Sunday, November 9, 2008
Gracie's new toy, standing up, walking, and spaghetti!!!
Today we took it pretty easy, as we drove to Abilene and back yesterday for my grandfather's funeral. We cleaned up the house a bit and realized that Gracie has outgrown a lot of her toys. So we went to lunch at McDonald's together (she loves the chicken nugget happy meals!) and then went to Babies R Us. We found a shopping cart toy for her to push around (it's not a walker, as she can't put all her weight on it) and got her Lil People collection started with a school bus toy. When we got home and put her toys together she started pushing that cart around and literally squealed with delight! She's been standing on her own more and more confidentally over the last week, and taking a lot of steps, but this just got her feet going so fast! She even figured out pretty quickly how to back it up and turn it around when it got stuck against a wall. She's so smart. =) She crawled that bus around the living room, but kept coming back to the cart. It came with toy food and things to match shapes, and it sings and counts, too! She absolutely loves it and it's so cute! Then for dinner we had one of her favorite meals: spaghetti! Enjoy some pictures of her having fun with her new toys, standing, and "hoovering" her spaghetti! =)
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Prayers please
My grandfather Gerald passed away this afternoon. He was my stepmother Angela's dad, and a wonderful, gentle, godly man. Funeral arrangements are being made tomorrow, so I am as yet unaware of specific dates and times, but we are now tentatively planning to head to Abilene on Friday afternoon and return Saturday evening.
Please pray for us and for my family as we head through this difficult time. Thank you, and love to you all.
Please pray for us and for my family as we head through this difficult time. Thank you, and love to you all.
I wish Obama wasn't black.
I have strong opinions. Those of you who know me well are very aware of this, as I don't hesitate to say what I feel. You've heard me talk about it, read my pointed emails, even seen the quotes in my email signature. Now, I am not fond of forcing my opinions on someone who is in disagreement with me, and try to never do that, however I do try my hardest to make that person see my reasoning behind my choice of opinion. I want them to fully comprehend what I feel is the common sense behind my choice. It is very important to me to do that. That said, please do not take offense to the thoughts that I'm about to present on the election results.
I'm utterly disappointed. Big surprise. My emotions are a whirlwind right now: I want to cry, yell, and denounce anyone I know that voted for a Democrat, but at the same time I'm desperate to find SOMETHING positive about it, anything at all. Here are the three positive things I've come up with so far:
1) He's not President until January 20th, 2009. Whoopee.
2) John Cornyn won his race for the Senate. Thank you, God. I really really like him, and I'm glad he'll be in DC fighting for us.
3) California passed the ban on same-sex marriages. I know a lot of gay people, and they're wonderful, nice, awesome human beings but man, I can't in my right mind condone something that is so against what I believe in. Marriage is between a man and a woman, period. When the law comes into play with that, it makes me mad, so I'm glad to see that the ruling in May allowing the marriages has been overturned by the people of California. Way to go.
Unfortunately, the negatives are far outweighing the positives at the moment. In addition to Obama being elected President, and Democrats taking control of everything else (*shudder*), here is a soup of sad proposals that were passed last night:
1) Colorado voted against specifying life beginning at conception. Abortion supporters successfully made everyone think that this would affect some forms of birth control, and while it would, how can that justify taking a life?
2) South Dakota voted against a ban on all abortions except in cases of rape, incest and serious health threat to the mother. Just sad to me.
3) Washington joined Oregon in offering terminally ill patients the option of physician-assisted suicide. I want to know how this was worded on the ballot that would not make this sound so morally wrong to a voter. They call it the "Die with Dignity" Law. Wow, I don't see anything dignified about taking my own life. I don't think it's my decision to make. There is a reason that suicide is wrong, whether you're depressed or just terminally ill, it's wrong. I hope Washington and Oregon physicians aren't forced to offer this option, that they can make their own moral decision to grant their patient this option or not. I can see this being horribly abused by families of these patients. I hope that life insurance policies won't grant anything to families of patients who exercise this option.
4) The cherry on top is Massachusetts decriminalizing marijuana possession under one ounce. Really? Okay, an ounce is an ounce, but do you really think that is the only ounce that has ever been in possession? This just baffles me as to why one ounce is any different from a pound of the stuff. It's a drug. What's next, cocaine? Heroin? Just... wow.
