I have always hated the old saying "When it rains, it pours." Just because it's raining doesn't mean it's going to pour - there are varying amounts of rain, ie sprinkling, etc. Why do we have to quantify it anyway? Why can't it just be raining?
The past week, it's been pouring in my house. First, Brooke's double ear infection. Then, her strange reaction to the antibiotic.
The pedi said what's going on with Brooke is not a reaction to the antibiotic (I'm not convinced). She slept a little better last night, but was still up about 5 times between 9:30 pm and 5 am (something she didn't even do as a newborn!)
Last night, I barely slept at all because my ears were hurting SO BAD. I finally fell asleep a little after 3 am, and when I woke up this morning at 6 am, there is liquidy stuff coming out of my right ear.
Nonetheless, I got ready and was on my way to work when I hear Brooke sneezing and coughing - she's forward facing now so I turn around in time to see her vomiting all over herself and the carseat :(
She's at daycare now, but she's going to the pedi this afternoon, and I'm going to my dr as well. Fun day, huh?
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Walking!
In my last post, I was so focused on what's going on with Brooke's antibiotic, I forgot to mention....
....she's starting to walk on her own!
So far, we're only talking 4-6 steps on her own, but she just started on Wednesday. Last night, she did this 4 times in a row....one of these days she's going to just keep going, and I cannot wait!
....she's starting to walk on her own!
So far, we're only talking 4-6 steps on her own, but she just started on Wednesday. Last night, she did this 4 times in a row....one of these days she's going to just keep going, and I cannot wait!
Omnicef.
I hate the word. I hate to think if it. Omnicef is the antibiotic given to Brooke for her ear infection, and it has been tough on my little girl.
Before we went to the pediatrician on Wednesday, Brooke was sleeping great and seemed to be feeling great. I got the prescription filled immediately after leaving the office and gave her the first dose that night.
Wednesday night, she seemed to be in more pain, and it seemed like she was teething on top of everything, so I gave her some generic Tylenol. She did not sleep well - she was up several times overnight.
Each night has continued to be the same thing. She falls asleep about 8:15 pm (earlier than her normal bedtime) and sleeps until about 10 - then she starts waking up every 10 minutes or so until midnight (last night, until 2 am!). Then, she'll sleep for an hour or two stretch at a time.
Last night was night #5 of this....so dreadful.
When she's awake during the day, she's cranky and clingy (OK, so maybe she likes to cling to Mommy just a little, but I can normally get her play...and she is ALWAYS smiling and laughing). Her appetite is pretty much non-existent (she used to eat 3 stage 2 jars of food for lunch, now she's only eating 1). Her eyes are puffy and pink from being so tired and crying so much. She's been hitting the side of her head, which she's never done before.
What caused this? I'm pretty sure it's the antibiotic. On Sunday, after 4 nights of no sleeping, I put a call in to the pedi's office. The after hours nurse said that Omnicef can cause diarrhea (we've had some of this too), upset stomach, headaches (I don't know if Brooke has a headache - I'm guessing this is why she's been patting her head, as the patting goes away with Tylenol), restlessness, lack of appetite, and irratibility. She advised that I should call the pedi this morning (which I did, and I'm waiting for a call back - if I don't hear anything by the time they get back from lunch at 2:30, I'm calling again).
I know all antibiotics have side effects, but I really do not like that my girl is not sleeping - how's that going to help her feel better? I'm insistent that they need to change the antibiotic so she can rest and get feeling better.
On another note, Jacqui, Brooke's godmother, was released from the hospital on Thursday, exactly 3 weeks after her bone marrow transplant on 8/5/10!! Please say a quick prayer that she continues to do well and recover from her transplant as well as she has so far - we cannot wait until she's well enough to travel and see us!
Before we went to the pediatrician on Wednesday, Brooke was sleeping great and seemed to be feeling great. I got the prescription filled immediately after leaving the office and gave her the first dose that night.
Wednesday night, she seemed to be in more pain, and it seemed like she was teething on top of everything, so I gave her some generic Tylenol. She did not sleep well - she was up several times overnight.
Each night has continued to be the same thing. She falls asleep about 8:15 pm (earlier than her normal bedtime) and sleeps until about 10 - then she starts waking up every 10 minutes or so until midnight (last night, until 2 am!). Then, she'll sleep for an hour or two stretch at a time.
