See you next year!

As you all know, Lincoln and I are catching a flight to Oregon tomorrow morning bright and early. Andy will be joining us on the 23rd, and we will all be coming home together on Jan. 4th. This will be the last post of 2009. All in all it was a good year, full of ups and downs, but that is life, right? :) I hope that 2010 turns out to be even better than 2009!

Until we see you again, here is our little elf, Lincoln, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!!

Weekly Weigh-In

Okay, it is Monday again. This means that it has been another week on our calorie intensive eating adventures with Lincoln.

Remember, our daily caloric intake goal is 1340 calories, based on Lincoln's weight of 28lbs. I have found that despite all of the additional calories you can "hide" in normal foods, it is still very hard to get a toddler to eat everything you hope that they would in a day...especially if they have decided that they don't want to... But we have had some successful days this second week.

Daily Calorie Totals:
Dec. 8th: 1209 cal
Dec. 9th: 1160 cal
Dec. 10th: 1441 cal
Dec. 11th: 1135 cal
Dec. 12th: 1143 cal
Dec. 13th: 951 cal
Dec. 14th: 1431 cal

Average: 1210 cal/day (compared to 1131 cal/day last week)

Lincoln's Weight: 28lbs 5oz (+6.5 oz over last week)

For giggles...My Weight: +18.5lbs (over pre-pregnancy weight)

June's Estimated Weight (based on her gestational age): 1.5lbs (she measured 1lb at the 22wk appt, so this should be pretty accurate).

So. All in all, things are looking good! We will attempt to keep up this weight gain (fingers crossed) over our holiday vacation. Because we are leaving town (this Thursday!) this will be the last "Weekly Weigh-In" post until after the New Year. I will still attempt to keep track of his calories, but will be unable to get a weight on him, until we return home from our vacation and have access to our digital baby scale again.

Now for a picture of our Christmas cutie-pie.

Well. He certainly doesn't look "skinny" in this picture, does he? ;)

Could it be...?

I was speaking to some other mother's today, and they have both had children who have had issues with reflux. One of them mentioned seeing some pictures/videos of children who sleep with their backs and necks arched back. These children suffer from silent reflux.

Hmm. Andy and I have both noticed that Linc has often slept in that contorted position. We always just thought that it was a funny little quirk, but these other moms got me wondering if maybe it was a symptom of something more...

So, I looked up "silent reflux" online for some other signs and symptoms. He had enough of them to basically confirm that this could be something that he has been suffering from for a long long time. Previously we had been blaming his seizures and seizure meds for everything, but if you look at his symptoms excluding those as the cause, then it looks to be entirely possible that reflux is the root of this particular set of problems... So, I called the pedi, he agreed with me, and we were given a month's worth of Prevacid to try.

Here are the signs/symptoms that he has...
Sleeps with back/neck arched: Funny little quirk? Or reflux?
Only takes cat naps (45min or less): Seizures interrupt sleep? Or reflux?
Eats small meals/snacks: Seizure meds decrease appetite? Or reflux?
Sleeps better in arms on pillows: More soothing after seizures interrupt sleep? Or reflux?
Restless sleep during night: Seizures? Or reflux?
Frequent waking during night: Seizures interrupt sleep? Or reflux?
Often wakes crying/screaming: Seizures scare/upset him? Or reflux?
Doesn't self soothe back to sleep: Seizures scare/upset him? Or reflux?
Gets frequent hiccups: Funny little quirk? Or reflux?
Gags easily when sneezes/burps/chokes on food: Just a baby/teething thing? Or reflux?
Recent frequent vomiting w/ increased feeds: Teething/Illness? Or reflux?

Here is the neck arched position from when he was 6 weeks old. He didn't do it often back then, but has done it a lot since he was about 9 months old. It has improved somewhat in recent months, possibly because he has been sleeping with his head slightly elevated on a pillow.



I guess we will find out within the month if this "Silent reflux" and Prevacid pan out to be anything. Honestly, I really hope that this is the answer, because we are really struggling with feeding him more calories. It is quite the battle each and everyday, all day long. And wouldn't it be wonderful if a little antiacid is the answer to so many of our feeding/appetite/weight issues, not to mention all of the sleep struggles, that we have been facing for so long?

