Our sweet Caleb is starting physical therapy next week for his gross motor development. Although he sits up great and even rotates 360' on his bum, he hasn't got the hang of crawling or cruising yet. Our pediatrician mentioned KOTM, an early intervention program that works with the Alpine school district, at Caleb's 12 month check up. I gave them a call, they came out to assess Caleb, and due to his low percentages in the gross motor assessment he is eligible for their services. So basically a physical therapist is going to come to our home twice a month to work with Caleb and the goals we set for him. Over the next six months we set goals for Caleb to be able to transition into/out of siting position, into/out of standing position, crawl (in some form or another), and begin to walk with assistance. I am really excited to get Caleb started with this program and have high hopes for his development. His diagnosis at this point is slightly low muscle tone through his arms and back. Which could just be attributed to the fact that I wasn't diligent with Caleb's tummy time in his early months or it may be linked to another issue that will manifest itself further down the road. Time will tell!
But Caleb is still growing and developing... here are some of his latest feats:
...We have been walking with Caleb much more now, letting him hold onto both of our hands. At first he didn't understand how to move his feet but now he walks great. He loves when we go walking with him! Along with walking, he loves standing at furniture and playing with a toy. He does it mostly at our death-trap of a coffee table, so I have to stay very close to him especially since his balance isn't all the way on par just yet.
...When we were in North Carolina Caleb was forced to overcome his attachment-prone behavior he had developed. Since I couldn't hold him much, it was my mom, sister or a relative holding him. At first Caleb was shy but by the middle of our trip he was loving it and putting his arms out to anyone! On our flight back to SLC he actually reached over and started hugging a stranger sitting next to me. Silly boy!
...Caleb also got his first top front tooth in NC. It's slowly making its way down and I can see his other top front tooth is not far behind.
...Caleb is a great eater all of a sudden! He eats everything and in large quantities. I didn't realize just how much he could eat until we had lots of food to choose from in NC. Apparently my 1/2 PB&Js weren't quite enough for him, unbeknownst to me!
...Caleb is blabbering a lot these days. This week he's really honed in on "mamama". Especially when he's upset and wanting me, which makes me think he's starting to make a connection with the word and me, hooray!
...He is such a smiley and happy boy. All I have to do is look at him and he gives me the cutest, toothy smile. We love him so much!
Friday, August 3, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Lately, part 1: ER to OR
The last couple of weeks have been wild. Amidst packing for a trip East I surprisingly found out I was pregnant. Since we aren't proactively trying to expand our family just yet, Justin and I were in shock. I'm not sure if I've written on my blog before about our experiences with trying to start our family but it took longer than expected. October 2010 I had a nasty experience with an ectopic pregnancy that was resolved with a methotrexate shot. Then nearly a year later, August 2011, I had what I thought was another ectopic pregnancy that dissolved on its own but I'm still not sure if it was that or a miscarriage. Both pregnancies ended around the 6-7 week mark. However when I got pregnant successfully with Caleb the following month I didn't feel any of the sharp, stabing pains on my right side as I had with the other pregnancies and things were smooth sailing. Anyway, I found out this month on the 19th that I was pregnant and almost immediately started to feel the pains on my right side. They weren't severe but given my history I called my doctor and wanted to have an ultrasound before we were flying to Virginia (morning of the 21st).
The doctor was able to squeeze me in around lunch time for an ultrasound. I packed up Caleb and went to my doctor, waited in the cold ultrasound room for a while, then after two different types of ultrasounds we were unable to see any signs of pregnancy in my uterus. I totally expected that. Again, given my history, I am not extremely emotional or hopeful at the beginning of a pregnancy-especially one that was a surprise! All along I am thinking, it's an ecoptic pregnancy, just go ahead and give me the shot and call it good, please! Instead the doctor orders an ultrasound be done at the hospital and quants be taken and assessed of my HCG levels. Thankfully my sister was able to come down to be with me at the hospital and her sweet husband took off work to come watch Caleb at my apartment-that was such a blessing! After waiting for a while and having two other unpleasant ultrasounds, the radiologist presumed I had a hemorrhagic cyst on my right ovary. I had my blood drawn then went home and rested.
On the 20th I had to go back for my 2nd blood testing. Oddly enough the pain on my right side subsided completely on this day and I felt back to normal, albeit rather tired. I continued packing for the trip I was taking the next morning. The results came back from my blood work and my HCG levels had nearly doubled in 24 hours. Typically the levels will double every 48 hours, so my doctor considered this a strong sign for a normal pregnancy with a cyst causing problems and I should just keep an eye on things. So on the 20th I thought things were normal.
