  Hopefully the time will fly by!  Wish me luck.  :)

On Parenthood

I love this graph.  The post that accompanies it (on the topic of parenthood) is pretty damn good too.

Jon's been doing really well - recovering a little bit more every day.  He's still hobbling around like an old man, and groans whenever he coughs or laughs, but he's definitely on the mend.

I, on the other hand, have barely been hanging on.  I've been in "survival mode" as my PT puts it, this past week.  Work is extremely busy, and waiting on my husband has been a tiny bit draining.  But, the worst of it all was Callum decided to start teething.  Literally, TO. THE. DAY. that Jon was cut open (and lo and behold couldn't pick up the kids anymore).

Callum has had his last four teeth (the canines) missing for a very long time - I don't remember how long but it's probably been at least 6 months, if not longer.  So late last week, those remaining four teeth decided to come in.  All at once.  Poor guy is in uncomfortable pain, crying out without any warning at all, wanting to be held at all hours of the day and night.  And, I've got no one to help me juggle it all.

So yeah, love these little boogers to the point that I wouldn't hesitate to throw myself or Jon under a bus to save one of them, but I'd say this last week has definitely been one of the bigger pains in my asses.  :)

4 year checkup

Today Logan had his 4 year checkup. He was his usual chatty self, having no issue at all telling everyone at the Dr's office what he got for his birthday, what kind of cake he had and how many toys he got. Dr. Safir was delighted with how easy it was to engage in a conversation - he said Logan's social skills are super, and while his chattiness may drive us nutty at times, it's something we should enjoy and be thankful for (which we actually are!).

Side note: after we parked, got out of the car, and started walking toward the Dr's office, Logan crossed his arms firmly across his chest and said in a very defiant tone, Mama, I do NOT want any shots today!

Thankfully, we didn't have any shots this visit. ;-)

He's hovering about "average" on his physical abilities (specifically, balancing/hopping on one foot across the room) so if we wanted to encourage any area of development over the next year, we could work with him on that. But, it's not of any real concern of course. Cognitively, socially, mentally and physically (health wise) he's a perfect example of a 4 year old kid! (Dr. Safir commented he can't remember when he saw Logan last, and that's a good sign, since he's so much healthier than his little brother seems to be - and I would totally agree!) I mentioned we are most frustrated with his bad behavior and TERRIBLE habit of not listening - Dr. Safir just sighed and said that comes with the territory of a 4 year old, and particularly of boys.  :/

He weighs 39 lbs and is 40" tall. However, now that I'm looking at last year's stats, he apparently hasn't grown a fraction of an inch, and I'm certain that isn't right. So, either I copied the numbers down wrong, or we didn't get a good measurement today (the latter being highly likely, since Logan was being his usual misbehaving self and wouldn't stand up straight nor still for the nurse!). Maybe I'll try measuring him tomorrow morning just to see (I'm now very curious).

Anyway, all in all a very good visit.

THEN, fast forward to this evening, where Logan had, what I think may be, his first panic attack (so much for a healthy well balanced kid, eh?!). I'm not exactly sure now what set him off - but it was likely the fact that I told him he couldn't watch a movie and needed to come sit at the dinner table, even if he wasn't hungry (BUT I'M NOT HUNGRY!). He started a complete crying, heaving meltdown at the table, which I put up with for about 2 minutes, before I said that was enough and shuffled him to bed. I told him to lay down and relax, and when he stopped crying and was quiet, he could come back out to be with the family.

Callum and I ate dinner while we listened to Logan escalate into a worse and worse state. He was increasing into a choking, hyper-ventilating, uncontrollable sobbing mess . It was pretty bad and he never calmed down (usually he does after a couple minutes of crying and feeling sorry for himself).  I went back to check on him and he had this very upset fearful look in his eyes. He told me he was trying to stop crying but couldn't (his throat wouldn't let him - which I think meant he had some sort of gagging or choking reflex - but I really don't know).

