Our Own Routine...

Just to keep you updated - we finally learned from the lab that Casey had "regular" staph infection, which is only resistant to penicillin. Therefore, we got her started on an antibiotic on Friday, and because she still seems very healthy and the belly button has continued to be clear since Tuesday, we're feeling good about this.

She has, however, begun having a "witching hour" (or three hours, really) each evening. It starts anywhere from about 4:00PM through 7:00PM and then lasts quite awhile, where we might get her quiet for about 10 minutes at a time only. During this fussy period, she eats every 45-60 minutes, and that's been a new experience for Mommy!

When the "witching" ends, she finally falls asleep for a good stretch, and we've learned to head straight to bed - whether it's 8:00PM or 11:00PM. We'll take sleep where we can find it!!

Now that we're getting used to this routine, I'm sure that Casey will switch things up on us soon. But I guess what we're really getting used to is the fact that Casey is always changing - and we're learning how to roll with her punches, thankfully!

More pictures (and a little explanation of giving her medicine!) soon.

Something to Stare At...

My parents told me that during their first Christmas with my eldest sister Erin (who had been born less than two months prior), they placed her in a little seat in front of the Christmas tree and just stared at her, thinking, "How did we ever have Christmas before this??"

This past weekend, I was in the kitchen of my great-aunt and -uncle's house, getting a drink. And when I went back into the living room, I caught Tee Jay and my great-uncle just staring at Casey, asleep in her car seat.

What is it about babies that is so miraculous and wonderful and stare-worthy???

Whatever it is, feel free to stare away - because to some folks, these would be considered pretty boring videos. But to Casey Sue's grandparents, who don't get to stare everyday like we do, I'm fairly sure they will be enjoyed.

Overheard In Our Home...

I used to blog on Myspace and had an infrequent-yet-recurring series called "Overheard In My Home."

I liked those entries so much that I think I'll share some old ones here occasionally... and of course share new ones as they happen, too!


Overheard In Our Home:

~ "If I ever need a lawyer, I'm going to hire Sam Watterson. I don't even care that he's not a real attorney. The jury will LOVE him."

~ "You know what? I completely agree with you."

What Are Moms For?...

Casey and I had a wonderful morning and afternoon, attending my post-delivery OB-GYN appointment and then visiting Amica to show ourselves off to my co-workers.

But, as it seems to happen on so many recent days, I then received news that put my neuroses in motion. The pediatrician called to let us know that the preliminary results of Casey's belly button discharge culture showed a staph infection... but definitely not MRSA (antibiotic-resistent). The doctor wanted to know how the baby seemed today, because we could guess at which strain she might have and get her started on an antibiotic immediately, which may need to be changed tomorrow when we have the answer - or that we could just wait for the complete results before determining which medication she'd need.

I told Dr. Goldberg that Casey was doing great - she's sleeping and eating, pooping and peeing. And best of all, after seeing the clear discharge yesterday (instead of it being cloudy yellow), she has appeared to leak NO gunk at all since then! (And that definitely makes me think that this thing is clearing itself up!)

The pediatrician agreed that we could wait until tomorrow for the correct prescription, but she warned me to watch for any change in Casey's behavior, adding that a newborn doesn't have to exhibit extreme symptoms, but that simple changes (such as eating less) can indicate a problem.

Doesn't sound too scary, but this hormonal, emotional new mommy let worry grip her. And then when Casey didn't sleep for about four hours straight, being fussy and eating just about every hour - well, I freaked out and cried and entertained worst fears. This wasn't her "normal" pattern, but she's a new baby who changes things up on us almost daily! How are we supposed to know when something isn't right???

On top of my emotional breakdown, I felt guilty for A) always forcing Tee Jay to be the strong parent in our family, and B) worrying about somewhat minor "what ifs" when amazing folks like my sister and brother-in-law exhibit tremendous faith with a child who has congenital heart defects which are much more serious than our baby's infection.