Early in the morning on the 21st (around 2am) I woke up with the pains on my right side. I had a small amount of panic inside of me that I wasn't going to be traveling that morning at 10am and I hated the idea of missing my flight, changing my flight, missing my trip etc. But after I called the doctor on call, he told me to head to the ER for another ultrasound. So at 3am I headed into the ER. They suit you up well in the ER, without reason from what I could tell they hooked me up to an IV almost immediately and then I waited for the ultrasound technician to come. After two other very unpleasant ultrasounds, they still couldn't find my pregnancy. Not in the tube, not in the uterus and so they were perplexed. The ER doctor came in and said they were most likely going to give it more time to see if the pregnancy would manifest itself somewhere and give me some pain medication so traveling could be bearable. So at 5am I was thinking I would make my flight after all. Then a few minutes later one of my ob/gyn doctors came in and delivered the news that it was an ectopic pregnancy on my right side and they would actually need to remove my right fallopian tube via laparoscopic surgery. Devastation! Not only was I crushed about having to have surgery that morning and missing my flight I was crushed because I thought I could have another shot and call it good, I desperately didn't want to lose a tube from this situation. My doctor explained that since it was my 2nd ectopic they have to remove the malfunctioning tube as to prevent future ectopic pregnancies since they are so life-threatening. After the initial let down of the news, I came to accept it and move on in my mind. Better to have it removed than risk the pain and complications in the future. So I called my family and told them, I called Justin and he headed over to the hospital to be with me through surgery. Our good friends in the ward were able to watch Caleb that morning.
We waited for an appendectomy to finish up then I was given the anesthesia and wheeled into the OR. I don't remember much, I passed out pretty quickly. The doctor spoke to Justin afterwards though and told him my right tube was swollen and they could tell the pregnancy was in it. But my left tube looked great. (They had told me from the beginning that having this tube removed would in no way affect my fertility. In fact the left tube is able to stretch itself over to my right ovary during the months I ovulate on my right side...we'll see how it goes with getting pregnant in the future). The worst part after surgery was how sore my throat was from the intubation and how intense the pain was in my shoulders from the air they had pumped into my body. Apparently the air bubbles stay encased inside your body until they naturally are released, but it was insane how much it hurt. The surgery was just laparoscopic, with three small incisions. One in my belly button, one at my bikini line and one on my lower left abdomen. The incisions weren't all that sore but overall the surgery just made my body feel sore and tired. We stayed at the hospital for a few hours then were discharged around 4pm. I went home that evening and rested.
Meanwhile my sister and her two kids had made that morning's flight into Virginia. I hated I missed it and that she had to travel by herself. But quickly after surgery we started making plans on how I was going to get back to Virginia for the trip we had been planning all along. Logically it made the most sense that I still went back to be with family through my recovery. Justin isn't quite yet comfortable taking work off at Goldman so I would have been home by myself through my recovery, trying to follow the post-op instructions to not do any heavy lifting for two weeks is nearly impossible with a 13 month old. My parents were extremely generous and decided to fly my mom out Sunday, the 22nd, to help me fly on the 23rd back to Virginia.
The doctor was able to squeeze me in around lunch time for an ultrasound. I packed up Caleb and went to my doctor, waited in the cold ultrasound room for a while, then after two different types of ultrasounds we were unable to see any signs of pregnancy in my uterus. I totally expected that. Again, given my history, I am not extremely emotional or hopeful at the beginning of a pregnancy-especially one that was a surprise! All along I am thinking, it's an ecoptic pregnancy, just go ahead and give me the shot and call it good, please! Instead the doctor orders an ultrasound be done at the hospital and quants be taken and assessed of my HCG levels. Thankfully my sister was able to come down to be with me at the hospital and her sweet husband took off work to come watch Caleb at my apartment-that was such a blessing! After waiting for a while and having two other unpleasant ultrasounds, the radiologist presumed I had a hemorrhagic cyst on my right ovary. I had my blood drawn then went home and rested.
On the 20th I had to go back for my 2nd blood testing. Oddly enough the pain on my right side subsided completely on this day and I felt back to normal, albeit rather tired. I continued packing for the trip I was taking the next morning. The results came back from my blood work and my HCG levels had nearly doubled in 24 hours. Typically the levels will double every 48 hours, so my doctor considered this a strong sign for a normal pregnancy with a cyst causing problems and I should just keep an eye on things. So on the 20th I thought things were normal.
