I have not blogged in AGES.... sorry..... so....
A VERY brief recap...
Early September - Liam and I flew to Seattle for Caroline's RN pinning and flew back expecting to move as soon as we got home... that turned into more hurry up and wait... I should have known..
Middle of September... Nolan achieved the qualification of Aircraft Commander! GO NOLAN!
This means he can "sign" out for an aircraft and he is the PILOT (in charge) and he takes a co-pilot with him... :-) We are so proud!!!
September 27 - 1st visit to the Peds Gastro doctor in Raleigh
The day I learned that I was NOT just a crazy, new mom and that this team of specialists were going to help me, help Liam... And that it was not normal for Liam to load up on food at night before bedtime and not really eat much all day the following day...
The not so good news... Liam was diagnosed with failure to thrive (FTT) since he was born at the 25th %tile for weight and was now less than the 3rd %tile... His weight was the first to go... then his length.. We began Prevacid, increased his formula to 22, then 24, then 26 calories per ounce (over 2 weeks time) and began adding Duocal (powered "hidden" calories) to all baby foods.
End of September, Liam began pulling up!!!
Beginning of October, Liam clapped while music was being played at the rehearsal for Youth Sunday!
Someone began terrorizing our neighborhood... trying to open windows during the night (Thank God for Sandi - one night she barked - not the usual "Oh look a squirrel" - at 450am... ) A lot of sleepless nights after that and the fact that my neighbor's house had her window opened the following night...
October 20 - Liam's Gastric Emptying Scan
He drank 3 oz and it took between hour 3 and hour 4 for it all to empty out of his stomach... :-/ No wonder he seems to stay full all day long...
Nolan stopped in Dubai for a port call!!! :-)
October 21 - Movers came, packed and moved our stuff to the new house...
October 22 - Liam would only take 10 oz of formula.... all day long...
October 23 - Liam woke up with a dry diaper... :-/ This was to be his "make up" day of taking like 20 oz... he again only took 10 oz... so I called his pediatrician... he didn't seem to care, so I called the on call gastro doctor in Chapel Hill.. he said to take Liam to the ER for IV fluids...
After 5-6 hrs on IV fluids we were sent home... His white blood cell count was elevated, indicating he was fighting a virus...
October 24 - Happy 28th Birthday Nolan!
Another day of only taking 10 oz of formula... gastro doc said to take Liam back to the ER to get fluids, then to come to Chapel Hill on the 25th...
When we left the ER, Liam's discharge papers said to come to Chapel Hill in the morning for G tube placement.... :-/ (The ER docs had been calling the gastro doc to keep them updated)
Oct 25 - drove 2.5 hrs to Chapel Hill, got a speeding ticket along the way... had an 11am appt with the division chief of Peds Gastro.... learned that Liam had lost 2 months worth of weight gain and not grown any in length in 1 month... His head circumference was the only "age appropriate" measurement...
Liam was admitted to the 6th floor - Children's Hospital at UNC for FTT and food refusal... He was 15lbs 14oz at just over 10 months old...
My mom flew in from Texas... one day early from her planned arrival to visit for a week...
October 26 - trying to get Liam to eat... pedialite and APPLE juice - a first for Liam! :-)
October 27 - Endoscopy - started new formula, Elecare and medicine to increase Liam's appetite, Periactin
October 28 - Upper GI - Liam diagnosed with gastro-esophogial reflux - GER - started medicine to help Liam's stomach empty, Erythromycin, discharged that afternoon
I have to admit, I was more scared to take Liam home than I was when we brought him home from the hospital at 3 days old... I knew that if these medicines did not get Liam to start eating like he should, we would be back for an nG tube... :-/
We say that God's timing is perfect and it is. Nolan's port call to Dubai, came at the perfect time. Although I know it was extremely difficult for Nolan to see Liam in the hospital and not looking well, what a gift to not have to be flying, and to get to Skype with us each day that we were in the hospital! :-)
The first week home wasn't ideal, but each day got a bit better.... By the end of the first week, Liam had really taken to eating ALL day long... not just loading up at night and being good for the majority of the next day...
Liam became a different child in about 10 days... He had more energy, more of a personality and feeding him was not the battle it had become... He started drinking out of a straw sippy cup at Occupational Therapy - a thought to encourage him to drink the formula that he was only taking while he was "dream feeding" - eating while sleeping.. He was taking about 20 oz of formula and 12 - 20 oz of baby food! (Previously he would take about 14 oz of formula and maybe 8 oz of baby food per day) What a HUGE difference!
November 8 - Our 6 week (from our 1st appt) follow up and 10 day follow up from being in the hospital. It was the first GOOD doctors appt we have EVER had... Liam had grown in ALL areas... weight, length and head circumference...
His doctor and dietician were VERY pleased, as were Nolan and I! :-)
In the past month, since we have been home, Liam has gained TWO POUNDS! and is averaging about 32 ounces per day of food or formula.
