Yesterday we trekked to Texas Children's for Mitchell's post-op appointment. We had two tests scheduled: an ultrasound of his kidneys/bladder and a VCUG. We had the ultrasound done, but, unfortunately, an infection in his urine precluded us from having the VCUG done. This was a disappointment, as it is a test that shows whether the surgery was successful and how much reflux is still present.
Dr. Gonzales changed Mitchell's antibiotic and upped his dose. We'll go back to TCH on Tuesday, 7/21, to have the test done.
We did see the ultrasound, and the right kidney is a bit smaller and the left looks "good" according to the doctor. It is a bit disconcerting to know that the reflux of urine into the kidneys resolves in 50% of the patients. We're trying to stay postive and pray that we're in that 50%.
Mitch is such a sweet baby. Despite all he's gone through, he's a smiley, happy boy. He's hit the social stage, which is a joy, but this means he's harder to get down to sleep. It's a stage--we know--but it's a bit frustrating.
We're looking forward to our visit to Erie next week. We're ready to escape the Houston heat and to have some help.
I will update after our visit next week.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Happy Anniversary...Times Two
This week marks two anniversaries: 1 year of living in Texas and 6 years of marriage for Andy and me. I had a lot of ideas on that wedding day, six years ago, of where my life was headed. Some were spot-on and some, well, not so much. If you had told me that I'd been living in Texas on my sixth wedding anniversary, I wouldn't have believed it. But, here we are, six years later, living in the Lone Star State!
Our first year in Texas has had its ups and downs, so I thought I'd share some highlights (and lowlights, I suppose):
--We moved here in July, which is, quite possibly the worst time to move to Texas thanks to the HEAT! I seriously thought one of the guys moving us in was going to die. I have never seen someone sweat so much. I have also never seen someone A) with so few teeth and B) so happy about a tip.
--We lucked out with our next door neighbors, Brad and Kim--four kids, Midwesterners, dog lovers, and quick to crack open a Modelo or glass of pinot while watching the kids in the cul-de-sac. Coincidentally enough, they are from Kansas City and know my best friend's father because Kim's mom works in his Pediatric practice.
--Being picked up at Lifetime by Cayce. We went swimming and met Cayce and Nick and their two boys. Thank goodness Cayce will talk to anyone, including us, when it became clear we both have first born Henrys. We love people who eat good food, drink wine and beer, watch football and make off-color jokes. You guys fit the bill!
--Hurrican Ike. I would like to make a few things clear. Yes, we stayed home during the hurricane. Yes, it was scary and we eventually spent part of the night in the closet. No, Mitch is NOT an Ike baby. I don't know why people think that having a restless two-year-old and no air conditioning would put us in the mood to procreate. We did, however, find out I was pregnant during the week post-Ike.
--The election. Nothing made me happier than seeing all the Suburbans with their McCain-Palin stickers after the election. I also loved parading Henry around in his "I want mo 'bama" shirt and having people uncomfortably giggle at him. Yes, all you Republicans in Katy--there actually are white, middle class, Christian women who didn't vote for McCain!
--Speaking of politics, I met one of my closest friends here, Tricia, through my mom's group; although, we bonded once we learned that we were both Obama supporters. We talk on the phone during naptime (with one of us usually lamenting that our kid won't sleep) and dream up playdates and outings with our goofy toddlers. Tricia's husband, Peter, is one cool dude--and a lot like Andy. They have two adorable girls, Myrtle and Eloise. Good people.
--Thanksgiving with the Zones. We hosted a big group for Thankgiving and it was great--deep fried turkey (along with a traditional roasted one), golf weather, smores in the chimmenea. Good stuff.
--Janurary-April. Once I got my "white Christmas" fix in Erie, I was over the sleet and snow. The rest of the winter was not winter at all, in spite of the native Texans donning puffy coats, scarves, and North Face jackets. One of my favorite sights was bundled up kids at the bus stop when the weather was in the 50s in the morning. Of course, these same kids stumbled off the bus in the afternoon, red and dehydrated thanks to the spike in afternoon temps. Love that.