While I kept trying to relax and calm him down, he wasn't able to, which I think made matters worse since it started to scare him quite a bit. I tried getting him to take long deep breaths to calm down, but that didn't work. I tried rubbing his back, talking to him softly, holding him close, but nothing worked. I was finally able to get him to slow down his breathing by counting very slowly. He couldn't focus enough to count with me (which is what I was trying to get him to do) but he was calming down by listening and watching me (I was holding up my fingers as I counted).

He was still pretty touch and go for quite awhile but slowly, he started talking to me, between interrupted sobs or catches in his breath. When his throat started to act up again (choking/gagging?), tears would well up in his eyes and he'd be back at the uncontrollable crying and hyperventilating state. This went on for a good 10-15 minutes I think. But, he finally calmed down long enough to tell me about his throat - so I asked him if he'd like some water. He seemed to think that'd be a great idea and after we discussed for several seconds whether he should come with me, or if I could leave him alone for a few minutes to go get him a cup of water, he finally agreed to let me go. He started feeling MUCH better after several sips of water, and finally felt calm enough to smile and actually tell me, Thank you Mommy! Which of course, about broke my heart.

A few minutes later we were back in the dining room, eating dinner (because he was now very hungry) and if you walked in at that moment in time, you would have NEVER guessed that my son was just falling to pieces a short time before.

Quite amazing really.

I may give the Dr a call in the morning just to relay the story and see if there's anything we should do, but my guess is that either this was a one time freak deal, or something we'll just need to keep an eye on (what are his stress and triggers, etc.) as he gets older.  Always fun! ;-)

Loganism of (yester)day

I forgot to post this yesterday but it's amusing and shouldn't be forgotten.  :) 

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I like my soccer coach because he's funny.

How is he funny?

Because he talks in Spanish.
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Jon left early Wednesday morning for another trip to Europe.  My head cold seems to be getting better, but my back is still pretty bad.  I tried going into the office on Wednesday after Jon left, but was unable to sit down for a few minutes and ended up participating in a few meetings standing up.  After a couple of hours of that, I decided it was silly to stick around in pain and went back home to continue lying down on ice and working, laptop on lap, from the couch.

I've had a few bad episodes in the evening, where my back pain twinges worse than usual, and is accompanied with nausea, woozy shakes and lightheadedness.  Unfortunately, it was so bad yesterday evening that I didn't feel stable enough to drive to the boys' school to pick them up at the end of the day.  THANKFULLY, I have a fantastic network of friends and Kim came to the rescue, once again!


Other than fighting the same head cold, the boys haven't caused me too many problems so far, so at least that is good.

It's going to be a very long 10 days without Jon here to help out, but we'll survive, one way or another!  Wish us luck.  :)

Words of Encouragement

Callum's teacher wrote on his daily summary sheet yesterday:

Callum had a great day today.  His mood has definitely improved!

I would have to agree!  From the minute he woke up on Friday after his morning nap (post-surgery), his demeanor has definitely changed.  He seems content, calmer and an overall happier baby.  He is MUCH less clingy and totally fine to instead explore and crawl around the house and play on his own.  I have also noticed he doesn't freak out and get upset the minute he bonks his head on something (like slamming it into the table, or falling backwards on the floor when wrestling with Logan, etc.)  Previously, I had thought I just had gotten used to a toughie kid Logan and that Callum was a more "sensitive" kid.  Now, I'm beginning to think that HEY GENIUS, maybe when he bonked his head on something it actually hurt for a reason!  :)

I've been trying to see if his hearing has improved too - it seems to have, although not as much as I had thought it would.  However, there are definitely changes.  He notices sounds and turns his head to listen a lot more than he used to - but what has been more interesting and unexpected (for me anyway), is that he's had the "startle" reflex a lot more!  I've noticed it a couple of times where something dropped on the floor near his side and he jumped from the noise.  Or, the dogs barked nearby when he wasn't paying attention and sure enough, the noise startled him.  I'm taking all of those as positive signs that his hearing loss wasn't permanent (although we won't definitively know until we do a follow up hearing test in a few weeks).

Callum napped really well all weekend throughout the day.  However, he still had a rough time settling down and sleeping Friday and Saturday nights.  I'm still hopeful that his (night time) sleeping will improve, since Sunday and last night seemed better than the first two nights, but it still seems too early to tell.