The country in which I get to raise my daughter for the next four years is not looking very appealing. Thank God I'm in Texas, where we're mostly Republicans with common sense (just need to stay out of the city centers). I feel like I'm going to have the taste of vomit in my mouth for a very long time. I just can't understand how the following stands by Obama appealed to anyone. I can't understand the common sense behind them; I don't think there is any:
1) "Share the wealth": Levy very high taxes on anyone making a lot of money, and "share" it with the middle and lower class. How does this help anyone? Tim works his butt off in high school to get into a good college, works his butt off there to learn as much as he can and graduate with a technical or bachelor's degree, then kicks off his career in the corporate world or in an inherited business or even starts his own business. He works his butt off there to move up and build and puts in hours of time and sweat and just plain hard work and determination to finally reach a point where he is making a great amount of money to keep him and his family comfortable. A well-deserved earning. His high school classmate Tom, meanwhile, is having trouble finding a job after he decided to drop out of college or not even go at all. He sits on his couch watching TV, playing video games while his girlfriend takes care of their child, maybe he even has a part-time job somewhere. They get to a point where they can't make ends meet, but they don't really want to get out there and work multiple jobs, go back to school, work themselves up to a greater amount of income, don't really want to work, period, so they apply for government assistance. The government says, "Sure, you know, Tim over here is making a ton of money, we'll just take some from him and hand it over to you." HOW IS THAT FAIRNESS? Obama is mis-using the word "equality" to make this appeal to the lower and middle class. This isn't India, we aren't stuck in these classes forever. I know that I didn't finish college, that David and I got married and had a kid too early, that neither one of us makes the money we want to, but when things get tight financially I certainly don't look to someone else to give me handouts. I know I have the ability to go back to school, to get a better job. I can make more money! But now, why should I throw my hard work and determination into increasing my income when I know that I could reach a certain point that it would just be taken away again and given to the lazy person who didn't put forth the extra effort? Why should I provide for them? This share the wealth thing is just about making lazy people lazier, and taking motivation away from the hard-worker. It's very very sad to me that people actually think this is a good idea. This is just the way of the Democrat, though. Ugh.
You know what? I'm done here. There are a TON more reasons why I didn't vote for Obama, but they are just a lot of common sense, and I associate with some pretty intelligent people, so I'm sure that if you disagree with something, I do too.
My final thought is how sad and disappointing this is for our country. The question I want to face to the majority of Obama voters is this: Would you have voted for him if he wasn't black? Or if both candidates were black, would you have voted for him, being forced to compare the issues? I'm just crushed that the main reason you hear all over TV as to why these people voted Obama is that they want to see the first black president. I don't care what he looks like, I care about the issues. I did my research. If he had been the Republican and McCain the Democrat, I would have voted for him. But he wasn't. He was the Democrat, with radical ideas and full of ever-changing opinions. Unstable stances on issues, pushing the wrong ideas for our country, issues that I just flat didn't agree with. The issues between the two candidates were incredibly different. I just wish he wasn't black. I believe that would have saved America from this downfall.
We have our first black president. I could care less.
I'm utterly disappointed. Big surprise. My emotions are a whirlwind right now: I want to cry, yell, and denounce anyone I know that voted for a Democrat, but at the same time I'm desperate to find SOMETHING positive about it, anything at all. Here are the three positive things I've come up with so far:
1) He's not President until January 20th, 2009. Whoopee.
2) John Cornyn won his race for the Senate. Thank you, God. I really really like him, and I'm glad he'll be in DC fighting for us.
3) California passed the ban on same-sex marriages. I know a lot of gay people, and they're wonderful, nice, awesome human beings but man, I can't in my right mind condone something that is so against what I believe in. Marriage is between a man and a woman, period. When the law comes into play with that, it makes me mad, so I'm glad to see that the ruling in May allowing the marriages has been overturned by the people of California. Way to go.
Unfortunately, the negatives are far outweighing the positives at the moment. In addition to Obama being elected President, and Democrats taking control of everything else (*shudder*), here is a soup of sad proposals that were passed last night:
1) Colorado voted against specifying life beginning at conception. Abortion supporters successfully made everyone think that this would affect some forms of birth control, and while it would, how can that justify taking a life?
2) South Dakota voted against a ban on all abortions except in cases of rape, incest and serious health threat to the mother. Just sad to me.
3) Washington joined Oregon in offering terminally ill patients the option of physician-assisted suicide. I want to know how this was worded on the ballot that would not make this sound so morally wrong to a voter. They call it the "Die with Dignity" Law. Wow, I don't see anything dignified about taking my own life. I don't think it's my decision to make. There is a reason that suicide is wrong, whether you're depressed or just terminally ill, it's wrong. I hope Washington and Oregon physicians aren't forced to offer this option, that they can make their own moral decision to grant their patient this option or not. I can see this being horribly abused by families of these patients. I hope that life insurance policies won't grant anything to families of patients who exercise this option.
4) The cherry on top is Massachusetts decriminalizing marijuana possession under one ounce. Really? Okay, an ounce is an ounce, but do you really think that is the only ounce that has ever been in possession? This just baffles me as to why one ounce is any different from a pound of the stuff. It's a drug. What's next, cocaine? Heroin? Just... wow.
The country in which I get to raise my daughter for the next four years is not looking very appealing. Thank God I'm in Texas, where we're mostly Republicans with common sense (just need to stay out of the city centers). I feel like I'm going to have the taste of vomit in my mouth for a very long time. I just can't understand how the following stands by Obama appealed to anyone. I can't understand the common sense behind them; I don't think there is any:
1) "Share the wealth": Levy very high taxes on anyone making a lot of money, and "share" it with the middle and lower class. How does this help anyone? Tim works his butt off in high school to get into a good college, works his butt off there to learn as much as he can and graduate with a technical or bachelor's degree, then kicks off his career in the corporate world or in an inherited business or even starts his own business. He works his butt off there to move up and build and puts in hours of time and sweat and just plain hard work and determination to finally reach a point where he is making a great amount of money to keep him and his family comfortable. A well-deserved earning. His high school classmate Tom, meanwhile, is having trouble finding a job after he decided to drop out of college or not even go at all. He sits on his couch watching TV, playing video games while his girlfriend takes care of their child, maybe he even has a part-time job somewhere. They get to a point where they can't make ends meet, but they don't really want to get out there and work multiple jobs, go back to school, work themselves up to a greater amount of income, don't really want to work, period, so they apply for government assistance. The government says, "Sure, you know, Tim over here is making a ton of money, we'll just take some from him and hand it over to you." HOW IS THAT FAIRNESS? Obama is mis-using the word "equality" to make this appeal to the lower and middle class. This isn't India, we aren't stuck in these classes forever. I know that I didn't finish college, that David and I got married and had a kid too early, that neither one of us makes the money we want to, but when things get tight financially I certainly don't look to someone else to give me handouts. I know I have the ability to go back to school, to get a better job. I can make more money! But now, why should I throw my hard work and determination into increasing my income when I know that I could reach a certain point that it would just be taken away again and given to the lazy person who didn't put forth the extra effort? Why should I provide for them? This share the wealth thing is just about making lazy people lazier, and taking motivation away from the hard-worker. It's very very sad to me that people actually think this is a good idea. This is just the way of the Democrat, though. Ugh.
