First Ear Infection - 5 Months Old July 21, 2008

Picture below!

Kalyssa is doing very well, but we were a little worried when she started eating less and sleeping a lot more last week.  She didn’t seem to be sick, but the clues were there that something wasn’t quite right.  A trip to the doctor on Thursday revealed that she has her first ear infection.  She’s too little to be pulling on her ear and letting you know, but it was definitely why her appetite was down.  Sucking on a bottle definitely causes the pressure in her ear to bother her so she was taking in only a little bit to satisfy her tummy and then wearing out.  She’s been on Amoxacillin for a few days now and we gave her pedialyte for 24 hours to see if that increased her eating.  It did - so then we switched to formula without the thickener to make it easier for her to suck down.  She seems to be doing much better and we are going in for a weight check at the doctor’s office this morning before I take her back to day care.  She was 10.5 lbs last Thursday.  Can’t believe she is 5 months old today!  Well, I’m hearing her crying in the other room so I’ve got to go!

Kalyssa July 2008

4 Month Well-baby Check Up June 27, 2008

Kalyssa weighs 10 pounds! Whoo hoo! She’s doing very well. Additionally, we started her at day care at the beginning of this week. I’m still adjusting to getting everything ready the night before and dropping two kids off at two different buildings etc. It’s only Thursday and I’m exhausted.

Kalyssa received 4 shots and an oral dose of immunization yesterday. She was a little fussy and had a slight temperature. Today she slept a lot I am told - so I’m guessing the shots are still affecting her. She has met several of the 4 month mile stones despite being a preemie, but as expected she hasn’t yet hit a few others. The pediatrician is recommending a local program called First Steps that will likely work with her day care to check in on her development and the meeting of future milestones as she grows. I know my oldest participated in NICU developmental clinics - so we will likely be attending those as well. The main one that she hasn’t hit is grasping her hands in the middle and reaching out to objects. She follows things with her eyes pretty well and engages you with a smile and cooing, but she doesn’t yet know what to do with her hands.

She’s been left on her reflux meds and her Neosure plus thickener. The nurse knew of a route to try and get our insurance to cover both the Neosure and the Thickener and so we may now begin to pick up a shipment of those at the pediatricians office and save a bit. Neosure runs about $15 a can and is not a big can. They last maybe 3 days. The thickener is about $40 for a 80 packet box. Each packet thickens one 4 oz bottle and Kalyssa is about to drink 5 oz at a time lately. So we really think the nurse’s efforts are going to make the special preemie formula’s and thickeners more reasonable for us. Another side note is that our local Wal-mart doesn’t carry the powdered Neosure formula and buying the liquid variety is even more costly per oz. We’ve found that CVS is the best place to buy it if you can’t get assistance from your doctor. Wal-greens also has the powdered formula, but you have to ask a worker to unlock the case to get it for you.

Incidentally, Kalyssa may not be allergic to corn. The nurse was aware of other babies that have experience runny stools when the thickener called “Thick It” was used to try to prevent reflux. The gel called “Simply Thick” is the one that seems to work best for us.

Allergic to Corn? June 5, 2008

I’m not 100% certain, but we think that the product called “Thick It” that we were using to thicken Kalyssa’s formula may have been the cause of her runny stools.  When the diarrhea wasn’t improving quickly my mother and I decided to try using rice cereal instead of the “Thick It” to try and help things become more solid.  Rice cereal was given to her as the first attempt in the NICU to thicken her formula and keep it down due to her reflux so I didn’t feel it could do her any harm to switch for a while.  And … since Rice cereal is also one of the items on the BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce and Toast) diet recommended to battle diarrhea in older kids I thought it might help.  Well it did - a little too well. First she normalized and then she started to become constipated.  So we switched back to the “Thick It” again.  It only took 1-2 days before it was turning into diarrhea again.  When she came home from the hospital she was on a product called Simply Thick that was a gel-like product and I am going to order it on-line from the maker since my local CVS doesn’t seem to carry it.  The “Thick It” was CVS’s suggestion when I asked for the “Simply Thick” but as I look through the ingredients one of them is corn and I’m now wondering if Kalyssa’s little system doesn’t like corn.  I guess we’ll know for sure as she gets older, but for now I’m putting all stops on using “Thick It” since it seems to be the culprit in her extended diarrhea and possibly not the virus at all … (sigh)

