Football moved to twice-daily practices. Teacher meetings run all week. And school starts next Wednesday. Fall must be around the corner.
I'm home alone with the circus. So far, things are going well. Thomas has been extra-loving with lots of hugs and head-rubbings (his version of a kiss). I think he misses Curtis. Today I took the circus out to do some shopping. On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store to get salt. It was getting close to lunchtime and Thomas demanded a treat. He pointed and fussed until I gave it to him. I let him munch on it up to the checkout. I think I must be doing somthing right with this kid though, because the thing he really wanted was a red bell pepper. The cashier got a big kick out of the pepper with the bite out of it.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Two Months Old
Siblings
Curtis taught Thomas how to eat corn like a big boy.
Thomas tries to make friends with Bex. The cat is indifferent.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Sleeping Through the Night
It's SO not fair. Ruthann slept from 11ish to after 8am today. However, Thomas woke me up at 4:30am and Curtis's alarm went off at 5:30. Fortunately, they both took a nap and I got a little more sleep.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Fresno
We took the Baby Circus on the road to go see Gramy in Fresno. She enjoyed seeing her only great-grandkids and the grandparents were very excited to see Thomas (and Ruthann, but she just doesn't do much at this stage.) Thomas had lots of fun stomping on the kitchen floor, eating everything in sight, and playing with his grandpa and the garden hose.
(Max is such a good dog. He didn't even try to take Thomas's cracker.)
Monday, August 11, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
A Quick Update
Thomas recognizes that Ruthann is a person. Yesterday, he was imitating the way she was chomping on her finger. He also likes to grab her nose (something he also does to Curtis and I, apparently noses are funny). Unfortunately, he also likes to poke her in the eye to watch her wince (wincing is also apparently funny). We're trying to discourage that one.
She's still not sleeping through the night, but at least she's now sleeping in the night, so conditions are improving.
We had Ruthann baptized last Sunday (the 20th), but I only got 3 pics with my camera, none of which were very good. Once Ruthann's godmother posts some of the pictures taken with her awesome cameras, I'll link to them. Ruthann didn't cry at all, and just looked kind of confused as the water was poured on her head.
I had my 6-week post-partum checkup today and got a clear bill of health. I'm also back to around the weight I was when I got pregnant with Thomas. So now's the time to lose that 15 lbs that's keeping me from wearing my favorite winter skirts. I'm not the only one in a health-conscious mood. Curtis is checking out gyms. Today he's starting Bally's free trial period to see if he likes it. We should be lean, mean, baby-wrangling machines by Christmas if this keeps up.
She's still not sleeping through the night, but at least she's now sleeping in the night, so conditions are improving.
We had Ruthann baptized last Sunday (the 20th), but I only got 3 pics with my camera, none of which were very good. Once Ruthann's godmother posts some of the pictures taken with her awesome cameras, I'll link to them. Ruthann didn't cry at all, and just looked kind of confused as the water was poured on her head.
I had my 6-week post-partum checkup today and got a clear bill of health. I'm also back to around the weight I was when I got pregnant with Thomas. So now's the time to lose that 15 lbs that's keeping me from wearing my favorite winter skirts. I'm not the only one in a health-conscious mood. Curtis is checking out gyms. Today he's starting Bally's free trial period to see if he likes it. We should be lean, mean, baby-wrangling machines by Christmas if this keeps up.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
One Month
Ruthann is one month old today. On one hand, it's hard to believe that she's already a month, but on the other hand, it feels like she was born forever ago. I was trying to figure out why the last 30 days seem like a fog and came up with the following list.
In the past 30 days, we:
* spent 5 days at the hospital.
* went to 5 different doctor visits.
* had visits from my mom, Curtis's parents, the kids' godparents (twice), Curtis's dad, one of Curtis's students and her mom, and 10 meals delivered by various members of my moms group.
* had two babies in diapers who both want to eat any time they're not asleep.
AND I rarely get to sleep more than two hours at a time.
I need a nap just thinking about it!
In the past 30 days, we:
* spent 5 days at the hospital.
* went to 5 different doctor visits.
* had visits from my mom, Curtis's parents, the kids' godparents (twice), Curtis's dad, one of Curtis's students and her mom, and 10 meals delivered by various members of my moms group.
* had two babies in diapers who both want to eat any time they're not asleep.
AND I rarely get to sleep more than two hours at a time.
I need a nap just thinking about it!
The Reunion
The kiddos with their great-grandparents
The aforementioned 86-year-old great-grandfather going down the highest, fastest slide at Curtis's uncle's water park
Great-grandma being helped out after her (second) turn down the slide
Thomas splashing in the kiddie pool
Thursday, July 10, 2008
A Thomas Update
Poor Thomas has been neglected on this new blog. All the mandatory baby pics and me being too busy and tired to post mean that he's got a whole list of back news to impart. He's now 15 months old and has been very busy in the last 3 weeks or so.
