"Addie is AMAZING"

These are the words the endocrinologist said to me at Addie's follow up appointment yesterday! It was wonderful. Luckily we didn't have to wait long, and the appointment went pretty quickly.

Addie is now 21.4 lbs and 31.25"!!!!! Yahoo! She is in the 10th percentile for weight, and the 25th for height.

I just realized I never updated from her 18 month appointment!!!! Oops.... (she was 22 lbs 2 oz and 32" tall, I think these are off, obviously, or she shrunk!)

Anyways, here is her growth chart and why, she is, in fact, amazing!


The endocrinologist thinks she DEFINATELY does not have growth horemone deficiency! She thinks it definately had something to do with her kidney reflux and that she was spitting up so much. So, good news all around!

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Here is our little taco, how cute does she look?



Actually, I just wanted to show off these super cute bath towels I got... they are actually supposed to be Christmas presents for her, but I couldn't wait! I only bought them so I could figure out how to make them. I am going to make some new ones... anyone have a good rec. on super soft towels?


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Addie loves wearing my slippers....





She doesn't like it when they aren't pointing straight though....

She is so funny!!!

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She is also finally starting to talk more. She is a stubborn little thing! Last week she finally said "mama" TO me! She said it before, but only in a babbling way. She is also saying Grandma (meemaw), we think she says Doggy, she says Ella, and supposedly she said "baby" today... and the old standbys of "boo" and "uh oh" Last week she said "no" it was SO cute... no repeat on that one though!

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In sock animal news, we have a contest going on right now, so check it out!!!!! There is a link to the left under the picture of Joel and me :)

Ding Dong the Crab is GONE!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Ding Dong! The Crab is gone. Which old Crab? That Addie Crab! Ding Dong! The Crabby Crab is gone.Wake up - sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed. Wake up, the Crabby Crab is dead. She's gone where the crabbies go, Below - below - below. Yo-ho, let's open up and sing and ring the bells out. Ding Dong' the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low. Let them know The Crabby Crab is Goooooooone!!!!"

Sorry, did I just break out into song? It really wasn't my fault, it just happened! After a MONTH of one super crabby baby, Happy Addie is BACK!



It wasn't all for nothing, she did get five teeth! She got her 4 molars and one, what is it called? The one that is next to her bottom middle teeth. You know what I mean. So she still needs to get 5 more teeth... hopefully they come in easier!

Addie has found new fun in bathtime, having the faucet on! She loves it... she tries to crab the water... did I just write "crab" the water? I did. I am so used to a CRAB!















Addie has a super dry scalp, I don't know if it is cradle cap or what, but I have been trying to massage her scalp good with a brush in the tub, she likes to "help"

Sometimes she gets confused




There we go!




Looking for more toys!!!!!





She is no longer crabby, but little Naughtypants is still in full force! She loves standing when she shouldn't be.... in the tub:




For some reason when she does this she pats her belly, we don't know why.




Speaking of patting her belly. When she wants food she now reaches for it, and pats her belly, she knows where it goes! She is so brilliant.

Addie loves this bead necklace. I got it at a bachelorette party and she hasn't let it out of her sight since!




Here she is trying to play tug with Elsie







She has a drum set and she likes to take the top off the drum and smash her face into it... again, we don't know why, but she thinks she is hilarious!




She just walks around like this...




Another example of naughty standing, in her cozy coupe.




This is our neighbor in the cozy coupe. Addie trying to get in with her... on the wrong side with no door.




Aother example of standing naughtiness... you can't see, but this is the back of the cozy coupe! She is liable to fall on her head!!!!!!!!




And yet ANOTHER example of standing naughtiness... the couch, or loveseat in this picture.




She has tried to jump up and down on the furniture too.




She is so proud of herself.





These are her naugty faces, well not to the full effect, I haven't been quick enough to capture that. But these are close. When she gets yelled at, this is the face we get in return:




Then after she continues and we tell her "no" again, we get this:



Such a stinker!

I almost forgot to add! Addie is finally saying more words! This weekend she started to say "woof" for dogs! She also says "uh oh" and her favorite word is "oiy" We don't know what it means but she says it ALL the time. Mostly when she wants something, she will reach and say "oiy oiy" but what could it be? Sometimes she says it when she is giving you something too, so we are stumped on that one.

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Addie had a renal ultasound on Friday. This was to make sure she didn't have any kidney damage from bladder infections or her kidney reflux. They didn't tell us anything there, so we have to wait. Hopefully not too long, I don't know if they will call us with the results or if we have to wait to see the urologist in 2 weeks. So, pray that there is no damage!

