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!