ENT Visit

With my fantastic persuasion skills (har-dee-har-har), yesterday evening I convinced the ENT office who was "completely booked" to schedule an appointment to see Callum this afternoon.

I'm glad I did - he has another ear infection :(  but worse than that, the hearing tests they ran show he has minor hearing loss!  Ugh.  The hearing loss is very likely due to the fluid in his ears and regular ear infections.  The doctor thinks it's reversible but we do need to take steps to treat him soon (especially since the risk of permanent hearing loss increases as we allow the infections to linger).

There are essentially two options - medically treat with anti-biotics or surgically insert ear tubes.  Since we've been treating with anti-biotics for a few months now, with no great success, moving to tubes is the logical next step.

I had the doctor's office fax Callum's test results and paperwork over to Jon's dad Nolan (who luckily, happens to be an ENT too!) to review tomorrow morning.  But in the meantime, I also booked Callum's surgery.

The surgery center happened to have an opening (early) this Friday morning, so I took it!  His surgery is scheduled for 7:30am, which means we have to check in at the hospital at 5:30am.  FIVE THIRTY.  They schedule the little ones super early because patients have to fast prior to the surgery.  Poor Callum can't eat anything the 6 hours prior to his surgery time, which is going to make the middle of the night wake up call tomorrow night, when he is used to having a bottle to fall back to sleep, verrrrry difficult.

Also, as it turns out, Jon's sister Catherine was planning on visiting and spending the night with us Thursday - which works out great since she'll be around to hang out with Logan in the morning while Jon and I are at the hospital.  Phew.

We'll let you know how it goes - wish us luck!

One hellish night.

Last night Jon and I had one of the rougher nights in a long time.  Callum woke up around 12:30am and wouldn't (or couldn't) go back to sleep... he stayed awake CRYING straight for two hours.  It was horrible.  Jon and I kept taking turns going in to pat him back to sleep, or rock him, or hold him, or try to get him to take some of his bottle.  As we made it through the second hour, it suddenly dawned on me, that he might - JUST MIGHT - have an ear infection.  :(  The nonstop crying was just not like him, but also, he couldn't get comfortable once we laid him down in his crib.  It was clear he was exhausted - he kept falling asleep on our chests, but the minute we laid him back down, he'd wake up crying again.  I finally noticed the pattern.

So, out of desperation to get my boy to sleep, and to possibly catch some zzz's myself, I propped myself up in bed, in a sitting position, holding Callum so that he could fall asleep on my chest.  He immediately passed out around 3am and I sort of slept, and sort of not slept, until he woke up again at about 5:30am.

BRU.  TAL.

I was a zombie most of the morning (as was Jon) - but determined to get in to see our doctor as soon as I could, to confirm my suspicion.  Thankfully, they said to come on over right away.  Dr. Safir acknowledged my instincts were right, as our poor little baby had a horrible ear infection in his right ear.  Sadly, it's the same ear he had an infection in last time around, not more than a month ago.  So, we're going to treat this one a bit more aggressively and with a more watchful eye, since it definitely seems like Callum is more susceptible to ear infections than your average Joe.

I waited around the pharmacy while Callum slept in my arms, and then got the anti-biotics in him as soon as they were ready.  I also gave him a hit of Ibuprofen when we got to his school, just to help with any swelling and pain he might still have.  That seemed to help quite a bit, as he was in pretty good spirits for the day.  I'm crossing my fingers that the anti-biotics kick in quickly so that he starts feeling better soon.  I hate to think he was in that much pain last night with us as clueless parents not knowing what to do (and letting him cry for TWO WHOLE HOURS before it finally dawned on me what was wrong!).

And, I hate to go another night with absolutely no sleep, or rather, sleep next to a man who has gone another night with no sleep.  ;-)

Surgery Update

I've been doing really well, each day I'm feeling better and better.  I think I started working a bit too soon after the surgery (I did a phone interview two days after.  It was from home, but still, even that took a lot out of me!), so I had to take it a lot easier with work than I was prepared to do.  Luckily, work (and specifically, my boss) is very understanding!  I finally went into the office this last week for a few hours the first couple of days - felt pretty spent so stayed home again all day Wednesday and then went back in Thursday and Friday for nearly full days in the office.

