It's Going Around

So I guess this house is full of a bunch of sickies. Ethan started running a fever Wednesday night (101.1 axillary) which really concerned me. His oxygen levels were in his "normal" range but low for him (79-82%). His respiration's were high (60's - 70's) and his heart rate was also high (160's). He had a cough and a yucky nose and just wasn't feeling good. So, I called his pediatrician (at 10:30 p.m.) and she said just to let the dose of Tylenol that I had just given him have a chance to work. She said that if he continued to breath this way when the fever broke or if his fever wouldn't come down, that I should take him to PCMC's ER. Luckily, he responded well to the Tylenol and I just watched the clock faithfully until it was time for his next dose.

Even though he was looking and acting better the next morning, I still took him into the doctor's office just to make sure there wasn't something more going on. I was pretty sure it was just a virus because all of the other kids have had mild coughs, sore throats, and congestion, but none of them have had a fever. So, again, I just wanted to set my mind at ease that there wasn't ear infections or pneumonia or whatever else that could be going on. Well, to say the least, it was just a virus and he seems to be doing better today. He doesn't have a fever anymore and he is just mainly snotty and clingy.

Now, when Gavin woke up from his nap today, he said "I'm not feeling very good" and sure enough he has a fever. Also, Emily came home from school today and went to sleep. I wouldn't be surprised if she too woke up with a fever. I guess we'll see. Hopefully, we can just all get feeling better soon.

So, with all of that being said, our insurance denied Ethan's last RSV shot. They said it is no longer RSV season and they wouldn't pay for his last dose. We did have the "option" (ha, ha) of paying for it out of pocket with a price tag of $2800.00. This really frustrates me because RSV season is NOT over and Ethan has been sick recently with respiratory issues. Anyway, we appealed it and our Dr. spoke with them and they still denied us. I was REALLY wanting to get that last dose which would cover him while we traveled and until the RSV season was officially called by PCMC. It's kind of crazy that the insurance company can over rule our physician and the care she feels Ethan needs. What can I say? I guess I should be grateful that he got the doses that he did.

I hope that all of you out there are doing and feeling well.

---Allison

Gavin, Gavin, Gavin

What a beautiful sight. I sometimes don't know what to do with this precocious (yet very sweet) little child.

We have been finishing our bonus room above our garage and so there have been a few small tools left here and there around the house. I honestly put them "up" when I find them. The only problem is that Gavin is a monkey and will climb (literally) to the top of any shelf. He gets into the pantry, the closets, the cupboards above the washer and dryer, and he can also get anything on the top of the fridge. He also knows how to unlock any door (from the outside). This morning before Tim could even get to work, Tim had already caught him trying to cut the cords to Spencer's PlayStation system. And just yesterday (I think), I caught him putting my keys into the power socket (which by the way, I have protective covers in, he just takes them out).

Well today, I was walking down the hallway when I heard my bedroom door slam shut. Of course, when I tried to open the door, Gavin had already locked it. When I finally got it open, I asked him what he was doing. He proceeded to pull out a screwdriver from behind his back. I took it away and didn't think much of it as I didn't see any immediate damage.

A little while later I had gone outside to get the mail. Upon returning inside the house, I was looking down at the mail and saw some screws on the floor. After further inspection, it turns out he had been taking off the light switch covers in the living room and hallway. Honestly, I am not an absentee mother. I really don't know how or when he does these things.

Well, to say the least, he was put in time out and told to take a nap (see the beautiful picture above) which I think I needed more than he did.

---Allison

Poor Baby

This weekend was my rotating work weekend. My shift went really well and I was excited to come home and get in bed. When I sat down to feed Ethan, I looked at his face and he looked like he had been beat up. I took him in the bathroom so I could see him in the light and he wouldn't open his eyes. They looked like they could be oozing but he also had a crusty nose that the drainage could have come from. Well, I knew that it was most likely an eye infection, but because of his last appointment and all of the small things that were just a little off, my mind began to race and I started to panic a little. They have always told us to watch for puffy eyes and signs of retaining fluid as this could mean he is going into congestive heart failure. Well, these were definitely puffy eyes. So, I called PCMC and talked with the cardiologist on call and they said just to see our normal pediatrician when their office opened and rule out conjunctivitis before we brought him into the ER.