* He's now officially a walker. He gradually worked up to it while my mom was here (6/6-7/2). He walks back and forth across the living room, carries toys, and can climb up on the couch and the green chair all by himself. This weekend, he's getting his first pair of real shoes so he can try his new skill outdoors.
* We are finally done with teething of molars. Last week, I discovered that his top right molar (the last one) was about halfway revealed. He's still drooling, but not as badly and he's definitely less grouchy.
* His new way to flirt is to try to bat his eyes at people. He blinks very deliberately at you repeatedly until you bat your eyes back. Very cute.
* He's continuing to get better with toys. He's been exploring how things can fit inside of each other and the magic of lids (they fit on top, but won't go inside the object even if you scream at them). He's also (at long last) figured out how to turn his pushtruck so that he's not stuck once he runs into something.
* Last night we allowed him to feed himself with a spoon for the first time. He did shockingly well. I think less food ended up on the floor than normal. Later, I'll have to post a picture of his yoghurt-goatee (the applesauce didn't drip as much).
* While he's not talking yet (at least not in English), he does have two sort-of-words. He will point to objects at say "Whazzat" in his cute baby-voice. He as also decided that the cat is "zha." He will say zha whenever he sees the cat and has also said it while pointing to a picture of an orange kitten in his book (meaning that it's not context-specific).
* He's now officially a walker. He gradually worked up to it while my mom was here (6/6-7/2). He walks back and forth across the living room, carries toys, and can climb up on the couch and the green chair all by himself. This weekend, he's getting his first pair of real shoes so he can try his new skill outdoors.
* We are finally done with teething of molars. Last week, I discovered that his top right molar (the last one) was about halfway revealed. He's still drooling, but not as badly and he's definitely less grouchy.
* His new way to flirt is to try to bat his eyes at people. He blinks very deliberately at you repeatedly until you bat your eyes back. Very cute.
* He's continuing to get better with toys. He's been exploring how things can fit inside of each other and the magic of lids (they fit on top, but won't go inside the object even if you scream at them). He's also (at long last) figured out how to turn his pushtruck so that he's not stuck once he runs into something.
* Last night we allowed him to feed himself with a spoon for the first time. He did shockingly well. I think less food ended up on the floor than normal. Later, I'll have to post a picture of his yoghurt-goatee (the applesauce didn't drip as much).
* While he's not talking yet (at least not in English), he does have two sort-of-words. He will point to objects at say "Whazzat" in his cute baby-voice. He as also decided that the cat is "zha." He will say zha whenever he sees the cat and has also said it while pointing to a picture of an orange kitten in his book (meaning that it's not context-specific).
More Pictures
Thomas ignores Ruthann, but likes the toys on her bouncer and carseat. I wonder if he remembers when they were his toys?
Thomas displays his musical skills on the drums
Now that he's a walker, we had to test out his monkey-backpack harness to see if he minded wearing it. Not really, and it looks too cute.
On Monday, Ruthann's cord fell off, so on Tuesday she got her first bath. Remember when Thomas used to fit in this tub?
Saturday, June 28, 2008
First Days at Home
Ruthann and Noni
Everyone loves Thomas
Ruthann and Grandma
A moment of bliss. Thomas asleep in his crib and Ruthann asleep in the bouncer.
Monday, June 23, 2008
A Birth Day Story
When my OB said, "You know, once your water breaks, you're going to have this baby in an hour," I started thinking about how long it takes from the time you arrive at a hospital till you are actually seen by someone. We decided to schedule a time to break my water at the hospital. My doctor gave me two choices, Friday or Monday. Since Monday was the day that Great-Grandpa had put a $500 incentive plan on, I said Monday.
The Before Picture
Monday, June 16th, at 7:30 in the morning, my entourage showed up at the hospital. Mom and I went to admitting, while Curtis drove Thomas to the sitter's. He was back in plenty of time, since it took an hour and a half (9 am) for the hospital to get things organized and start the I.V. with the Pitocin (to start contractions). Those contractions were SO easy that even though they were 5 minutes apart, I would not have realized that they were the sign to head to the hospital. At 9:30, my doctor came in and broke my water. Now the contractions were definitely painful and it was only about 15 minutes before I was in enough pain that I would not have been able to walk or really do much of anything. If not for the induction, I would have had this baby on the bathroom floor.
Pretty soon, I'm in transition, which means SERIOUS pain. The nurse asks me if I want something for the pain. "YES!!" I gasp, but she just leaves the room. Confused, when she returns, I try to remind her of her offer. "At this point, anything we gave you would slow the baby's heart rate too much." Incredulously and in MAJOR pain, I gasp/shout, "Then WHY did you offer?!"