Sadly, I've been feeling pretty worn, bruised and sore over the weekend - which I wasn't feeling so much the first couple of weeks (mostly then it was fatigued, nauseous and dizzy/woozy - I think the after effects of the general, to be honest).  So, I'm a tad worried what this next week will bring.  I'll just have to take it as easy as I can I think.

On the flip side, Jon has been doing TERRIFIC as Mr. Mom these past couple of weeks - but he's finally starting to reach his threshold toward the end of this last week, as he got hit with a head cold and hasn't been feeling great.  So, mix that with full-on kid duty 24x7 and you have one crabby Daddy.  :(  I've been helping as much as I can - like feeding Callum in his high chair once Jon puts him in his seat, and handling most of the Logan duties, but it all still has its toll (don't we all know that!).  He has to work late tomorrow night, so even though it won't technically be my "two weeks of rest", we'll have to make do.  I think it's close enough that I'll be fine on my own with the kiddos.  I know Jon, for one, is counting the hours - no minutes - until I can help out with Callum once more.  ;-)

Home

A beautiful bouquet from Alicia, Paul and Sarah. Thank you!!

I actually got home early this morning, just as Logan was waking up, so I got to spend some quality time with my two boys before Jon took them to school today. The rest of the day I've just been laying low, walking laps around the house every few hours and (finally!) eating a couple solids like mashed potatoes and crackers. Wheee!

The road to recovery

I have my own personal wait staff and bell! ;-) The other device I use to practice my breathing and help strengthen my ab muscles. Fun.

All went well today, my surgery was a bit over two hours. But it felt like 5 minutes for me. They had to remove my appendix (it was in bad shape), some cysts on my left ovary and endometriosis spots throughout. My doc sees a little in my uterus but can't treat unless I want a hysterectomy (which I don't want right now) so we'll have to keep an eye on it. It wasn't major just could potentially develop down the road.

I'm staying the night at the surgery center. Jon and I thought it would be best for me, and him, this first night. I've been up already, walking a lap in the post-op area, but I was super fatigued toward the end. Definitely feeling sore and tired (as expected) but everyone says I'm doing great so that's good.

Personally, I'm just glad I have this behind me and will be back to my normal life very soon! :)

Pre-Op Prep

This will be my diet for the day. Not looking forward to it. :(

Shots

While I was at another doctor's appointment today (I've been stacking up quite a few doctor appointments this week in preparation for my surgery next week), Jon took Callum to his follow up appointment. His ear infection is much better now so he got the all clear for his shots. He did great, as always! :) Two different shots (vaccines) as well as his flu shot. Which means, once again, Jon is the last one left in this family who STILL needs his flu shot taken care of! *sigh*

Last week, in the middle of the night, I started a post about how ridiculously crazy my days are lately, due to working two jobs (since I haven't yet transitioned my old job off my plate). Now, I'm beginning to think it's just my new job! :) It's going well, however rough my days actually are right now.

Let me give you a glimpse into my daily schedule:

7:00am: wake up, cuddle with boys in bed
~ rush around and get everyone ready for work/school; check emails to make sure there are no fires at work ~
8:00am: run out the door
8:30am: drop Callum off at school (and/or Logan, depending on the day)
8:45am: wait in Starbucks line for much needed caffeine
9:00am: hit ground running at the office
5:30pm: leave office to pick up kiddos
5:50pm: race to boys' classrooms to pick them up prior to 6pm, as every minute thereafter costs a pretty penny (or several dollars, in actuality)
6:30pm: arrive home
~ rush around feeding animals, cooking/feeding dinner to the boys, changing diapers/pj's and settling everyone down for bedtime ~
7:30pm: bedtime bottle and rocking with Callum
8:00pm: check a few more emails before some quality time with Logan
9:00pm: bedtime stories/backrub for Logan
9:30pm: furiously cram in work I wasn't able to get done during the day
12:00am: bedtime for mama
3:00am: wakeup call from Callum (Jon is gracious enough to help out IMMENSELY on this one)
3:30am: back to sleep
7:00am: start the day all over again. whee!

