Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Thank God for my friends :)

Friend Kaci texts me this morning before Dax's cardiology appointment to let me know she had just said a little prayer... She prayed to God that Daxton's heart would look great... and that "the doctor doesn't piss Mollie off."

(It did, btw, and she didn't :)

I sure hope God appreciates honest prayers as much as I appreciate my friends!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Dr. Mom vs Dr. Dolittle

Over the past couple of years we've seen a doctor or two... Give or take a couple dozen.

I don't profess to know more than the doctors do about medicine, or illnesses, or physiology, or any of the many other things doctors go to school for.

(Pick your jaws off the floor. Yes, I said it. Doctors are smarter than I am. Most of them...)

I do, however, profess to know more about my son than anyone else on the face of this earth. That's my job. I do it annoyingly well.

And maybe that's why doctors' appointments are so frustrating sometimes.

Take today, for instance...

Wait, let me backtrack to the beginning of this story...

Dax has glasses, right? Extremely nearsighted. Also has a horizontal nystagmus (where the eyes dance back and forth uncontrollably) and a strabismus (lazy eye.) I know these things because I pay attention, and I listen. Again, it's my job.

So, with Dax's eyes dancing back and forth, he can hold his head a certain way and it will cause his eyes to stop dancing. When he holds his head this way he can focus on things because his eyes are still. When we first went to the eye doc he held his head to the side a little. Over the course of the past few months, this focal point has moved and he now has had to hold his head down and look upward to keep his eyes steady.

When he does this he is looking over his glasses rather than through them.

We thought at first he might just prefer looking at things normally rather than the increased acuity through his glasses, but he does it with his glasses both on and off.

So I sent the eye doc an email. I wanted to ask about maybe getting goggles rather than glasses. Also had some questions about vision therapy and maybe patching to strengthen Dax's weaker eye.

I got a call from a resident a few days later. I just missed it so it went to voicemail and I called him right back. He tells me he's just shut down his computer so he can't look at Dax's chart and that he'll call me back the next day.

He does.

He asks what is going on... I repeated the contents of the email. "You need to tighten up his glasses," he replies.

You're not getting what I'm saying, dude. Not an eyeglass problem. Eye problem.

He repeats that we need to tighten the glasses. Seriously, not the issue.

"Well, what are his eye issues?" he asks. (So why did he need the chart in front of him?) I go over his eye problems.

"What kind of strabismus does he have?" Okay, seriously, I don't know. You have his chart... And you're trying to be a real eye doctor one day, why don't you tell me?

"Well, we don't recommend vision therapy for anyone. there's no scientific research behind it." Okay, that's fine. Can you give us some exercises to help strengthen the muscular eye issues?

"I need to talk to the doctor. I will call you back tomorrow." Okay. Thanks for all your help.

Two days later I get an email telling me they've set up an eye appointment. Yay!

And it was today.

We got there early to go to the optical center to get our glasses tightened up :)

We sat in the waiting room for a while and filled out paper work about why we were there. On there I wrote something to the effect of "Due to nystagmus Dax is looking over his glasses and getting no use out of them. May need goggles?"

A very nice nurse takes us back and completes an eye exam. We tell her that Dax is holding his head down with or without glasses due to his nystagmus and not utilizing his glasses. We might need goggles? She completes an exam and confirms.

We wait for the resident.

The resident comes in. We tell her Dax is holding his head down with or without glasses due to his nystagmus and not utilizing his glasses. We might need goggles? She completes an exam and confirms.

We wait for the doctor.

The doctor comes in.

"Why are you guys here today? We just had an appointment three months ago."

Phew, boy am I glad we sent that email and talked to the resident on the phone and filled out that paperwork and talked to the nurse and to the resident about it. Way to go, efficiency! And, remember, I just asked some questions via email. You set up the appointment. But I digress...

We tell him Dax is holding his head down with or without glasses due to his nystagmus and not utilizing his glasses. We might need goggles? He completes an exam... Then tells me to turn Daxton on my knee so we can both look at his eyes at the same time. He brings out the light...

"You see how his eyes dance back and forth?" he asks? Uh, yes. "That is called a horizontal nystagmus." Oh, really? "See how he holds his head down and looks up?" Ummm, yeah, I had noticed that before. "When he does that it allows his eyes to focus better. His eyes are steadier that way." Well no kidding. "When he does that, he's actually looking above his glasses, and he's not getting any use out of them at all." Whoa, seriously? "With his vision loss, he really needs to have glasses he can use. I think you may want to consider getting him some goggles."

