Sleepy, Sneezy, Doc, CROUPY, Bashful, Dopey, UNhappy and Snow White(aka mommy)
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| We love to watch Mickey Mouse |
Sickness has infected us and overshadowed Austin's 3rd birthday and the twins 6 month milestone. We had 2 trips to the pediatrician, a stop at Urgent care and a visit to the Pediatric Emergency Room all in 10 days time.
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| All 3 sleeping...WOW! |
It started with Kelsey, the day before Austin's birthday on a Saturday. She became super congested with a productive cough. I considered this to be mild cold and just decided to try and keep her away from her brothers. Three days later on Tuesday Austin woke up coughing and Logan woke with the very distinct Croup barking seal cough. It was very mild to start and didn't cause me concern. Austin had Croup last fall so I knew the symptoms and that it was mostly treated at home and left to run its course. Well, by the afternoon Logan's mild case went extreme with a constant Stridor(vibrating raspy breathing usually only heard between the barking cough) he couldn't breathe without crying and the Stridor was all the time. We rushed him to urgent care in efforts to avoid the price of the Emergency room(sad that we even have to consider the raping cost). He was given Decadron (oral steroid) and put on a nebulizer (compressor run inhaler with a mask). He laid perfectly still minus some leg kicks and received his dose. We then needed to wait and see how he managed and after about 30 minutes he relapsed and it was determined he needed to be sent to the Emergency room(we declined a ride in the ambulance) where they would decide to treat him again or admit him. Sure enough he was given another nebulizer treatment, this time we had a two hour wait period. At midnight he had improved enough to go home without needing admittance. We were given a script for another round of Decadron for the next day. He appeared to improve but the following day(Thursday) developed a whistling hiss to his breathing which warranted a visit to the Pediatrician. We decided to take everyone in on Friday to rule out anything serious such as Flu, Pneumonia or Strep. The final diagnosis, Austin had a ear infection and on Amoxocillan and Advil. Kelsey had RSV ( respiratory virus) using a home nebulizer with Albuterol and Tylenol as needed and Logan had the combo of RSV ( same treatment as Kelsey) and the lingering Croup treated with Prednisolone (oral steroid).
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| Logan on the home nebulizer |
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| Outside to improve the Croup symptoms |
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| starting to feel better |
We had to postpone Austin's birthday party to get everyone healthy. I am grateful he doesn't understand his birthday yet so he wasn't disappointed. We are also grateful that my mom came to help out for 4 days when we truly had our hands full of snot, Tylenol and tears! She happen to be here for our worst night when we all divided up and slept with a child each. Paul and Austin in the master. My mom and Kelsey in the nursery and Logan and I in the guest room. It definitely made life more manageable but not easy by any means! These bugs took its toll on this family lasting a whole 12 days!
Last Monday, I was feeling ambitious plus we had ideal conditions for a photo shoot(snow and sun which makes our dining room bright). Even though the kids were still not 100% I managed to get some very good smiles and cooperation! Our one hiccup which ended our shoot in a screeching halt was Logan coughing so hard he gagged and threw up all over my prop blanket and mat! I really need to keep this picture thing up! I love being creative with my backdrop supplies and enjoy being crazy silly in order to capture fantastic baby smiles! I may even turn my photo taking skills into a business. I am in the process of coming up with a witty name for my company and buying some much needed supplies (lighting and vinyl backdrops). I plan to concentrate on maternity and infant portraits. I have had friends suggest that I get affiliated with the hospital and do in-house photography, we shall see!!!
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| Always holding hands |
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| We can roll! |
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| Too cute |
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| such a stud |
As for check-ups, Austin was in a couple weeks ago before he was sick for his 3 year old well visit. He weighs 33 pounds and is 38 inches tall. He is average for his age but we did get diagnosed with some developmental delays and sensitivities which we already knew but needed to receive a script to be able to have a private OT ( Occupational Therapist). We met his new speech teacher amid all the sickness and he took to her very well. Chris will be at our home every Thursday afternoon for an hour. We will then go to the OT every other Wednesday. We really wanted every week but our copay per session is $40 so we can only afford a couple weeks a month.
The twins had their 6 month well check visit this Thursday. These babes are growing like weeds! Kelsey is now 14.4 pounds and 25 inches tall. Logan is 16.8 pounds and 25.5 inches tall. Kelsey is starting to catch up to her not so chunky anymore brother. Both babies are now on the growth chart and are doing fantastic. This month we have had many changes. Logan is now off the Nutramigen and drinking the same formula as Kelsey the Similac Advanced. We are still waiting to see if he is experiencing any side effects. I also stopped nursing Kelsey as my milk supply seriously diminished and I was having to feed her more and more formula. The babies have also started eating solid foods. First we started with Oatmeal and now they are eating butternut squash from grandpa's garden. Next we will being trying pears. I will be making all of my own baby food again this time around. It is very easy and cost effective especially with TWO to feed! Kelsey is a good little eater, it only took her a couple of days to catch on and she even makes Yummy sounds! Logan on the other hand is not a big fan yet, he makes awful faces and it takes him double the time to finish his bowl. I am wondering if he will like fruits better than veggies?? The last change is that Kelsey's hemangioma(blood blister on her temple) is being treated. My uncle Rick had heard a talk from a local dermatologist that specializes in pediatric hemangiomas so we took Kelsey in for a consultation. We are first trying Timolol gel (a topical glaucoma medicine) twice a day for a month to try and shrink it. If there is no change we will use the oral Propanolol( blood pressure medicine) which is VERY effective but opted to use the less invasive method first.
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| Eating for the first time |
Lastly, we were finally able to celebrate Austin's 3rd birthday, two weeks late! We had a drop off in attendance because of the date change but we still had plenty of people that were able to attend. He had a ball and it was really fun to see him interact with his peers, blow out his own candle and unwrap his gifts as he finally got the concept this year! We were lucky to have good weather, good food and good fun! As always Grammy Barb did a fantastic job on his birthday cake and nearly all of it was eaten. I may need to give her a hand this summer when it comes time to make the twins first birthday cake and smash cakes!
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| Austin's choo choo cake |
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| Playing in the snow on his real birthday |
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| snuggles with Kelsey |
Until next month!