Last night was night #5 of this....so dreadful.
When she's awake during the day, she's cranky and clingy (OK, so maybe she likes to cling to Mommy just a little, but I can normally get her play...and she is ALWAYS smiling and laughing). Her appetite is pretty much non-existent (she used to eat 3 stage 2 jars of food for lunch, now she's only eating 1). Her eyes are puffy and pink from being so tired and crying so much. She's been hitting the side of her head, which she's never done before.
What caused this? I'm pretty sure it's the antibiotic. On Sunday, after 4 nights of no sleeping, I put a call in to the pedi's office. The after hours nurse said that Omnicef can cause diarrhea (we've had some of this too), upset stomach, headaches (I don't know if Brooke has a headache - I'm guessing this is why she's been patting her head, as the patting goes away with Tylenol), restlessness, lack of appetite, and irratibility. She advised that I should call the pedi this morning (which I did, and I'm waiting for a call back - if I don't hear anything by the time they get back from lunch at 2:30, I'm calling again).
I know all antibiotics have side effects, but I really do not like that my girl is not sleeping - how's that going to help her feel better? I'm insistent that they need to change the antibiotic so she can rest and get feeling better.
On another note, Jacqui, Brooke's godmother, was released from the hospital on Thursday, exactly 3 weeks after her bone marrow transplant on 8/5/10!! Please say a quick prayer that she continues to do well and recover from her transplant as well as she has so far - we cannot wait until she's well enough to travel and see us!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
My poor baby
Apparently, all my posts about my baby girl not eating have a reason!
She's been playing with her ears lately - but no fever, no crying, no real crankiness/fussiness (except when eating veggies!), no nothing. She plays with her ears when she's tired (sticking her fingers inside) and sometimes just to play (she also sticks her fingers in my ears, in my husband's ears, etc....she's fascinated by them), so Jim and I had decided to just watch her and see how it went.
On Saturday, I decided to take her to the dr, but the office was closed. I waited until yesterday (Wednesday) because it's the first day I could leave work early to take her, and I had a couple of other questions for the dr (mostly about eating!) I didn't think it was a big deal to wait, since she didn't seem to be sick and plays with her ears anyway (last time this happened, she was just getting teeth, and she was drooling so I thought I'd be losing $25 anyway!)
Well, turns out, she has a double ear infection. They put her on an antibiotic for 10 days. (She is also getting more teeth, which might have caused the congestion that led to fluid build-up that led to an ear infection....). I feel like an absolutely awful Mommy for not taking her sooner, but it is SO HARD to guess when this child has an ear infection. She doesn't complain about them - I can't wait until she can start to tell me, "Mommy, my ear hurts!"
On a more positive note, Brooke hasn't been sick (and no antibiotics) since APRIL! (You might remember one fever in June, but that was solely due to teething!) The ped was so happy, and so am I!
She's been playing with her ears lately - but no fever, no crying, no real crankiness/fussiness (except when eating veggies!), no nothing. She plays with her ears when she's tired (sticking her fingers inside) and sometimes just to play (she also sticks her fingers in my ears, in my husband's ears, etc....she's fascinated by them), so Jim and I had decided to just watch her and see how it went.
On Saturday, I decided to take her to the dr, but the office was closed. I waited until yesterday (Wednesday) because it's the first day I could leave work early to take her, and I had a couple of other questions for the dr (mostly about eating!) I didn't think it was a big deal to wait, since she didn't seem to be sick and plays with her ears anyway (last time this happened, she was just getting teeth, and she was drooling so I thought I'd be losing $25 anyway!)
Well, turns out, she has a double ear infection. They put her on an antibiotic for 10 days. (She is also getting more teeth, which might have caused the congestion that led to fluid build-up that led to an ear infection....). I feel like an absolutely awful Mommy for not taking her sooner, but it is SO HARD to guess when this child has an ear infection. She doesn't complain about them - I can't wait until she can start to tell me, "Mommy, my ear hurts!"
On a more positive note, Brooke hasn't been sick (and no antibiotics) since APRIL! (You might remember one fever in June, but that was solely due to teething!) The ped was so happy, and so am I!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Update
I haven't blogged for almost a week, because, really, every day is the same old, same old....
