6 Week Check-Up

Our pediatrician likes to see her newborn patients at 1.5 months, 3.5 months, etc. rather than the usual 2, 4, etc. because recent studies show that the earlier kids can be vaccinated for Pertussis (Whopping Cough), the better. This is fine with us because we are traveling at the end of the month, and we wanted Mitchell to have his first round of vacs out of the way.

So, we had our 1.5 month appointment yesterday. Mitch weighs 10 pounds, 1 ounce (25th-50 percentile) and is 22.5 inches long (75th percentile). He is growing well, and has no obvious issues from his surgery last month. We go to Texas Children's on July 14th for our post-op appointment. At that appointment, Mitch will have a few tests done. One will be another VCUG, which is a test that works by showing where his urine goes when he voids. Prior to the surgery, urine was refluxing back into his right kidney. We are hoping that the surgery has corrected the reflux. We'll also have another ultrasound done to look at the size of his kidneys. Our hope is that the right kidney is considerably smaller than the last ultrasound. Finally, he'll meet with the urologist after all the tests to determine what our next step is. The condition that Mitch had, "posterior urethral valves" (PUV) can result in a lot of different conclusions. We're hoping that he's had no lasting kidney damage, and that the only thing we need to do (if anything at all) is continue giving him Amoxicillian once a day as a preventative measure. We are trying to avoid any type of infection that could affect his kidney, which could cause lasting damage.

Mitch was also diagnosed with acid reflux issues, so he's on Zantac. Henry also had reflux, so we are not getting a break on the spit-up this go around. The meds do not affect the actual amount he spits up, but, instead, make his tummy less acidic. We're hoping this helps him, as it's clear from his crying/fussing after he eats that he's not very comfortable. In fact, that is really the only time he cries.

We are gearing up for our first Texas-style 4th of July (Texans really, really love America-- oh, and crafts and Jesus. Not that I have anything against America, crafts, and Jesus, but that's a post for another day). Last year, we were taking in our last few days in the Windy City, and now here we are, almost a year later in the Lone Star State. We're fixin' to do it up big!

Bath Time!

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Mitch is a water-loving babe like his bro! Check out those eyes! He's getting so alert, and we're bracing ourselves for the 6 week fussies.

Water baby

Most people can't believe it when we tell them that Henry is two and a half. They say, "How old is he? Four?"

This picture not only shows off his size, but also his impressive whiteness.

Pool Time

Henry and daddy make waves at one of the pools here in Cinco Ranch!

Life at Home

We've been settling in as a family of four. When we returned from the hospital stay, my mom and Andy's mom were both with us. My mom left a couple of days later and Mary Lou (Mitch's namesake, by the way) stayed on for another week. The help was much needed. Why did I ever think having only one child was hard?!

Lucky for us, Mitch is a great baby. He rarely cries, and, when he does, there is usually a reason and way to calm him. Henry has been an absolute champ. Prior to Mitch's birth, we were a bit nervous as Henry hit the full-on defiance that comes with being two and a half. But, the stage was short lived (not that "no" has left his vocabulary, but he is a bit easier to reason with), and he is a totally adorable helper who loves his little brother. When I ask him to do something, he replies with a resounding, "OHH-kay!"

Mitch will be four weeks old tomorrow. He is nursing every 2-3 hours still; although, I do get one four-hour stretch from him at night. For the life of me, I can't remember what Henry was doing at this point. I thought I wrote it all down, but I think I was so sleep-deprived in the beginning that I just considered the first few months a total wash. There is a sort of pattern emerging with Mitch's sleep and wake times, but I'm not too focused on it yet. There will be plenty of time devoted to sleep training later, so right now I am just enjoying the flexibility of a newborn.

Henry still takes one long nap each day. Over the past 6 months, he has hit a few stages where he tries to boycott it, but I am not letting him give it up easily. He needs it! He goes to bed around 7:30 or 8 at night and sleeps until 7 am.

We are managing to get out in the mornings, so that helps. It's so bloody hot here already, though. I am seriously considering going to Erie for a chunk of time in summer next year. Houston in the summer is pretty brutal.

More pictures to come. Andy's taken over picture duty on the new Mac, and I am writing from my laptop, so I have to make an effort to share some shots of our boys. And, so far, it's what I expected: Andy and Henry cracking up whenever Mitch poops or passes gas. Some things never change.

On our way home....

We are waiting to be discharged from Texas Children's today. We met with the doctor this morning, and now we're waiting for a prescription order that needs corrected. Mitch did great overnight. He had no bleeding and is not in any pain. He's eating great and seems to be more alert. We cannot wait to get home to Henry and to start getting into a more predictable routine. Let's hope our next few blog entries will be filled with only happy news.

Out of Surgery!

Mitchell had his surgery this morning. He was originally scheduled for later in the afternoon, but there was a break in the schedule and he was able to go in at 11:15. This was good news for us because he was not able to eat before surgery. According to the Urologist, Mitch did great. He'll have some follow-up testing in 4-6 weeks. The hope is that the dilation that is on the right kidney will decrease and that it will have some function.

As long as Mitch doesn't develop a fever overnight and he's peeing ok, we'll be able to go home tomorrow.