She did very well for the ultrasound, she had to lay on her back for the first half, and did great! For the second half she had to lay on her tummy, she liked that less, and was a little squirmy, but she still did good! And she got a little ducky toy! She was so excited for it!

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In adult news, we painted our hallway this weekend! We painted the trim white and the walls an off whitey kind of color. It took THREE coats! I don't believe there is such thing as "one coat paint" I am so annoyed by it! We still have to do some touching up, but it is done! Now the only room that we have left to paint is "the office" which will be Addie's big girl room. We may or may not paint our living room in the future... maybe if/when we sell our house!

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On another note... I am thinking of making my blog public. I can't decide. I feel bad that it is more difficult for some to read and remember to check. But I also don't want any crazies reading it either, so I am having a tough side deciding. Anyone have any suggestions or insight? I know the blog isn't that interesting, but you never know what crazy could read it!!!


Well, better run! I hope everyone has/had a fab holiday weekend!

Doink! ...and an update

Addie had her first doink this weekend... I forgot to take a picture of it! But, this is the aftermath. I was going to put another one in today to take a picture of (because it looked so darn cute) but the rubberband broke! Luckily we got her hair wet and it finally went down!



Addie has finally started RIDING her toys! Before she would sit on them, but wouldn't really go anywhere.... well, she still doesn't go far, but she tries!



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Addie had her 15 month well baby appointment today!

She did fab! She got to stand on the adult scale like a big girl and she weighed a whopping 20 lbs 1oz!!! She did have a dirty diaper, so probably a little less, but we won't count that against her! She is now ON the chart on the 10th percentile! She is also 30" tall, which is the 25th percentile. The doctor was astounded with her growth!

For fun, here is her chart:

I don't care what the urologist said, she started gaining when she went on the antibiotics, so I think that had to have been what the problem was, or at least part of it!

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I am now 10 weeks pregnant. This is what Harvey probably looks like:

I had my first ob appointment today. We did not get to hear the heartbeat (possibly because my uterus is tipped), which isn't too alarming because we didn't at this time with Addie either. But I am measuring 2-3 weeks behind, which is a concern, to me at least. It is impossible that I am wrong about how far along I am. So tomorrow I have to go get an ultrasound for dates, so I will update tomorrow with the results from that. Other than that the doctor said everything looked good. He said he isn't worried about anything being wrong, it could just be the tipped uterus, but I don't know if he would tell me if he was worried. So, we will see. Prayers would definately be appreciated though because I am really worried about it.

No more April babies....

Today I got my first Mothers' Day present! I didn't get anything last year... so I thought I should get something good this year, right? Well, actually we were going to get it last year, but it just kept going on the back burner. Oh well! I got a "mom ring"! I am so excited about it!

Here it is... I couldn't take a picture of it actually on my finger because, let's face it, I may have the ugliest fingers ever! So, I zoomed really close!

I originally wanted a ring like my wedding band, only smaller... but since I have an April baby that was way too much $$$$ so I went with this, and I love it, small, simple, and pretty. Unfortunately the band was too thin to have anything engraved, so that is a bummer, but I am okay with it. When we have more kids I am going to get the same thing and stack the rings.

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On another note, we got the results of Addie's chromosome test today, and are happy to know she does not have Turner's Syndrome. Happy to know, even though I already knew :)

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And on yet another note, we are selling our car... I still think of it as my car, and am very sad about it, but the time has come. If anyone knows anyone looking for a great car, let me know! I am just about to go out and give it a good cleaning so I can list it tomorrow!

Updates Galore!

I really only have medical updates, but I don't want to be too boring, so I took come pictures to post....

We got this toy off Craigslist over the weekend, I have been looking for it for months! And I am SO happy I found it, and Addie LOVES it! She has played with it every day!!!!




These few are from tonight...

Look, a shoe!

Elsie and Addie love looking out the window together:

That's all I have for tonight!


On to the updates!

We had Addie's Voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) today. It went pretty well, as expected, she hated it. Luckily it didn't take too long to complete. She did reflux, on both sides. Which means that has Vesicoureteral Reflux. I called the urologist today to see what that meant for her. They are going to put her on Amoxicillin, she will have to take one dose a day before bedtime. (She is already on that from her fever from last week, so we will have to finish up this treatment before moving on to this) He also wants to see her in 4 months for an office visit, and before that, she will have to have a renal ultrasound to check her kidneys.

To pat myself on the back a second :) I am crediting my breastfeeding as the reason this is only coming up now. She got her first bladder infection at the time where I started to cut sessions out. That and the doctor was shocked she got an infection in the first place while being nursed.

Honestly, I don't like that she is going to have to be on antibiotics so much, but it seems that there is no other option really. Here is some interesting reading on antibiotics, and why I am worried.