He weighs 18lbs 3.5 oz!
He is weighed on Wednesdays by a visiting nurse who comes to our house... it is exciting to see him gain about 5 - 7 oz / week! (He was gaining that much in a MONTH!)
We have a long road ahead, as even with a gain of 2 lbs in a month.... Liam is still not up to the 3rd %tile... but I am more hopeful than I have ever been... I am eternally grateful for the team of gastro doctors who have changed Liam and I's life, for the better... no one will ever truly understand what our days and nights were like before, but they seem to have the best idea that anybody could have...
Liam was so uncomfortable every time that he ate, that he is described as having simply eaten just enough to keep his brain happy... "satiate"... nothing more, nothing less... so nothing for his body to use to grow in weight or length... :-/ And his pediatrician (who is no longer his pediatrician) said he didn't have reflux... and was "fine."
You can only imagine the many choice words I (and Nolan) have for him.
I started this post about 2 weeks ago and wow... things can change in just 2 weeks... we are now to 80% done with this deployment - so I updated that above and Liam's intake has dropped off gradually and then took a nose dive over the weekend, thanks to a nasty 103.1 fever... I am wondering if we are needing to up his dose of Periactin (due to weight gain) and/or begin cycling the medication, as that is common. I will be in touch with his gastro team tomorrow.
The good news is 2 steps forward and 1 step back is still progress. :-)
I always tell myself - One day at a time. and - Tomorrow will be better.
And the fact that Nolan will be home in roughly 70 days is encouraging as well!
Hoping the time between now and homecoming flies by.. Liam's birthday party is next weekend, the following week we fly to Texas to visit my family for 10 days, then back home to prepare for Nolan's return... oh and I have to do 8hrs of defensive driving in January since speeding to get a sick child to the children's hospital 2.5 hrs away is not a good excuse... whatever!
Keep in touch! I should post pictures... maybe in another 3 months? ha joking..
well maybe not - who knows!
Sunday, December 04, 2011
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
HALF WAY!
We are officially 51% done!
Overall, I think we are all hanging in there/staying positive, but are BEYOND ready for this crazy 10 month and 1 week deployment to be OVER!
It is crazy (and sad) to think that if it were a "normal" MEU, he would be home at the end of THIS month, and if it were a dirt det (like going to Iraq/Afghanistan) he would be home at the end of October... but this is God's plan for us and we trust that in His time Nolan will return home... for this deployment February 2012... We can still think that is not soon enough though; boo!
Hope everyone is well!
I will try to update soon with pictures/info from the middle of August to now...
Monday, August 15, 2011
Pictures!
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| Me and Mom August 14 |
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| Hands at 10 and 2 and keep your eyes on the road... I've got this driving thing ALL figured out! ;-) |
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| August 13 What is funny is that we have pictures of Sandi, as a puppy, chewing on a door stop too! LOL |
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| I have so much hair, mom can make it into a mohawk! |
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| Mom and I went to meet Baby Nate! August 13 He was less than 24 hrs old! |
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| Pulling up on the window seal... 8/10/11 |
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| Sitting in a high chair for the first time! :-) |
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| Last day of swim lessons! August 11th I had so much more fun at almost 8 months, than I did at 6 months old! |
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| Swim! |
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
The past 2 weeks!
We have been staying busy, busy, busy, but that is a good thing, because each busy day that we complete brings us one day closer to Nolan being home with us again!
We are still taking one day each week, where we just hang out at home... all day... That has been refreshing for both of us! :-)
On July 31, so this coming weekend, will be 4 months down!!
