5 Months Old

Sometimes I look back and think it seems like so long ago when we first met Anna and all of the emotions and pain we experienced with her birth. It is hard to remember a time when she was not part of our family. On the other hand it is hard to believe that our little miracle is 5 months old.

Anna has had a good couple of weeks. We have had a few bumps in the road but we have had some progress. A few weeks ago she had a barium swallow. This test confirmed what we already knew. Anna has severe reflux. Everything else looked fine. I was concerned while the test was being performed because from start to finish the test took about 3 ½ hours. I was in the room for part of the procedure and was able to see the live x-ray that should the barium being brought back up into her esophagus. We also had an incident where another Pediatrician changed the dosage on some of the medications when we went to have them refilled. The Pharmacist called the doctors office because he felt the dose was too high for a 10 pound baby. They cut the dose in half not knowing her history. It was a long weekend until we were able to get in contact with our Pediatrician and get the dose straightened out. The evenings are still the worst time. We have become so accustomed to her “fussy” time. Anna has started eating cereal and seems to enjoy it. Late last week she weighed in at around 11 pounds.

Anna has become very interested in her surroundings. She is so observant and is taking in everything that happens. She also loves her sisters. She gets so excited when she sees either of them. Lissie loves to talk to her and she keeps a count of how many smiles she has gotten (I think she is somewhere around 200 smiles at this point). Jill on the other hand loves to harass her little sister but Anna still get so excited when Jill plays with her.
We are still trying to figure our Anna’s nickname. Jill quickly got the nickname Jilly Bean which has been shortened to Bean. Lissie which is already short for Elisabeth has the nicknames Lou and Lisser. Baba (my Mom) likes to call her Anna Banana and sometimes David calls her Belle. I am sure over time something will stick

Anna had a good day at home today. The Pediatrician recommended that we stay home today with her to make sure that she ate well and did not get sick. She spent a quiet morning home with me. I was able to catch up on a little housework while trying to do some of my job form home. She spent the afternoon with David. It was not so quiet. Anna is not the Daddy’s girls that Jill is. After about 3 ½ hours together, David called for assistance and I could hear the screaming in the background. I returned home to a smiling baby. I think that she already likes to test her Dad.

Anna returns to daycare tomorrow. The newest challenge is how to get Anna her mid day dose of her medication. The staff at the daycare cannot administer the medication so this means that we will have to go everyday to give it to her. Since I work within a couple of miles from the day care and David works 30 miles away, I will have to take my lunch everyday and go to the daycare. I will have to sneak in past the toddler room where Jill is to avoid a “Mommy sighting” and hopefully Anna will not get too mad when I come to give her the medication and do not take her home. Not an ideal situation but it is what needs to be done.

Home, again

This afternoon we made it home, again. Anna was released from the hospital. She had lost a little more weight this morning but the Pediatrician new of my desire to get home with the entire family. We have to watch her very carefully and make sure that she eats enough. She got her new medications. One to decrease the acid production (a different one) and one to coat the esophagus so it does not make her so uncomfortable. Also her feedings have to be thickened. They are so thick that it almost looks like actual cereal that you would feed a baby. We have to cut all of the nipples on her bottles. She seems happy and content.

We were so excited to have everyone home but we quickly realized that our little adventure had worn on everyone. Lissie was tired and wanted a corn dog. Jill was in desperate need of a nap. Anna wanted it to be like in the hospital, held all the time. David and I looked at each other and smiled. We knew that this was home and this is where we wanted to be.

Another Night in the Big House

It seems that Anna and I are spending another night together in the hospital. She had a stable day but is still not taking (and keeping enough) formula down to go home. The doctor seems to believe that her reflux has just gotten worse over the past week and her inability to keep her food down has caused her to lose weight. When you only weigh 10 pounds you can not afford to lose much weight before they get concerned. Today they have changed her medications and are trying to make her comfortable. Her feedings are made with pedialyte. ½ the amount of formula normally used and are thickened with rice cereal to help to get them to stay down. Anyone who has had stomach acid issues would know the discomfort that she feels. It is like vicious cycle where she screams because she is hungry and them screams because she is uncomfortable and then eventually she loses the nourishment that she has taken. She has been more comfortable today and has for short periods of time laid in the crib by herself and slept for longer periods of time.

David and I did get the opportunity to get some dinner together. I had basically spent the last 32 hours straight holding Anna. My sister-in-law Janice was generous to come and stay with her for an hour so we could have a meal. It was a quick meal and I was very nervous. When we got back, Janice and Anna had many adventures to tell. Janice was blessed with some of Anna’s vomit and Anna was in one of her very uncomfortable periods. The nurses were trying to be helpful but Anna was just not happy. Janice looked at me and said “I do not know how you do it”. I told her that it is not a matter of how and a matter of have to. Someone has to be able to take care of her even when she is sick and irritable. The one thing that Anna has taught me is to be patient.

This evening I am thinking about all of my girls. As I lay here with Anna asleep on my chest, I know I need to be here for her but I am longing for a hug from Lissie and Jill. I am hopeful that tomorrow we will have some good news with this new medication combination and that we can return home as a family.

Waiting for nothing to happen

We're in the rare situation today of waiting for absolutely nothing to happen. And when nothing happens, it's good news.

We're waiting for Anna to drink and not regurgitate any of it. If she can accomplish that, we get to go home today. If she can't, she gets another night at the hospital.

Every time something happens, it delays our trip home.

She's happy right now, so we thought we'd share a somewhat happy picture of Anna. I read the look on her face as saying, "I've spent enough time in this hospital. Let's get out of here."

Back to the hospital

Our little puker has decided she needs a little more attention. So she's spending the night at the friendly neighborhood hospital.
We've had trouble with Anna's vomitting for several weeks. Earlier in the week, the doctor switched her over to a different kind of formula and bottle. It succeeded mainly in letting her vomit a farther distance, estimated at a foot and a half.
So in today's follow-up, the doctor decided the 6 ounces Anna lost since Tuesday wasn't acceptable. So we're enjoying the perks of blogging on the free hospital wi-fi.
Right now she's on IV fluids to help bring her back where she should be. And as long as Jessica's holding her tight, she's not too fussy.
Thanks for the prayers and concerns in the past. I'm sure they'll lead to a quick stay this time around too. It's just another bump in the road for this extraordinary young lady.
As for the parents, it's hard not to think about our last hospital stay, the two weeks after Anna arrived. It's terrifying to even think back those four months to that. But it helps to remember how different Anna is now. She's so strong-willed and full of personality, as opposed to that shell of a girl we barely knew back in August. She'll fight through it, no doubt.