Another nurse decides that the baby's heart rate is dropping too low, so I get to lay on my side and get oxygen. This is good as my hands and feet had been tingling and going numb. I keep asking (begging) the nurses to let me push (since I remember with Thomas that all the transition pain goes away once you start pushing). They haven't checked me in a while, but couldn't believe I could possibly be at 10 cm yet (HA!) and besides, I should wait for my doctor. I try not to push, but it just hurt too much not to. My secret pushing was revealed when my doctor arrived, helped me roll to my back to check the progress and found that the baby's head was already there. I didn't have to even push for her to be delivered. It was 11:02 am, two hours after they started the I.V. and only an hour and a half since my water broke. (I think it could have been even faster if only they had just let me push.)
Getting Examined After Delivery
She came out screaming (which is good), but with the cord wrapped around her (not a problem, since the doctor just clamped and cut it right then). She was cleaned up, but was very white. They were worried that she might be anemic or something, so took her to the NICU to be examined. She pinked up after about 10 minutes, but they kept her for a "four-hour observation." Eventually, she was cleared by a doctor and allowed to go to the regular nursery. They had to do yet another examination and paperwork, while I was making phone calls trying to track down what had happened to my baby, who I had not seen since she was born over 5 hours earlier. At last she was brought to my room, just in time for two cars of visitors to arrive. Car 1 brought Thomas back to us and the second car had Ruthann's godmother and her sister. We all had a good time for an hour or so before visiting hours ended at 8 pm. (Well, all except Thomas who got scared by my reaction when he yanked on my I.V. and then was bored and tired.) As my visitors left, Ruthann was taken back to the nursery to get checked out by her pediatrician. This is getting long, so what happened the rest of the night will be taken up in the next post.
In My Room, At Last
Monday, June 16th, at 7:30 in the morning, my entourage showed up at the hospital. Mom and I went to admitting, while Curtis drove Thomas to the sitter's. He was back in plenty of time, since it took an hour and a half (9 am) for the hospital to get things organized and start the I.V. with the Pitocin (to start contractions). Those contractions were SO easy that even though they were 5 minutes apart, I would not have realized that they were the sign to head to the hospital. At 9:30, my doctor came in and broke my water. Now the contractions were definitely painful and it was only about 15 minutes before I was in enough pain that I would not have been able to walk or really do much of anything. If not for the induction, I would have had this baby on the bathroom floor.
Pretty soon, I'm in transition, which means SERIOUS pain. The nurse asks me if I want something for the pain. "YES!!" I gasp, but she just leaves the room. Confused, when she returns, I try to remind her of her offer. "At this point, anything we gave you would slow the baby's heart rate too much." Incredulously and in MAJOR pain, I gasp/shout, "Then WHY did you offer?!"
Another nurse decides that the baby's heart rate is dropping too low, so I get to lay on my side and get oxygen. This is good as my hands and feet had been tingling and going numb. I keep asking (begging) the nurses to let me push (since I remember with Thomas that all the transition pain goes away once you start pushing). They haven't checked me in a while, but couldn't believe I could possibly be at 10 cm yet (HA!) and besides, I should wait for my doctor. I try not to push, but it just hurt too much not to. My secret pushing was revealed when my doctor arrived, helped me roll to my back to check the progress and found that the baby's head was already there. I didn't have to even push for her to be delivered. It was 11:02 am, two hours after they started the I.V. and only an hour and a half since my water broke. (I think it could have been even faster if only they had just let me push.)
She came out screaming (which is good), but with the cord wrapped around her (not a problem, since the doctor just clamped and cut it right then). She was cleaned up, but was very white. They were worried that she might be anemic or something, so took her to the NICU to be examined. She pinked up after about 10 minutes, but they kept her for a "four-hour observation." Eventually, she was cleared by a doctor and allowed to go to the regular nursery. They had to do yet another examination and paperwork, while I was making phone calls trying to track down what had happened to my baby, who I had not seen since she was born over 5 hours earlier. At last she was brought to my room, just in time for two cars of visitors to arrive. Car 1 brought Thomas back to us and the second car had Ruthann's godmother and her sister. We all had a good time for an hour or so before visiting hours ended at 8 pm. (Well, all except Thomas who got scared by my reaction when he yanked on my I.V. and then was bored and tired.) As my visitors left, Ruthann was taken back to the nursery to get checked out by her pediatrician. This is getting long, so what happened the rest of the night will be taken up in the next post.
Ruthann's First Visitors
So, between 7 pm and 8 pm on her birth day, Ruthann and I had lots of visitors. Everyone enjoyed passing her and Thomas around. Ruthann just mostly wanted to sleep. Hey! I look surprisingly decent for having given birth eight hours ago.