Last week, Brooke had a really runny nose that I attributed to teething since she's been literally grabbing her mouth. Saturday, I started getting a cold that has now moved into my chest and is making me really miserable. It's hard to breathe, but I'm not really coughing much so no relief there.
Things on the eating front have not gotten any better. Brooke won't eat meat, which doesn't worry me because it didn't worry Dr. Castro - she said many kids don't eat meat at this age (now that I think of it, I know my niece didn't and she's healthy as can be at 4 years old!). While she used to eat regular veggies and spit out baby food veggies, she now refuses anything but the baby food veggies. She'll eat some regular veggies if they're mixed in soup, but not very many - I don't think she even eats a tablespoon that way, either! I offer her table food at every meal and then give her baby food at the end if she's still hungry - she's definitely getting over 5 servings of fruits & veggies a day, so it will work out. I'm trying to be patient, but I am so excited to not have to buy baby food anymore!
One thing I've found that Brooke loves is roast beef from Subway! Go figure.
Last week, Brooke had a really runny nose that I attributed to teething since she's been literally grabbing her mouth. Saturday, I started getting a cold that has now moved into my chest and is making me really miserable. It's hard to breathe, but I'm not really coughing much so no relief there.
Things on the eating front have not gotten any better. Brooke won't eat meat, which doesn't worry me because it didn't worry Dr. Castro - she said many kids don't eat meat at this age (now that I think of it, I know my niece didn't and she's healthy as can be at 4 years old!). While she used to eat regular veggies and spit out baby food veggies, she now refuses anything but the baby food veggies. She'll eat some regular veggies if they're mixed in soup, but not very many - I don't think she even eats a tablespoon that way, either! I offer her table food at every meal and then give her baby food at the end if she's still hungry - she's definitely getting over 5 servings of fruits & veggies a day, so it will work out. I'm trying to be patient, but I am so excited to not have to buy baby food anymore!
One thing I've found that Brooke loves is roast beef from Subway! Go figure.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Eating.....
Brooke's eating really has me frustrated!
For a while, it was really hard to feed her at breakfast - almost like she didn't want to eat as soon as she got up, so she would hardly eat anything. That went away during/after vacation, and I've found that she LOVES breakfast foods - pancakes, eggs, fruit, yogurt, toast/bagels, donuts/pastries....
Now, the difficulty is veggies, which she's always loved! It used to be the only thing she wouldn't eat was meat - now she's spitting out her veggies no matter what form they're in. She will eat all fruits (except fresh blueberries), cheese, pasta, rice, etc., etc., but I cannot, for the life of me, get her to swallow those veggies! She'll chew them for a second and then spit them out, use her fantastic pincer grasp to pick them up, and hand them to me.
So, Mamas out there, do you have any advice for me? I know to keep trying them (and I'm hoping eventually she'll start to love them again!) In the meantime, I'll also stick with the baby food purees and mix them into my meals (for example, beef stew) whenever I can. This is so, so, so important to me - my #1 goal is to teach Brooke to eat healthy (all things in moderation, which I tend to have trouble with when it comes to yummy, sweet, chocolate-y things). (OK - maybe not #1 - but it's one of my top goals to be a good Mama!) I do NOT want her to be in her mid-20s and have high cholesterol (like me) - (I know part of it is hereditary, and we have an incredibly strong family history of this, high blood pressure, and heart disease in mine and Jim's families).
For a while, it was really hard to feed her at breakfast - almost like she didn't want to eat as soon as she got up, so she would hardly eat anything. That went away during/after vacation, and I've found that she LOVES breakfast foods - pancakes, eggs, fruit, yogurt, toast/bagels, donuts/pastries....
Now, the difficulty is veggies, which she's always loved! It used to be the only thing she wouldn't eat was meat - now she's spitting out her veggies no matter what form they're in. She will eat all fruits (except fresh blueberries), cheese, pasta, rice, etc., etc., but I cannot, for the life of me, get her to swallow those veggies! She'll chew them for a second and then spit them out, use her fantastic pincer grasp to pick them up, and hand them to me.