--The meat department at HEB. Enough said. (HEB is the grocery store.)
--Tomato season in May.
--And, finally, giving birth to a Texan. Now that I have a son "from"here, I suppose Texas now holds a special place in my heart.
Overall, we've enjoyed our adventure down here so far. We miss Chicago, of course, but, most of all, we miss our dear friends. We would love visitors anytime. So, if you have a hankering for a heat index of 108 degrees and brisket, head on down. Everything's bigger in Texas, including our house compared to our Chicago place, so we have plenty of room!
Our first year in Texas has had its ups and downs, so I thought I'd share some highlights (and lowlights, I suppose):
--We moved here in July, which is, quite possibly the worst time to move to Texas thanks to the HEAT! I seriously thought one of the guys moving us in was going to die. I have never seen someone sweat so much. I have also never seen someone A) with so few teeth and B) so happy about a tip.
--We lucked out with our next door neighbors, Brad and Kim--four kids, Midwesterners, dog lovers, and quick to crack open a Modelo or glass of pinot while watching the kids in the cul-de-sac. Coincidentally enough, they are from Kansas City and know my best friend's father because Kim's mom works in his Pediatric practice.
--Being picked up at Lifetime by Cayce. We went swimming and met Cayce and Nick and their two boys. Thank goodness Cayce will talk to anyone, including us, when it became clear we both have first born Henrys. We love people who eat good food, drink wine and beer, watch football and make off-color jokes. You guys fit the bill!
--Hurrican Ike. I would like to make a few things clear. Yes, we stayed home during the hurricane. Yes, it was scary and we eventually spent part of the night in the closet. No, Mitch is NOT an Ike baby. I don't know why people think that having a restless two-year-old and no air conditioning would put us in the mood to procreate. We did, however, find out I was pregnant during the week post-Ike.
--The election. Nothing made me happier than seeing all the Suburbans with their McCain-Palin stickers after the election. I also loved parading Henry around in his "I want mo 'bama" shirt and having people uncomfortably giggle at him. Yes, all you Republicans in Katy--there actually are white, middle class, Christian women who didn't vote for McCain!
--Speaking of politics, I met one of my closest friends here, Tricia, through my mom's group; although, we bonded once we learned that we were both Obama supporters. We talk on the phone during naptime (with one of us usually lamenting that our kid won't sleep) and dream up playdates and outings with our goofy toddlers. Tricia's husband, Peter, is one cool dude--and a lot like Andy. They have two adorable girls, Myrtle and Eloise. Good people.
--Thanksgiving with the Zones. We hosted a big group for Thankgiving and it was great--deep fried turkey (along with a traditional roasted one), golf weather, smores in the chimmenea. Good stuff.
--Janurary-April. Once I got my "white Christmas" fix in Erie, I was over the sleet and snow. The rest of the winter was not winter at all, in spite of the native Texans donning puffy coats, scarves, and North Face jackets. One of my favorite sights was bundled up kids at the bus stop when the weather was in the 50s in the morning. Of course, these same kids stumbled off the bus in the afternoon, red and dehydrated thanks to the spike in afternoon temps. Love that.
--The meat department at HEB. Enough said. (HEB is the grocery store.)
--Tomato season in May.
--And, finally, giving birth to a Texan. Now that I have a son "from"here, I suppose Texas now holds a special place in my heart.
Overall, we've enjoyed our adventure down here so far. We miss Chicago, of course, but, most of all, we miss our dear friends. We would love visitors anytime. So, if you have a hankering for a heat index of 108 degrees and brisket, head on down. Everything's bigger in Texas, including our house compared to our Chicago place, so we have plenty of room!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
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!
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!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Bath Time!
Click here to view these pictures larger
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
Monday, June 15, 2009
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.
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.
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