Boy am I glad we got all that cleared up.

When I asked him about patching or exercises to strengthen the eyes, he told me that what we needed to do was make sure he had things to look at. That's good eye exercise.

Oh, so we need to buy him toys? And books and stuff? And stimulate him? I guess keeping him locked in the closet isn't an option anymore. So glad he told me.

So I do like any good patient and tell him thanks for his time and his help, when what I really wanted to tell him was thanks for setting up an appointment to tell me what I already knew and for wasting my entire day.

Even just some acknowledgement, maybe? A "Hey Mom, you were right," or a "Good catch," or anything to show that he has some minimal hearing abilities. But, no...

*sigh*

Mothers. The most unappreciated medical personnel alive.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Exciting news!

I'm pregnant!

Ha ha, just kidding :)

The REAL exciting news is that Sir Pukes-a-lot (that would be Daxton) has decided that there are foods out there other than baby food and baby cereal that are very yummy, and that he can eat them without throwing up!!! Woo Hoo!!!

(In case you're not up to speed, Dax has a super-strong gag reflex and a tendency to turn his nose up at anything that is not an Oreo, cereal, baby food, a crayon, or a dog toy. Anything that he can feel at the back of his throat comes immediately back up. Daxton has always reserved the right to then pick it up and eat it again if he feels it is then soggy enough to eat. Gross but true.)

But then, for breakfast two days ago he ate some chocolate pudding with sprinkles!

And cream cheese frosting. With sprinkles.

And an Oreo straw.

And a graham cracker.

With peanut butter (yes, we'd already tested, and no, he's not allergic)

A club cracker.

Pringles straws.

Shredded cheese.

Easy Cheese (I know, brain food, right?)

Hmmm... What am I forgetting?

Oh yeah, chicken nuggets.

And a cupcake!

And jelly.

He did great, and he didn't gag. Not even once. (I did a few times.)

For supper last night he worked on some chicken fries and mac and cheese. No gagging. No puking.

For breakfast today? Soggy Special K with strawberry pieces and milk.

For lunch? Yogurt.

For supper tonight? The options are limitless :)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Quick little post

Hola,

So having two little ones and one big one and a full time job means very little time for writing here lately... And I have very few things to report anyway. The kiddos are great, and they both have well visits coming up on Monday. In addition, big brother has an eye doctor appt this Friday, then a cardiology appt on that Tues (I think?), and then we of course will be celebrating NNYH Day on Thursday. Or at least I will. Pending a low frequency of whining. Not counting on that, though, now that I think about it. Oh well. ;)

It's bedtime 'round these parts, but for now I just wanted to share with you a tiny pearl of wisdom...

At no time EVER is it appropriate to utter the following phrase, or any of the many variations of it, when you are talking with someone who has recently given birth:

"Mollie, did you have the baby?"
"Yes, he's two months old."
"Oh, well you still look pregnant."

Awesome.

Have a nice week!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Wow I did it :P

We're pretty sure Dax is laughing at Ty's thighs...
The most beautiful golden smile you'll ever see...

Brotherly... Tolerance.


Cheeks so sweet you could eat them!



Uh, oh, spagettios!


Fun with the pulse oximeter!

National Neuter Your Husband Day

So, we have have gone the longest time EVER in our household with NO doctor's appointments! Ty hasn't been since the hematologist, and Dax hasn't been since... er... uhh... the pulmonologist? That was over a month ago. Wow.

I wonder if they throw parties at United Health Insurance when they go that long without hearing from us? I'm not sure who'll be happier when the hubby's vasectomy is complete, us or the insurance company. Which reminds me...

October the 29th will officially become "Neuter Your Husband Day." Please join us in our celebrations!

Other than declaring a national holiday, it's been pretty boring around here. Ty is well on his way to being the next spokesperson for Jenny Craig Jr., and Dax is amazing us everyday with how smart he is... And of course I wasn't here today when it happened, but the nurse said he let go and stood on his own for a few seconds today until he realized it and plopped on his cute little butt. He's getting closer and closer...

And that's all the news for now! Will try to post some super-cute new pics tonight if I get the time and motivation... But don't count on it!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

I guess this is one way to do it!

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Sweet babies...

Little cuddlebugs...

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Brotherly love...

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The big 2-month old rolling over...

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Dax playing the piano... I think the Baby Mozart is paying off

It's impossible to get a good picture of both of them at the same time!

Trying something new...

