Yuck!

What in the world is this on the back of Carson's head??!! He has had this ridiculously large patch spot on the back of his head for 3 months! At first the dr's thought it was ringworm and put him on topical meds. When that didn't work he started taking an oral antibiotic, which is usually not used in children under 2 years old but they thought it was the only way to clear up ringworm on the scalp. In addition, we have been using a medicated shampoo. We have been doing this course of treatment for 6 weeks and either this ringworm is a tank like Carson and only gets bigger with time or it's not a ringworm after all. We have an appointment with a dermatologist next Wednesday. Please say a prayer that whatever is on his head, they figure it out, it is easily curable and that he won't have any permanent scarring or hair loss, or side effects from the meds.

5 months and more...

Carson turned 5 months old yesterday! It really is flying by! He is still so sweet. He weighs around 21 lbs and is wearing 12 month clothes. He wears a size 2 shoe. He eats 7 oz at 6am, 9 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and 6 pm (+ 2 tbsp rice cereal) and goes down for the night around 6:30 pm. He eats one fruit or vegetable around 5:30. He loves everything except for the green beans. He just kept spitting them out very politely while I was feeding him unlike LG who screamed her head off if she didn't like a food. :) He sleeps 12 hours at night and roughly 2~2 hour naps. He did several things for the first time this past week. He reached his arms up for me from the exerscaucer at daycare last Wednesday. I loved it!! He got in his jumper (see picture below) for the first time yesterday and loved every minute of it. He never got bored~I finally just took him out after about 45 minutes.

He also played with Bella for the first time. Sorry the pic is dark. I was scared I wouldn't get the pic in time so I didn't have time to turn the overhead light on. They are playing tug-o-war! They both had so much fun playing with each other.
In other news :)...LG helped her daddy wash my car on Saturday while I went and got a pedicure. How nice is that?! They did a great job!! Thanks guys!!Life is good.

Our little star!

Carson was named star student at his daycare last week and they put this poster outside of his classroom:

He is so precious!!! I can't say that enough! He's our little star every week!! We appreciate the barn for choosing "Laaa" and making us feel special!

Fun Easter weekend!

Our Easter weekend began on Friday with a "Girls' Day!" Andy had to work and we took Carson to daycare so LG and I could spend the day together. We started out at the Dr, where LG was diagnosed with another ear infection. Those are typical and never slow her down so we left there and went to the zoo. We got there before it got too busy. We saw all the animals!

I thought this was pretty cool~the sea lion kept swimming in a circle and getting really close to the glass.

By the time we left, it was time for lunch so we headed to Chick-Fil-A in Olive Branch to meet my mom and Alex. This is how LG was by the time we made it there:

We got the Chick-Fil-A to-go and went home to eat and take naps. We both slept for 3 hours! I guess we needed it! Saturday morning was our church's annual Easter egg hunt. LG asked to wear my sunglasses and then said, "Take my picture." LOL!
On Sunday we went to church and then to Andy's Aunt Laura's for Easter dinner. LG participated in another Easter egg hunt and racked up on tons of candy!
We had a fun family filled Easter weekend! Hope y'all enjoyed yours too!

Update on the update...

Carson is perfectly normal!! He does not have a vascular ring or anything else compressing his esophagus or trachea. He doesn't even have acid reflux, which he has been on meds for since he was 5 weeks old!! The dr, radiology tech and nurses at LeBonheur are the BEST!! The dr was training an intern so he was thinking out loud as the test was running. I was nervous about that at first and kept asking him questions. He finally told the intern that I was the "typical helicopter mom, hovering over her baby." LOL!! He later asked me if he offended me when he said that and I told him, "No" but that I was going to blog about it and asked if I could take his picture.

Dr. Young and Carson

Carson so was so good, as usual. He drank that Barium like it was kool-aid and stayed pretty still while he was being x-rayed. He has undergone lots of tests and procedures in his short life and he ALWAYS has a smile on his face...unless he's hungry...imagine that!! :)

Praise God that my prayers were answered and my baby is healthy!!! Thanks for all your prayers as well.

