Happy shopping Wednesday to me!

Just ordered this darling ruffled shirt from The Gap on sale and cannot wait to get it! It's an additional 20% off today with the code gapgift. Plus free shipping on orders over $50, so, of course, I had to add a few things for the boys into the cart :)

They have some really great deals over there if anyone in your family needs anything!

Anyone out there plan on getting up early on Friday? Will you do most of your shopping in the store or on the web? I would love to shop at any time that day but none of the people I will be with over the holiday weekend want to go out, so we'll just hang out instead. Luckily I have about half of my Christmas shopping done and ideas for most of the people on my list!

Thankful heart

(image from MS- love the elegantly primitive dining room. The mantle is beautiful)

I am thankful......

for the amazing husband that God has blessed me with. I would marry him all over again.

for my two sweet sons who make me smile every single day. They've filled holes in my heart I didn't know I had.

for my family who loves me, my husband, our boys. We love them too!

for our jobs that provide us with intelectual stimulation, financial stability, and opportunities for growth.

for a kitchen that has an island big enough for all kinds of baking.

for a roof over our heads that is becoming "ours" with each improvement.

for my dearest friends that I can rely on, laugh with, commiserate over toddlerhood with and chat about nothing and know that it was an amazing conversation.

for God who has provided me with so much and truly blessed me and my family.

I am truly thankful, not only this week but so often throughout the year.

Kidney Update

(Brotherly love during tummy time)

 

This is a very "medicalized" post. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments and I'll try to answer or just skip it!

 

Quick Recap:
L kidney is the "bad" and/or "small" kidney with 13% function
R kidney is the "good" kidney with the rest of the function (In case you are wondering, kidney function should be 50/50)

On October 12th we had a VCUG done which showed that the L kidney has grade 5 reflux. Reflux can only be graded to grade 5, so this is the worst it can be. This is consistent with the hydronephrosis we saw on the last ultrasound. Essentially when we saw the test being done, we could immediately see the backflow of urine from the bladder, up the ureter, immediately to the kidney. It was very obvious that the backflow valve wasn't working at all. The ureter is also "torturous" which just means that it is twisted, very dilated (big), and ugly looking. So overall, his whole left kidney system is just not great. The test also showed that his right side has grade 2-3 (subjective apparently) reflux and there is an outpouching (called a diverticulum) right near the junction of the bladder and the ureter. This outpouching apparently makes things "worse" overall. I really wish I could draw pictures on email as this is a LOT easier to describe with a picture!!!

Our nephrologist called us (on a Saturday!!!) to update us on the test and to let us know that she was going to send a referral to urology as if he needs surgery, it would be the urologists who do this. She also upped his dose of his daily antibiotic as he is growing and needed a bigger dose.

We got into urology pretty quickly and had an apt on Thursday with a wonderful urologist. (Seriously, he had amazing bedside manners, was soooo nice to Spencer and Peter, and explained everything so well. We were both quite impressed.) He explained everything again (most of which we already knew), drew lots of pictures, and gave us a plan for the next 18 months or so. Essentially, Peter will definitely need surgery in the future. He will more than likely need surgery on both sides. Many children will outgrow reflux if is is stage three or under (like Peter's right side), but since he has the outpouching on that side, it is very unlikely that his body will adapt appropriately to that and outgrow it. There will probably be two surgical options for him when this occurs, but we aren't even close to thinking about that now. We don't know what will happen yet to his left side. He could just have a relatively minor surgery to fix the angle at which the ureter goes into the bladder to correct the reflux, or he could need the whole entire kidney and ureter taken out. There are a lot of factors which will go into this decision and time will tell what he will actually need. We also don't know yet when he would actually need surgery. Currently, as long as the daily antibiotic works well and he doesn't get bladder infections or kidney infections, then we will push off surgery as long as possible- hopefully even until his is 5 or 6.

The urologist wants to repeat the VCUG in another 18 months but also acknowledges that our nephrologist may need to do the test in 1 year instead of 18 months. So, for now, we will be doing the daily antibiotic for a long, long time (like 3-5 years) and having urine cultures done for any unexplained fevers/illnesses. We will also have growth ultrasounds to make sure that the right kidney is growing 3-4 times per year. We are scheduled for our next one on December 31st and an apt with the nephrologist on Jan 10th. We'll see the nephrologist 3-4 times per year and the urologist 2x per year.

We are happy to have more clarity on the surgery issues and we are certainly happy that people have two kidneys and can live with only one!! Our current prayer is that we can make it through 2013 with no ER visits for unexplained fevers and that we will not have to be hospitalized for IV antibiotics. These would be the worst things that could happen in the next year, so that is what we will be praying won't occur.

 

Overall, we realize we are very lucky. Working in pediatrics for the past 11 years makes me grateful every single day for a very healthy Spencer and, even though Peter has some problems, he is much healthier than many children out there. If you have a moment on occasion this year though, we would truly appreciate any prayers for a infection free winter!

 

Peter is 6 months!

Peter, my sweet baby, is now 6 months old. He is such a happy, easygoing baby and for that we are truly blessed. He loves to smile and laugh and Spencer spends most of their time together trying to get him to talk and laugh at him. It's adorable!

 

He is sitting up like a champ. I leave him in the middle of the floor sitting without anything around him and walk away. He'll sit there for a good 20 min as long as he has something to entertain him. He is starting to fall forward and then push up. He has gotten his knees underneath him twice so far. Spencer started crawling at Christmas time and I wouldn't be surprised if Peter was around then too. His favorite thing to do is jump in the Johnny Jump Up or in the Jumperoo Exersaucer. He just laughs and jumps and cracks himself up. It's a great place to put him during dinner so that B and I can eat with both hands!

(Yep, not only do I look like my daddy but I have his hair too!)

 

Peter weighed 19 lbs 1 oz and was 26 in long at his 6 month visit. He's in the 76th percentile for weight and the 25th percentile for height. Yep, short and chubby, that's my guy :) Like my pediatrician says, he'll even out eventually. My breastmilk must be extra fatty b/c both of my boys were chubs at this age!

 

Peter is doing MUCH better in the sleep department. He is taking 2 naps at daycare, at least one of them in 1.5-2 hours. At night he goes down around 7 and wakes between 5-5:30 to eat. He'll go back to bed immediately and I have to wake him at 6:45 to get him dressed to leave at 7:05. If we didn't have to leave, he'd sleep til at least 8. It's so nice to sleep (mostly) through the night. There are occasions when we get a certain 2.5 year old in our room around 4 (snuggle in the middle, mommy), but, for the most part, our sleep is great in this house!

 

He has been eating pureed foods for about 6 weeks now and is up to twice a day, once at daycare and once at home. He doesn't really like green beans or bananas; he loves sweet potatoes, zucchini, pears, and squash. I made carrots this weekend so that will be a new food for him this week. Spinach and pears was one of Spencer's favorite and I'm sure we'll do this for Peter soon. We've also got to start giving him finger foods sometime soon- it's just so messy that I know it's all going to end up in his hair!

 

A few of Peter's quirks:

*he loves to pull his hair, mostly on the right side. I notice it when he's mad or tired.

 

*he is a pacifier addict. Loves it, loves it, loves it.

 

*he is a great smiler. I think he's going to have a dimple on his right side. It's not a big pronounced one, but there is definitely an indentation of some sort.

 

*he loves chewing on his feet. His socks are constantly wet. It kind of grosses me out, if I'm being honest. Wetness bugs me

 

*he is a monster drooler..........again with the wetness!

 

Happy 6 month birthday, my sweet Peter. Mommy and Daddy and Spencer love you to death!!