I called my own mother, and she prayed with me over the phone; the kind of calming, peaceful (and imploring for peace) kind of prayer that she often had to speak when I was a neurotic child. It helped a lot, and I am now thinking about one thing in particular that Mom said: that God doesn't give us fear. Fear is not from God. Instead, He gives us strength to make it through tough times, not fear.

So, now that I've unfortunately let my mom start her own worrying about her daughter and granddaughter (but, this is what moms are for, I guess, right??), I will work at pushing my fears aside and will try to muster the strength that I have somewhere within to deal with things as they come.

A Beautiful Evening...

So I'll start by saying that my tooth still hurts, but we're getting there. I had another appointment with the dentist today, had my canals flushed out and filled with antibiotics again, and then picked up prescriptions for both an oral antibiotic and some pain killers. We're trying everything possible over the next 3-7 days or so to save this tooth.

But the more important stuff is Casey's... and that's going well, I'm pleased to report!

I arrived with her at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children this morning, feeling somewhat apprehensive. However, the staff was wonderful and started to put me at ease early on.

Her ultrasound tech let me know that though she wasn't a doctor (and therefore couldn't tell me too much), she saw nothing abnormal - including no cysts or abscesses under the belly button. She additionally said that she had often heard of babies and children with umbilical discharge, so that made me feel a little comforted. (Also, the discharge today has been very infrequent and clear, rather than the cloudy yellow gunk we were dealing with in past days.)

When we hit up the nephrology department next, we got the best news of all - that Casey's kidney ultrasound showed nothing out-of-the-ordinary! Her kidneys are working properly, they feel normal, and we were issued a clean bill of renal health! (Yahoo!)

We have since spoken with her pediatrician, who received the hospital results and thinks that we should now await the outcome of a culture she took yesterday of the discharge. That will tell us if there is an infection in the belly button or perhaps if we're "just" dealing with a small pinhole that needs to be cauterized. Either way, I started my evening with a much more uplifted heart.

In closing, this may make some of you (who are squeamish about breast-feeding or just don't want to think about my breasts in particular!) feel grossed out, but I am sleepy and content. I just nursed my adorable, cherished girl on the couch while leaning up against Tee Jay. His arm was around me, we could both stare at Casey as much as we wanted, and we were a warm, cozy family. It was the most wonderful moment and one I won't soon forget.

Still Trudging Uphill...

We're still hanging on, though my tooth is not feeling great yet (and day three of a toothache is taking its toll on me). Thankfully, I did see the emergency dentist yesterday and am hopefully on my way to healing - or will end up with an extraction - egads!

Casey's one month "well visit" was scheduled for this coming Wednesday, but her belly button has been discharging some funky mucus since Friday. (GROSS, I know!) The pediatrician asked me to wait over the weekend and see how things were going, and when learning that she was still "leaking" today, they saw us early.

I headed to the appointment in good spirits (Casey had been fussy yesterday, but ended up sleeping well last night and having a beautiful morning with me). The pediatrician said that many things could cause her belly button issue, but that she didn't want to jump to any of the "simple" conclusions until she was able to rule out a cyst, abcess, etc.

Additionally, the doctor helped me to realize that the mucus seems to seep out more so when Casey pees or cries - basically meaning that pressure on her abdomen facilitates the discharge.

Because Casey had a two- vessel umbilical cord in utero, a renal ultrasound was done when she was first born... and though there wasn't a significant finding, it was felt that maybe her left kidney was smaller than her right. So with the possible kidney issue and now the umbilical discharge, the pediatrician thought it would be best to have both a belly and renal ultrasound done at the local children's hospital today.

Unfortunately, it was already 3:00PM when this determination was made, so we can't get in until tomorrow at 8:30AM. And logistically, it works out since she already has a 9:00AM nephrology appointment at the same hospital to get to the bottom of the whole kidney issue.