So, Mamas out there, do you have any advice for me? I know to keep trying them (and I'm hoping eventually she'll start to love them again!) In the meantime, I'll also stick with the baby food purees and mix them into my meals (for example, beef stew) whenever I can. This is so, so, so important to me - my #1 goal is to teach Brooke to eat healthy (all things in moderation, which I tend to have trouble with when it comes to yummy, sweet, chocolate-y things). (OK - maybe not #1 - but it's one of my top goals to be a good Mama!) I do NOT want her to be in her mid-20s and have high cholesterol (like me) - (I know part of it is hereditary, and we have an incredibly strong family history of this, high blood pressure, and heart disease in mine and Jim's families).
Monday, August 16, 2010
Just a quick update....
Nothing too exciting to report here.
Everytime it seems like we have a little extra money to save for our eventual move, something happens. This time, it was a flat tire on my car (that we were lucky didn't blow out while I was driving), which required us to replace both front tires and get my car aligned. Oh, and that weird thing that my car does where my a/c doesn't come on all the time? It's the blower motor - which I will need to replace soon so that my sweet little girl doesn't melt in this heat when it finally decides to stop working for good. Plus, it was Florida Bar dues time and daycare. I wish I could just stay home and save that money, and travel money I spend to and from work, but we're just not in a position for that to happen right now.
Life is still good, though. Brooke is growing so fast! She loves to walk around the living room pushing her toys, and she loves to feed her new baby doll a bottle! She's starting to talk a little more now - but still not trying to repeat everything. That will come with time, I suppose. For now, she says baabaa (bottle), hi, boo (book), wha (what happened? She puts her hands up in the air with this one), Mama, Dada.....ba (ball)....so cute! She started smelling her food now, too - she purses her lips like a kiss and sticks her nose in her food. Too funny! She gives kisses - she does the lips and that's how she blows kisses.
Jim and I moved to the sports room so Brooke now has her own room - and she sleeps better than ever! I miss our big, comfy bed, but I'll adjust.
When we were in PA, on 8/6/10, we went to my Gram's house after the rehearsal dinner. Brooke stood up in the middle of the floor by herself! She tried to take a couple of steps on her own and fell forward - now she's only done it once or twice since then.
One thing that is frustrating me lately is that while she used to love veggies, it gets harder and harder to feed them to her each day! It doesn't really matter if they're whole or pureed, she doesn't like them. Guess I'll have to get her some asparagus and then try to convince her to eat others. She LOVES spaghetti, mac and cheese, and all thing carbohydrates, LOL.
Today, Jim and I are starting weight watchers again - wish us luck!
Everytime it seems like we have a little extra money to save for our eventual move, something happens. This time, it was a flat tire on my car (that we were lucky didn't blow out while I was driving), which required us to replace both front tires and get my car aligned. Oh, and that weird thing that my car does where my a/c doesn't come on all the time? It's the blower motor - which I will need to replace soon so that my sweet little girl doesn't melt in this heat when it finally decides to stop working for good. Plus, it was Florida Bar dues time and daycare. I wish I could just stay home and save that money, and travel money I spend to and from work, but we're just not in a position for that to happen right now.
Life is still good, though. Brooke is growing so fast! She loves to walk around the living room pushing her toys, and she loves to feed her new baby doll a bottle! She's starting to talk a little more now - but still not trying to repeat everything. That will come with time, I suppose. For now, she says baabaa (bottle), hi, boo (book), wha (what happened? She puts her hands up in the air with this one), Mama, Dada.....ba (ball)....so cute! She started smelling her food now, too - she purses her lips like a kiss and sticks her nose in her food. Too funny! She gives kisses - she does the lips and that's how she blows kisses.
Jim and I moved to the sports room so Brooke now has her own room - and she sleeps better than ever! I miss our big, comfy bed, but I'll adjust.
When we were in PA, on 8/6/10, we went to my Gram's house after the rehearsal dinner. Brooke stood up in the middle of the floor by herself! She tried to take a couple of steps on her own and fell forward - now she's only done it once or twice since then.
One thing that is frustrating me lately is that while she used to love veggies, it gets harder and harder to feed them to her each day! It doesn't really matter if they're whole or pureed, she doesn't like them. Guess I'll have to get her some asparagus and then try to convince her to eat others. She LOVES spaghetti, mac and cheese, and all thing carbohydrates, LOL.
Today, Jim and I are starting weight watchers again - wish us luck!
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