A Significant Pattern
Greetings to everyone.
Though the blog entries this month have been few, there has been much going on. The biggest one to date is this.
About a week ago, Xavier's appetite diminished, right on the heels of Dr. Abbey's statement he needs to eat more! We tried many things to get Xavier to eat more, but he, instead, ate less. Though he was eating enough to stay hydrated and nourished, he was not eating near what he should.
Then, on the weekend, came the sniffle, the clear snot and the stomach-emptying cough. Through all of this, Xavier remained alert, curious and grabby (he wants his hands on everything), but his overall happy, calm demeanor definitely was "harshed." By Sunday, he was too fussy and unpredictable to leave the house, even for church.
Diaper rash appeared. Excessive chewing began on anything Xavier could stuff in his mouth, even a parent's finger. He started drooling like a dog eyeing a bone. And, let's not forget, the diarrhea.
His sleep pattern was off, his napping at best lasting :45 minutes. Oh, and try to get him down at night, what a chore and an effort of patience (and ear plugs) that has been! Rebecca was up most nights, leaving her dead to the world come the wee hours of the morning. Dad worked out of the home in the morning so Mom could catch up on her much-missed sleep. For the second time we thought "He's cutting a tooth," but not so.
Early Wednesday morning, Rebecca sleeping heavily in bed, Dad changes Xavier's nicely filled diaper. Though Xavier still had the diarrhea, the color was strong as it has been for months. Mid morning arrives, Mom is up and Dad off to the office. In the span of a diaper change, the color of his stool went from a healthy dark color to a white nearly indistinguishable from the color of the diaper. A massive step backward it seemed!
We had realized he had contracted a bug of some kind. He had a sore throat and his stomach gurgled constantly. We thought to give it a day before growing alarmed, thinking the color of his stool would return as he got over the bug. He was holding up fine, and the running nose only lasted a day. The diaper rash was under control, cleared up, in fact.
Thursday, the color barely improved. We called the pediatrician and made an appointment. Doctor LeBlanch examined him, amazed at how alert he was and how interactive (Rebecca had to restrain Xavier from grabbing hold of the stethoscope so the doctor could listen). He showed little sign of anything wrong with him. Xavier's lungs were clear and he breathed normally. A pulse ox was attached and it read 96. His skin color looks healthy and good. He did have a little bug; Doctor LeBlanch said they have been seeing a lot of this bug.
Of course, Xavier was weighed. His weight was 11 pounds, 2.4 ounces. In two weeks, he only added 2.2 ounces to his weight. This concerns the doctors. Their thoughts are he spent his energy fighting the bug rather than growing, and he should have been able to fight off the bug and grow at the same time. More blood was drawn; the labs all returned with numbers similar to his previous lab work: all good (one number is still elevated, but not concerning).
Growth has been his biggest challenge from early on. He had difficulty in the womb. He grew slowly in the NICU. His bout with staph in the NICU set him back. Two weeks ago we upped his food significantly because of his languid growth.
Xavier now has an appointment with a GI specialist at Children's about a week from now to see if there is something going on.
In praying over this issue, we have taken a different bent on it than before. Seeing the pattern, we are taking it a more seriously. Before, we expected everything would work itself out (and we still feel that is the case), but the pattern of slow growth has elevated in our thinking, and our prayers.
We hold fast to Father's power and strength. He will bring Xavier through this as He has brought him (and us) through everything else. Xavier will soon say of this problem, "Victory is mine!"
We thank you all for your prayers.
Mom in bed, catching the sleep she missed the night before; Dad needing to cook some breakfast, but where to put Xavier? Napping is not an option, he just woke up. Ah, Grandpa Braaten's box he shipped his Christmas cheese in is just the place! Xavier looks perplexed. It is, after all, his first box to play in.
Help From the North
Greetings to everyone.
Rebecca and I decided to place a moratorium on moving (big) items during the month of January. However, we are still spread out across two households. It's the little things we don't have access to we seem to notice the most. But packing the smaller items (or packing the larger items for the movers) is difficult for one person watching an eight month old.
So, help came from the north, from Fort Collins. Aunt Chellie spent the weekend with us and she babysat Xavier while Rebecca and I stole away for a date night and to do some item gathering from the Southern Outpost. Or that was the plan we had devised.
We had no need to bribe Chellie, but we were able to offer her a better bed in a room with carpet on the floor this time (during her stay over Christmas the carpet had not been installed).
Ah, the best laid plans. Rebecca and I did sneak off to a movie and dinner. However, instead of all the grand work we imagined packing up the Southern Outpost while we had a babysitter fell short of its goal. Turns out, we took some time to catch up on our own rest while Chellie looked after Xavier. It's amazing how tired you are and don't realize it until you slow down a bit.
We did get some packing done and one "Bronco trip" (that's when we pack up the Ford Bronco with stuff and haul it south).