You know what? I'm done here. There are a TON more reasons why I didn't vote for Obama, but they are just a lot of common sense, and I associate with some pretty intelligent people, so I'm sure that if you disagree with something, I do too.
My final thought is how sad and disappointing this is for our country. The question I want to face to the majority of Obama voters is this: Would you have voted for him if he wasn't black? Or if both candidates were black, would you have voted for him, being forced to compare the issues? I'm just crushed that the main reason you hear all over TV as to why these people voted Obama is that they want to see the first black president. I don't care what he looks like, I care about the issues. I did my research. If he had been the Republican and McCain the Democrat, I would have voted for him. But he wasn't. He was the Democrat, with radical ideas and full of ever-changing opinions. Unstable stances on issues, pushing the wrong ideas for our country, issues that I just flat didn't agree with. The issues between the two candidates were incredibly different. I just wish he wasn't black. I believe that would have saved America from this downfall.
We have our first black president. I could care less.
Monday, November 3, 2008
No infection yet...
Well Gracie finished off her antibiotic Saturday, and so far no sign of her ear infection(s) returning! I can tell she still might have some fluid in there, and she does pull at her left ear occasionally when it's hurting her, but she's still eating and sleeping well. I am still going to get her into the doctor sometime this week to check it out. We've been giving her the nosespray every day so hopefully that's helping to gradually ease the pressure. We will see what happens!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Sunday, plus a Gracie update
So we set our clocks back last night before we went to bed and let Gracie stay up late, but we were still hit hard this morning by the time change. Gracie usually wakes up about 6:30 every single morning, regardless of how late she was up the night before, so when she happily started chatting away this morning and we saw 5:30 on the clock, we knew it would be a sleepy day!
We tried to take it easy and catch up with little catnaps throughout the day, but Gracie played good and hard! Here are some pictures of her being her ornery self!
Kisses to wake up Daddy from his nap!
We tried to take it easy and catch up with little catnaps throughout the day, but Gracie played good and hard! Here are some pictures of her being her ornery self!
Kisses to wake up Daddy from his nap!
Now for an update! Gracie is doing something new every day.... she climbs up and down onto everything, gives kisses! (she comes at you open-mouth, but it's precious and its obvious that she wants a kiss), is now pretty clear with her "Mommy"s and "Daddy"s, dances to any music she hears, claps (which is so cute), stands up all by herself and even takes steps without holding onto anything! Not full-blown walking yet, but she was doing it more and more just this weekend so I'm sure she'll take off on her own very soon! She loves to lay her head down on soft blankets and dogs (haha), and is pretty much done eating baby food. She eats all kinds of food with her hands, and especially loves pancakes (no syrup or butter, of course)! She even had her first McDonald's food today, a chicken nugget kids meal with apples and she ate it all! She is down to only 3 bottles a day: wake-up, afternoon nap, and night-night bottle. She has so many expressions that she makes with those big brown eyes, and her giggles are absolutely infectious. We can't get enough of them!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Gracie's First Halloween!
Gracie's school does a costume parade every year so we needed to bring Gracie's costume with her to school this morning. We had bought a giraffe costume for her almost two months ago, but never thought about trying it on her, so we decided to see how it looked on this morning... and she hated it! She kicked and screamed until we took it off, so we panicked and ended up putting her into her Texas Longhorns cheerleader outfit as back-up. I dropped her off, and at 10:45 was back with Grammy Sherrie to take pictures of the parade! The infant classroom came out first, and the ones that weren't quite walking yet were in three of the rolling cribs (I thought that was a good idea). Gracie just chilled with her friend Carson for awhile (he's the red bat) and then when the other classrooms filed out into the parking lot for the parade she stood up and got more interested. I went and got her and we all walked around in the parade a bit. It was fun to see her friends all dressed up in their cute, silly costumes! Then we left because we had an appointment at Portrait Innovations at 12:40 to get Gracie's fall pictures taken!