Sadly, if it was a "normal" 7 month deployment, we would be on the down hill to homecoming, but there are still 6 more months left... BOO! We are still hoping and praying for a miracle... that the guys come home anytime before their scheduled return date! :-)
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| July 11 Liam and I went to dinner with my friend, Amy, and on our way home... the Neon had a flat tire. USAA is awesome - they had a guy come change the tire, yet the spare wasn't exactly full of air, so the Neon had to be towed... Within the next week and a half, the Neon got a new tire, and my neighbor, Hilary, graciously took me to pick it back up! :-) |
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| Thoughts of crawling? Probably not, since he isn't in the usual yoga position while on his stomach, but it was still very neat to see him lift up his backside to reach for toys, and unfortunately face plant and end up on his stomach.... Just exploring what his arms and legs can do! :-) |
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| July 13 I found these toys on a craigslist of sorts, called Lejueneyardsales.com Roughly $36 worth of toys for $15 After a bleach/water bath, and letting them dry for a day, Liam seemed to very much enjoy them! Mostly for chewing on the drumsticks, but if I show him how to tap on the xylophone and the drum he will... which is really cool!  Jammin' on the piano! :-)
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| July 16 Playing in the front yard... feeling the grass and bouncing on Mom's knees! |
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| July 17 Liam recently realized he has HAIR! So, when he was getting full, notice the remains of green beans on him, he rubbed a bit of them in his hair! :-) |
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| July 19 Stomach sleeper now... at times... |
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| I still always lay him down on his back and if he ends up on his stomach, that works! |
Vacation Bible School
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| Inside out and upside down on Main street was the theme this year! I had said I did not want to teach, since I have Liam, but one of the teacher's had a medical issue the Thursday before VBS started, so I was asked to teach the 1st and 2nd grade class. I am glad I got to teach - it was a lot of fun! :-) |
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| My co-teacher, Maria, who is from Portugal and from the Catholic congregation of the Chapel! She was such a great help with all of the kids and adding insight to the lessons that we were learning, and most of all she was always more than willing to grab Liam (particularly during the 30 minute Bible Story lesson) when he would start to fuss or what not! |
When he got tired, I would rock him a bit in his car seat and he would be out! When he would wake up, someone would bring him to me outside (he would usually nap during our recreation time)
I feel so very blessed to have such an awesome church family, who truly loves me and Liam! And Nolan too! ;-)
I feel so very blessed to have such an awesome church family, who truly loves me and Liam! And Nolan too! ;-)
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| Our little family of 3 on the last day! Liam's hands are in his mouth A LOT these days... maybe he is cutting more teeth, so I am holding his arm down! haha As silly as it probably sounds, I was really sad that Nolan wasn't standing in the back (on the last day, when we sang the theme song for the parents) like he was last year! NEXT SUMMER! :-) (yes there is a silly tattoo on my arm, it was the theme of VBS) |
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| July 22 On the last day of VBS, when I went to take Liam out of the car, having driven from our house to the Chapel, which is at most 5 minutes, I noticed his foot! AGH! Thankfully it didn't seem to be bothering him, but it looked horrible! I called his doctor's office and since they could get us in, we went that afternoon. The doctor could not decide between a bug bit/rash and a burn!?? She said to keep an eye on it for the next 24 - 48 hrs and come back in if it got worse... I had dressed him, put him in the car seat, put the car seat in the car, drove to the Chapel and it appeared... Craziest thing ever! I am leaning more towards some sort of bug ? that was in the car? because ... |
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| 24 hours later... it was looking better... and 48 hours later, all seems fine! |
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| Just a funny picture... When I left the room, for a few minutes, Liam had toys all around him.... when I came back... they were all on his left side! |
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| Our neighborhood is being torn a part, literally, house by house.... it is really sad to have to drive by this everyday... We are still thinking we will move by the end of August... |
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| Dad sent us more goodies! Sandi and Liam are curious.. This time from Palma, Spain! |
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| Yummy packages! Silly Liam! |
I also need to take our monthly picture of Liam and his bear - hopefully today! Almost a week after his 7 month birthday... oh well! :-)
Hope everyone is having a great summer... July is almost done and we are welcoming August to come and go quickly too! ;-) Not to wish away time, but having Nolan home again is the end goal! :-)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Baby Shower = Success! :-)
We all know that Nolan and I are not ones to host much of anything... it just really isn't our gift I guess you could say, but I successfully co-hosted (although I felt like I did a whole lot more, none the less ;-) ) a baby shower for my sweet, Aggie friend, Laura, and was quite pleased that it turned out great! :-)
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| Hostesses with Momma to Be, Laura... Katie, Laura, and Me All Aggies! |
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| Drinks! *Vintage sodas from Cracker Barrel* Someone said... "Beer at a baby shower?" Yes... beer at a baby shower, we are THAT classy ;-) |
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| A few decorations/gifts... :-) |
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| Pinwheels and cupcakes! I made the cupcakes... Katie made the pinwheels.. team effort! |
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| Yummy spread! I was very flattered that ALL of the artichoke spinach dip got eaten... :-) Nolan had made it before and we had brought it to a gathering at Laura's house previously and she loved it! :-) |
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| Slinky clothesline... better in theory... as you can see this is a clothes(less) clothesline.. |
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| Liam headed for a nap! All smiles behind that pacifier! :-) |
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| It's a Boy! banner that Katie made! |
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| The other side side "Patrick" |
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| Me and Liam :-) |
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| Staged photo of me at the shower... since I was taking all of the pictures... :-) |
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| Ultrasound, cracker jacks and blocks decorations... |
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| Balloons! I learned from personal experience that latex helium balloons only last 8 - 10 hours... Thus, being proactive and buying them the night before the shower = FAIL! LOL I went back and bought more 1 hour prior to the shower! AHHH! BUT Nolan did call on the way back, so I was able to chat with him while driving, so as to not focus so much on how big of a hurry I was in to get to the shower! :-) |
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| Love this little guy! |
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| Cupcakes from SCRATCH! Inga said they would be a labor of love... they definitely were... but were delicious! :-) |
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| Filled.... |
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| Homemade icing! Not applied with a butter knife = a first for me and FUN! :-) |
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Liam does this often... too cute!
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