Some pictures...

I thought this picture was so sweet! Alex is such a big help. He was my first baby! I lived with he and his mama the first year of his life. He was holding Carson while I was getting LG's dinner and Carson's late afternoon snack ready. He is like their big brother!

Then, of course, LG could not be left out so she wanted to get up on the counter and get in the pictures too! She NEVER looks at the camera!
And then when I get her to look at the camera, Carson looks at her! LOL!!!

All my babies!!

Ahh Laaa

A little play on words. I told you in an earlier post that we call Carson, Laaa, because that's what he says when he cries so we call him Ahh Laaa in this picture:

Andy loves to put the burp cloth on Carson's head and make him look Muslim so when he brought Carson up to my work we had him pose with my Muslim friend, Noha. He doesn't look as good as she does in the head wrap, maybe that's why Muslim men don't have to wear them...hmmm, points to ponder from other religions. :)

Update

We got discharged from LeBonheur late Sunday afternoon. Carson sounded so much better after they sucked all that junk out of his nose and throat! He does however still have a wheezing sound coming more from his upper airway, which is of concern. I kept him home from daycare and took him to his dr's office yesterday for a follow-up. The two dr's that saw him said his lungs sounded good but they could still hear the wheezing in his throat. We are scheduled for an upper GI test at LeBonheur on Thursday to find out if there's anything pressing/squeezing his trachea causing the wheeze. It could be that he has a normal trachea and the bronchiolitis caused inflammation in it but at the other extreme, it could be a rare congenital heart defect called a vascular ring. This is where a vessel from the heart has wrapped itself around his trachea and is squeezing it. Some children who have this do fine with no intervention but in some cases, surgery is warranted. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we would appreciate your prayers that we have a healthy baby boy with just some tracheal irritation.

Here he is last night with his buddy, Alex. He looks HUGE in this picture. I mean, I'm not in denial that he's a big baby but he looks exceptionally big in this picture. :)

I know God is going to take of my sweet boy but of course, as any mother would be, I am nervous/anxious about the test. Please pray for me that I would be able to rest in God's plan for Carson, cast my cares on the Lord and not worry (Phil. 4:6-7).

Dejavu...

We have been dealing with an upper respiratory issue with Carson for several weeks now. We have been back and forth to dr's offices trying to figure out what is going on. He has a lot of drainage and has recently started wheezing. He was diagnosed with bronchilitis a couple of weeks ago (as you may know from earlier blog posts) but has always been sent home.

Yesterday I took him in to the dr's office because he sounded like he was wheezing quite a bit more than usual. The dr checked his pulse oxygen level and it was 92. She gave him 3 breathing treatments and his pulse ox stayed at 92. She said it was like she hadn't done anything. She stared at me with a look on her face that I had seen once before...when LG was 4 months and 2 weeks old she was having the same issues and we were transported from that same dr's office by ambulance to LeBonheur Children's Hospital for an overnight stay. She was eventually diagnosed with bronchilitis and underwent several deep nasal suctionings to get all that pesky snot out. Carson is 4 months and 1 week old and that's exactly what happened again. We were transported by ambulance yesterday and admitted to Lebonheur for the night. They did a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia and other respiratory problems. But like LG, he has been diagnosed with bronchilitis and has received the same suctioning to clean all that junk out of his nose and throat. The problem is babies can't blow and cough that stuff up so it settles in their chests and causes breathing problems. Today his oxygen level has remained around 99-100 so we are being discharged.
The pictures below chronical our journey yesterday and today. This was Carson at the dr's office getting his first breathing treatment. He fought it so hard at first that he passed out in my lap.

My friend, Alisha was kind enough to come get LG from the dr's office after we had been there for two hours so she could take her to get donuts and just to get her out of the office. LG was being so helpful and good but she was getting bored and that can spell disaster for a 3 year old. Thank goodness she came and got her before we had to ride in the ambulance.