All in all, it doesn't sound like the end of the world. But I left the pediatric office feeling deflated, defeated and worried. Many "what ifs" come into my mind, and I have to push them all aside, realizing that Casey is in God's hands and that we have no diagnosis to deal with yet. It's not easy, but I've got to trust that things will be okay or that we'll work our way through them.

Whew.

In good news, Casey now weighs 8lbs, 3.6oz ~ which means that she has gained more than an ounce per day since our last appointment!! She is still only in the 25th percentile for her weight, but we realize that's mainly because it took her so long to get to this point. But now she's gaining beautifully, and we're thrilled.

A Major Pain in the...

... you name the area, and maybe I've had an ache there recently!

I'll start this post by telling you that I'm a complainer (so you are forewarned). But it's been a rough few days for me.

I'm still recovering from the c-section. My incision has looked pretty good all along, except for the far-left side, which was draining ever so slightly. But looking good and feeling good are two different things - I've often found that if I did too much during a day, I paid for it with incision pain in the night. However, as each day passes, my healing has progressed, and I've thought of the incision less and less.

This week, Casey and I took a 4-block drive (I'm not supposed to be driving at all, I think!) to the store, and when I opened the back hatch of the car, our stroller came tumbling out without warning - directly onto my left knee. I yelled out "Good God!" (surprising an older woman walking in the parking lot), and hobbled through my errands as quickly as possible. By the next morning, my knee was swollen and in a considerable amount of pain - so much so that when Tee Jay left the house at 6:00AM, he carried Casey downstairs for me, and I hobbled along behind him to set her and myself up on the couch for the day.

By the end of the week, my knee was starting to feel a lot better, but... by Friday evening, I had a dull toothache developing on my upper left side (have you noticed that everything has been on the left??). I assumed that I would be able to trudge along through the weekend and hopefully get an early Monday appointment with the dentist.

Yesterday, I used a hot compress, Ambisol, and some Tylenol at my great-aunt and -uncle's house, and that seemed to help the increasing pain somewhat. Then Casey and I spent the evening at a friend's house (while Tee Jay headed out to a movie that I had no interest in seeing), and my toothache compounded significantly. It is truly a terrible feeling.

I have now been popping Motrin every six hours, literally watching the clock for the exact moment when I can take more. And at 8:00AM, when I realized that I wasn't going to make it to Monday (or at least, not while keeping myself sane!), I called the "Emergency Dentist," who happens to participate with insurance plans (and offers direct reimbursement forms for weekend visits, when insurance can't be verified) and can see me at 10:15AM. THANK GOODNESS.

I've got to be a healthy, happy Mommy to take good care of Casey, after all - especially since Tee Jay heads back to work tomorrow. Whew. I'm a mess!

One Month Old...

Traveling Along...

It's been awhile since we've posted any real news (and we're sorry!), but we've been busy.

Since last week's pediatric appointment, I've felt like a huge weight was lifted off me - and like I could finally relax a little bit more into this Mommy role. Thank goodness that our baby is actually gaining weight adequately!

Dr. Tang called on Friday morning to say that Casey's bilirubin level was at 9, so yes, she still had jaundice (most probably the "breastmilk jaundice" that I mentioned earlier), but that the level wasn't terrible. I guess that the liver enzymes hadn't been tested after all, so Dr. Tang asked us to call her today, one week following the appointment, to let her know if Casey still had yellow skin or eyes. We are happy to announce that as of this Monday and Tuesday, she doesn't! She finally had gotten rid of the reddish/yellowish/orangish baby "glow" and had come into her own peachy hue. It's too cute, and again, we're thrilled to see her advancing along.

We traveled to RI this past weekend (Casey's first trip!), and our friends and family members came out to meet the newest Boudreau. We had a great time (and were pleased that Casey slept for both of the to-and-fro car rides, as well as accepting her first two pumped bottles from Daddy excellently!), and here are some pictures.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Great American Photo Contest...