Kalyssa Is All Better - Celebrating 7 Years of Marriage May 27, 2008

Kalyssa returned to normal very early Sunday morning.  We are SO thankful to not worry over that anymore.  Returning to normal happened just in time for Tad and I to celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary.  It was so nice that it landed on Memorial Day this year so that we had the day off to do something together.  We first went to my parent’s home on Sunday to celebrate my brother’s birthday.  Poor guy, it was not our intent to get married the day before his birthday.  Our church was moving to a new building the year we wanted to get married and it was either that day … or possibly as late as December instead at the new building.  We frankly didn’t want to wait that long!  Never really wanted to get married in winter either :0)

We have seven years of both challenges and good times to be thankful for.  We could have never gotten through all of it without such a great family and friends surrounding our marriage.  We want to take this opportunity to tell everyone checking in that we ‘think’ the worst of the bills from Kalyssa’s birth and hospital stay are paid for!!!! That is almost all thanks to our family and friends (all of you checking in!) that were so generous with gifts of money, Wal-mart and CVS cards.  We had a small bit of savings that we also used and although we hate that the US economy has hit a recession we are super thankful for the timing of our tax refund, my bonus check from work and the IRS rebate.  They all seemed to hit our bank accounts at exactly the right time to help us pay things off.  There are a few smaller bills that are trickling in at this point, but we think we have enough remaining of our rebate check to pay them as they arrive.  We are SO grateful to have such loving family and friends to have helped us out in this way!  It will make a huge difference in our ability to take care of our little family as we would like.  Daycare doesn’t seem as scary now that we know we won’t also be paying a hospital bill of for the next couple years like we did with Brianna.  Oddly enough, the bill for Kalyssa herself ended up being less than for Brianna who was in the hospital for only 16 days instead of the 6 weeks plus that Kalyssa was in the NICU?  The NICU had only been at the hospital for three months before Brianna’s birth and we’re thinking they’ve streamlined their billing etc. or something?  However, the bill for my stay was MUCH greater and that … we are thankful to say … has also been covered thanks to God’s providence and the help of our family and friends.  Thank you SO much.  We are in a much better situation than we thought we would be the week of Kalyssa’s birth thanks to all of you!!!

(Incidentally, I’m working on the individual thank you cards for everyone - with two kiddos to watch and being back to work, it’s going VERY slowly. Please don’t think at all that every cent or kind word/prayer was not deeply appreciated at the time it was received!!! A card and photo will be coming soon for your refrigerator :0) ).

Recovering, but very slowly May 24, 2008

Seems like I’ve been meaning to get back on here and post for forever and I hope to post more often than this.  Maybe the photo will help make it up to those who have been checking in? :)    As you can see, she is looking fuller cheeked and more like the classic gerber baby everyone dreams of these days.  I think that might even be a smile in that photo?  She’s still not quite back to normal in the diaper department but it is ever so slowly reversing.  It’s been over three weeks now - so we’d REALLY like it to end at any time. She does have less BMs at this point so her poor bottom is no longer red - though we are still applying the vaseline the dr. recommended.

Just to give Tad kudos he made Kalyssa’s first Mother’s Day very special for me.  He took big sister to the local hobby store to pick out stickers, finger paints, rubber stamps etc to make homemade cards for me and both grandma’s.  I did end up helping make the cards but loved every minute!  It made a great way to spend Mother’s Day.  The cards feature Brianna’s handprint and Kalyssa’s footprint (she curls up her hands too much to do her hand too).

