Can't believe it's already Friday again. Only one more week of maternity leave. :(
Plans to go see my cousin, her husband, their twin boys and new baby girl tomorrow at my Aunt & Uncles house! Yay! This is the cousin who has twins 6 days older than Austin and a new baby girl almost 4 weeks younger than Mason. Should be great fun! :) They live south of Bloomington and will be at their parents for the weekend which is just under 2 hours from us so they planned a family get together so everyone could meet the newest baby...Lillian. :)
In other news...I am so happy I passed my boards!! :) So nice not having to study everyday!!
Milk free diet is going ok. Having some frustrating moments when I crave something that I can't have but I know it's worth it and it's short term in the grand scheme of things. Mason's symptoms are slowly improving. :)
Friday, August 31, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Busy, busy week so I decided not to blog til today! Didn't really have a lot going on...just the usual 20 million outfit and diaper changes a day. Learning how to do most everything one handed since Mason is quite the fussy boy.
Mason is 2 months old now! His appointment was today and he is 11lbs 9oz (50th%), 21.75in long (12th%) and his head is 15in (12th%). Sooo...he's longer and weighs more than Austin did at his 2mt but I think his head is smaller. Will have to look it up. I think that contributes to him still looking more like a newborn than a infant.
Lots of stuff covered at this appointment....
For starters: we will be adjusting his milestones due to his somewhat early arrival. I didn't think 3 weeks would matter but she said that it would. Already have evidence of that since he just started smiling this past weekend and hasn't done it everyday yet. He started some cooing earlier this week and that has increased in the last day or so. :) She does think he will roll over early since he is so hypertonic (tight muscles for non medical peeps) due to always splinting/guarding himself against the pain of reflux.
She did increase his Zantac dose since he gained a bit more weight so that should help. He was increased to 0.8ml twice a day at the 6 week weight check and she increased him to 1.2ml twice a day today. Recheck in a month to see if the dosage is still working.
I've got a feeling we will be seeing the insides of doctors offices a lot in the coming months...
So onto the milk protein allergy issue. His stool was tested on Monday for blood. It was negative. With a (undiagnosed/untreated) milk protein allergy the blood in stool may not show up until the baby is a few months old due to the chronic inflammation. So it wasn't unreasonable that his was negative. Based on his many, many symptoms that matched the milk protein allergy she went ahead and diagnosed him with it. He should start to get better in 2-6 weeks. Takes a while for the milk protein to leave my system and his. I had already started the new diet this past weekend but was not completely aware of what all I need to avoid. I know have the ingredient list of what I can't have so I feel more confident. Whey and casein are milk protein derivatives....they are in everything it seems like! Had to throw out my "dairy free" coffee creamer yesterday because it has sodium caseinate in it. If he is not much improved in 6 weeks we will do bloodwork. I'm sure I'll keep ya updated. Random factoid of the week...Oreo's are "safe" for me to eat! haha :)
Also this allergy is completely different than lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance is actually rare in babies....while milk protein allergy is uncommon in adults. There is a good chance Mason will grow out of this as his intestine matures! We will do a "milk challenge" test around 9 months of age. Could take up to 5 years (or more) to outgrow the allergy. Doctor said most outgrow it around 1-3 years of age.
Next on the issue agenda: his penis. My poor lil guy has penoscrotal webbing. Not sure how much detail or if I've even talked about this on the blog. It isn't dinner table conversation and I don't want to gross anyone out. His isn't terribly noticeable...actually wasn't caught until they were prepping him for his circumcision. So no circumsion for him until he sees a pediatric urologist to determine the course of action. We see the pediatric urologist on November 30th. He comes once a month from Riley Children's Hospital to the Lutheran Pediatric Outpaitent clinic to see kids and do consults and followups. So we will see him on his November visit to Ft Wayne. He didn't want to see Mason til he was 4-6 mts of age. If he needs surgery and then circumcision it will be done at Riley when he is older than 6 mts. Do yourself a favor and don't google it! It comes up with a bunch of adult men with the disorder and the extreme versions of the webbing. His is minor.
I think that's all I wanted to blog about with regards to his appointment. Other than his few medical issues she is very happy with his weight and his development thus far. :)
Mason is 2 months old now! His appointment was today and he is 11lbs 9oz (50th%), 21.75in long (12th%) and his head is 15in (12th%). Sooo...he's longer and weighs more than Austin did at his 2mt but I think his head is smaller. Will have to look it up. I think that contributes to him still looking more like a newborn than a infant.
Lots of stuff covered at this appointment....
For starters: we will be adjusting his milestones due to his somewhat early arrival. I didn't think 3 weeks would matter but she said that it would. Already have evidence of that since he just started smiling this past weekend and hasn't done it everyday yet. He started some cooing earlier this week and that has increased in the last day or so. :) She does think he will roll over early since he is so hypertonic (tight muscles for non medical peeps) due to always splinting/guarding himself against the pain of reflux.
