Officially a 30something

the cake

So, turning 30 wasn't that bad. I had LOTS of sweet wishes from friends and family and am still a firm believer that my birthday is my own personal holiday...even if I've crossed into the threshold of "official" adulthood. Donald ALWAYS outdoes himself with trying to surprise me and this year was no exception. I got a special delivery from Kathryn's Flowers that kicked off the birthday celebration. I LOVE getting flowers and Donald never disappoints. I joke that if I were rich, I would order a fresh arrangement every week. He also got me a fabulous birthday cake, a new tea kettle (you know you're not a kid anymore when a tea kettle is on your wish list), and a gift certificate to A Fitting Place. My poor husband has been hearing me complain about ill-fitting bras since Sebastian was born and I can't wait to have a professional fitting! That is sure to be an interesting experience and one that I know will make for an interesting blog post! I ended my holiday celebration with a family dinner at Mom and Dad's; by my request, Mother made her delicious fried chicken and chocolate cake. Cake, flowers, fried chicken and family...I can't think of a better way to turn 30.

the flowers

the tea kettle

the best gift of all

P.S.
If you're ever in need, Coco is a fantastic birthday cheerleader. She must have sung Happy Birthday to me no less than 10 times. Nearly two weeks later, she is still wishing me a Happy Birthday and giving me lots of hugs - which I count as the best gift of all.

Sweet Sebastian

As of today, we THINK we finally have all of our Sweet Sebastian's little "kinks" worked out and he will hopefully be on his way to climbing up the growth chart! We went to the doc for a weigh in today and he's gained nearly 1lb in 3 weeks! Yea!

Since coming into this world post-term and a healthy 8lb. 13 oz., he has been plagued with one little problem after the next. We are incredibly thankful none have been life threatening but we certainly haven't been able to relax and enjoy our infant. It seems as though there has constantly been something we are trying to solve and fix.

• Reflux: after trying and failing with Zantac, Prevacid gave him some relief


• Viral Infection: a fever landed him in LeBohneur to be poked & prodded way too much


• Upper GI: still having reflux issues - a 1/2 day test at LeBohneur requiring him to drink 2 bottles of barium and subsequently scream in pain until he pooped a white brick! We double his dosing of Prevacid.


• Laryngomalacia: A.K.A. Soft larynx which results in loud, squeaky breathing...particularly when he's sleeping


• Milk Allergy: A horrible rash on his face & body told us it wasn't just the reflux causing him irritation. Now, the ridiculously expensive Alimentum keeps him happy and rash free!


• Ezcema: Oops! Guess the milk wasn't the only thing causing him to break out. Now, hyrdocortizone cream and Eucerin are the only products that can touch his skin. No sweet Noodle & Boo smelling baby! :(


• Inadequate weight gain: We thought the formula fix would cure all but no such luck - the doc labeled him "failing to thrive" and now it's back to the quest of finding what is wrong.


• GI consult: After two visits, Dr. Whitworth increases his calories per serving and threatens the possibility of an even more expensive and more hypoallergenic formula.


• ENT consult: Poor baby has to get scoped & officially diagnosed with severe laryngomalacia. We learn here that this condition and his slow appetite are probably related.


• Modified Swallow Test: Finally a test that gives you results instantly! We had this test yesterday (another trip to LeBohneur) and it showed he has what is called "penetration." Meaning: his airway flap doesn't close in time when he eats letting some formula go down the wrong pipe. This is probably due to the acid reflux eating away at the sensation on his esophagus. The hope is that the problem will fix itself as he starts sitting up, eating more solid food, the larynx hardens and the esophagus regains normal feeling....probably around 18 months.


• Simply Thick: Hopefully, the last bullet point to our little guy's medical history. Simply Thick is thickening gel added to his formula to help him swallow easier. The slower flow gives his airway flap more time to close. (Of course our insurance doesn't cover it.) After just 1 1/2 days, we have already seen minor improvements in his eating. Hopefully, he will consistently break the 20 oz. per day barrier soon!

After all the trips to Memphis, stress on baby, stress on us and specialty co-pays, we are so incredibly grateful God has taken care of our baby long enough for us to catch up. Thank you to everyone who has listened to me cryptically complain and ask for prayer about what we've been going through. It's all been so vague & unclear until now - it's as if a light has flipped on and we FINALLY can see what's going on.

A trip to LeBohneur is all it takes to make you count your blessings. I saw a little boy hooked up on an I.V. walking the halls with his grandmother and having to use the slants in the hospital floor as a make-believe race track. Now that's heart breaking.

P.S.

Thank you God for doctors and for the freedom of choice in choosing one!

4 months & growing!

Sebastian went for his 4 month check up & shots yesterday. Some of my fellow bloggers & friends know we've had trouble getting him to eat so I was curious to see how much he'd grown. Thank the good Lord he's doing great- the doc says just long & skinny. He's 26 inches & 12.12 lbs. That equates to 90th percentile for height & 10th for weight...together he's 100%! Despite his slow weight gain, he continues to amaze Dr. Hubbard with his strength: already rolling over and, as you can see in the photo, already mastered the art of the BebePod. He's NEVER still & she attributes all that extra movement towards burning extra calories. We are scheduled for a couple of appointments to further investigate his laryngomalacia to make sure that isn't the underlying cause to his disinterest in eating. The detective game continues. But most importantly, our little man continues to grow and amaze us every day!

Sebastian's photo session

Sebastian is proving to be quite the chameleon. While at first glance he certainly looks more like Mommy, he favors his Daddy a little bit in his 4 month pictures. Boy is Donald going to love that!

As always, Emily did a great job and captured the simplicity and purity of my baby. If you have a few minutes, here is the link to see a few:

http://ecook.photobiz.com/cart/gallery.cfm

1 Aunt + 1 Uncle = 2 birthday celebrations!

Interesting family fact: Aunt Jaime (my sister) & Uncle Drew (Donald's brother) share the same birthday, August 24th. We had dinner Saturday night at Billings Bald Butcher to celebrate Drew's 27th and had a play day at the park today to celebrate Jaime's 32nd. I must add that Memaw had us over for spaghetti & cake tonight because Coco just didn't understand how we could have had Uncle Drew's party without candles & singing!


Here are a few pics from the birthday celebrations!

One year later...

Coco, August 2008

What a difference a year makes?!?!

I didn't realize how much my baby girl had grown up!

It's crazy how the days seem to drag but the months fly!

What a sweet reminder to cherish each & every day.

Coco, August 2009

The jury is in...

We've been wondering just who exactly Sebastian looks like. When he was born, like all newborns, it was anybody's guess. When I came across an old photo album, we realized the jury is in and the verdict is in favor of Mom.

Sebastian 4 months

Kendra (circa 1979) 3 months