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We went to Target first to kill some time, and Gracie was a little fussy and tired when we stopped for lunch, so we decided to run home and feed her there. Well she ended up passing out for her first nap of the day 20 minutes before her picture appointment, so I called to reschedule and they moved us to 2:40. Gracie slept til 2:15, then downed a huge lunch, and we made it to the studio by 2:50. They got us right in and we put the giraffe costume on her at the very last minute. She stood it for just a few minutes, then she got mad (I think it was really hot, plus it was still a bit big for her). Then we had a cool-weather fall outfit and then a pajama shoot that was so cute. I would definitely say that her 7 month pictures were the easiest (remember the tutu, bucket, and flower pictures this summer?). At that point she could sit up straight, but wasn't as mobile. Now that she can go where she wants, she just crawls right out of the picture!Hopefully her one-year-old/Christmas pictures will be easier, although at that point we're predicting she'll be walking so she might just take off running! =)
Enjoy the pics! We have PLENTY (they had a great deal going on) so just ask if you want some!
Unfortunately, we decided not to take Gracie out Trick-or-Treating this year. Her picture appointment lasted until 4:30, and then we came home and played for awhile. Then Daddy wanted to spend some time with her when he got home, and it was dark before we knew it. I don't think she would have wanted to wear that giraffe again anyway. Well, next year she will get to pick her own costume, so she can pick out whatever SHE likes! =)
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
A party and a hat
Saturday we went to my Aunt Dyana's 40th birthday party at Gran's house! Gracie had such a great time visiting with everyone, playing with the balloons and dogs, and helping Daddy watch the Texas game!
Here is an adorable hat Gracie's Aunt Myka bought for her from Janie & Jack (I absolutely love that store!). It is great at keeping her ears warm on these cold mornings and is so cute!
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Here is an adorable hat Gracie's Aunt Myka bought for her from Janie & Jack (I absolutely love that store!). It is great at keeping her ears warm on these cold mornings and is so cute!
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Friday, October 24, 2008
It never ends....
Gracie's ear infections came back with a vengeance yesterday. She is now on her third antibiotic in one month for them. However, her doctor does not think she is resistant to the antibiotics, rather that the ear infections are recurring as soon as she finishes the medicine. Gracie is now on a stronger penicillin-based antibiotic that she must take twice a day, and also on a nasal spray-type of medicine that her doctor hopes will gradually ease the pressure on her sinuses and therefore allow her ears to drain better, preventing more ear infections from occurring. If in six weeks this theory hasn't worked to suppress the infections, Gracie will have to have tubes put in her ears.
The struggle with the insurance to get Gracie to see the urologist at Children's is still ongoing. They seem to care more about where the referral is coming from than Gracie's health. It is very frustrating; it's just a piece of paper, for crying out loud! I told Dr. Conger about the whole issue yesterday, and she got very angry about the way they are handling it and she is going to call herself and try to use some of her professional influence to get Dr. Len to write the referral for Gracie. Hopefully that works! We are so blessed to have found such a great, proactive pediatrician in Dr. Conger. She is busy and runs her practice, but she always takes the time to talk about everything going on and make sure that we can get everything covered, while all the time having Gracie's best interests at heart and as her ultimate goal. She is awesome!
Please keep my grandfather Gerald Harris in your prayers, as well. His multiple myeloma is in remission, but he has stopped treatment and is leaving the hospital for at-home hospice care. My stepmother Angela started a neat website for updates on his condition: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/geraldharris
Thanks, hope everyone has a great weekend!
The struggle with the insurance to get Gracie to see the urologist at Children's is still ongoing. They seem to care more about where the referral is coming from than Gracie's health. It is very frustrating; it's just a piece of paper, for crying out loud! I told Dr. Conger about the whole issue yesterday, and she got very angry about the way they are handling it and she is going to call herself and try to use some of her professional influence to get Dr. Len to write the referral for Gracie. Hopefully that works! We are so blessed to have found such a great, proactive pediatrician in Dr. Conger. She is busy and runs her practice, but she always takes the time to talk about everything going on and make sure that we can get everything covered, while all the time having Gracie's best interests at heart and as her ultimate goal. She is awesome!
Please keep my grandfather Gerald Harris in your prayers, as well. His multiple myeloma is in remission, but he has stopped treatment and is leaving the hospital for at-home hospice care. My stepmother Angela started a neat website for updates on his condition: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/geraldharris
Thanks, hope everyone has a great weekend!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Gracie's test results
I heard back from Dr. Conger today. She has diagnosed Gracie with Grade 3 VUR (on a scale of 1-4, with Grade 4 being worst/most severe). Gracie will now need to be seen by a pediatric urologist, and Dr. Conger emailed me a list of several in the DFW area. Most of them do not accept Medicaid, but I found out that the Pediatric Urologists at Children's Medical Center in Dallas accept it. So I called them to make an appointment, and the soonest they can get Gracie in is December 18th, to see one of the urologists, Dr. Warren Snodgrass. Upon further research, this Dr. Snodgrass just happens to be the chief urologist at Children's, as well as a professor of urology at UT Southwestern. So Gracie is going to be seen by the very best! Here is the website for Children's Urology: http://www.childrens.com/Specialties/template.cfm?groupid=4&pageid=12
Now we just need to work out some insurance headaches. Apparently Medicaid will only cover a visit to a specialist if the referral is made by the primary care physician listed on the insurance, which is Gracie's former pediatrician, Dr. Len. However, the tests and diagnosis have been made by Dr. Conger, who is not a Medicaid doctor. I'm now hearing that Medicaid can be suspended if a non-Medicaid doctor orders tests performed, which I asked over and over at the hospital registration before Gracie's tests Friday and was told that it was all covered. So now I am stressing big time and am at the mercy of the Medicaid caseworker to understand my situation. She was supposed to call me back, but I guess didn't get around to it today, so I will call her again tomorrow (and sit on hold for another 45 minutes, ugh). Pray for me, this financial insurance stuff is so chaotic and I just wish they would all put Gracie's best interests first and let her be seen without all these minute details.
