Trying Three

WoW! We have been so busy that every time I begin to Blog, I never get to a point where I am able to publish my post! Here is a post that should catch you up to speed on our CRAZY lives! This post will update the past two weeks and numerous adventures of The Smithson Family!

Friday a week ago (April 24th), Liam turned 3! He wanted to eat, “steak meat, chips, and cheese” for his birthday, so we went to El Sombrero for dinner. That is one of two places where he will actually EAT! The other place is Chick-fil-A, therefore that is where he had his party! Monday night, Liam and several of his friends, as well as some of our friends and family, gathered at Chick-fil-A for an eventful birthday party! It was so CRAZY that we waited until we got home to have Liam open his presents. He got so many cool toys! Thank you to everyone that attended Liam’s party. We really appreciate all of the awesome gifts! Now that Liam has seen the number 3 on his birthday cake, he believes us when we tell him he is no longer 2!

Liam and the Chick-fil-A cow!

Logan and the cow

Elizabeth and the cow!

Lainey checking out the cow!

Liam and his friend Brett ~ they are the reason why Brett's mom and I work!

Kaylah

Lanie ~ Lainey's friend who also has CF (read this previous blog)

Lanie's brother Landon

Last Saturday (April 25th) was Chris and Kelly’s wedding (Chris is my sister’s brother-in-law). The boys stayed with Papa Dan and Rachel, while my friend Jenn, Lainey, and I went to the wedding. Sid had to work and was unable to take off to go to the wedding. They got married at a beautiful house in Greensboro, Georgia. It took about one hour and forty-five minutes to get there, but we didn’t mind! The wedding was beautiful, Lainey was well-behaved, the food was yummy, the cupcakes were to die for, and the dancing was too funny to miss! Kelly was a beautiful bride.....and Chris looked cute, too (can’t leave him out)! Kelly had some wonderful smelling candles as favors......thank you for helping to mask the stinky CF diaper smell at my house!

Kelly and Chris

Lainey Bug

Tuesday (April 28th) we were scheduled to have our pictures taken for the Littlest Heroes Project. Everyone was home early from work and school, clothes were ironed, and all were dressed and off we went to the park to meet the photographer. Problem: The photographer wasn’t there. We waited for over half an hour, went to several parks incase she got lost, called her (no answer), emailed her, text messaged her, and still no photographer. As bummed as we were, we left and will wait to see if she contacts us again! I really wanted to have her pictures ready before her first birthday. As of now, we have yet to have our emails or phone calls returned!

Wednesday (April 29th) we went to Liam’s 3 year check-up! His weight was in the 75th percentile and his height was in the 50th percentile. He checked out well in all areas! Dr. Onal reminded us that SAFETY is the most important thing when caring for a 3 year old child! He can say that again because Liam is in to EVERYTHING! We have only called the poison control a few times (he took birth control, vitamin D, and an iron pill as well as drinking 1/3 of a bottle of Mucinex), there are a at least half a dozen bruises adorning his legs, he very rarely goes one day without a bump or cut on his face, and he is always sporting bite marks on his hand…..Don’t you bite yourself when you are mad?

Thursday (April 30th) began our series of birthday parties! Liam was invited to a party at Monkey Joe's. Sid and Liam went to the party while I attended a meeting at school. Yesterday I took the kids to 3 birthday parties!! We began at 10:00 with Brett’s party at the INK museum (Interactive Neighborhood for Kids), then Katelynn’s birthday party at 11:00 at the Hall County Humane Society, and finishing with Ajay’s birthday party at 2:00 at his house with the Bus Fair! Three birthdays, three cakes, three presents, three plates of food, and three tired children….and one worn out mommy!

Brett's 3rd birthday!

Katelynn's birthday party!

Katelynn turning 2!

Jenn, Ed, and Katelynn

Got cake?

Kaylah enjoying birthday cake!

Logan, Liam, and Dawson

Ajay's 4th birthday!

Lainey

Liam jumping on Ajay and Avery's jumper!