Alisha wanted to hold the big baby before she left. The smile on his face was indicative of his attitude all day~happy except when he was getting his breathing treatment or nose sucked. Everyone has commented on how he doesn't seem to notice that he's sick.

This picture was taken in the ER in his cute little hospital gown. He fell asleep with his paci hanging out of his mouth~long, rough day for my little Laaa.

We finally got moved to a room after around 6 hours in the ER. This was Carson's "jail-like" bed. He has seemed relatively comfortable in it.

Different angle of the bed.

This was Carson after he got his nose sucked for about the 5th time. He hates it but can breathe so much better for a couple of hours after. I wish we had one of those machines at home! Those stupid nasal bulbs don't do anything! A nurse told me that she thinks they sell a little battery powered suctioner at Walgreens. I will definitely be checking that out ASAP.

This is the entire room which is much better than what we got when we came three years ago with LG. She was in the PICU and shared a giant room with about 10 other babies. We were not allowed to stay with her and that was agonizing, especially since she was our first child and we had never experienced anything like that before. Andy slept on that pull-out chair to the left and I slept on the couch in Carson's room.

The dr's and nurses have been wonderful!! They have loved on Carson and spent so much time with us, explaining things and just talking to us.

We should be discharged in a couple of hours. All in all, I'm glad we came here so Carson could get some much needed snot removal and so we could rule out any critical issues, but I think we'll all be happy to sleep in our own beds tonight.

4 months and alot to show and tell...

I waited until after Carson's 4 month check-up to post about all that's been going on with him lately. Within the past week he started reaching out and playing with toys. In the picture below, we sat him in his Bumbo and Lilley Grace put as many toys as she could fit onto his tray.

Dr. Lacy (his pediatrician) told us to start feeding him rice cereal right before his 4 month check-up so Carson got his first taste of rice cereal on a spoon this past Saturday and he did GREAT!!
He had his 4 month check-up yesterday and did such a good job. He smiled the entire time (except when he got his shots)! While we were waiting on Dr. Lacy, Carson chilled out in his bucket, sucking his two middle fingers on his left hand, which are the same fingers his daddy sucked!! It's crazy to think that even something like "finger sucking" can be hereditary!! Dr. Lacy said fingers are better than thumbs. :) Carson doesn't really care for his paci, he always prefers his fingers.

Carson weighed in at 20 lbs. 10 oz.--OFF THE CHARTS, he measured 27 in. (95%), and his head measured in the 95th percentile. Even though he has bronchilitis, Dr. Lacy said his lungs sound great and that we could start giving him 1 oz of warm apple juice a couple of times a day to break up the mucus that is draining from his head. He also put him on an oral antibiotic for the massive ringworm on his scalp. Even though oral meds are not typically given to such young children, Dr. Lacy said he has done it before and as long as he was conservative with the dosage, Carson would be fine. He has to take it for 2 months. Andy gave him his first dose this morning and he HATED it and spit most of it out. So I am going to call this morning and ask if we can put it in his morning bottle. Otherwise, everything looked great.

Carson hit another milestone as well. We started feeding him 7.5 oz at 6 am, 9 am, 12 pm, and 3 pm, one tablespoon of rice cereal in a bowl at 5 pm, then he gets 8 oz plus 2 scoops of rice cereal for his last bottle around 6:15 pm. He gets his bath at 6 pm and then his last bottle and then down for the night between 6:30 and 6:45 pm. He sleeps until Andy wakes him up at 6 am. Whew!! We finally made it to the 12 hour stretch! It's fabulous! We are able to get him down and have some time alone with LG.

I really enjoyed this time of LG's life (4 months to 18 months). Not that I haven't enjoyed every stage of life so far with her but I truly am amazed at all the new things babies learn everyday during the first two years of their lives. They change so much in a week's time. I love it and plan on trying to enjoy every minute with this precious little boy...who's really not so little anymore. ;)

Bigger and bigger and bigger...