Now we just need to work out some insurance headaches. Apparently Medicaid will only cover a visit to a specialist if the referral is made by the primary care physician listed on the insurance, which is Gracie's former pediatrician, Dr. Len. However, the tests and diagnosis have been made by Dr. Conger, who is not a Medicaid doctor. I'm now hearing that Medicaid can be suspended if a non-Medicaid doctor orders tests performed, which I asked over and over at the hospital registration before Gracie's tests Friday and was told that it was all covered. So now I am stressing big time and am at the mercy of the Medicaid caseworker to understand my situation. She was supposed to call me back, but I guess didn't get around to it today, so I will call her again tomorrow (and sit on hold for another 45 minutes, ugh). Pray for me, this financial insurance stuff is so chaotic and I just wish they would all put Gracie's best interests first and let her be seen without all these minute details.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pumpkin Patch!
Whew! What a busy, fun weekend we had! This morning we went to church, then we were off to Terrell for cousin Lilly's birthday party! Gracie had LOADS of fun in the bounce house! Then we went to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch to take some pictures and to find Gracie's first family carving pumpkin. We had a wonderful day! Here is the evidence:
Gracie loves to bounce! 
Concentrating hard on tearing up this napkin, haha 
Fun in the bounce house with cousin Lilly! 
A ball makes it twice as fun! 
In the fire truck at the pumpkin patch! 
Pumpkin house
LOVE this picture! 
Peek-a-boo!
Super-strong Gracie! =)
Just kidding! hehe 
Hm, this doesn't taste very good...
Family picture at the pumpkin patch! 
Here is a video of Gracie bouncing with her cousin Lilly
Saturday, October 18, 2008
State Fair of Texas
First we went to the Casteel's house for Logan's 1st birthday party! We had a great time hanging out with our friends (Gracie had so much fun playing with all of Logan's new toys, lol). Then we were off to the State Fair! We were able do everything we wanted (tried a new fried food, went to the petting zoo and auto shows, and David had to get a corn dog), and had a blast! Here are the pictures!
Mommy and Gracie checking out the Honda Fit in the Autoshow
David's favorite place: The Sausage Barn =)
Had to try the chicken fried bacon. Yes, it was good, but no, it wasn't worth the long line.
Strollers weren't allowed in the petting zoo, so Daddy stayed outside to wait with it while Mommy and Gracie looked at all the animals!
Gracie checking out the goats
An enormous pig and a bunch of cute piglets!
Family picture (David holding his precious corndog in the background, lol) 
Hanging out with Aunt Ashley and Uncle Bennie! 
Daddy and Mommy
Aw, how sweet (gag) 
Ashley and Sara!
Daddy killed this sweet picture with his weird smile 
Ashley and Sara, being silly 
Gracie getting her first bite of ice cream from Aunt Ashley...
...BRR it's cold! =) 
Friday, October 17, 2008
Gracie's tests performed today
Gracie had the tests on her urinary system performed at Medical Center of Lewisville today. Here is some information on the reasons for the tests and what they look for:
You may remember that Gracie had a severe urinary tract infection when she was two months old. About one-third of children with a urinary tract infection are found to have vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), which is the abnormal flow of urine from the bladder back into the ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder). Severe VUR is urine that backs all the way up into the kidneys. VUR can lead to infection because urine that remains in the child's urinary tract provides a place for bacteria to grow. Here is a great website I found that explains VUR: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/Kudiseases/pubs/vesicoureteralreflux/
Ultrasounds and VCUGs are the most common tests performed to diagnose VUR. The ultrasound looks for obvious visual abnormalities and blockages anywhere in the urinary system that could be caused by infections. The VCUG (voiding cystourethrogram) is an x-ray examination that uses a special form of x-ray called fluroscopy and a contrast material that fills the bladder via a catheter. Fluoroscopy makes it possible to see internal organs in motion. When the bladder is filled with and then emptied of a water-soluble contrast material, the radiologist is able to view and assess the anatomy and function of the bladder and lower urinary tract. Here is another great site that I found that explains VCUGs: http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=voidcysto&bhcp=1
Gracie did great during her ultrasound, even "helping" the technician move the wand around. =) I did not get much information about the ultrasound as I could not interpret the images myself, so we will have to see what her doctor says about them. The VCUG was a whole other story. Poor Gracie was so good at first but once that catheter went in she was very unhappy. She quieted down for a minute or two at one point, but was back to bawling by the time they finally pulled the catheter out. I was able to stay next to Gracie in the x-ray room while the VCUG was being done and watched a monitor as the dye backed up one of Gracie's ureters all the way up to her kidney. I should be hearing from Dr. Conger, Gracie's new pediatrician, by Monday or Tuesday at the latest on how we should proceed with these results. I've read that infants at this age usually grow out of primary VUR (reflux caused by an abnormality in a valve where the ureter meets the bladder), and secondary VUR (caused by an infection or blockage anywhere in the urinary system) can be treated with certain antibiotics, so that is encouraging. I'm still concerned that it did back up all the way into Gracie's kidney, though. That means it is severe, although it is only one and not both kidneys.