This next week will be just as crazy as the past! I will try to post, even if it is just pictures of our adventures! My birthday is on Tuesday, cinco de mayo! We have a birthday party to attend on Saturday, and then Mother’s Day and Lilly’s baptism on Sunday! We are also planning for Lainey’s First Birthday Bash! She has 17 days until her 1st birthday!! Oh yeah, She just began crawling this past week!! Enjoy the pictures and look for more from our week ahead!

DeAnn

What's Up Doc?

This has been a week of doctor visits for Logan, Lainey, Papa, and Gigi. Some reports were better than others. Some things we heard from the doctors we questioned and are still questioning. Hopefully now we will have a break from going to the doctor....at least for a couple of weeks!

Logan had his 5 year old checkup at the pediatrician's office on Thursday. He was above the 90th percentile for his height and weight! Although he is a big boy, weighing in at 64 pounds, the doctor was not concerned. He is also 45 1/2 inches tall, thus balancing his weight. Keeping him active and teaching him healthy eating habits is our main goal. Logan loves to eat, but he is also all boy ~ meaning he is always on the go! In addition to a full exam, Logan was the lucky recipient of 4 shots in the thigh! Needless to say this meant cornering him, carrying him to the table, and holding him down. He is still complaining about the pain in his legs from the shots! I am sure we will still hear about it for at least two more weeks! Other than yearly flu shots, he is finished with vaccinations until he is ten! Yeah....except I am not sure I will be able to wrestle him when he is ten if it is this difficult when he is five!

Lainey also had her checkup at the pediatrician's office on Thursday, as well as her monthly clinic visit at the Cystic Fibrosis Center on Friday. Dr. Onal, the pediatrician, is extremely thorough and is in complete awe of Lainey and her accomplishments ~ developmentally and with her health. Lainey hated his assessment of her ears, mouth, and stomach. She cried like I have never heard her cry before and continue to whimper even after his exam. Everything with exception of her eyes and a possible ear infection, checked out to be great. Dr. Onal has prescribed eye drops for Lainey's eyes and has referred her to a pediatric opthamologist. He suspects clogged tear ducts, but isn't convinced that what her eyes are producing isn't mucus related to the Cystic Fibrosis. Lainey didn't have to have any shots for her 9 month visit! YEAH!

Our visit to the Cystic Fibrosis Center was the best visit we have ever had. Lainey gained 2 lbs. 5.3 oz since her last visit in January, bringing her up to 18 lbs. 6.8 oz! Woo Hoo! 30 calorie Alimentum with Polycose Powder is our new BEST friend. She also grew another inch and is now measuring 28 1/4 inches long! Although she is still in the YELLOW ~ at risk, monitor carefully range, we are so close to seeing the GREEN! Dr. Caplan and Liz (the dietitian) were completely thrilled with her progress. From his examination, Dr. Caplan didn't think Lainey had an ear infection as suspected by Dr. Onal. He also acted as if it was completely normal that Lainey's eyes were draining and was somewhat confused about her going to the pediatric opthamologist. I am not sure if she should go or not.....Is it a CF thing ~ clumpy, yellowish-green junk in the corners of her eyes, and tears falling from the outside corners of her eyes? Is it necessary for her to go the pediatric opthamologist? Should she try the drops, then decide if the pediatric opthamologist is the next step? Ahhhhh.....Questions, but no answers.......yet! Not one thing about Lainey's medications or diet changed as a result of her visit today! The dietitian said she was fine with Lainey eating more high calorie table foods and drinking less formula. This was great news since Lainey is only consuming about 20 oz of formula from her bottle. We usually sneak formula into other meals through rice cereal, just to pack on the calories! The doctors have a goal of Lainey gaining 1 lb. 5 oz. by her next clinic visit on March 20th, bringing her to 20lbs!!! We are up for the challenge....now we have to get Lainey on board!