I took him into the office as soon as it opened (I've had only 2 hours of sleep at this time since working my 12 hour graveyard shift). I am glad I didn't take him into PCMC because after he woke up and I could see his eyes, I was pretty sure that it was simply an eye infection. They were really red and they were definitely draining icky stuff.

After he was assessed by the doctor, she felt comfortable that it was just an infection as well. (He weighed 19lbs 10 oz on their scale). We were given a prescription for eye drops and sent on our way. I was supposed to go back into work tonight but they were nice enough to take me off of the schedule so I could get some sleep and take care of Ethan (and to also enjoy Easter).

He is so sad to look at. You can tell he just isn't feeling well. He is very fussy and just wants me (and only me) to hold him. I am so glad that I didn't have to work tonight. Tim would have really had a rough night. Let's pray these eye drops work soon!

---Allison

Study Visit

Ethan, Gavin, and myself just got back from PCMC for one of Ethan's follow up visits for the study drug (enalapril) that he is on. It was an easy appointment (no lab draws or x-rays) which is why I even attempted to take Gavin along.

They took his blood pressure which was a little high for him (114/60). It could be high simply because he's outgrown his dose. The study nurse will call us tonight after shes given the cardiologist all of his new statistics and let us know if we need to increase any of his blood pressure medications. One other thing is that his sats were only 83% on room air. We don't have to have him on oxygen unless his percentages drop below 80% but when he is at home he usually sats between 87-89%. I haven't monitored him in a while since he has been doing so good. But, when he wakes up I am going to check his oxygen levels on our monitor and see if it makes a difference or not. Also, at this appointment he weighed 19lbs 5oz and was 28.5 inches long.

*Update- His oxygen levels were 88% on our monitor at home*

I take him in tomorrow to get his last synagis (RSV) shot. I am curious to see how much he weighs on their scale. When he got his last shot (4 weeks ago) he weighed 19lbs 3oz. I am hoping that he is gaining more that a couple of ounces in a month. If he really hasn't gained much weight, it could be because he is becoming more physically active. He has been crawling around now for a couple of weeks and easily pulls himself up on anything. So it may be that he is simply burning more calories. I hope that's the case anyway. I hate to think of the alternative which is that is heart is starting to lose function. There are also times in the last couple of weeks where he will breath heavier and faster. He is not in any distress, but he just seems to be winded at times. I mentioned it to the study nurse today and she said not to worry, that it was probably due to him exerting himself more. Regardless, it is something I will definitely keep an eye on.

As part of the drug study that he is in, there will be another sedated echo when he is 14months old as well as a full developmental testing. I will be anxious to see what the results are. I am hoping that his tricuspid valve is doing OK and that his heart function is still looking good. I guess until then, we will just watch and wait. I hate waiting. When anything is even a little off, my mind starts to wander and I just want to know that everything is OK. Overall, his appointment today was fine, it just bugs me that his pressures are up and that he is not gaining much weight (and that his sats are lower than usual but I will double check this before I get too concerned). Both of these things can be explained and fixed but I just want to make sure that nothing is missed and these aren't pieces of a bigger picture. I guess the moral of this story is that you can't get great news all of the time.

I don't want to sound paranoid. He really is doing great for what he has to deal with. I just want to make sure that nothing goes unchecked. Thanks for all of you out there. We appreciate all of the love and support.

---Allison

Rock Star Material?

We were getting ready to go to my parents house yesterday. Gavin had been told to "go get dressed". Well, he comes walking into the kitchen wearing NOTHING but a mismatched pair of my socks with his sandals. I couldn't stop laughing! I HAD to take a picture. I obviously wasn't going to take any compromising photos, so I had him hold the guitar so I could take his picture. Well, he then started "jamming" to no music which made me laugh even harder.