I will keep everyone updated on what her doctor says. Thanks for the prayers!
P.S. We have a very fun weekend planned, so stay tuned for lots of pictures come Monday! =)
P.P.S. On a random note, today we noticed that tooth #7 popped through! Now she has her four front teeth on the bottom, and three front teeth on the top!
P.P.P.S. And tally up the fourth night in a row (last night) that she slept all through the night in her own crib! Hopefully this keeps up for good now!
You may remember that Gracie had a severe urinary tract infection when she was two months old. About one-third of children with a urinary tract infection are found to have vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), which is the abnormal flow of urine from the bladder back into the ureters (tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder). Severe VUR is urine that backs all the way up into the kidneys. VUR can lead to infection because urine that remains in the child's urinary tract provides a place for bacteria to grow. Here is a great website I found that explains VUR: http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/Kudiseases/pubs/vesicoureteralreflux/
Ultrasounds and VCUGs are the most common tests performed to diagnose VUR. The ultrasound looks for obvious visual abnormalities and blockages anywhere in the urinary system that could be caused by infections. The VCUG (voiding cystourethrogram) is an x-ray examination that uses a special form of x-ray called fluroscopy and a contrast material that fills the bladder via a catheter. Fluoroscopy makes it possible to see internal organs in motion. When the bladder is filled with and then emptied of a water-soluble contrast material, the radiologist is able to view and assess the anatomy and function of the bladder and lower urinary tract. Here is another great site that I found that explains VCUGs: http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=voidcysto&bhcp=1
Gracie did great during her ultrasound, even "helping" the technician move the wand around. =) I did not get much information about the ultrasound as I could not interpret the images myself, so we will have to see what her doctor says about them. The VCUG was a whole other story. Poor Gracie was so good at first but once that catheter went in she was very unhappy. She quieted down for a minute or two at one point, but was back to bawling by the time they finally pulled the catheter out. I was able to stay next to Gracie in the x-ray room while the VCUG was being done and watched a monitor as the dye backed up one of Gracie's ureters all the way up to her kidney. I should be hearing from Dr. Conger, Gracie's new pediatrician, by Monday or Tuesday at the latest on how we should proceed with these results. I've read that infants at this age usually grow out of primary VUR (reflux caused by an abnormality in a valve where the ureter meets the bladder), and secondary VUR (caused by an infection or blockage anywhere in the urinary system) can be treated with certain antibiotics, so that is encouraging. I'm still concerned that it did back up all the way into Gracie's kidney, though. That means it is severe, although it is only one and not both kidneys.
I will keep everyone updated on what her doctor says. Thanks for the prayers!
P.S. We have a very fun weekend planned, so stay tuned for lots of pictures come Monday! =)
P.P.S. On a random note, today we noticed that tooth #7 popped through! Now she has her four front teeth on the bottom, and three front teeth on the top!
P.P.P.S. And tally up the fourth night in a row (last night) that she slept all through the night in her own crib! Hopefully this keeps up for good now!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Gracie's Recovery and Tests
Gracie is feeling MUCH better. She is eating like a champ, playing and giggling non-stop, even sleeping 11 hours all through the night without a peep in her own crib the last three nights! We even discovered a sixth tooth! Her teachers at Primrose have told me that she is happier and more playful than they've ever seen her, and now I know they're seeing the real Gracie. She was sick for so long, just not herself, losing weight, very clingy, not sleeping well... it's a total one-eighty from how she was a week ago, even a month ago! She is still on her antibiotic for her ear infections, and will continue taking it for another 4 days, after which we will have a follow-up exam with her new doctor.
The hospital called to schedule the tests on her urinary system. They will be tomorrow at Medical Center of Lewisville. Her ultrasound is at 3:15pm, and VCUG at 4. Pray that these tests go well, and that we have great results!
Thank you for all the prayers for us last week. We certainly needed them, and we are all so uplifted by the positive changes in Gracie. I'm never happier than when she's giggling! God is great!
The hospital called to schedule the tests on her urinary system. They will be tomorrow at Medical Center of Lewisville. Her ultrasound is at 3:15pm, and VCUG at 4. Pray that these tests go well, and that we have great results!
Thank you for all the prayers for us last week. We certainly needed them, and we are all so uplifted by the positive changes in Gracie. I'm never happier than when she's giggling! God is great!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Gracie is very sick
I don't know if her regular pediatrician, Dr. Len, just overlooks things because Gracie is on Medicaid, but she has been to see him three times in the last month, and she's still sick. Her teachers have told me that she just hasn't felt good all week, but when I called her doctor's office they said she's just congested because of the weather changing. Well, last night she started running fevers as high as 102.8. We were able to control them with Tylenol, so we didn't take her to the ER, but we knew she needed to be seen by a doctor this morning. I did not want to wait for two hours at Dr. Len's office just to be told again that she's just congested, so I took her to another pediatrician today and paid full price for a second opinion. $240 later we discover that she has very severe and advanced ear infections with fluid in both ears, which would have been very apparent two weeks ago, when Dr. Len saw her last. He had prescribed her zithromax for what he called a "mild inflamation" that he saw in one ear last week, but I guess it didn't work or something. I really like Dr. Len, but I'm so mad that this was allowed to get so out of control. I trusted his diagnosis several times, but now it looks like I'll be second-guessing everything from now on. Gracie has also lost almost two entire pounds in the last two weeks!