To kill several birds with one stone, Gigi and Papa scheduled their appointments for the same time as Lainey's. On Friday morning we left Gainesville at 8:30 am to head to Egleston and Emory. Papa dropped Lainey and I off at the CF Center at 9:50 and they headed over to Emory for their echocardiograms. *** My dad, Papa, had his aorta replaced in February of 2000 due to a tear in the mitral valve causing the blood to go around the aorta rather than through it to the heart. After his surgery, one of his lungs collapsed. Although the surgery and several days afterwards were emotionally and physically draining for all of us, he recovered remarkably well after being release from the hospital. *** The doctors continue to check on my dad's valve and high blood pressure. He went back to work shortly after his heart surgery and worked ridiculous hours. He was stressed out and it the stress showed it's ugly face by causing problems with his new valve. During that time he was diagnosed with stage 1 rectal cancer. He underwent surgery in October 2005 and now has a permanent colostomy. He caught the cancer early enough that he did not need chemotherapy. With the cancer added more stress to his new valve. The doctors now perform yearly echocardiograms to keep a check on the valve.

Lainey's CF clinic was over around 12:00, but Papa and Gigi had finished their echos, and were waiting to see their doctor in the Adult Cardiac Clinic at Emory. Finally my dad decided he had made me wait long enough and he came to pick Lainey and I up at the CF Center at 1:00. I would have walked to Emory, but it was pouring and we were under a flood watch! In the meantime, mom and dad's doctor was busy and she sent mom to the lab for several tests. After parking and traveling to the lab, she was still waiting. After the lab my mom was scheduled for a chest x-ray in the radiology building! Needless to say, this was nowhere close to her clinic. We waited for 30 minutes only to get a call from her doctor saying she was ready to see both her and dad! Without the x-ray we went back to the cardiac clinic! I am not sure exactly how long their appointment took because Lainey and I took a nap in the waiting room! We went back to radiology after mom and dad's clinic, only to wait an hour before my dad went to find out what was taking so long. They didn't have mom's paperwork because they had filed it after she left the first time! Amazingly enough it only took 10 minutes until they called mom back for her x-ray after speaking with my dad! We were finally finished with all of our appointments by 4:30! By the time we sat in rush hour traffic, picked Liam up at Aunt Dayna's house, and picked Logan up at Chick-fil-A where he was hanging out with his friend, it was 6:30 when we got to my parent's house!

Papa got a good report...well, according to what he is telling us! Gigi.....well, hers was not what we would have liked to hear. Her disease is progressing (read more about it here). The doctors are unsure if it is her heart that is causing her problems or if it is the secondary pulmonary hypertension. She is now on Lasix to assist in lowering the amount of fluid in her body. The amount of fluid in her body causes more pressure on her heart, thus making it work harder. If the Lasix works, then mom should feel better (less fatigued and less out of breath) by Monday. This means that her heart is the causing the majority of her problems. In saying this, there isn't much the doctors can do. The harder her heart works, the harder her heart gets, thus not working properly. IF the Lasix don't make her feel better, then it is the secondary pulmonary hypertension that is causing her to feel as she does. The doctors can do a few things for this, such as changing some of her medications and introducing some intense medications like Flolan. There are very few options left for my mom. We know she is a strong woman and will fight until the end. As anyone would, I hate hearing that there are few options left for my mom. She and I are best friends. We call each other at least 5 times a day and unless my parents are out of town, I usually see her everyday. Several years ago I vowed to myself to do for her what ever she needed. I also decided that I would spend as much time with her as possible. She and I have grown so close. We are always finishing each other's sentences, we have the same mannerisms, and we often say the same exact thing at the same exact time.

At times I am glad my husband is in the medical field, but at other times I absolutely hate what he knows. He tries very hard to cover up his feelings and answer my questions honestly. After shedding many tears last night, I have decided to look at some of my vows from several years ago. My vows will continue to stay the same, but I will be adding a few new ones. One vow is to come home on time from work 3 days a week (I often work until 5:00 when I am finished at 3:30). In doing this, mom and I will be able to go shopping. It will also provide her with a break from watching Logan and Lainey for an additional hour and a half. Another vow is to do even more to help her...whether it be to pick up groceries, pick up her medications, take her out to places she needs or wants to go, wash her dogs, vacuum, etc. I want her to be less stressed, less worn out, less out of breath....so she can be here for more years to come. I also vow to not dwell on "what mights" and "what ifs". I will enjoy the time we have together....and try not to focus on what I will do with myself when the time comes.