He wanted me to keep taking pictures, so I had him put on some of his underwear. He was really getting into his guitar groove. (Remember, there is NO music playing). He is SUCH a character. You make me laugh Gavin!

By the way, potty training is going great! He has turned a corner and now only wants to wear his big boy underwear and just last night he even told me that he "didn't want to go poo poo in his underwear" and then he walked himself to the bathroom.

---Allison

Happy Birthday Gavin!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today Gavin turns 3! We had a party for both Gavin and Spencer last night. This is such a fun age for birthdays. Gavin was SO excited to open his presents. He woke up wanting to play with all of them this morning.

Gavin is a one of a kind kid (aren't they all). He is my most physically strong and athletic child. He is very smart, very sweet, very precocious, and VERY busy. When he gets into trouble he just looks at you with those big blue eyes and then flashes you one of his flirtatious little smiles. He knows how to charm you out of a punishment and becomes very offended if it doesn't work. He really looks up to Spencer and wants to do everything that his brother does. Gavin has a very special place in my heart as well as in our family.

Just like I did for Spencer, I created a short montage in honor of Gavin. You can watch this by clicking on the "play" button. The song in the montage was Gavin's "song" when he was just a baby.

Happy Birthday Gavin. We Love You!!

---Allison

A Big Day

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today is Spencer's 11th birthday. It is also my 12th wedding anniversary. I don't know how it happened (well, I know HOW it happened, but that is not what I am talking about) that Tim and I were married at 1:00pm and 1 year later we gave birth to Spencer at 1:01pm (1 year and 1 minute after we were married, crazy!). But it did happen and now this means that today is a very special day.

So because today is a special day, I just wanted to let you all know how lucky I am to be married to such an incredible man. He is handsome, intelligent, sweet, patient, loving, and supportive (I could go on and on but you probably would get jealous, he-he). Now, I don't have my head in the clouds, I am also fully aware of his not so nice qualities (Love ya stinky!). But the truth is, we compliment each other very well. He knows the REAL me and loves me in spite of my many, many shortcomings. He is an AMAZING man and I am extremely lucky to call him my husband. I love you sweetie!

Also, I am very lucky to have Spencer. He is a grounding force in this family and has always had such a good heart and soul. I made a montage as a tribute to him for his birthday. I don't have a scanner and digital cameras weren't around when he was little. So, there aren't too many small pictures of him. It's really too bad because he was such a CUTE kid. Anyway, if you are interested, you can click on the link and watch his montage.

---Allison

Is Change Good?

OK, so I tried to get a cute template but I can't figure out how to do it without erasing everything from my sidebar (pictures, maps, etc.). In the process of doing this, I messed up the one I had been using. So anyway, by the end of my quest for a cute blog, this is what I ended up with. It is very basic and I am not sure if I like it. So, what I need from all of you is either your opinion or your expertise (or both if you have them). Your expertise would come in handy if you know how to get a new template without having to start all over with the widgets on the sidebar. Your opinion is needed because, frankly, when you visit our page, you have to look at it too. So my options are going back to the original "dots", leaving it how it is now, or finding someone smarter than me. Anyway, please help!

---Allison

Look Who's Big!

Gavin has finally decided that potty training is not the end of the world. A few days ago, Tim had bought him some Twinkies for when he would go potty in the toilet. It did the trick. We don't want him to have more than 1 a day, so I also bought some small treats to motivate him throughout the day. So far, he has done pretty well. Yeah Gavin!!!

Gavin LOVES baths and will do almost anything to have one. On this particular day, it meant having a cold one. He got undressed, found a few toys, and then ran the water himself. He did have the concept of both hot and cold being turned on, however, the hot was not on enough. But by the looks of it, he didn't seem to mind. My little guy is getting too big. I can't believe he turns 3 in just 1 week.

---Allison