This new doctor, Dr. Conger at Kids First Pediatrics, said she is also concerned about the urinary tract infection Gracie had when she was two months old. She called the Lewisville ER where we took her back then and got her records, turns out they had done a 72-hour urine culture and never notified me of the results, but they notified Dr. Len. He in turn neglected to inform me that there were some abnormalities in some of the structures of Gracie's urine (?). Dr. Conger said a high percentage of UTIs in babies less than three months old are usually caused by an actual abnormality in the kidneys or bladder, so she wants to check it out. We're supposed to schedule an ultrasound of her entire urinary system and a VCUG, which is a catheter dye test to make sure her kidneys and bladder and everything in between are functioning okay. Both of these tests can be done through the hospital, which can then be billed to Medicaid (thank God).
Dr. Conger prescribed an antibiotic for the ear infections. Gracie's very lethargic because of the high fevers, and once Tylenol kicks in every four hours she perks up just enough to drink part of a bottle and snuggle around. She is sleeping a LOT, which Dr. Conger said to let her do as long as she wants as it's helping the infection, we just need to continue to monitor her temperature.
So please pray for our beautiful little girl! We can tell she's absolutely miserable, and we're very anxious to see how this antibiotic works.
On a good note, Gracie's fifth tooth is through! It is to the left side of her bottom front teeth. It's actually out quite a bit, which makes me think it came in early last week. So yay for five perfect pearlies so far! =)
This new doctor, Dr. Conger at Kids First Pediatrics, said she is also concerned about the urinary tract infection Gracie had when she was two months old. She called the Lewisville ER where we took her back then and got her records, turns out they had done a 72-hour urine culture and never notified me of the results, but they notified Dr. Len. He in turn neglected to inform me that there were some abnormalities in some of the structures of Gracie's urine (?). Dr. Conger said a high percentage of UTIs in babies less than three months old are usually caused by an actual abnormality in the kidneys or bladder, so she wants to check it out. We're supposed to schedule an ultrasound of her entire urinary system and a VCUG, which is a catheter dye test to make sure her kidneys and bladder and everything in between are functioning okay. Both of these tests can be done through the hospital, which can then be billed to Medicaid (thank God).
Dr. Conger prescribed an antibiotic for the ear infections. Gracie's very lethargic because of the high fevers, and once Tylenol kicks in every four hours she perks up just enough to drink part of a bottle and snuggle around. She is sleeping a LOT, which Dr. Conger said to let her do as long as she wants as it's helping the infection, we just need to continue to monitor her temperature.
So please pray for our beautiful little girl! We can tell she's absolutely miserable, and we're very anxious to see how this antibiotic works.
On a good note, Gracie's fifth tooth is through! It is to the left side of her bottom front teeth. It's actually out quite a bit, which makes me think it came in early last week. So yay for five perfect pearlies so far! =)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Busy October
First of all, congratulations to our friends, Brian and Whitney Goff, on the October 1st birth of their daughter Ainsley Marie! We're very excited to have another addition to the "babysitter's club" of all the little girls born recently. And now our friends Brandon and Amber Dion have found out they are expecting a girl! They already have three little boys, so this little princess will be spoiled rotten, I'm sure. =) We're very happy for all of our friends!
Okay. We've all been really busy with work and daycare, and some big plans have been made. David and I met with our Dave Ramsey Certified Financial Counselor on Saturday, and we are excited to start working with him to get all of our finances on the right track! I read Total Money Makeover, but we couldn't quite figure out how to apply it to our unique financial situation, so we took an extra step to work with a counselor. He's going to help me get on top of all my past debt, as well. We're ready to get started on it, and we recommend it to everyone! His name is Mark Pooser, his office is in Old Town Lewisville, and his number is: 337-526-7504. http://www.markpooser.com/
I finally reached a point where my back was so bad that I couldn't put Gracie in and out of the bathtub every night for her bath, so I gave in and saw an orthopedist. He was great, did some x-rays and while my spine itself looks perfectly fine, he said that having a baby did something to the muscles and tissues in my back, and prescribed physical therapy. I went to a physical therapist the next day, and made some interesting discoveries about myself. Apparently, I have an extremely flexible spine. Most people, when standing with their hands on their hips and keeping their knees straight, can bend backwards only about 65 degrees. I can bend 8o degrees, which Brant (the physical therapist) made me do several times just to see. I can also bend forward and put my hands flat on the floor while keeping my knees straight with absolutely no difficulty. He also discovered that my right hip is set two inches higher than my left, and my left hip is actually rotated forward and inwards, which has set my lower left back all weird (which is where the worst of my back pain is located). He said that before I got pregnant, I had a very strong core (abdominal muscles) that supported the flexibility of my back. When I got pregnant, those muscles stretched out, but the baby inside kept the support intact. But when I delivered the baby, all of a sudden that support was gone, and the muscles were still stretched out, so that is why the pain started almost immediately upon leaving the hospital. He showed me some stretches that I have to do every day. The therapy is $80 per visit, but he recommended that I get a gym membership and join their Pilates class at least twice per week, which would be much cheaper. He wil show me exercises to do at the gym to help strengthen my core, and eventually all that support for my back will be in place and I will feel a lot better. So I'm glad I found such an honest therapist, who understands that I can't afford to see him three times per week, but cares enough to show me what to keep doing on my own. The LA Fitness by our house offers Pilates classes Mondays and Thursdays, so I will get signed up there and get that going. I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow afternoon, and the last one probably on Friday. Wish me luck on all of that!