Updates

The dietician called today, and pretty much said Addie should have 50-100 more calories a day (which I think she does get by now) and she should have some more veggies and meat. We already knew that though, I offer her veggies and meat all the time and she throws it. So I will just keep trying. She has gained over a pound since then, so I think things are going well.

Addie has been warm for a couple days, figured it was teeth, she was acting okay, I didn't even take her temp. Didn't eat much lunch at all. No biggie... just one of those days I guess. Then she was acting kinda "down" at 1ish, just acting tired, not laughing, or playing, just wants to cuddle. I didn't think she felt good, so I gave her some Tylenol. I took her temp at 2... 103.

I went to the doc at 3, they took her temp and the armpit temp was almost 105. The nurse started to freak out and fill the sink with cold water. So we put a cold rag on her to try to cool her down, and gave her some Motrin. They took a rectal temp and it was 103. The doctor came in, checked her (ears were fine, throat, and chest were fine.) Then she told us she was sending us the the ER her fever was too high and we needed to get to the bottom of it. (This was not MY doctor, I hadn't seen this doctor since I was pregnant, and she is the same one who sent me to the hospital initially, kinda weird coincidence)

I called my sister who called my grandma at the hospital to meet me, and she stayed with us most of the time.

Anyways. We got to the hospital, and they took her temp, and it was around 102. So they said that they were going to do a catheter, blood test, and xray. Addie hated the catheter! But they got that, and no UTI. Good news. Then we went to the xray. The xray didn't show anything so that was good.

Then we had to get the blood drawn, and they put an iv port in. Addie hated that also The only thing the blood showed was that she had a high white blood cell count. So she has an infection, we just don't know what, probably in the blood. So, they gave her some fluids and an antibiotic through the iv.

At 7:30 my grandma had to go home, so I called Joel to come, I was hungry, and I didn't want to sit there alone. Not 2 minutes after he got there they came in and said we could go home! Figures... So, now we have a prescription for an antibiotic again... I have to call tomorrow and see if she still has to get her VCUG, I guess sometimes they won't do it if the child is sick. So, we will see.

Urologist and Bloodwork Update

Today we went for Addie to get an ultrasound of her kidneys, and then to the urologist. It was a very busy day for her, she was in her carseat most of it.

The urologist seemed very nice, and knowledgable. He looked at the CD of Addie's ultrasound, and said that her kidneys were fine. Great news. He said he was shocked that she had gotten any bladder infections since I had been nursing, he said that is extremely rare, so we don't know why she got them. So, he ordered a VCUG to see if she has Vesicoureteral reflux. A VCUG is like an x-ray of her abdomen, where they put a catheter in, and inject dye to see what happens. I don't think Addie is going to like it. But it is the only way to find out if she has this.

If she does or doesn't, the urologist said that he did not think it had anything to do with her weight, or not growing.

On the way home from the appointment I got a call that Addie's bloodwork from the endocrinologist had come back, all except for the chromosome test, which takes weeks. Anyways, everything was normal except the Insulin-like Growth Factor which could mean two things. Either Addie isn't producing enough growth hormone, or she isn't getting enough calories to help her grow. So, as of right now, we have to just finish the 3 day calorie count, send it in, and procede from there. We only have one day done, I am not counting yesterday or today because we had doctor visits, and had to fast, so she hasn't been feeling well.

1 Year Well Baby Check Up

13 lbs 12 oz

27.5" (so she grew a half inch in 2 days?) anyways, somewhere between the 5-10 percentile

Confirmed that she is developmentally where she should be. VERY good news.

She has to get an ultrasound of her kidneys today because of her bladder infections. I also was able to get into the urologist at DeVos Children's Hospital today! So that is exciting.

Will update more tonight.

Endocrinologist Update

Today we were able to go to the DeVos Children's Hospital Endocrinology to see what is up with Addie not gaining weight. The appointment was originally set for the middle of May, but I got on the cancellation list and yesterday they called! So we went today.

Today Addie was just about 27" long, and 13 lbs, 12ish oz. (they did it metric, so that is what I think it was!) She is the size of a 5 month old, she is small as a whole, not just in weight, although, she is skinnier than she is tall, by a little.

The doctor checked out Addie, and was pretty nice. She said she was small, but seemed to be developmentally where she should be. So, that is good. We don't really know a lot more right now. Addie had to have a lot of blood taken, for a bunch of tests, most of the results should be back next week. In the mean time, we have to write what she eats for 3 days so they can count the calories. I am going to use up the rest of the forumla I have, and then move to solids full time.

