5 MONTHS OLD!

Well, DHR is 5 months old today! WOW! He is a Happy Boy! (Thank Goodness!)

This week we took him to an allergist. He coughing got so terrible we were not able to sleep. He would wake up screaming with each fit. They would last for a 3 or more hours. He would relax fall back to sleep to be coughing 15-20 minutes later. Our pediatrician is saying it could be "reflux" however, he constantly sounds congested, coughs so hard he gags and his eyes water, he still vomits A LOT and has developed a patch of eczema on his arm. The pediatrican's solution is to put cortizone on his eczema for 2 weeks when it is "bad." Only thing is , it gets better but day 1 with no cortizone he comes right back to nasty. It doesn't ever really go away.

Well, from what I have read is that constant cold like symptoms and eczema could actually be an allergy. Worth a shot right?!

We headed to a Pediatric Allergist. They did some tests. He became irritated with a number of allergens but nothing actually being a histamine reaction. She gave us a plan to follow and to come back in 4 months. We now are switching to him to Hypoallergenic formula. The only problem is it tastes TERRIBLE and we have to ween him on it. (to get used to the nasty taste...nice right?!) She actually addressed the coughing issue relating it to his RSV and said that babies who get RSV can get asthma-like symptoms (ie:coughing...) She hopes the formula and a daily dose of zyrtec can get things under grasp. If the coughing continues then he may need to be treated as if he had asthma. We have started solids and he would vomit for the first 4 days of a food. She said this could be result of his gastrointestinal tract being irritated from the formula and to keep trying foods since he did not react to those tested. Now after 4 days of a food he stops vomitting, I was tired of cleaning up baby vomit and just stuck to cereal and these decreased the amount of vomit yet it still comes. She reccommended to avoid gluten for now too. This makes rice cereal our only option as oatmeal does not have gluten in it but is frequently cross-contaminated with wheat.

It was nice to actually go see someone express our concerns and be told to "suck it up" because it is "normal." When indeed we are pretty sure it is not the norm. The allergist did say there is an entire spectrum of how people react some have horrible and some not so bad. She related Daniel as more of in the middle. Our main concern was, if we vomitted that much everyday it would be pretty miserable for us so why make him go through that daily?! On really bad days he cries when he vomits and it breaks your heart. Overall, though he is happy and healthy. He is gaining weight, still not eating as much as a baby his size "should" which results in not very many wet diapers or dirty ones either. He definitely is on the total end of the diaper spectrum than his Big Brother's who would pee constantly and I remember one week...(yes I was counting) in three days I changed 14 poop diapers between the two of them.

We are curious to see if these changes help him at all.

Overall, Baby D is doing great and we can't believe he is five months already!! He is getting better at tummy time and decided today to finally start rolling from back to tummy. He had the other way down pat but right now he is acting as if he can't do it. I guess one thing at time... :-)

Resourceful

The work party last night had a raffle. We won a portable DVD player. Aidan did not want Logan near it and was blocking the screen with his big head...Logan found a way around it.

Mom and Dad have a night out.

Tonight we got to go out. Andrew's company has been in business for 10 years now. (He has worked there 10 years in August.) It was a nice dinner and "Vegas" night at a local Country Club. It was quite a different atmosphere than most of their functions. We had a nice time. Logan was sick on Thursday so we were a little worried about him. Luckily, that yucky sick is better and he is now just run down and feverish. It was a much needed "break" for us.

Sing-a-longs and Mother's Day Tea

Today was the Spring Sing-a-Longs at Aidan's school. Parents are invtied to sit in on the kid's music class. After sing-a-longs the Mom's were invited to snack for a "Mother's Day Tea." Well, as with the Fall Sing-a-Long Aidan was NOT a fan of the extra people there. He did however walk into class with his "girlfriend" Mae. Apparently, they have taken a liking to each other and whenever they are walking in a line some where they are hand in hand. Aidan really wanted to have fun but was very unsure of the Parents being there. Mae did convince him a few times to go and have fun. He would almost forget about the Parents and start to have fun then flip and sit on the sidelines.

Here's a shot of the entire class! As you can see Aidan was not liking it still....

Field Trip!

Aidan had a field trip today! We went to a farm that is a stones throw away and picked strawberries! Andrew was able to get an hour off from work to come for part of it. Since Andrew was able to come we took Logan too! DHR got some one on one time with Grandpop instead of joining us. We all met out at the farm and the kids were given a container for their berries. We then went on a hayride. Aidan was very apprehensive but we sort of "forced" him to go. (He went on one when we got our pumpkins and did fine.) We just reminded him of that and told him...it was what we were doing. He put up a minor fight but eventually plastered himself on my lap. After we got started a bit and he realized that no lives were at stake he sat down next to one of his buddies. They were being Silly and playing with the hay, stomping their feet and making a ruckus. After what seemed like FOR-E-VER we stopped by the cow 'barn' and looked at the cows. Then we were dropped off by some picnic tables for snack and running ragged. After the hayride Andrew had to go back to work so it was a bit tough. Logan would be in the middle of all the kids and then I would realize I did not see him and find him somewhere far (in my mind far) from the group wandering around doing his thing. The Boys had a blast and we enjoyed the berries with some whipped cream after dinner.

Here is a collage of a few of the photos we took.

Here is a little video of the kiddos on the hayride calling the cows...(this was before we saw them in the 'barn.')

Glad to be at the field trip.

I was really glad we were able to be with Aidan on his field trip. Things were looking that I may not be able to make it depending on what they Dr's. told me.

The past 6 days have been a bit of a stressor for us.

I have not been feeling well and was fearing more stones passing. Things haven't seemed quite right for at least a month. I could quite put my finger on it. I called my OB/GYN last Thursday to ask about it. The nurse called back and requested I come in. First thing Friday I headed in. After a quick exam they wanted to do an US. The US showed something funny, so my nurse practitioner said, "I don't know what this is but I am not very good at these things let me get an OB." After a few minutes of waiting he came in...it appeared I had a 6 cm complex cyst overtaking my right ovary. They wanted to run a CA-125 blood test and wanted me to come back the following week for a ultrasonographer to look at it. They told me to be careful with a cyst that large it could twist my ovary and cut off the blood supply. This would cause kidney stone like pain and would me a need for emergency surgery. I had to call Andrew and tell him, then I talked to my Mom. We had to wait until Wednesday. Well, Wednesday showed a 6 cm cyst. This is the pain I have been feeling. Funny thing is , I had an ultrasound in Feb and March and this guy wasn't there. I have to be careful not to agitate it and they will recheck it in July and proceed from there. They said it appears to be a "hemorrhagic cyst" and if you look into it is called a "fucntional cyst" not a complex. Either way it is not terrible news and not great news and just means I will be uncomfortable for at least 2 more months. They can come on quickly but take a while to go away. Nice right?! Surgery may still be in the future but they want to try and wait it out.

Me?! It is a bit creepy knowing I have a large growth sitting in my lower abdomen. I feel like it is a ticking time bomb...but most cases of these things they usually just go away on their own. Lots of prayers this thing goes away and never comes back!

The Boys!!