6 month check up

Today was Callum's 6 month check up. He was scheduled to get several shots, as well as take care of his flu shot, however just last night he started coming down with a minor cold. When Dr. Safir checked him out, we were both surprised to find out Callum was dealing with a nasty ear infection. :( so, I got a prescription of anti-biotics and rescheduled our shots for next week instead.

The good news is, Callum's doing great and growing big and strong. He's still in the 90th percentile for height (27.5"), and 60th percentile for weight (17lbs, 4oz). Dr. Safir commented on how sturdy his thighs and calves are - they're like tree trunks! :) He's (finally!) teething and has a bit of a lazy eye, something I've actually noticed for some time but had forgotten to ask about in earlier visits. I'm glad I remembered this time, since Dr. Safir feels it's strong enough to refer Callum to a pediatric ophthalmologist.

Otherwise all is well! Once Callum's ear infection clears, Dr. Safir wants us to try and work him "out" of his habit of waking up in the middle of the night, since he isn't yet sleeping thru the night completely. We'll see how that goes! I think it's just going to take him longer to grow out of it, similar to his brother.

Me.

The good: I got the job! We're working on the exact start date now, but I'm really excited about this new opportunity and move in my career. (I'm not leaving the company, but taking a new role within my organization)

The bad: The last time I nursed Callum was one week ago (after he fell off the bed). I tried a few more times after that but he'd scream and fight me every time. :( It wasn't a pleasant experience for either of us. I had really wanted to make it to (at least) 6 months, like I had with Logan. So I'm really disappointed in myself that I couldn't keep it up. :( If there's any silver lining to it all however, it's that I'm now able to get rid of all the ugly nursing bras and tops and return back to my regular ol' lingerie!

The ugly: Last Friday I had a follow up with my GYN/fertility specialist who I last saw during those first few scary weeks of my pregnancy with Callum. He examined me and did an ultrasound to "confirm" (as much as you can with this illness) that I have endometriosis. We're pretty certain this is what has been contributing to my pelvic and lower back pain over the past few years.

The next step, for a true diagnosis as well as treatment, is laparoscopic surgery. I scheduled the surgery for early November (so that it's after Halloween with the boys - how sad is it that Halloween is a higher priority?!?). I've never been put under before, if you can believe it!!, so the control freak in me is a wee bit nervous. :( Luckily, I'm seeing one of the best surgeons in the country, and feel completely safe and reassured that I will be in good hands. And, since medicine has come so far these days, I should be walking the same day (or within a couple of days at most), with a relatively short recovery time, thank goodness.

4 month check up

While not a great pic overall, I find this one funny since I'm looking goofy trying to get Callum to smile in the mirror and instead all he's interested in is the phone in my hand.

Anyway, Callum had his 4 month check up today and he is looking great!! His lungs sound fine, which meant he got the "all clear" for his two shots, poor guy. He handled it really well but I'm sad to say he was burning up this evening when I picked him up from school. We took his temp and it was at 101.6! :( I had woken him up from a nap and I know he runs a little hot while sleeping, but still. I gave him a dose of Tylenol before we left and by the time we got home he seemed to be doing better. We'll check him again in the morning but I'm hoping it was just a temporary reaction to the shots and nothing more.

As for his checkup, Dr. Safir is really impressed with how strong Callum is and how much he's grown, which I have to agree! He weighs 15 lbs and his head is 42.25 cm round. What's astounding however, is his height. He's 26.25" tall, falling into the 90th percentile! Looks like he's got some of the Connally height in him. ;-)

At the doctor's

Callum had another bad night so I decided to take him (and Logan) to the doctor's this afternoon. Logan is fine, however poor Callum appears to have bronchitis. :(

The doc prescribed an anti-biotic to fight off any bacteria, as well as an anti-inflammatory to help with the wheezing and tightness in his lungs. I need to take him back on Friday for a follow up, to make sure the meds are working and he's feeling better... I'm hoping they kick in right away so he can get some sleep tonight.

2 months old

I already wrote a significant amount of updates on Callum's growth yesterday - but today is his actual 2 month birfday, so why not add a few more to the list? :) I'll keep this short because HEY! We have Toy Story 3 to go see in a little bit!