Addie's blood is being tested for a lot of different things. Some things the doctor mentioned were Turner Syndrome which, after reading a little about it, I am quite sure Addie doesn't have. That test will take a little longer to get back because it is a chromosome test. They will also be checking her thyroid, and a bunch of other things were marked on the sheet as well, but I don't know what they all mean!

The doctor also mentioned she could have is Small for Gestational Age (SGA) which pretty much means that she was small from the start, so she can't really catch up. This is usually treated with Growth hormones, which are usually not done until a child is 2, so we won't know much more about that until then.

We don't have to go back until September 17. I am assuming that is if the blood work shows nothing? I don't really know. But as of right now, that is when we go back.

So, that is about all we know right now. I am going to call the Urologist tomorrow and get on that waiting list, just to get it out of the way. And Addie has her big 1 year appointment, on Thursday, so I am excited about that!

Waterfront Property

Yes, we now have waterfront property. It rained so much today, this is our "backyard"

It is hard to tell, but the water is probably about 4' from our house, in the lower right hand corner of this picture you can see our air conditioner, which is right behind our house.

And since everyone complains when there is no Addie in the blogs, here she is today, quite crabby... she is getting over (fingers crossed) a cold.


Addie's latest joy is opening cabinets....
and getting into the garbage! I think she is around Elsie too much...

Also, today I talked to her doctor and she is being reffered to DeVos Children's Hospital Urology. I am a little surprised because I don't think she has had THAT many bladder infections, but only 2 right in a row. I am no doctor though. Her appointment is set for May 14.

Don't you know! Saturday is Cry-Day!

Sorry it has been so long! I have been so busy with work and Addie, I haven't had time to update here! And I wanted to wait for Addie's 9 month doctor appointment so I would have something to write about. It didn't go as well as I had hoped :( Addie did grow 2" over the past 3 months, but she lost an ounce, which is no good! I have come to the conclusion that it is a supply issue on my part, so I am really working to get that taken care of. I also bought a baby scale so I can better monitor the situation, and actually see how much she is eating. The doctor said to stop feeding her all solids, but I have cheated a little in that. For lunch after I feed her I give her some avacado, I figure it is high in fat, so it is okay. The good news is that Addie seems to be doing well with hitting all of her milestones on time and is crawling up a storm! She is so proud of herself lately because she follows us now! She used to just crawl only a few feet, but now she will follow us around to the kitchen, or bathroom, or bedroom, it is so fun. She also says "mama" well, usually it is "mamamamama" but I take what I can get! She talks ALL the time!

Another thing Addie has learned is to stand up in her crib! Since her crib is by the door though, she always crawls to the door....

Is it really cute though! Today when she woke up from her nap, I was in our room and she could see me.... I tried to ignore her hoping she would go back to sleep, but that didn't work!

On to the title of this posting! We have begun calling Saturday "Cry-Day" because that is what Addie typically does most of the day on Saturday! I don't know why, but she is just not happy. This is probably only pronounced by the fact that Joel works a lot of Friday nights and needs to sleep in on Saturday, and gets NO sleep! But this morning was no different, I had one little crab on my hands! I tried to keep her entertained with tub toys...


But it didn't work for very long!

I am being a little mean though, she really wasn't THAT bad today, in fact, she spent most of the day crawling after the dogs trying to get their bones!

You should be happy Elsie is still alive! This week she ate one of Addie's pacifiers! We didn't know for sure she ate it until she threw it up :( Gross! I thought she hid it somewhere, she has a track record for that!

Anyways, I am considering starting a Saturday tradition of going to the mall to walk or something, something to get us out of the house so Joel can sleep. I would like to do the mall, but that could get $$$

And tonight she even tried to help me with the laundry...

If eating socks counts as helping!

AND her she is with her sock monkey Lulu!


Lulu likes to hang out!
Speaking of sock monkeys.... ever since I started making them a few weeks/months back, it has been so much fun! I could make them ALL day! I go out and bring home scads of socks to make into things! And I decided that Addie cannot possibly keep all of these sock animals! So one of my friends and I have started an Etsy store, and we will be selling them. Some of you have asked me about it, so I thought I should write it here. I am also planning on starting a blog about it also, just so I can post the socks I have before making them into anything, in case anyone wants to special order an animal. This is all still very much in the works though. I am planning on posting these guys tomorrow!


In other news of the family, Joel got another new job! In about 2 weeks he will start at Walker Police Department. He is very excited about the move, and we hope it will offer great opportunities! It is also a little closer to home and less working days, so that will be nice. But their shift are 6-6 so we probably won't be able to have dinner as a family or put Addie to bed together every night. Oh well, hopefully it won't be that bad!

Well, I have to get to eating some oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and watch Law and Order! I hope everyone had a good week! I am looking forward to the coming week, it just can't be as stressful as this past one has been!