The presents are on their way!

Heads up parents! The presents have been shipped to Salem! I love wrapping presents and looking at them all stacked together with their shiny bows (which Lincoln liked removing). I can't wait to see them under the tree in Oregon! It is funny, but Lincoln & I should be arriving in Salem about the same time that the presents do. Yay for X-mas!!

Viability Day!

Today I am 24 weeks pregnant, and if something were to happen (god forbid), and I were to go into labor and deliver June early...she is at the point in development where the doctors would try to save her life. If she were delivered before this point, they would not have attempted it.

Now, of course a baby delivered at 24 weeks (barely half-way through a normal 40 week pregnancy) would have a terrible struggle to survive, and would be even less likely to lead a normal, complication free life. So, we would very much like to keep her settled in there until at least February, but it would be even better if she stayed put until she was full-term (37 weeks) in early/mid-March.

Anyway, today is a pregnancy milestone to celebrate! Yay, baby June! We are looking forward to meeting you this Spring!

Here is my belly picture at 24 weeks (stretch marks and all)!

Weekly Weigh-In

I am starting something new here called the weekly weigh-in. This is the day that I will weigh Lincoln and report our calorie totals for the previous week.

Now, I know that weights can and will fluctuate on a daily, and sometimes hourly basis...but the overall trend should show increasing weights and calories over the long run...if we are doing everything right.

Calorie goal: 1340 cal/day

Calories for the past week:
Dec 1st, 726 cal
Dec 2nd, 1120 cal
Dec 3rd, 1051 cal
Dec 4th, 1179 cal
Dec 5th, 1319 cal
Dec 6th, 1240 cal
Dec 7th, 1283 cal

Today's weight: 27lbs 14.5oz

Here is a X-mas picture of our increasingly skinny little guy. What a cutie pie!



Our batteries on our adult scale ran out, but if/when I get them replaced, I will join in the weekly weigh-in. It will be interesting how things shape up once baby June is born (she will also be taking part in the weigh-in). Maybe going public will be some motivation to lose those baby pounds...? Gosh, I hope so! ;)

Our first week in December

Well, as you guys saw on a post last week, Lincoln was running a high fever between 102-104 F for about 3 days. He also had a lack of appetite, crankiness, sleepiness, and on Saturday a pretty weird rash appeared quickly throughout the day all over his torso, neck, and face. After some internet research, and asking some other mom's, it turns out that he had HHV-6, also known as Roseola, the human herpes virus - 6.

Sounds scary right? Well, I guess it is one of the most common viral infections in young children. 95% of adults have immunity, and almost all of the illness is gotten before the age of 4 years, with it being most common between the ages of 7mo-13mo. Once you get sick once you are immune. Well, Lincoln is 16 months, but well under 4 years of age, and all of the symptoms fit perfectly, so that is what he had.

As it is a human herpes virus, there is unfortunately some risk of injury to baby June if I am not already immune, but it is very likely that I am immune already. And if I am not, there is really nothing anyone can do, except hope for the best.

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I have finished my Christmas shopping, and we have a very nice stack of presents going under our tree. I am going to have to ship these off to Oregon pretty soon (tomorrow probably), so we won't get to enjoy looking at them until we see them again in Salem under my family's tree! Andy has not finished his shopping, and I think he is going to do most of it in Salem on Christmas Eve. Oh boy! Lincoln is not getting any presents on Christmas from us. He was already given his presents from us here. He seems to LOVE them, especially the musical table! He plays with it all of the time! He still doesn't really get Christmas, so we figured it would be best to just do it early here, so we wouldn't have to ship that large box up and then back down here.

Lincoln and I leave here on the 17th, and I am already starting to get nervous about all the details I need to remember and things we can't forget, when traveling for 2-3 weeks with a little one. Plus, I will need to buy a whole bunch of stuff once we get there...like a winter coat for Lincoln, diapers, wipes, his favorite foods, etc... My parents were nice enough to buy a Pack n' Play and a portable high chair for Lincoln to use while up there, as well as a carseat for June that we will use while visiting, and then bring back with us to Tucson. So the big baby needs for our stay are taken care of, so to speak, thanks Mon & Dad!