Gracie is doing really well at Primrose. She loves her teachers, eats well, and plays great with all the other babies. She is getting better at napping during the day. She wasn't used to all the commotion going on during nap time, but she's slowly started sleeping longer and longer, which is great. She still hasn't taken off walking on her own yet, but she will sometimes pull up on a table and then start playing with something with both hands, not realizing that she's standing on her own. I'm pretty positive she'll be walking confidently by Thanksgiving, maybe even Halloween! No new words, really. Mostly just babbling right now, but occasionally you can pick up an attempt at a word. Her first Halloween costume is going to be a giraffe! Haha... it's very cute.
Coming up for the rest of October we're pretty busy. My Aunt Linda and cousins Robbie and Chuckie are coming in town tonight and will be here for a couple of days, so we're excited to visit with them. David and I will probably take a weekday afternoon off one day in the next couple of weeks to go the State Fair with Gracie. This weekend is the Texas vs. OU game (GO TEXAS!) so we're going to a friends' house to watch that. Sunday the 12th is the tenth anniversary of my old church, Vista Ridge C of C, so I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends. Saturday the 18th is our friend Logan Casteel's first birthday party, and the 25th or 26th is a 40th birthday party for my Aunt Dyana. So lots and lots going on!
Hope everyone is having a great October so far! We love y'all!
Okay. We've all been really busy with work and daycare, and some big plans have been made. David and I met with our Dave Ramsey Certified Financial Counselor on Saturday, and we are excited to start working with him to get all of our finances on the right track! I read Total Money Makeover, but we couldn't quite figure out how to apply it to our unique financial situation, so we took an extra step to work with a counselor. He's going to help me get on top of all my past debt, as well. We're ready to get started on it, and we recommend it to everyone! His name is Mark Pooser, his office is in Old Town Lewisville, and his number is: 337-526-7504. http://www.markpooser.com/
I finally reached a point where my back was so bad that I couldn't put Gracie in and out of the bathtub every night for her bath, so I gave in and saw an orthopedist. He was great, did some x-rays and while my spine itself looks perfectly fine, he said that having a baby did something to the muscles and tissues in my back, and prescribed physical therapy. I went to a physical therapist the next day, and made some interesting discoveries about myself. Apparently, I have an extremely flexible spine. Most people, when standing with their hands on their hips and keeping their knees straight, can bend backwards only about 65 degrees. I can bend 8o degrees, which Brant (the physical therapist) made me do several times just to see. I can also bend forward and put my hands flat on the floor while keeping my knees straight with absolutely no difficulty. He also discovered that my right hip is set two inches higher than my left, and my left hip is actually rotated forward and inwards, which has set my lower left back all weird (which is where the worst of my back pain is located). He said that before I got pregnant, I had a very strong core (abdominal muscles) that supported the flexibility of my back. When I got pregnant, those muscles stretched out, but the baby inside kept the support intact. But when I delivered the baby, all of a sudden that support was gone, and the muscles were still stretched out, so that is why the pain started almost immediately upon leaving the hospital. He showed me some stretches that I have to do every day. The therapy is $80 per visit, but he recommended that I get a gym membership and join their Pilates class at least twice per week, which would be much cheaper. He wil show me exercises to do at the gym to help strengthen my core, and eventually all that support for my back will be in place and I will feel a lot better. So I'm glad I found such an honest therapist, who understands that I can't afford to see him three times per week, but cares enough to show me what to keep doing on my own. The LA Fitness by our house offers Pilates classes Mondays and Thursdays, so I will get signed up there and get that going. I have a physical therapy appointment tomorrow afternoon, and the last one probably on Friday. Wish me luck on all of that!
Gracie is doing really well at Primrose. She loves her teachers, eats well, and plays great with all the other babies. She is getting better at napping during the day. She wasn't used to all the commotion going on during nap time, but she's slowly started sleeping longer and longer, which is great. She still hasn't taken off walking on her own yet, but she will sometimes pull up on a table and then start playing with something with both hands, not realizing that she's standing on her own. I'm pretty positive she'll be walking confidently by Thanksgiving, maybe even Halloween! No new words, really. Mostly just babbling right now, but occasionally you can pick up an attempt at a word. Her first Halloween costume is going to be a giraffe! Haha... it's very cute.
Coming up for the rest of October we're pretty busy. My Aunt Linda and cousins Robbie and Chuckie are coming in town tonight and will be here for a couple of days, so we're excited to visit with them. David and I will probably take a weekday afternoon off one day in the next couple of weeks to go the State Fair with Gracie. This weekend is the Texas vs. OU game (GO TEXAS!) so we're going to a friends' house to watch that. Sunday the 12th is the tenth anniversary of my old church, Vista Ridge C of C, so I'm looking forward to catching up with old friends. Saturday the 18th is our friend Logan Casteel's first birthday party, and the 25th or 26th is a 40th birthday party for my Aunt Dyana. So lots and lots going on!
Hope everyone is having a great October so far! We love y'all!
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