Last Friday night I took Carson to the dr because he was coughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath. He was diagnosed with bronchilitis. He tested negative for RSV but they treat bronchilitis the same as the do RSV, it's just not contagious. His pulse oxygen was 99%, so that was reassuring. They also did a chest xray which showed that he didn't have pneumonia. They used this fabulous machine to suck all the mucus out of his nose~I asked if I could buy one of those! Sadly, you can't. They sent us home with an inhaler that we give him as needed~which is usually first thing in the morning and right before he goes to bed but otherwise, we just have to let it run its course. He is as happy as always, just with a wheeze and a cough.

But the one thing that stood out to everyone in the office was Carson's weight. He is 16 weeks and weighs 20 lbs!!!!! I am looking forward to his 4 month check up coming this Monday so I can see his stats! I bet he is off the charts in ALL areas!

Self sufficient

Carson held his bottle for the first time Saturday morning! I don't know why I was surprised~obviously he loves to eat so he figured out how to do it with or without us!!! ;)

Big ole baby and childhood insights

Carson looked so cute yesterday in his church clothes! My mom said he looked like a football player and he really does! I was holding him and saying, "Hurry, take the picture!" because my arm was hurting! LOL!!

When I dropped LG off in her Sunday school class yesterday her teacher told this story and then sent it out in an email to the parents of the class in their weekly class email:

"Last week, in teaching the story of Jesus feeding the 5000, a teacher said that Jesus always talked to His Father, God, and God always answered Him. One of your precious ones said with all confidence, "I heard from God this morning." When the teacher asked her for a further explanation she replied, "He was talking through the ceiling as I came into church!" From now on I will chuckle each time I hear a voice via the 2nd Presbyterian sound system!"~Mrs. Sarah Gaye

That "precious one" was LG!! TOO stinkin' precious!!!

Is it possible...

for a 3 month old to weigh 18 lbs 13 oz?!!! Obviously it is because mine does!! Andy took Carson to the dr today because he has a giant ringworm on the back of his head! Worst place possible! To cure ringworm in the scalp one has to take an oral medication and 3 month olds cannot take those oral medications!! So~he is on a special shampoo and lotrimin cream for 3-4 WEEKS!! If it doesn't clear up in a few weeks or at least look better, he has to go to a dermatologist to get a skin scrape. That just sounds like it hurts and I'm sure it does. But Dr. O'Brien was really more concerned about the fact that he weighs so much. She said we could probably back down off the formula and he would still be getting enough but she doesn't know my child! If we backed down to 6 oz every bottle, he would kill us in our sleep! :) We have hit the ceiling of the formula at 40 oz a day so we won't be going any higher but I'm definitely not going down either. I'll keep you posted on the massive ringworm!

Picture day

LG has her class picture today so I asked Andy to send me a picture of her all dressed up with her cute new headband bow and dress on. I also had this cute little polo and jeans out for Carson to wear so I asked him to send me a picture of him too. The picture below is what I got...

LG has her sunglasses on so I can't see her headband, she has her knee up so I can't see her dress, and she's not smiling, or even looking at the camera for that matter!! Carson has a jacket over his polo and his paci in his mouth so I can't even see his cute smile!! All Andy heard was "take a picture." Men...

14 weeks and a milestone

I wasn't going to post every week once Carson got through the first couple of months. I was going to start posting on a monthly basis but he happened to hit a milestone on the day of his 14 week birthday so I'm posting about it!