Early in the morning on the 21st (around 2am) I woke up with the pains on my right side. I had a small amount of panic inside of me that I wasn't going to be traveling that morning at 10am and I hated the idea of missing my flight, changing my flight, missing my trip etc. But after I called the doctor on call, he told me to head to the ER for another ultrasound. So at 3am I headed into the ER. They suit you up well in the ER, without reason from what I could tell they hooked me up to an IV almost immediately and then I waited for the ultrasound technician to come. After two other very unpleasant ultrasounds, they still couldn't find my pregnancy. Not in the tube, not in the uterus and so they were perplexed. The ER doctor came in and said they were most likely going to give it more time to see if the pregnancy would manifest itself somewhere and give me some pain medication so traveling could be bearable. So at 5am I was thinking I would make my flight after all. Then a few minutes later one of my ob/gyn doctors came in and delivered the news that it was an ectopic pregnancy on my right side and they would actually need to remove my right fallopian tube via laparoscopic surgery. Devastation! Not only was I crushed about having to have surgery that morning and missing my flight I was crushed because I thought I could have another shot and call it good, I desperately didn't want to lose a tube from this situation. My doctor explained that since it was my 2nd ectopic they have to remove the malfunctioning tube as to prevent future ectopic pregnancies since they are so life-threatening. After the initial let down of the news, I came to accept it and move on in my mind. Better to have it removed than risk the pain and complications in the future. So I called my family and told them, I called Justin and he headed over to the hospital to be with me through surgery. Our good friends in the ward were able to watch Caleb that morning.
We waited for an appendectomy to finish up then I was given the anesthesia and wheeled into the OR. I don't remember much, I passed out pretty quickly. The doctor spoke to Justin afterwards though and told him my right tube was swollen and they could tell the pregnancy was in it. But my left tube looked great. (They had told me from the beginning that having this tube removed would in no way affect my fertility. In fact the left tube is able to stretch itself over to my right ovary during the months I ovulate on my right side...we'll see how it goes with getting pregnant in the future). The worst part after surgery was how sore my throat was from the intubation and how intense the pain was in my shoulders from the air they had pumped into my body. Apparently the air bubbles stay encased inside your body until they naturally are released, but it was insane how much it hurt. The surgery was just laparoscopic, with three small incisions. One in my belly button, one at my bikini line and one on my lower left abdomen. The incisions weren't all that sore but overall the surgery just made my body feel sore and tired. We stayed at the hospital for a few hours then were discharged around 4pm. I went home that evening and rested.
Meanwhile my sister and her two kids had made that morning's flight into Virginia. I hated I missed it and that she had to travel by herself. But quickly after surgery we started making plans on how I was going to get back to Virginia for the trip we had been planning all along. Logically it made the most sense that I still went back to be with family through my recovery. Justin isn't quite yet comfortable taking work off at Goldman so I would have been home by myself through my recovery, trying to follow the post-op instructions to not do any heavy lifting for two weeks is nearly impossible with a 13 month old. My parents were extremely generous and decided to fly my mom out Sunday, the 22nd, to help me fly on the 23rd back to Virginia.
Lately, part 2: VA to NC
Getting out to Virginia on Monday morning was interesting. Walking wasn't all the easy at this point so I had to be wheeled through the airport & security by an airport employee. My mom was pushing Caleb in his stroller. It almost felt like VIP treatment, bypassing lines and having someone else take care of me, however it was also slightly mortifying being wheeled through the SLC and Atlanta airports. Caleb did great on the flights and with traveling though and my mom was very attentive to both me and him. We landed in Virginia around 7pm on the 23rd.
We spent the 23-26 in Virginia. We made a few trips to the beach, did some shopping and enjoyed some yummy seafood. Between my sister, mom and dad I didn't have to worry about picking up or carrying Caleb during the rougher days of recovery. Caleb got his first introduction to sand and being in the ocean. He wasn't too sure about the texture of the sand but he loved kicking the waves.
On the 27th we drove down to my hometown of Gastonia, NC. Heather and I hadn't been home in 3 years because my parents moved to Virginia, so whenever we go to visit them we just stay in Virginia. It had been three years since we have seen relatives and our home we grew up in. We had a lot to do in the short time we were there. We visited the essential places to eat, RO's bbq, Tonys Ice Cream, Sake Express and drove around town to see all the changes that had been made. We had a wonderful family cookout on Saturday night, we were able to visit with our sweet cousins and aunts, we haven't seen them in forever it felt like. We spent a lot of time at my Aunt Betty's, she took great care of us while we were there and even had bought so many cute toys for our kids to enjoy. We visited our home ward on Sunday and saw old friends. Then on Monday we went downtown Charlotte to Discovery Place for the kids to play. That night we had ice cream with family then played putt-putt. We crammed so much into our short visit but it was awesome! I hope we can get back there more often, I miss my relatives!