I'm starting to see Callum set a sleep schedule. Slowly but surely. He's taking between 1-2 morning naps and 1-2 afternoon naps. Similar to Logan, he seems to like going to sleep for the night somewhere between 8-9pm. He actually starts getting really tired around 7:30pm but he really takes awhile to go down these days. I think it has to do with this other development of his - awareness and staying awake for longer periods of time - because all he wants to do is be in the middle of all the action, with everyone in the family! :)

Once I'm able to finally get him to sleep (which, let me tell you, is a feat when I'm also trying to get Logan ready for bed at the same time, and Jon is usually still at work or driving home), he'll sleep for about 3-4 hours at a time. It's not bad, I'm definitely getting more sleep than I was with Logan, but I'm now looking forward to longer periods of sleep. ;-) Last night was one of those times, as he finally fell asleep about 9:30pm and didn't wake up again until a little after 3am. I, of course, didn't get to bed until about midnight (oy!) but still. I'm glad he's starting to sleep for longer stints! (it could have also been because of his rough day after his shots yesterday)


He's also got the grabbing reflex down pat - snatching a fistful of my hair and holding on tight. He can't grab things purposefully of course, he doesn't have that kind of control, but when anything brushes up against his little fingers, he clings on for dear life. He has also started smiling more and more - it's so fun to see! He particularly lights up whenever I'm on the phone - I'm not sure why, perhaps my voice sounds different to him when I'm talking into the phone vs. to him? But he seems to like it. Now that he's getting more comfortable smiling at me, I've noticed him doing it with others too, like Jon, Logan, and my mom and dad. It's fun to see him begin recognizing the family!


The other day my mom was over visiting for my Stella & Dot Party and stayed a bit afterward. Callum was having one of his rough episodes where he was clearly exhausted, but just couldn't fall asleep on his own. She took a turn at trying to soothe him but it just wasn't working. When she finally gave up and handed him back to me, he just rolled over, turning his head into my shoulder with the most relaxed and calm look on his face like he was finally home (so says my mother). I could tell he immediately relaxed once he nestled into my chest too though, and it was awful sweet. I do worry he's getting so used to me that he's going to have a hard time being with, or falling asleep with, anyone else. But I guess we still have time to get him accustomed to others. ;-)


In other news, I'm doing well myself. Within this last month, I had my 6 week post partum checkup with my OB and all is well. The meds she prescribed for me to beef up my milk supply have helped a little, but not near enough that they should. So, after my last prescription ran out, I didn't bother renewing (my insurance doesn't cover the meds at all, so it's an expensive "drug experiment" that isn't giving us much reward). She wanted to try one more time, bumping up the dosage on the meds a bit higher to see if that would give me the extra kick I needed. It did increase my supply a tiny bit more, but again, not enough (especially since Callum's appetite has also increased!). I'd say I produce about a third of his intake, which really isn't all that much unfortunately. :( So again, I ran the course of the prescription but have opted not to renew. I'm continuing to nurse however, and will do so until my milk supply runs out all together.

A few days after Callum was born, I had a really rough time sleeping at night. It wasn't because of Callum, but rather, my body going through emotional and hormonal ups and downs. But I also noticed that when lying on my back at night, and sometimes sitting up, I would get these piercing pains in the middle of my back and around a bit to my chest. It was favored on the left side, and as I lay quietly on my back, I noticed the pain would increase with the beat of my heart. It was a little worrisome, since I didn't have anything like this with Logan and seemed to be linked to my heart....

So I went in for a couple visits to see my OB - both times, she checked me out and said nope, your heart is fine. You probably just sprained a muscle or perhaps bruised your ribs (which apparently can happen after a strenuous labor). She didn't think I had broken my ribs (which has also been known to happen in labor), since she thought I'd be in more pain than I was. But regardless, there's not much you can do for broken ribs anyway but wait it out, so it didn't really matter. I was told to just take it easy and try not to not lay on my back (which I had stopped doing) since that seemed to aggravate it more.