I'm trying to get this thing hooked up so I can post from my cell phone... Which means more pics for you and less trouble for me. It might take me a bit so bear with me as I get it figured out!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Could I be any more long-winded?

Sorry for the delay, but here I am and all is well here. It's been extremely busy, believe it or not, but it's also been extremely wonderful. The boys are getting so big and they both keep surprising us.

Daxton is doing great. He's so stinking close to standing on his own... He'll let go for a few seconds but then holds on again. If you help him stand and then sneak your hands away, however, he sits down immediately. We've tried that trick so many times now that he refuses to stand up holding our fingers anymore, and if we try to force the issue we end up dragging his butt across the floor like a wormy dog. He crawls at about 20 mph on his palms and the bottoms of his feet and never, ever stops moving.

His old PT, Yum-Yum, came for a visit last week, and she seemed amazed at how well Dax is doing. She saw no inappropriate tone or patterns of movement, and thinks he is so close to standing and taking steps. He's such an awesome little boy!

Eating is going better. Main meals are still cereal and baby food fruits and veggies, but he is making progress with chunkier foods. He can now finger feed himself small cereals and cookies, and we've even sneaked in some green beans and chicken pieces. He's a big fan of Oreos, but those have to be eaten outside while naked. But isn't that how we all eat our Oreos?

And speaking of eating, he's doubled his amount of teeth in the past three weeks, and halved his amount of drooling. And, yes, all the new teeth are discolored, too. Still, his smile is so amazing that you hardly notice.

We were worried that maybe our boys didn't have enough to play with, so the hubby went to my parents' last weekend and picked up their old piano. I sat Dax in my lap and after just one bang of his hand he was in love (and we were in earplugs :) His high chair fits perfectly under the piano, so we just strap Dax in and he will just play and play and play... And maybe I'm a crazy mama, but I swear there's some music behind what he's doing... He just has a little fine-tuning to do.

On to Mr. Ty... He's growing so fast! Our littlest man can now roll over from his belly to his back, and his arms and neck are getting so strong. He's eating us (and stinking us :) out of house and home, and perfected his "pick-me-up and/or feed me" whine. He's also figured out his mommy and daddy will do some crazy things to get him to smile... And when he finally does it lights up the whole room.

His hair has settled in at a nice strawberry blond, and it looks like his eyes might be staying blue. He's also got the tiniest little cleft in his chin like his daddy, and one dimple like his mama. He's absolutely precious!

The brothers are getting along much better now. Whenever we put the two together Dax just smiles at his brother and Ty just stares at Dax with fascination. Even though they're getting on so much better, it still blows my mind that boys and girls with sisters and brothers grow up with both eyes still intact.

As for us, the hubby's been working hard, and I was too up until I left to go to Daytona Beach for a conference last week. I was able to catch up with a lot of old friends and catch up on some CEUs that I missed with all the craziness of last year. My mom and dad came up and played with the babies and cooked up a bunch of yummy food for us while I was gone. Going away was harder than I expected, but I did get to read a whole book, spend some quiet time on the beach, and learn how to artificially inseminate an elephant. So at least I accomplished a few things!

And, just in case my blog has been boring today, I thought I'd share that I'd been feeling a little strange so last Saturday I took a pregnancy test, and it was positive.

Bask in that for a minute. Feel the burn.

I called the hubby, who just happened to be five hours away on his way to bring home the aforementioned piano. After the initial shock, he threatened to drive off a bridge. I told him he couldn't, that he had to deliver the piano first. I told him he was being irresponsible since I had not yet decided if I was going to jump off the house, and he should make sure I don't before he drives off the bridge just to make sure our kids aren't orphans.

Within an hour or so we decided that maybe we would survive, and started working out the practicalities.

In the week that followed, I probably spent $50 on pregnancy tests, and, you know what? They were all negative. I took them in the morning, the afternoon, and the night, but no positives. And today it became official. Not pregnant!!!

And we all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

I love, love, love my babies. I love, love, love my husband. I love, love, love my sanity. I think we'll keep things the way they are :)

The vasectomy is scheduled for this month, btw. We're counting down the days!

I guess that's all our news for now. I'm having some downloading issues, but I promise to post some pics and videos soon. In the meantime, I have a question for you...

If I wrote a book, would you want to read it? What would you like to see me do with it? And if you're a NICU parent, would you be interested contributing some of your favorite NICU stories?

Just a thought... I have a project I really want to do, but it would be a big undertaking and if I can't win, I don't want to play :)

So... Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?