For the last couple of weeks, Carson has been giving me cues that he needed a different feeding/sleeping schedule. For example, he was falling asleep between 7:45-8 pm and sleeping straight through his bath and last feeding at 10 pm. Then he started getting hungry around the 3 1/2 hour mark instead of 4 hours. I wanted to try to wait until next weekend to try something new but I couldn't hold him off anymore. So, he ate 8 oz at 6 am, 9:30 am, 1 pm, 4:30 pm, and 8 pm. He fell asleep in his swing around 6:45 pm and slept through his bath and bottle at 8 so I was scared he wouldn't sleep through the night but surprisingly he did!!! LG helped me bath him and she lay on the floor watching Olivia while I fed him. She kissed him goodnight and I put him down around 8:20. He cried out for a second around 5 am and when Andy and I went in at 6 am, he was laying in his bed just looking around. So stinkin' precious!!!! His diaper was soaked through (which never happened with LG~maybe it's a boy thing) so I guess I'll have to invest in some nighttime diapers.

Andy sent me a picture of the dynamic duo before he took them to school this morning and the message attached to the pic was, "I would like to introduce big sister in charge and Mr. Green Jean Butter Bean. " LOL!!!!! Also, notice that they both have their hands in their mouths. Perfect~let's just spread the germs all around!!

Another first~when I went to pick him up from daycare yesterday, he was sitting in an exercauser for the first time. I screamed and ran back out to my car to get my phone so I could get a picture!!

He is so big!! Ms. Valerie said he is the youngest in the class but eats the most! Imagine that!!

Out of town "fix"...

While I was gone this weekend I asked Andy a few times to send me pics of my babies so I could get "my fix." He sent me some cute ones, but this one takes the cake!!! I am so in love!!!

And here's a pic of LG when she was around Carson's age...they look just alike and both loved to stick their tongues out to the side!

3 months old

Carson turned 3 months old yesterday. I remember when he was just a few weeks old, thinking I can't wait until he's 3 months old so he will be on a sleep schedule and he will be interacting more...I do love this stage but it is all happening so fast this time. It is so different with Carson. I want to hold him all the time and savor every little sound he makes and smile that comes across his face. I love bathing him and feeding him at 10 pm because it is just he and I and he is so sweet and cuddly. He is so much more laid back than LG. He just chills in his bouncy seat or his swing and only cries if he is really hungry or really tired. She didn't cry a lot either but she was just more demanding.

This was him yesterday morning right before Andy took him to daycare...just chillin'

His shirt has a whale on it and reads, "I am whaley cute!!"

He sleeps a few hours a day at different times, so his naps are not consistent yet but he always falls asleep around 8 pm. He gets his last bottle at 10 pm but I am considering feeding him every 3 1/2 hours instead of every 4 so I can give him his last bottle at 8 and he can go to sleep then for the night. He wakes up between 5:30 and 6 am. I make him wait til 6 am to eat...mean mommy :) He and his sister are still the best of friends. He is the first person she wants to see when she wakes up in the morning and he smiles whenever he hears her voice.

This was them this morning before school (and clearly before LG's hair had been fixed :)

It just doesn't get any sweeter, cuter, or better than this!!!

Valentine's Day

LG is beyond excited about Valentine's Day today! She screamed, "HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, MAMA!!!" to me this morning. We got her a balloon and some Valentine's MandM's. She also has a V-Day party today at school. She told me to have fun at my Valentine's party too. I didn't have the heart to tell her that we don't have a V-Day party at my school. LOL!!!

She and Carson both have Valentine's shirts for today (thanks to our friend, Alisha). LG must have shown us all her shirt a hundred times between yesterday and today, saying, "Look what I'm wearing tomorrow!!" She also has socks and a jacket with hearts on them so they were deemed by her as appropriate for today. :) Notice that LG has her "shades" on her head and Carson's shirt reads, "Ladies Love Me!" Hahahahaha!!!!

How long will the sharing last?

When LG gets up in the morning, Carson is already awake. This morning Carson was laying in mine and Andy's bed when she woke up. She spoke to him and then went back to her room and then to his room to gather up some lovies and a blanket. She put her lovey (Foxy), his lovey (Puppy), and a little stuffed monkey beside him and then covered them all up with her favorite, have to have to sleep, Dora Blanket. :) So, in other words, she is sharing her most prized possessions with her little brother...Andy got a picture of it because we know this is too good to last!