After about 5-6 weeks post partum, my lower back pains were also returning. Not as painful as before, but I could feel it. I decided to go see my back doctor and ask him to send me back to physical therapy. I just visited both of them a week or so ago, and mentioned the strange mid-back pinching I've also been experiencing since Callum's birth.

Long story short ;-) it turns out I have about three discs in my mid back that are rotated out of place. When lying on my back, there's extra pressure from my ribs and rotated discs to irritate some nerves, and cause my muscles around there to contract, trying to protect the area.

Luckily, it's not a heart issue. Unfortunately, it's another back issue! They think that the injury most certainly happened during labor, but leaving it to fester the following 6 or so weeks didn't help. And, hey guess what, hunching over to pump or nurse ALSO doesn't mesh well with a bad back. *sigh*

Thankfully, my PT is able to work wonders and she's already improved the area about 50%. So, I'm back to seeing her between 1-2 times a week to work on my trouble areas. I'm continuing to go out on walks with Callum and Grover or, if Callum lets me, do a more active workout at home. All of this combined SHOULD get me back into tip top shape! We can only hope. ;-)

2 Month Check Up

Today was Callum's two month check up and he's looking great! He gained a whopping two pounds (11 lbs, 5 oz - 50%) and grew 1.5 inches (23.25 in - 60%) over the last month. His head is also bigger at 39 cm (25%)! Dr. Safir says many of the same things about Callum as he did about Logan: he's stout, muscular, strong, alert and aware of all around him. He's a healthy happy little kid. :)

He had a couple shots today which he handled pretty well, but has seemed to make him unusually cranky and clingy the rest of the day unfortunately. :(

We're still battling his weepy eye but there's not much to do. We stopped the antibiotic drops after about a week but I continue to do hot compresses and massages to the duct to try and clear it out. It's apparently one of those things that will just heal on its own.

At least three times now this past month, Callum has given us a real scare. The first time, with Jon, he was laying on his back getting a diaper change when Jon noticed he was turning bright red and violently kicking his legs and arms. Jon then noticed he wasn't breathing. Luckily, he recovered right away, but just hearing the story upset me (especially how Jon chose to tell me: oh yeah, and Callum stopped breathing today...)

The second time was with me. I had just buckled him into his car seat and ran Grover back to our room to put him in his crate. I came back and found Callum kicking violently in his seat, turning bright red and gasping for air. The look in his eyes was horrifying. He was scared. And so was I.

Faster than I knew was even possible, I had him out of the car seat and was patting his back while trying to calm him down. I thought if I could get him to just relax a little (and stop arching his back, fighting for air) then he'd be able to breathe again. Thankfully he was able to get a grasp of air and recover. After I could tell he was alright, I then flipped out, calling Jon to tell him about it. I strained every muscle I had to listen to him breathe in the back seat of the car during my drive.

The third time happened in the middle of the night. We both woke up to Callum choking and squealing and sputtering. He sleeps in the co-sleeper next to me and again, with lightening speed I had him up and out of his swaddle and on my chest. He slept the rest of the night that night on my chest.

At that point, Jon had decided he had some sort of sleep apnea, which I was wondering myself. Except it seemed to happen whenever. He's also had trouble drinking from a bottle since day one (gleeking and sputtering all over the place), and tends to choke randomly on his own spit too.

Which all leads up to today's appointment when they asked if I had any questions and I said, as a matter of fact, I do.

Turns out, Callum has what's called laryngomalacia, where the cartilage of the larynx is underdeveloped and can collapse inward, causing an obstruction in the airway. It's actually very common for infants and will usually go away on its own in a few months as the larynx develops properly. Mostly we need to keep an eye on his positioning. Dr. Safir prefers we actually lay him on his side, since laying on his back causes the little flap of tissue to fold over and block his airway more frequently.

He also showed me what to do if Callum has another non-breathing bright red spazzing episode... Basically what I had done before was the right approach, holding him so he's on his belly face down and patting/hitting his back so that the airway can open back up. As scary as it all sounds, I'm just happy we now know what the cause is and what to watch out for from now on!

Wanna see a crazy comparison? Here's the two boys after their respective 2 month check up appointments. Can you guess who is who? ;-)