She did increase his Zantac dose since he gained a bit more weight so that should help. He was increased to 0.8ml twice a day at the 6 week weight check and she increased him to 1.2ml twice a day today. Recheck in a month to see if the dosage is still working.
I've got a feeling we will be seeing the insides of doctors offices a lot in the coming months...
So onto the milk protein allergy issue. His stool was tested on Monday for blood. It was negative. With a (undiagnosed/untreated) milk protein allergy the blood in stool may not show up until the baby is a few months old due to the chronic inflammation. So it wasn't unreasonable that his was negative. Based on his many, many symptoms that matched the milk protein allergy she went ahead and diagnosed him with it. He should start to get better in 2-6 weeks. Takes a while for the milk protein to leave my system and his. I had already started the new diet this past weekend but was not completely aware of what all I need to avoid. I know have the ingredient list of what I can't have so I feel more confident. Whey and casein are milk protein derivatives....they are in everything it seems like! Had to throw out my "dairy free" coffee creamer yesterday because it has sodium caseinate in it. If he is not much improved in 6 weeks we will do bloodwork. I'm sure I'll keep ya updated. Random factoid of the week...Oreo's are "safe" for me to eat! haha :)
Also this allergy is completely different than lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance is actually rare in babies....while milk protein allergy is uncommon in adults. There is a good chance Mason will grow out of this as his intestine matures! We will do a "milk challenge" test around 9 months of age. Could take up to 5 years (or more) to outgrow the allergy. Doctor said most outgrow it around 1-3 years of age.
Next on the issue agenda: his penis. My poor lil guy has penoscrotal webbing. Not sure how much detail or if I've even talked about this on the blog. It isn't dinner table conversation and I don't want to gross anyone out. His isn't terribly noticeable...actually wasn't caught until they were prepping him for his circumcision. So no circumsion for him until he sees a pediatric urologist to determine the course of action. We see the pediatric urologist on November 30th. He comes once a month from Riley Children's Hospital to the Lutheran Pediatric Outpaitent clinic to see kids and do consults and followups. So we will see him on his November visit to Ft Wayne. He didn't want to see Mason til he was 4-6 mts of age. If he needs surgery and then circumcision it will be done at Riley when he is older than 6 mts. Do yourself a favor and don't google it! It comes up with a bunch of adult men with the disorder and the extreme versions of the webbing. His is minor.
I think that's all I wanted to blog about with regards to his appointment. Other than his few medical issues she is very happy with his weight and his development thus far. :)
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Austin is 20 months old now! Getting closer to 2! He is quickly growing out of 18mt shirts but most shorts still fit...even have several pairs of 18mt pants from spring that fit. Must have a long torso I guess! He is continuing to learn new words and loves this new movie series we got him. Little Einsteins...there are 4 "episodes" on one dvd. The one we got is about a rocket ship that saves the day in each episode. It's a good distraction if I need for him to stay quiet! He is starting to attempt to repeat what we say. :) This morning Andy and him were saying "clock" back and forth. He has a small desktop type clock on the shelf above his changing table so he sees it often.
Mason had his first time away from Andy or I yesterday morning. I had to renew my CPR so my mom watched both boys for me! :) They did great she said. :) I wasn't gone too long since I had done most of it online including the test...just had to go do the skills checkoff portion of it.
Mason seems to be getting a little better with his fussiness...it's still a daily thing but doesn't seem as extreme most days. Finally! Reflux is still there...we average 2-3 outfits on a good day. Still waiting for the lil stinker to smile! He halfway smiled in the bathtub the other night so it must be coming soon!
11 days til I take my exam...getting pretty stressed and anxious.
Mason had his first time away from Andy or I yesterday morning. I had to renew my CPR so my mom watched both boys for me! :) They did great she said. :) I wasn't gone too long since I had done most of it online including the test...just had to go do the skills checkoff portion of it.
Mason seems to be getting a little better with his fussiness...it's still a daily thing but doesn't seem as extreme most days. Finally! Reflux is still there...we average 2-3 outfits on a good day. Still waiting for the lil stinker to smile! He halfway smiled in the bathtub the other night so it must be coming soon!
11 days til I take my exam...getting pretty stressed and anxious.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
I meant to post yesterday...wanted to do a "Weekly Wednesday Check-In"...(stealing the idea from another blog haha!)
Anyways...this has been a long week. Mason's reflux is acting up and he's back to being fussy and not wanting to sleep much. Poor guy...just when I think we are seeing an improvement, we have a backslide. He started the day at 4am today! This momma is tired!