With all of the news we received at the numerous doctor appointments over the past few days, I can say that we are overall thankful for what God has given us. We still have each other and we are still hanging in there! Thank you for all of your prayers for our family. Please continue to pray for Lainey and my mom, Gigi! We feel all of your prayers daily!

With Love,

DeAnn

Birthodaycoccal Partyngitis

On Monday Logan had his 5th birthday party at Monkey Joe's. Along with the goodie bags, he and his little brother, Liam, passed out Streptococcal pharyngitis germs....aka ~ Strep Throat! Yep, that is right...Logan and Liam both had strep throat at the birthday party...and I didn't even know! Liam ran a low grade fever off and on last week, but never confirmed that anything hurt. Logan began complaining of a headache and his throat hurting on Friday, but he continued to eat. The last time he had strep, he wouldn't eat....so I thought it might be a cold or sinus drainage! WRONG! When my mom looked down his throat while the other kids were jumping on the inflatable toys at Monkey Joe's, she called it....and we called the doctor.

There were no openings at the pediatrician's office, so I took the boys yesterday. A little miffed with me for not bringing the boys to them in earlier, the doctor confirmed positive strep tests for both of them. Although Liam seems to be responding well to the antibiotics, Logan is still lagging behind. Logan has had a fever averaging 101 and he has been throwing up! He also is not wanting to eat....and if Logan doesn't want to eat, there is obviously something wrong! I think Liam was close to being over his strep throat since he was running a low grade fever most of last week. He has acted fine, but isn't eating much....like usual! The best thing the doctor said was that Lainey should be okay....babies do not usually get strep throat! I have never heard that, but I'll take it and hope she stays well!

Although Logan was not feeling well, I was determined to make sure he still had a good time at his party. Monkey Joe's is fun....but not so much when you aren't feeling well! Logan's favorite part of the party was opening gifts....who's isn't?! He got so many cool gifts! Transformers, Power Rangers, Legos, and Hot Wheels are just a few of the things his friends gave him. Thank you to everyone that came to celebrate Logan's 5th birthday. We hope you had a good time and we really hope Logan and Liam did not give your child strep throat!

Here are some pictures of Logan's BIG day at Monkey Joe's!

Lainey hanging out at Monkey Joe's.

Monkey Liam!

The Birthday Boy!

Hanging out with Strep Throat!

The Transformer Birthday Cake.

Logan and his friend Monkey Joe!

A cool UGA cork board from Reagan!

Thank you for the awesome gift Andrew....BAKUGAN is all Logan talks about after hanging out with you at school!

Thank you for the Power Ranger Grandma Carolyn and Papa David! Wish you could have been at the party!

For what is left of this week, I am hoping that Logan will get to go back to school. Liam went today but Logan stayed at Gigi and Papa's house. The boys are no longer contagious, but Logan still needs a little rest. Today I haven't felt very well, so I hope I have not caught any of the bugs that have been in our house.

Lainey is suppose to go to the CF Center on Friday for her monthly check up. Since the boys have been sick and may not be going to school, I might have to reschedule her appointment. My parents both have to go to Emory for a check up with the cardiologist on Friday, February 27th, so I may reschedule her appointment for then since the CF Center and Emory are so close to each other.

Please pray for a speedy recovery for the boys. Prayer is also needed for Sid, Lainey, and I....we really need to stay well! Thanks again for all of the birthday wishes and gifts!

DeAnn

The BIG Man is 5!!

5 years ago today, my sweet Logan James was born! 14 hours of labor, 10 minutes of pushing, and 1 wonderful epidural later, at 3:58 pm my 8 lb. 13 oz, 21 inch baby boy was born! Having only 2 veins versus 3 veins in his umbilical cord and having it wrapped around his neck 3 times, I was unable to hold him until after 9:00 that evening. I was a mom, which soon proved to be more stressful and painful than I ever imagined! Logan never got enough food through nursing and often spit up most of his food. After adding Zantac, Soy formula, and rice cereal to his diet, plus making it through three months of Colic, he was a wonderful baby! As for me....When Logan was 1 week old I was in the ER! I began hemorrhaging and running a fever of 103.9. After 4 days in the hospital, a fever averaging 103 degrees, 5 antibiotics, a cooling bed, no eating, 24 hour supervision, ultrasounds, and sleepless nights, I was eventually released. It was later determined that some of the placenta was still attached to my uterine wall, thus causing an infection! And of course the same excuse was repeated throughout my stay in the hospital and even in the weeks afterward..."It is because you are a red head!" Supposedly red heads are at greater risk of infection, low blood pressure, bleeding, passing out, and many more issues!