Still Sick … May 8, 2008

For those who are checking in on Kalyssa. She is still sick. We ‘think’ she might be improving slightly. We’ve seen a few diapers that were just wet … but no improvement other than that. She has no fever and her appetite remains strong so we’re still hanging in there. She eats between 3 and 4 ozs at this point at almost every feeding. (90 - 120 ccs if you’re comparing to earlier posts and want to see how it compares!)

Big sister Brianna is happily watching a Leap Frog video on numbers - while wearing her tiara and carrying around her ruby slippers. She’s such a girly girl already. She’s known how to count to ten since January or so, but now she can make it into the teens before she gets a little lost. Still not very far into potty training yet though. We’ve backtracked from wanting to sit on the potty and read books, but not doing anything - to not wanting to sit on the potty at all. I guess the newness wore off? We’ll have to find a new tactic.

Occasionally people ask how I’m doing. I feel almost normal at this point. The only unusual thing is that I have a numb area about an inch wide above my c-section scar. I’m told by the doctor that this is very normal and that it will take several months to regain the feeling in that area. Other than that, and sleep deprivation, I feel pretty good. :0)

Keep on Keeping On … May 5, 2008

As expected, Kalyssa most likely has the latest strain of the rotovirus (sp?)  She had received her first of three vaccinations for it just over 2 weeks ago, and we kept her at home except for doctor visits so far … but we still managed to get it in the house. (sigh).  Anyway, she was not dehydrated. She is eating the same amounts as usual and seems to be alert and active.  The doctor says it may take a week to two weeks to be rid of this virus, but that we should see improvement by Thursday - which would be a week from when it started.  If not we are to call her.  The only other change was to start using Vaseline on her poor red bottom instead of the Balmex I had been using.  Because she is having so many runny stools and her diapers are very damp - the doctor said to keep an eye out for tiny red dots among the red.  This could mean that she’s developed a fungal infection and she would prescribe a cream for that at that point.  Relatives and friends may wonder why I’m writing all that info.  I am giving my blog link to other preemie parents off and on and if the info can be helpful to other preemie parents (or new parents in general) I hope they will find comfort in our shared experiences over infant illnesses of this kind.

On the upside, Kalyssa weighed in at 6.7 lbs - roughly 15 ozs more than she weighed 15 days ago.  For having had diarrhea issues the last 5 days she has managed to keep putting on the weight.  I have also noticed that she is getting longer.  We have a portable crib/changing table in our room that she is in most of the time.  The changing table used to seem huge, but only a month after getting to bring her home she is close to making me remove the wipes container so that she will continue to fit!  Way to go Kalyssa. Mommy and daddy are so happy to see you grow.  And … FYI: Baby fat is awesome!

Kalyssa’s First Illness (sigh) May 4, 2008

This photo was taken of Kalyssa today - 1 day past her due date of May 3rd! She is 10 weeks and 3 days old.

We’ve had both a runny - nose/cold and an (ahem) intestinal illness making their way through the family. Kalyssa has dodged the runny nose so far, but big sister Brianna is fighting that today. We were considering venturing with Kalyssa for her first trip to one of her grandparent’s homes to celebrate my dad’s birthday … but once the illnesses hit both kids we had to cancel all plans. And papaw was so looking forward to taking Brianna mushroom hunting - too bad. Well, there is always next year. We’re praying everyone will be well by next weekend to celebrate both Mother’s day (with both our moms) and papaw’s birthday too somehow (albeit a little late). The big worry for me today is that Kalyssa has been battling with diarrhea since 2AM Thursday morning. I’d been on the lookout for it, since others in the family had been sick with it. I called Friday to the pediatrician’s office and they said not to worry and to continue feeding her the Neosure with the Thick It. They said to call back if she ever became lethargic, stopped eating, or if she reached at least 10 diapers with runny bowel movements in one day. Well, I’m thankful that she is still eating well, and seems alert, but we have reached the 10 diapers a day overnight. So … of course it is now Sunday when offices are closed and we’d have to go to the emergency room. Since she is still eating well and alert I’m opting to keep a close eye on her and to call the pediatrician again first thing tomorrow morning (as long as there has been no change).

