Our visit to Children's Hospital

For purposes of documenting – I want this in here.  It’s a little late, but it’s taken a little while to get caught up at home.  All about Aaden’s visit to Children’s hospital.

The weekend of June 7^th – we were looking forward to a quiet, uneventful weekend at home. No plans other than to work on our laundry room (which we are in the process of re-doing.  Pics to follow).  Friday we got the call from daycare that Aaden was running a slight fever.  This was pretty typical, and he had been sent home from daycare a half dozen times for this.  Poor kid just couldn’t get healthy.  See here to learn about the start of everything. .  Aaron picked him up and spent the afternoon with him.  He went to bed early, but he generally seemed like himself.  We figured it was the cold he was still battling + teething.

Saturday morning he had a slight fever when he woke up (around 101).  We gave him meds and he was good for about 3 hours.  As soon as the medicine started to wear off, he started shivering and his hands and feet were turning blue.  We did some looking online and it seemed normal when a fever spikes.  More medicine and we decided to watch him, since it was early am and urgent care was open all day.  Fast forward to about noon, we’re at Target picking up more meds, and the shivers return.  This time his lips start turning blue along with his hands and feet.   I leave and rush to urgent care – and they send me to the ER. 

Once at the ER, they start a bunch of tests.  Chest X-ray, bloodwork, urine sample (that they have to stick a tube up and pull out!).  They started an IV since he was very dehydrated.  Aaron was just finishing up work and was heading over so I kept letting the nurses know so they would let him into the ER.   Once Aaron got there, the Dr noticed and came in.  He said that he had a few conclusions from their tests, and while it was nice to have answers, they weren’t what we wanted to hear.  He said that it looked like he had pneumonia in his lungs, which didn’t surprise us with all the sickness/coughing he had been having.  The Dr. also said that when they did the bloodwork, the tech actually called him back to look at the smear.  They said his WBC was over 30,000 (normal is 10,000) and they said the cells very mis-shapen and abnormal, and for that reason they wanted to send us to Children’s to see a hematologist.   They would send us by ambulance and we should plan to be there for a while.  My stomach fell.  I was expecting a nasty cold, even pneumonia didn’t surprise me.  But abnormal blood cells, an ambulance ride and MORE hospitals?!  I had a pit in my stomach and even though they didn’t say it, I knew they were thinking it was leukemia. 

Did you know this is how they do babies' X-Rays?



Waiting to ride in the ambulance - and feeling pretty good with the IV, antibiotics and ibuprofin.



We had a few hours to wait (ambulance was being used for a car accident), so we took turns running home to pack, pick up the house and feed the neighbor’s cats.  We called my parents to come home from the cabin, since we would need them to take Vada.  About 6:30 pm we boarded the ambulance for a ride down to Children’s.  Once at Children’s we were admitted to the ER for their own tests and work up on our sick little guy.  All the while, Aaden’s fever kept spiking to between 103 – 105.2 when we first got the ER.  He was one sick little dude.

Poor baby and his high fever.



About 9:00pm a Doctor came in to tell us that a hematologist looked at his bloodwork and ruled out leukemia.  THANK GOD.  It was a long afternoon, but we were lucky to get the results that fast.  They still wanted him admitted to the hospital since they couldn’t get his fevers under control. 

We ended up staying till Tuesday, June 11th.  He didn’t kick the fevers until Monday afternoon, and he was in rough shape all weekend.  They confirmed pneumonia and adenovirus.  So the combination of a bacterial infection (pneumonia) and the virus was the reason why they believe his blood cells were so mis-shapen.  His WBC was very elevated at admittance and stayed up there till Monday morning.  Monday morning’s blood work and Tuesday’s was finally on the way back down, and with the fever gone we were sent home.



Our room and what we did for 3 days.  We got caught up on New Girl though.  Thank God for IPAD's and Hulu. :-)



 Defiantly not the weekend we had planned, but we thank our lucky stars that Aaden was sick with a curable illness.  We were in isolation at Children’s since we were placed on the oncology floor with all the children battling various cancers.  It was a somber experience.  We are so thankful for our healthy little man!  While our stay wasn’t very pleasant, (we had a twin bed to share and didn’t get a room with a shower until Monday) we were lucky it was a short stay.  We were sent home with 4 medications to give him and a slew of instructions.  But it was nice to be home again.

Then that weekend he felt MUCH better!

 

5th Anniversary!

Today we celebrate 5 years of wedded bliss!  I still fondly think back to our wedding day and enjoy looking over the photos of the FUN and warm day.  I love you hunny bunny so much!  The last 5 years seem to have flown, and now here we are parents!  I love riding Life's rollercoaster with you, and I can't wait to see what the next 50 years has in store for us!


Muah!




At our rehearsal dinner



My beautiful family!




Where we met - Best Buy!



The stunning bridesmaids



Our wedding party really made our day.  They were the best!