Great American Photo Contest - vote here!!

I'm not sure if anything will actually come of this (hopefully not just a million solicitation emails!), but Casey's adorable picture is online in the Great American Photo Contest, sent to us by her Grandma Sue.

Click on the link above-and-below and VOTE!!!



Great American Photo Contest - vote here!!

Triumphant!...

Check
it out,
folks...
check
it out!!




We went back to the pediatrician's office again today, and Casey gained 7 ounces in the past 7 days... bumping her up to 7lbs, 7oz!!!

VICTORY! Goal! Score! Touchdown! Eureka!

Can you tell that I'm wicked excited?? It's just that I've let my worries compound significantly over the past week, and by the time we drove to Red Lion Pediatrics today, I was a mess. When Tee Jay first began to lay Casey on the digital scale, I saw the readout as "7, 4.5" and I said out loud, "WHAT?!?!?! She's only 7lbs, 4.5oz and we haven't even taken off her diaper yet???" But within seconds, Tee Jay had the diaper removed and fully taken his hold out from under the baby - and when I read the actual weight as "7, 7.0," I was so thrilled I almost cried.

GREAT JOB, BABY GIRL!!!

Dr. Tang has said that she is officially "liberating" us and allowing Casey to sleep when she needs to (we have SUCH a hard time waking her in the middle of the night) and eat when she wants... whether that's 20 minutes or 4 hours after her last feeding.

In other news, Casey is still a little yellow, so we had to head downstairs to the lab for yet another heel prick (she's had way too many of those already). We should know both her bilirubin level AND liver function results tomorrow. The bloodwork will most probably tell us that she has some lingering "breastmilk jaundice," which is nothing to worry about. It just means that we need more time for my breastmilk and her nursing to even themselves out and negate the jaundice.

The ever-so-slight (and improbable) possibility that her jaundice is related to some sort of liver dysfunction is one we won't worry about at this point. It's much more unlikely, and we're just thrilled to know that our baby finally seems to be thriving!

Miss Serious...

Are They For Real???...

I'm slightly anal-retentive (thanks, Dad!!), and every so often, I come across things that amaze me and leave me in disbelief...

like when something is misspelled in a magazine or newspaper, for instance.

But I am more so overly shocked when a product has a misspelling. It makes me think, "The factory, the company who developed this, the marketing team, the distributors, the stores, etc. ... no one caught this??"

For instance, in baby items, I've come across two things thus far that drive me crazy.

First is Casey's co-sleeper. It says on all four sides (which I get to read several times each night):

"Must lock ALL Top Bars before locking lower bars. To UNLOCK top bars, lower bars must be unlocked first."

Now, maybe this is extremely anal-retentive, but I can't stand that "Top Bars" is capitalized in the first sentence but not in the second. And "lower bars" is never capitalized. So why does that first sentence have "Top Bars" as if they are a proper noun??? And in the first sentence, "ALL" is in caps - in the second, "UNLOCK" is. But it's not like the word "lock" is in caps in the first sentence, so why is "UNLOCK" in the second?? Should the warning instead read something like, "Must lock ALL top bars before locking lower bars. To unlock top bars, lower bars must be unlocked FIRST." Who knows??













And then, this one really gets my goat - on our walker (the same one that my parents had in their home years ago, so I know it's not a new product where no one yet had a chance to catch this typo), the box actually says, in huge letters on all six sides:

"In compiance with the CPSC mandated ASTM standard for walkers."

Really?? "In compiance with..."??? Not, "compliance"????

It just drives me crazy!

(And if I ever misspell anything in my posts, I apologize in advance!)

More Visitors...

Uncle Jake..............................................................



Uncle Tyler.............................................................



Papa Terry and Grandma Mel..............................................



Auntie Erin.............................................................



Papa Grant..............................................................

We're Not Quite There Yet...