Brianna has done this to us many times. It seems kids are always the sickest in the middle of the night or over the weekend when office hours are limited or closed. Please pray for Kalyssa that she remains strong and that her little body continues to fight what is probably a nasty virus they can do little for. I’m sure they’ll want to check her for dehydration on Monday, but she’s been eating very well so I’m hopeful that she’ll continue to do well and fight this on her own (or that they’ll have some medicine for her, but if it’s viral I doubt it). We’ve kept her at home all of this time as directed … but since the family members have to go to work, it seems the germs come home with us - despite much hand washing and liberal use of anti-bacterial gels etc. I was back to work less than a week before I had the head cold and I was around no one that was sick to my knowledge? Though I did go to the grocery store as well … who knows what germs you’ll run into there? Must be why they tell all preemie parents NOT to take the babies out in public for multiple weeks even after they get to come home. I’ll post more when I hear from the pediatrician on Monday. She really is acting normal - though her poor little bottom is quite red and I’ve begun patting on the Balmex rather liberally to make her feel better. More soon.

Eye Exam & Back to Work April 30, 2008

Last Tuesday I went in for my yearly eye exam.  Because I had so many vision problems around the time of Kalyssa’s birth - which we assumed were either Pre-eclampsia or MS related - I mentioned them to my doctor.  During the exam my doctor pointed out that my left eye still looked irritated.  He investigated it some more and found I had a common virus in that eye.  He said those can take weeks or months to go away and may have caused my vision problems when my pre-eclampsia developed and my high blood pressure occured related to that.  Who knew?  All that time it may have been a virus of the eye that didn’t take well to everything else going wrong with my body at that time?

Meanwhile, Friday rolled around and I had to return to work.  I went back for one full day and then this week I began a schedule where I work mornings from home and I am physically in the office from 1-5.  Daddy watched Kalyssa on Monday and Tuesday, but my mom will be her usual afternoon caregiver … well, and a tiny bit of help from big sister, Brianna.  Though mostly Brianna just talks about her and points out that she has feet or something useful like that!  It’s been hard to go back to work, but I’m thankful that I get this transition period where I do some work from home and get more time with the girls while Kalyssa is too tiny to go anywhere.  The girls will return/start day care June 23rd if Kalyssa stays on track.  I’ll try to get a new photo on here soon.  Tried yesterday and the flash kept making her shut her eyes in every shot I took.  I’ll try on a brighter day!

Cardiac Clinic & 2 Month Well-Baby Visit April 22, 2008

Yesterday, April 21st, I took Kalyssa in to have a cardiac specialist from St. Vincent’s listen to Kalyssa’s heart and also to have her regular second month well-baby visit and shots.  It went great!  Little Kalyssa now weighs 5 pounds 13 ounces and is 17.5 inches long.  Her largest feeds are now 4 ozs or 110-120 ccs.  The cardiac specialist as well as two other doctors confirmed that they could not even hear a heart murmur at this time.  They say that as a hole closes up it gets even louder and they don’t hear anything so they are assuming that the two holes in her heart that were noticed while she was in NICU have now healed!  They are going to do an echo cardiogram in 5 months to make sure, but it is certainly news to celebrate.  Her pediatrician has also increased the amounts on her reflux meds because she’s starting to have small amounts of spit up more frequently despite being on the medications.  Overall, it was a great visit and Kalyssa is doing just great!  Poor thing had to have four shots in her legs though and also to drink another vaccine.  The band-aids they used on her legs looked so huge …  We pulled those off today during a diaper change - boy was she MAD!  A quick bottle made it all better though :0)