It was a great trip and even better, it offered the time for recovery I needed from surgery. I can't express my appreciation enough to my parents for their generosity in getting me to Virginia and helping me with Caleb!
We spent the 23-26 in Virginia. We made a few trips to the beach, did some shopping and enjoyed some yummy seafood. Between my sister, mom and dad I didn't have to worry about picking up or carrying Caleb during the rougher days of recovery. Caleb got his first introduction to sand and being in the ocean. He wasn't too sure about the texture of the sand but he loved kicking the waves.
On the 27th we drove down to my hometown of Gastonia, NC. Heather and I hadn't been home in 3 years because my parents moved to Virginia, so whenever we go to visit them we just stay in Virginia. It had been three years since we have seen relatives and our home we grew up in. We had a lot to do in the short time we were there. We visited the essential places to eat, RO's bbq, Tonys Ice Cream, Sake Express and drove around town to see all the changes that had been made. We had a wonderful family cookout on Saturday night, we were able to visit with our sweet cousins and aunts, we haven't seen them in forever it felt like. We spent a lot of time at my Aunt Betty's, she took great care of us while we were there and even had bought so many cute toys for our kids to enjoy. We visited our home ward on Sunday and saw old friends. Then on Monday we went downtown Charlotte to Discovery Place for the kids to play. That night we had ice cream with family then played putt-putt. We crammed so much into our short visit but it was awesome! I hope we can get back there more often, I miss my relatives!
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| Caleb was a champion eater this trip. He never stopped wanting food, I think he had to gain a few pounds at least! |
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| my beautiful cousin, Kelsey |
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| Carolina blue through and through! |
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| See you later, Queen City! |
Monday, July 9, 2012
Jumper to dress
This last weekend we were in SL looking at homes and decided to stop by the DownEast warehouse clearance store in South Salt Lake (West Hope Ave). My sis had gone there a few days ago and said they had swim suits for $12! When we went there weren't many suits in my size but I did get a tankini for $12 which is such a steal. For the last several months whenever I've gone into a DownEast I've been eying this jumpsuit. It looks so easy to wear and comfortable, but the price was always way too high for me since it would kind of be an experimental outfit. Anyway, the clearance center had the jumpsuit for only $10! Granted they only had one and I didn't know it at the time but it was probably two sizes too small (there are no dressing rooms at the center and every sale is final). I got home and tried it on..yikes. I still loved it and thought it had potential so I went to work on it. I was able to turn it into a tea-length dress and I love it!
I think this may be my first big transformation of clothing and while I don't want to have to re-purpose all of my clothes, it is kind of fun once in a while :-)
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| Still would love to own this jumpsuit...just in the right size |
I think this may be my first big transformation of clothing and while I don't want to have to re-purpose all of my clothes, it is kind of fun once in a while :-)
Friday, July 6, 2012
Happenings
We haven't been up to much lately, just enjoying the summer! Justin's new job is going well, we are still adjusting to the change in our evenings though. Whereas Justin used to be home around 5:30 and we would all eat together, I feed Caleb, prepare dinner for Justin and I then eat when he gets home around 6:30. We will play with C for a bit then put him down around 7pm. Justin doesn't get much quality time with C during the week now, mostly on the weekends. The night before C's 1st birthday though, he was totally tuckered out at 7pm (not sure what we did that day but it must have been exhausting). Caleb gave dad some 1st rate snuggle time, which is beyond rare. I don't think Caleb has cuddled/slept on us like this since he was a newborn.
On Caleb's birthday, I tried to make it a special day for him. We had breakfast & balloons, in between naps we played with bubbles (& I tried my hand at a 1st birthday photo shoot, which did not go very well). That evening we had cupcakes and attended the Strawberry Days Rodeo. It was the first time Caleb and I have been to a rodeo, kind of a fun atmosphere! When you are in that strong, country atmosphere you feel like it is the coolest thing to wear bejeweled leather outfits and ride horses around...then you leave the rodeo and reality sets back in.
We have been frequenting the pool, blessed pool. Caleb still is so happy in the pool and I am so happy to be enjoying the sun. Justin joins us on the weekend, we love our do-whatever-we-please Saturdays.