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Last Monday we went to see the nutritionist based on the referral we got from our Pediatritian. I hadn't been keeping a food log, because our appointment was supposed to be in February, but we got in on a last minute cancellation. I had been sort of keeping track in my head though, and I estimated that he was getting about 700-900 calories/day. Based on some research I did, 900 calories is what it said on the internet was needed for a 1-2 year old, and I knew we were getting close to that amount. Well, we learned that that is true for the average 1-2 year old, but since Lincoln is so large for his age, the nutritionist calculated that he needs 1340 cal/day. She said that eating 700 cal/day is equivalent to a 21 lb baby, so that is why he has been losing weight. She said that since he doesn't have a large appetite due to his meds, that we are going to have to increase and hide calories in the stuff he does eat. So, for example, instead of a 4oz bottle of whole milk at 75 calories, we do 2oz of whole milk and 2oz of half & half for a total of 118 calories. All of these little things add up, and we have been able to increase his caloric intake to over 1000 since we started tracking it last Monday. We have yet to reach the magic 1340 calories in a give day, but we have gotten within a few hundred calories 3 days last week! I am proud of our success so far, but it takes a lot of work and determination to get that much food in him, and a lot of patience on Lincoln's part to have me following him around shoving bites of food into his mouth while he plays. I really hope his appetite picks up, or his eating efficiency increases with all of these new teeth popping in, because I am not certan how long we can keep up this food focus intensity.

Plush Organs?

So this is the silliest thing I have ever seen. Check it out... www.iheartguts.com/shop/

Fever!

Well, Lincoln is sick again. Of the three times Lincoln has ever run a fever in his life...Andy has managed to be out of town every single time! He has absolutely amazing timing...

Lincoln started with a low-grade fever yesterday. I took him to the pedi, worried about a secondary infection from the H1N1 flu he had ~2 weeks ago. Well, his ears, lungs, and throat all looked perfectly fine. I was told to monitor his fever and symptoms (fussiness, food refusal, diarrhea, vomiting, sleepiness, increased seizure acitivity) and to call back if things got a lot worse or his fever lasts more than 4 days. Well, overnight his fever spiked up to 102.5, the highest I had ever seen it. I fed him some Tylenol and Motrin throughout the night, and he spent most of that time in bed with me. Once he started to cool down quite a bit I put him in his crib and we both caught a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. This morning he was nice and cool, but his fever started to rise again throughout the day. When he woke up from his afternoon nap he was up to 103.7! This is the highest fever I have ever seen. I gave him more Tylenol and Mortin and we got into a cool shower. Then I let him play naked for awhile until he started to feel cooler. He is still running a fever, but seems better than earlier tonight. I am hoping that he does well tonight, because I am exhausted, and am really hoping that I don't catch/re-catch whatever it is he has this time...

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,

How lovely are your branches!
Your boughs are green in summer's clime
And through the snows of wintertime.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
How lovely are your branches!




The indoor decorations are up, and we are all thoroughly enjoying them! So far Linc has done very well with the tree, he has touched a little bit, but has never pulled on it or taken any ornaments off (although only about 1/3 of our ornaments are up, just in case). But he loves to look at it, especially in the morning, before the light in the living room is very bright, and in the evening, before the lights get turned on for the night. It makes us happy to see him enjoy the tree. :)

As for the outdoor lights...that is another story. I have been meaning to get out there on the ladder for the past month to switch out the pumpkin lights and put up the Christmas ones. Despite the many weekends that have come and gone since Halloween, the pumpkin lights are still hanging, barely... The wind of the past few days has knocked them mostly down, so I think I will just give them a little tug in the next few days to get them all of the way down. I don't think I will be able to find the time to put up the outdoor lights this year. Something else is always coming up, and since we will be in town for only another 15 days, there hardly seems to be any point in getting my pregnant self up there on the roof to do it...

I will definitely find the time to do it next year...right? After all, I won't be pregnant (I don't think) and Lincoln will be old enough to get really excited by the lights by the time he is 28 months old (I think). So I guess I will pack them away in the garage when I pack the Halloween lights up. Oh well...at least we got the indoor stuff up!