Well, we went back to the pediatrician this past Thursday evening for a weight check, since Casey was only up to 6lbs, 12oz at our first appointment the Friday before. The doctor was hoping that Casey would be up to her birth weight (7lbs, 4oz) at the appointment, but we only made it to 7lbs even.

We thought that the 4oz gain was pretty good for 6 somewhat shaky days. We believe that Casey is a little bit "behind" in her feeding, thriving, etc. due to the jaundice, lethargy (which coincides with the high bilirubin levels), and extra hospital stay. But, alas, the pediatrician didn't agree with us.

Her concern means that we now have another weight check appointment this coming Thursday evening, and it also means that we have to force Casey awake at least every three hours for feedings. (We had been trying to do this in the beginning, but found that an upset, fussy, not-wanting-to-be-awake baby wouldn't end up eating until after a good 45 minutes of crying. That would put us practically to a 4-hour mark, and she was waking up around that time anyway.)

It's been a good three days thus far - we think.

Casey's becoming more alert on her own, so the wakings aren't as forced or "painful" on any of us. (Mommy and Daddy, however, aren't the best at getting up the first time our alarm clock goes off - having hit the snooze button for an extra hour plus last night!) And I've been reading up on both "What to Expect the First Year" and "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" to ensure that Casey is gracing us with enough wet and dirty diapers daily AND that I am letting her stay on each side until she's truly done... and has hopefully received some of the fatty, rich hind milk.

But it's not easy. Every time that we begin our nursing process, I get a little pit in my stomach, worrying about nourishing my daughter well enough. I'm petrified already about what the doctor might see or say on Thursday. Will we gain the average ounce-a-day? Or, if we don't, will the pediatrician want us to supplement Casey's diet? In which case, will I have to pay an arm-and-a-leg to get a lactation consultant in the house? (Let me tell you, this whole breastfeeding thing takes commitment!!)

I really don't know any of the answers to my "what ifs," so I shouldn't worry too much about it for now. But just pray that our baby is thriving!

More Photos...

Hope you're not sick of them yet!!

"Stuff" Takes Time...

Tee Jay and his sister Kristy have this little saying (coined by Kristy) of "S#%t Takes Time" - which we will call "Stuff Takes Time" to be kid- and baby-friendly.

It's totally true. It takes time to prepare for a baby. The nine months of pregnancy is a wonderful time to await the life change that your child will bring. But it's also a time when you need to buy items, set up a nursery, rearrange your home, and so on.

We did the normal preparations early, having the swing, bouncy seat, pack 'n' play, etc. ready well in advance. The co-sleeper was attached to our bed for at least the past couple of months, and the car seat was on the living room floor for several weeks. This was a nice way to get both us and our cats used to the upcoming adjustment.

When we headed out of our house on Friday, February 20th to the hospital, we were thinking, "Well, we didn't have this one last weekend for preparations, but at least we're totally ready!"

And we were. Clean house. Baby items appropriately placed. Etc.

After just a few days, here's what her pack 'n' play looks like; can you even find the baby?

Visitors...

We've been blessed with several visitors already, some from nearby and others from afar. Again, more pics!



Jen, John, and Makenzie.................................................



Grania..................................................................



Grand Dad and Cheryl....................................................



Grandma.................................................................



Auntie Tree.............................................................



...and cousin Violet....................................................



Auntie Heather..........................................................



Owen Alexander..........................................................
(who did come with his Mommy and Daddy, Carrie and Ken)

You Decide...

Ah, the infamous (and not-often-too-cute) hospital photos! You decide if Casey looks like her Mommy or Daddy or both...







Casey Susanne,
02/20/09















Terry Alan, 11/11/82
















Christina Louise, 11/05/79

Burpy Girl...

When we sit Casey up to burp her, she almost always opens her eyes and looks so intensely serious. It's the cutest thing, so here's a pic and a video.







(Pardon the dopey voice on the video - I think that everything about new parents is pretty dopey!)

Our Sweetie...

(at her first pediatrician's appointment)