We have also started the house hunting a bit more seriously, we have contacted a realtor even! There are still so many unknowns...mostly where he want to live exactly. But that is also taking up our evenings, searching for homes online and then driving around areas on the weekend. Utah doesn't really offer our preferred, traditional/colonial two-story (brick) home, we are mostly seeing split levels (eck), but we will probably end of living in a split level, compromise is the name of the game! At least we are living in a beautiful area with family nearby.
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, it is going by super fast. I know what comes next, so I am really trying to enjoy these long summer days as much as possible!
On Caleb's birthday, I tried to make it a special day for him. We had breakfast & balloons, in between naps we played with bubbles (& I tried my hand at a 1st birthday photo shoot, which did not go very well). That evening we had cupcakes and attended the Strawberry Days Rodeo. It was the first time Caleb and I have been to a rodeo, kind of a fun atmosphere! When you are in that strong, country atmosphere you feel like it is the coolest thing to wear bejeweled leather outfits and ride horses around...then you leave the rodeo and reality sets back in.
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| Have you ever seen such a look of determination?? |
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| And then the innocent eyes that follows the cupcake destruction |
We have also started the house hunting a bit more seriously, we have contacted a realtor even! There are still so many unknowns...mostly where he want to live exactly. But that is also taking up our evenings, searching for homes online and then driving around areas on the weekend. Utah doesn't really offer our preferred, traditional/colonial two-story (brick) home, we are mostly seeing split levels (eck), but we will probably end of living in a split level, compromise is the name of the game! At least we are living in a beautiful area with family nearby.
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, it is going by super fast. I know what comes next, so I am really trying to enjoy these long summer days as much as possible!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Caleb's 1st Birthday
In some ways this last year has been the hardest ever...sleep deprivation, hormonal craziness, adjusting to being a stay-at-home mom. But without a doubt, it has been the happiest and most fulfilling year of my life and of our family's. We are so blessed to have Caleb in our family. He is so full of life and happiness. He is curious and investigates everything in sight. He has the most hilarious stare that he gives everything he is unsure of, Justin and I even get it from time to time. Who would have thought the baby that cried so hard he stopped breathing would grow into this gleeful, happy infant (who truly rarely cries, just fusses loudly). He makes being a stay-at-home mom a sweet job!
Here are some updates:
+ Weight: 19 lbs 2 oz (6th %tile)
+Length: 29.5" (33 %tile)
+ Caleb has three words in his vocabulary now: Dada, Momma (granted he doesn't say this very often), and Nana
+ Caleb is pretty great at feeding himself with his little pinchers. He loves cheerios, bread, well... he is really a big fan of any normal food, its baby food that he doesn't care too much for now. He hasn't warmed up to cow's milk unfortunately. I'm hoping he starts to enjoy it soon, I'm ready to be done with formula!
+ Caleb loves sitting up and playing with his toys. He can still navigate around on the ground to get what he wants, but he does it in a mixture of rolls and scooting on his back. Not a crawler yet!
+ Caleb LOVES the pool. He is so content floating around in his baby float, I don't keep track of time but its long enough for his toes to turn into prunes!
+ Caleb has started clapping and patting his belly and doing all sorts of silly hand movements.
We had a birthday celebration for Caleb last Saturday night. We had pizza & cupcakes, opened presents then we took the party to the pool! It was such a fun evening and even better, we were surrounded by all our family and friends. Thanks for coming everyone!
Here are some updates:
+ Weight: 19 lbs 2 oz (6th %tile)
+Length: 29.5" (33 %tile)
+ Caleb has three words in his vocabulary now: Dada, Momma (granted he doesn't say this very often), and Nana
+ Caleb is pretty great at feeding himself with his little pinchers. He loves cheerios, bread, well... he is really a big fan of any normal food, its baby food that he doesn't care too much for now. He hasn't warmed up to cow's milk unfortunately. I'm hoping he starts to enjoy it soon, I'm ready to be done with formula!
+ Caleb loves sitting up and playing with his toys. He can still navigate around on the ground to get what he wants, but he does it in a mixture of rolls and scooting on his back. Not a crawler yet!
+ Caleb LOVES the pool. He is so content floating around in his baby float, I don't keep track of time but its long enough for his toes to turn into prunes!
+ Caleb has started clapping and patting his belly and doing all sorts of silly hand movements.
We had a birthday celebration for Caleb last Saturday night. We had pizza & cupcakes, opened presents then we took the party to the pool! It was such a fun evening and even better, we were surrounded by all our family and friends. Thanks for coming everyone!
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