Other than his fussiness he has started to coo and make a couple other noises a couple times a day. :) He is also enjoying his playmat more and LOVES nature noises...he likes the nature noise option on his playmat so much that I downloaded a nature noise app on my iphone. :) Helps a ton during the fussy times! Really hoping he will smile soon. He's come close but nothing yet. Worries me a tad since Austin started smiling at 5 weeks. But they are all different. He loves his bath and loves to be held! :)
Austin is learning new words almost daily now!! :) This week he has added: "pee" and "read" so far. He also says "pa" now when stealing Masons pacifier to give to him or us....or to run away from us with it. He says "pee" when hes wet and grabs himself. Haha! Getting closer to potty training time I guess! Also says "neigh" for horse...did I mention that already in a different post? Hard to keep track. Still loves to be outside and is glad that he can go outside more since its starting to stay cooler longer in the morning.
We are getting into a better routine and I'm starting to be much less stressed about handling it all now.
Taking my NCC exam on the 27th. Took a practice test last night and got a 84% ...feel like I'm getting more prepared now. Been very consistent on studying lately. Fear of failure is a huge motivator haha!
Looking forward to the much cooler weather today through Sunday. :)
Anyways...this has been a long week. Mason's reflux is acting up and he's back to being fussy and not wanting to sleep much. Poor guy...just when I think we are seeing an improvement, we have a backslide. He started the day at 4am today! This momma is tired!
Other than his fussiness he has started to coo and make a couple other noises a couple times a day. :) He is also enjoying his playmat more and LOVES nature noises...he likes the nature noise option on his playmat so much that I downloaded a nature noise app on my iphone. :) Helps a ton during the fussy times! Really hoping he will smile soon. He's come close but nothing yet. Worries me a tad since Austin started smiling at 5 weeks. But they are all different. He loves his bath and loves to be held! :)
Austin is learning new words almost daily now!! :) This week he has added: "pee" and "read" so far. He also says "pa" now when stealing Masons pacifier to give to him or us....or to run away from us with it. He says "pee" when hes wet and grabs himself. Haha! Getting closer to potty training time I guess! Also says "neigh" for horse...did I mention that already in a different post? Hard to keep track. Still loves to be outside and is glad that he can go outside more since its starting to stay cooler longer in the morning.
We are getting into a better routine and I'm starting to be much less stressed about handling it all now.
Taking my NCC exam on the 27th. Took a practice test last night and got a 84% ...feel like I'm getting more prepared now. Been very consistent on studying lately. Fear of failure is a huge motivator haha!
Looking forward to the much cooler weather today through Sunday. :)
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Mason had a weight check today since he is on Zantac. He is 9lbs 11oz now! That is some crazy weight gain!! So, of course, his dose needed increasing. He won't go back now til his 2mt appt which is on the 24th.
Fairly confident he doesn't have a milk protein allergy now. Most of the symptoms he had that I thought were related seem to be diminishing now. His diaper rash is improving slowly...we are now going to do cortisone twice a day for two weeks with hopes that it will get rid of it for good. She thinks he must just have fairly acidic poop! He seems happier the last few days. Enjoying the playmat a bit more...likes the nature sounds on it but not the music...must be overstimulated easily!
Austin is doing much better with the whole adjustment. Less and less tantrums each week. :) :)
HR finally finalized all my salary, bonuses, & contract! Still waiting on credentialing approval but I think it'll all work out. Have to submit 3 more things and should know for sure by the end of the month. I am signing a two year contract...they don't have a one year option. If another hospital that I'm interested in ends up interviewing and hiring me before my 2 years are finished then we will have to pay back the money (not all...it would be pro-rated). Figured I might as well just sign on so I can get the retention bonus. Hard to tell the future! They do theirs very nicely....half with the first paycheck and the other half at the one year mark!
We are going to be preparing Andy's car to sell by next month so he can get a newer one and we are going to be starting some home improvement projects to get this place ready to sell! Lots to look forward to. :)
Fairly confident he doesn't have a milk protein allergy now. Most of the symptoms he had that I thought were related seem to be diminishing now. His diaper rash is improving slowly...we are now going to do cortisone twice a day for two weeks with hopes that it will get rid of it for good. She thinks he must just have fairly acidic poop! He seems happier the last few days. Enjoying the playmat a bit more...likes the nature sounds on it but not the music...must be overstimulated easily!
Austin is doing much better with the whole adjustment. Less and less tantrums each week. :) :)
HR finally finalized all my salary, bonuses, & contract! Still waiting on credentialing approval but I think it'll all work out. Have to submit 3 more things and should know for sure by the end of the month. I am signing a two year contract...they don't have a one year option. If another hospital that I'm interested in ends up interviewing and hiring me before my 2 years are finished then we will have to pay back the money (not all...it would be pro-rated). Figured I might as well just sign on so I can get the retention bonus. Hard to tell the future! They do theirs very nicely....half with the first paycheck and the other half at the one year mark!
We are going to be preparing Andy's car to sell by next month so he can get a newer one and we are going to be starting some home improvement projects to get this place ready to sell! Lots to look forward to. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
About Me
Subscribe To The Coaks
Posts
All Comments