9 months old

(Disclaimer - I had this all ready to go after his 9 month appointment - but i was waiting to upload his 9mo photos.  Major Mommy fail.  Still not done - but I want to post this with the photographer picture I stole.  I need to post it before he hits the 10 month mark - next week! )

You are officially 9 months old.  OMG.  How are we at this point already?  I love every smile, smirk, giggle and cry you make.  I melt for your kisses and hugs.  It's amazing how our lives have completely changed, and it all revolves around YOU.  Before you were born I had anxiety about how much life would change.  I knew it would be good, but I knew it would be hard too.  The fear of the unknown was pretty intimidating.  Little did I know how much my heart could love such a little bitty baby.  The love and complete adoration of every little thing you do much out weighs the difficulty and challenges of change.  In fact, it doesn't even seem "hard" and the "change" seems to be a much welcomed - slower pace of absorbing each and every moment.  To sum it up, you are our world!  And we ADORE you!

Aaden's stats:

Feed:

You love your fruits and veggies.  You started eating puffs and have tried a little chicken and hamburger.  You are having difficulty with solids (even the puffs sometimes) and can't figure out how to chew/mash it up and swallow.  You cough and sometimes throw up because of this.  Hopefully you will be overcoming this hurdle soon!

Weight:

At your 9 month appointment you were 16lb 2oz.  On the light side!!  But you've been sick non-stop for the last two months, so your eating habits are continually changing. Dr. didn't seem concerned since you seem to be following your own curve.  Even though you are in the .0016% for your length - you are off the charts!

Length:

28.5 inches

Diaper Size:

Size 3

Clothes Size:

Your Gymboree and Gap brand 3-6 months clothes are starting to get a little small.  The 6 month sleepers are getting too short, and the 9 month ones fit perfectly.  We have a few 9 mo Carter’s outfits and they seem a little big around the waist, but the length is good.  You are still so long and skinny!

Hair Color:

BLONDE, and getting much longer and thicker!  You're getting to need a haircut soon! 

Eye color:

Blue

Funniest moment this month:

When you "attacked" Mommy.  You get a silly streak once in a while (so are so your Mommy's baby!).  You decided to smother me in kisses - which meant open-mouthed tongue slobbering kisses.  You use both hands and grab my hair and yank me in.  I squeal from the pain of my hair being suddenly yanked (and clumps getting pulled out).  My giggles and shrieks just make you do it more.  Daddy got a video - which if I could figure out how to post I would!  

You are getting even better at standing and walking (with assistance).  You've taken a few steps when coaxed (when hanging onto us).  But put your puppy in front of you and you hang on to our hand and stroll right up to her!  No real interest in crawling.. just walking.  I think if you figured out how to crawl you would be tormenting our little dog!

Your bottom two teeth are so close to poking out.  They've been bothering you for a few months now, so I'm hoping they will just break through here soon! 

You stopped sleeping through the night.  I was so proud for so long of my champion sleeper.  Since you've been sick you wake up 1-2 times per night coughing, and then whining and crying.  You just want to be held.

You've turned into a pretty good snuggler too!  You won't sit still too long, but you LOVE giving Mommy and Daddy hugs and kisses.  You love our little family hugs too!

You are obsessed with looking at yourself in the mirror.  You've started pounding on the mirror and smiling and laughing to yourself.

You learned how to High-Five us too!

On this day... 9 months ago

3:10pm, Friday, August 31st.  9 months ago exactly.  I was being rushed up to the labor and delivery ward after an ultrasound gone wrong. 

I was about to meet my beautiful and tiny, little boy.

Happy 9 months to my little man.

Full 9 month recap to follow - after our Dr. Appt on Monday!

 

The great 8!

How has another monthly milestone come and gone?  As of today, you are 35weeks,1day old.  The exact amount of time you spent in my belly!  It’s weird how I felt the time went MUCH slower when I was pregnant, but it flies when you are here.  Your Daddy and I love watching you grow and learn all sorts of new things.  You are a sponge and absorbing it all.  You are so fun!

Aaden's stats:

Feed:

You love your fruits and veggies.  Not a big fan of avocados, but I can’t blame you for that!  You make all sorts of goofy “mmm” noises when eating and can’t swallow and get your mouth open fast enough for the next spoonful!  You haven’t had much interest in feeding yourself yet.  We’ve tried cheerios and puffs, and you haven’t grasped what to do with those, you just end up coughing and make Mommy nervous you will choke on them. 

Weight:

When I weighed you at home you seemed to be in the upper 16#’s.  We’ll confirm at the end of this month when we have your 9 mo appt.

Length:

27 inches

Diaper Size:

Size 3

Clothes Size:

Your Gymboree and Gap brand 3-6 months clothes are starting to get a little small.  The 6 month sleepers are getting too short, and the 9 month ones fit perfectly.  We have a few 9 mo Carter’s outfits and they seem a little big around the waist, but the length is good.  You are still so long and skinny!

Hair Color:

BLONDE, and getting much longer and thicker!  You’re looking soo much like your daddy these days.

Eye color:

Blue

Funniest moment this month:

Watching you try avocados?! Or watching you trying to drink from Mommy’s hot pink water bottle.  You love that water bottle and if it is anywhere near you, you want it and try to get a drink. 