Mama enjoys visitors in her super-flattering hospital gown
Big brother Thomas wants up on the bed to trample Mama's poor tummy and yank on her I.V.
Ruthann gets some adoration from her godmother
Curtis smirks that he has the dominant genes, since yet another child looks pretty much just like him.
A Baby Post with Heart
The Mystery
Two Days Old Being Observed in the NICU
Overall, if the cardiologist hadn't told me about her condition, I never would have guessed it from looking at her. She is pink and pretty, feeds well (better than Thomas at this age), and sleeps well for a newborn. It's kind of strange to say that a heart condition is no big deal, but this one really isn't. We don't have to treat her any differently from any other newborn baby and her condition will be repaired before she (or Thomas) ever has any memory of it.
Normal heart with oxygenated blood in red and old blood in blue
Heart with Tetralogy of Fallot (letters refer to components above)
As our visitors were leaving, Ruthann's pediatrician arrived and took her to the nursery for (yet another) examination. After a while, I started trying to track down my baby (again!). After all, I had seen her for a grand total of an hour. The pediatrician came in to tell me that while she was examining Ruthann, she heard a heart murmur and then the baby turned blue. The blue spell lasted less than a minute. (Apparently, because it was so unexpected, it totally freaked out the nurses and they had her on oxygen in a flash. I kept overhearing them talking about it at their desk for the rest of the shift.) Ruthann had been taken back to the NICU to have a full workup (chest x-ray, EKG, etc) done by the neonatologist. The pediatrician started telling me about the different possibilities which ranged all the way from "which she'll outgrow in time" to "requires transfer downtown for immediate heart surgery." After the neonatologist finished the tests on Ruthann, he sent all her test results to a pediatric cardiologist (to his home even) for evaluation. The cardiologist came in in the morning to see me with the diagnosis.
The Bottom Line
Ruthann has a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. It fell in the middle of the possibilities raised by the pediatrician. There are no day-to-day symptoms or problems, but it requires open-heart surgery to repair. This surgery would happen sometime between four and eight months of age. If left untreated, Ruthann's blood oxygen levels would gradually decrease and by the time she was seven to ten years old, she'd be one sick little kid. Nowadays, they can operate on even very small children, so they no longer have to wait until the children start to have problems to operate.
Ruthann has a heart condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. It fell in the middle of the possibilities raised by the pediatrician. There are no day-to-day symptoms or problems, but it requires open-heart surgery to repair. This surgery would happen sometime between four and eight months of age. If left untreated, Ruthann's blood oxygen levels would gradually decrease and by the time she was seven to ten years old, she'd be one sick little kid. Nowadays, they can operate on even very small children, so they no longer have to wait until the children start to have problems to operate.
The repair surgery is now common and there are three hospitals in L.A. that are quite skilled at it. She is not on any medicines, oxygen, or active monitoring and she will grow at the same rate as any other baby. All she has is an extra set of appointments with a cardiologist who will check her blood oxygen levels every couple of weeks.
The doctors wanted to keep her under observation for a few additional days to rule out anything else like infection. We finally got to take her home from the NICU Friday afternoon. (I had been discharged Wednesday afternoon.)
Overall, if the cardiologist hadn't told me about her condition, I never would have guessed it from looking at her. She is pink and pretty, feeds well (better than Thomas at this age), and sleeps well for a newborn. It's kind of strange to say that a heart condition is no big deal, but this one really isn't. We don't have to treat her any differently from any other newborn baby and her condition will be repaired before she (or Thomas) ever has any memory of it.
The Technical Stuff
Tetralogy of Fallot has four components (pictures below). The most serious is called pulmonary stenosis (A), which means the valve going from the right ventricle to the lungs does not completely open. There may also be some muscle below the valve that also partially blocks it. This reduces the amount of blood going to the lungs, which causes her blood oxygen levels to decline as she gets larger. If the blood cannot flow to the lungs because of the stenosis, it passes through a Ventricular-Septal Defect (B) (a hole between the ventricles) and mixes with blood that is already oxygenated. The third component is an Overriding Aorta (C). The artery that carries oxygenated blood to the body is shifted over to service both ventricles.
The final component is a secondary feature. Because of the Ventricular-Septal Defect, both ventricles feel the same pressure (which is more than the right ventricle would usually feel). This causes the right ventricle to build up additional muscle. This is called Ventricular Hypertrophy (D). There is also a small hole between the atria (E). The surgery will patch both holes and repair (not replace) the pulmonary valve to restore normal blood flow. We'll learn more about the surgery as it gets closer.
Wikipedia also has a pretty good article.
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