One of the big things we brought down was Xavier's crib. What a difference it made with him! He had been sleeping in his bassinet, but he has grown too large to comfortably sleep in it. He did sleep, but not like in his crib! In a day he was less grumpy, probably from having better sleep.
Aunt Chellie holds Xavier at breakfast. Chellie and Xavier get along famously, for which we are all glad. The two are playing with his tummy aquarium, a toy designed to encourage a crawling posture.
Eight Month Weight Check
Greetings to everyone.
Xavier turned eight months yesterday! Today, he had his monthly visit to the doctor. This involved a quick "once-over" exam, weight and growth check and an RSV shot.
The exam results were overall as expected: he is doing well.
He weighed in at 11 pounds 0.2 ounces. This is 12.6 ounces since December 13th (a month ago), and 5.4 ounces since December 30th (his last weight check). Dr. Abbey said Xavier needs to be eating more because his growth is languid.
That, of course, offers a challenge. Short of a feeding tube, how does one get Xavier to eat more if he won't take it? Currently, his stomach is not large enough to keep down a full four ounces per feeding (currently, he does well with 3.0 to 3.5 ounces). When he does drink in 4 ounces (and that is not every time), it comes back up shortly after. We're experimenting with getting him to take it in two sittings. So far, we're keeping the towels at the ready (and we've used them several times)!
He got January's RSV shot, but no blood draw today. Dr. Abbey said he no longer looks jaundice, so he did not think blood labs were warranted. For this, we thank Father!
Always, thank you for your support and prayers.
No Longer on Profile
Greetings to everyone!
Exciting news today. Because she was pregnant, Rebecca has been on a medical profile with the WY ANG. The profile prevents her from certain activities and duties. One of the items she has been exempt from is the required PT test so she can be officially recognized as a 1st Lieutenant. She has been wearing the silver bar since September, but still the PT test hung out there like a college final for which one is ill-prepared.
This weekend was Rebecca's test. Most women do not pass their PT the first time after returning from a pregnancy. The ones who do are generally the younger twenty-somethings.
Rebecca has been training for months, diligently going to the gym, hiring a personal trainer, running, joining a dieting regimen, the works. Still, as this weekend approached, she did not feel able to pass the test.
Pushups where killing her, to the point of dislodging joints which needed a chiropractor to reset. Running was also something of a challenge. Ironically, she could do situps easily enough; the very place where she was cut to deliver Xavier was where she was strongest.
Saturday at last arrived, and beginning about 09:30 she and two others took on the gauntlet set before them. We had been praying Psalm 18 over this day, particularly verses 29 through 35. It would be sometime near noon before we knew anything.
Xavier and I were on our way to Home Depot when my phone buzzed with its announcement of a new text message. I knew instantly who sent it and what it would tell us. I pulled into the parking lot and parked. Picking up the phone, I opened the text and read the humble words "I think I passed"
Yes, Rebecca did, indeed, pass, and she did so on her first try. Glory to God! She is no longer on a medical profile (once the paper work goes through).
Thank you all for your prayers. Once again, we enjoy the goodness of our God and Father!
Clarification on the Cough
Greeting and hello to everyone.
I have gotten a few questions about the post on Xavier's newly developed chronic cough. Some have asked "how is Xavier doing? Is he well?"
Yes, he is well. Xavier is very "drooly" (perhaps a coinage to mean he salivates heavily). The pediatrician asked if he was cutting teeth. We thought he might have been a few weeks back; he demonstrated every sign and symptom of cutting teeth, but none appeared. Since then, many of the signs have gone into remission. No, he is not cutting teeth so far.
Dr. Abbey agreed with our assessment to introduce a humidifier, which, as circumstances have made it, we have from Rebecca's first week in the hospital at PVH. She needed one for her room. It traveled with us to University Hospital and then to the Southern Outpost. Now, it has moved with us to the Southern Estate. Picked it up Monday night (the pediatrician's office is only 5 minutes from the Southern Outpost, so it was easy enough to collect).
Other than that, Dr. Abbey thinks the cough comes from Xavier producing so much saliva. His coughing seems more pronounced when on his back, lending more credence to the idea.
The doctor suggested we have our house tested for mold, as that also might be a cause. We had every carpet in the Southern Estate ripped up and replaced by either new carpet or wood flooring. We found only two spots of mold in all of this, which we painted over with an effective mold-covering primer. Mold is not a contributor.
More than likely, especially since it seems to be growing less frequent, Xavier's cough is a combination of three things. He needs more humidity, he is very drooly and it overwhelms his throat at times, and he was aggravated by all the dust and stuff kicked up during the renovation.
Though we were careful to keep Xavier away from most of the activity, still it has taken a while for all the dust to settle (literally and figuratively). Also, he did show nervousness and concern at his new location, which has taken time for him to grow used to. This stress may have contributed to his cough.
Thank you all for your concern, your prayers and your support.