You are mobile!!!  You can sit on your own completely, but you prefer to be on your tummy moving around.  Not quite completely crawling, but army crawling, scooting and rolling around.  You are a master at spinning yourself in a circle. 

You’ve been learning what hugs and kisses are, and you’re getting fairly good at reciprocating them. 

This month you graduated to not needing your car seat to ride in the stroller, sitting on your own in a shopping cart and a stage 2 car seat!  My little man is getting so big!  And oh-so fun!

You also babbled your first word – “Dada”.  You’ve said Mama as well, but you’re not consistent in saying either.  If we ask you where Momma or Daddy is, you know who we are, but you haven’t put the words together in reference to us yet.  So close…

I’m sure by next month he will be full-on crawling.  I’m sure it won’t be too many months before you start walking either.  You’ve tried to walk while we’ve held your hands already. 

A Fabulous Family Filled Weekend!



Sitting all by himself now!! (LOVE the little thigh rolls!)

 We had such a lovely weekend.  Although I’m still not 100%, I was feeling SO much better.  It was nice to actually have a weekend versus spending it in bed sick.

Friday night we did a HH with our friends Rob & Sarah.  Aaden enjoyed getting their attention and his first time in a restaurant high chair!

Saturday was perfect.  We were lazy getting up and all snuggled and played in bed.  Once we got moving we ran a few errands and did some Aaden shopping at the outlet mall.  We needed to get him some summer clothes (if summer ever gets here!).  That night we met my parents for dinner then had them over to play cards.  It was a beautiful day and such a fun day with family.

Sitting in a shopping cart now!  He was checking out all the ladies.

Sunday was busy, but oh so fun!  We were up early (like usual) but it was okay.  We had our friends Abby, Ken and their little man Eli over for brunch.  I spend the morning cooking up a storm while Aaron picked up the toys/house and got Aaden ready.  It was so fun to have them over and watch the boys play together!!  Eli is 2 months older than Aaden, and they got along so well.  It’s amazing that last time we saw them their seemed to be a huge difference in age between the boys.  There still is, but it seems to be shrinking.  Next time we see them I’m sure there won’t be a difference at all.  It will be so fun to watch our boys grow up together.  And breakfast was delicious (Eggs, French toast, turkey bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, croissants and OJ) I even have some leftover meat and French toast that I brought in for lunch today.

After our friends left, Aaden and I headed out for a shopping trip with my mom and my Grandma.  My Grandma is in a nursing home and doesn’t get out much.  She got a ride to the mall (in her scooter) and we spent a few hours shopping for some summer shirts for her.  Then we got a DQ treat and headed out. It was so nice to spend time together.

I had heard that afternoon that my aunt will in town (from Denver) this upcoming weekend. So I chatted with her for a bit to try to “arrange a play date for Aaden.”  Sounds like next weekend will be more family time.  I love my family and can’t wait for another great weekend.

5 Dr appts, and an ER visit in a matter of 19 days.

I am SO sick of being sick. 

Visit #1:  March 29th - Pneumonia hit this lady the weekend of Easter.  I went in did the blood work, the chest x-rays and got 10 days of antibiotics for my nasty cough.

Visit #2 (ER Trip):  March 30th - My dear hubby came down with the norovirus as soon as my pneumonia-induced fever of 102.5 broke. (Evening of March 29th).  Aaron spend all Friday night in the bathroom.  By Saturday he had a fever and couldn't even keep a glass of water in.  I called urgent care and they suggested heading straight to the ER since he seemed dehydrated.  I spent Easter weekend trying to recover while caring for a sick husband and baby.

By mid week we were finally starting to feel human again. 

Visit #3: April 6 - Urgent care for Aaden.  We woke up to a congested and wheezy baby.  We brought him in since it was the weekend and we were hopeful it wasn't pneumonia.  Croup and a prescription of steroids for him.

Visit #4 and #5:  April 12 - Aaden had gotten better earlier in the week, only to retract again.  The weekend was coming so we wanted him checked again.  He got more steroids and an antibiotic for his sinus infection.  I went in because I had been extremely tired, nauseous and had a bunch of sinus pressure.  My doc did some blood work and said everything seemed okay.  That I was probably just battling a cold.

Visit #6 - April 16 - Back again for me. I had a fever again and a sore throat.  Got a negative strep test and a "we don't know what's wrong" diagnosis.  I got another batch of antibiotics and I'm still hope sick in bed.

I've been tired, stuffy, had a cough, a fever on and off, and a bunch of other random symptoms over the last three weeks.  I've canceled more plans than I've attended.  I've missed 3 days of work and who knows if I'm going in tomorrow.  I.am.so.sick.of.this.

I'm thinking this is all due to the fact that Aaden started daycare.  We were healthy all fall and winter!  But in the last month that he's been in daycare, I've been sick for 3 weeks.  Luckily Aaden has only had croup and a stuffy nose (pretty normal for kids) versus the flu or a fever.  I'm very thankful it's been me and not my adorable little boy.

I'm just praying for warm weather, that it will hopefully be the solution to this stroke of sickness.

And I can't wait for all the bills to start rolling in.  Thankful for good insurance and a flex account. :-)