Logan shares his birthday with Abe Lincoln, or as he says it "Haberham Lincoln." He requested a party at school consisting of cupcakes (because "cake is not allowed" ~ per Logan), Capri Sun, and goodie bags! I was able to take about 45 minutes off of work to celebrate his birthday with his pre-k friends! Logan thought everything was the coolest and required me taking a picture!

The Birthday Boy!

Logan and his pre-k friends!

Later in the evening we celebrated Logan's birthday by eating pizza and cupcakes! We invited several family members, but some were unable to make it to the party. Gigi and Papa let us celebrate at their house with Papa Dan and Rachel and of course Sid, Liam, Lainey, and I. Logan got so many presents he wasn't sure what to play with first! Grandma Barbara and Great Grandma Smithson were unable to make it to the family party, but they sent a lot of gifts. He is having a blast with all of his cool new toys...that he really didn't need because we already have a ton of toys at our house! Thank you to everyone for the awesome gifts. His birthday wish ~ "Mom won't yell at me when I do things I am not suppose to do!" AHHH...way to make me feel like a loser! Thanks Logan James!

Logan showing off his new Power Rangers!

Papa Dan. Logan, and the Red Ranger helmet.

Logan making his birthday wish.

Papa Dan and Lainey Bug

Liam eating a cupcake...yum!

Today I also had a follow up doctor appointment with the endocrinologist. Blah! For some reason my prolactin levels are still elevated (prolactin causes you to lactate, when you are nursing and sometimes when you are not nursing). They were actually higher than they were in September and November when they were last tested! I will continue taking the Cabergoline to help with this issue. My iron was still low even though I am taking a daily iron pill. My estrogen was still low, but not as low as before (was 7, now 22, should be around 500). Hopefully my prolactin levels will decrease and as a result the estrogen increase. If that does not happen, it will be determined that my pituitary gland is no longer working and I will be put on estrogen. My vitamin D also continues to be low...lower than it was in September...and with me taking 5,000 units per day and an addition 50,000 units per week to total 85,000 units per week! The recommended level of vitamin D is at least 32...mine is 19. I guess I will have to lay outside in the nude....just kidding....I don't want my neighbors to move or die for that matter! :)

I have also gained a bad amount of weight...Not cool since I have been trying to lose weight! Hopefully since the doctor has taken me off of one of the two birth controls I have been taking to raise my estrogen, I might lose some weight!

I also went to the Health Department today for Lainey's WIC checks. I did not have to wait very long before they called my number! Hallelujah! Of course I had several little people come up and give me hugs because they know me from school. I was just thankful that it was fairly calm around the Health Department. I also saw my friend Cindy's husband. On his off days he is the police officer on duty for the Health Department. Talking to him made the time go by so much faster! Thanks Sean for making the time fly by and more bearable!

The nurse at the Health Department said that although Dr. Caplan wrote a prescription for Alimentum and Polycose, I would get more from receiving checks for Alimentum without Polycose. The nurse wants me to try to get Medicaid to pay for the Polycose and more cans of Alimentum per month. She had tons of questions about Lainey and her nutritional needs. It always amazes me to talk to people in the medical field who are completely out of the loop when it comes to CF. I allowed her to give me nutritional advice, but also told her that I would only follow what Lainey's dietitian at the CF Center says because she works with CF on a daily basis. The next time I go back for WIC checks, Lainey will be 1! Yea, no Health Department for 3 months!!

Look for more birthday pictures next week! On Monday, Logan is having his birthday party at Monkey Joe's!

DeAnn