Time for Prayers Again, Please

You guessed it - Oliver is going to the doctor for another procedure. He is having a MRI as a follow up to his EEGs. He hasn't really done any of the twitching, but the doctor set this up a while ago. I feel like we should go trough with it since it should hopefully put the issue to rest, and also because an MRI will show if his hydrocephalus has gotten any worse. Since we still have no shunt, it is good to know how things are looking. Of course, since he doesn't show any signs of hydro, seeing it on the MRI would be disturbing because we would be left with a tough decision: if he has hydro but it doesn't seem to be causing any problems, do we leave it or fix it with a shunt? And, of course, the MRI requires sedation, which I HATE. It makes me so nervous (and usually causes some wheezing) every time. We are going to a local hospital, and he has never had anesthesia there. But I'm sure they know what they are doing...

So you can see why I am asking for prayers. Little or big it, it doesn't matter, I know God listens to them all :)

It's Been a While

I realize that I have been negligent in posting. But I've been in kind of a funk and I have nothing productive to say. I think that I don't even know what I'm thinking or feeling, so I certainly don't know how to put it into words. We've been busy -- very busy. I've been so tired -- tired of feeling like I should be with the kids while I'm doing work, and tired of feeling like I should be doing work when I'm with the kids. And don't get me started on physically tired. And I've been worried -- worried that Mackensie has some serious emotional/behavioral issues, worried about everyone's health, worried that my dissertation isn't "relevant." And did I mention that I still haven't lost the belly fat from Oliver even though I've been working out regularly for maybe the second time in my life? That is so not going to last if I don't start seeing results.

But even though we've been existing in this haze of worry and disarray, we have had some exciting events. Tim and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary! To celebrate, we went to the Chart House and actually spent the night up there. It was so nice. We even went to the movies, which I get to do maybe twice a year. I also had my first day at Penn State. I'm developing an online course over the summer, and Wednesday was my introduction. I was happy to find out that it only took an hour to get there, and that there is a Starbucks, 2 Dunkin Donuts, 2 sushi restaurants, and a Target in the five minutes between the PA turnpike and the school. All of my vices in a neat little row.

Also, Oliver got new braces. I'll have to post a picture of the size difference between his first pair and this new pair. They seem so big! The chunky little monkey is growing up...

Where does all the time go?

Since she continued to cough through the night and into the morning, I took Mac to the doctor today. Of course, by the time we go there she was barely coughing and I felt like a complete idiot. This was our third day in a row at the pediatrician. When I sat back and thought about it, I came up with the following calculations:

In the last month, we have had:

1 overnight hospital stay for an EEG (this does not count the two out-patient EEGs that took place a little over a month ago)

1 Spina bifida clinic day (this includes seeing a pediatrician, nurse practitioner, physical therapist, orthopedist, neurosurgeon, and brace fitting)

at least 7 trips to the pediatrician (3 for Mac, 4 for Oliver)

4-5 days of physical therapy

1 day of developmental intervention

If you average that out for a 30 day a month, that works out to some sort of medical appointment almost every other day.

No wonder my house is such a mess.

What the heck, I'm up...

So it's 2 a.m. - waay past my normal bedtime. What am I doing awake? For one, I'm battling writers block. I'm working on the latest round of corrections for my dissertation. This is an important revision, as this draft will go to my committee for approval before I can move on to the next step. Three of the members have not seen a draft since December, and if they don't like the direction I'm going in, it could be back to the drawing board. I was chugging along on corrections when I hit a dead end. This dead end, coupled with a severe shortage of free time to work on the dissertation, led to a stand-still in writing and a load of anxiety. I decided that I would stay up as late as possible tonight and just work, no matter what actually came out. That strategy has actually proven useful so far. But in the meantime...

Oliver went for his nine month check-up yesterday (I know -- he's so old now!) and we found out that he also has bronchial-itis. Back on the nebulizer for him. The doctor was nice enough to inform me that croup is also going around. Great. Mac and Oliver both wake up coughing today - not croup, just coughing. But low and behold, as soon as I get Mac to bed tonight, I hear the tell-tale seal barking of croup. Before it could turn into full-blown croup, I put her in the bathroom with steam. Still coughing. I get her ready to go out onto the porch into the cool night air. Still coughing. Who wakes up but Oliver, and his cry is sounding a little bark-y. So I bundle them both up, stick them in the car, and drive around with the windows down. The coughing slows down, but it's still intermittent and bark-y. Back into bed with warm juice for both of them (and all I can think about is the sugar on their teeth all night -- ugh!). Oliver has stopped coughing and she is coughing only occasionally. Of course, this is the one night that Tim is not home -- he is at the midnight showing of Indiana Jones (lucky!). But the good thing about croup is that it is supposed to be gone by the morning.

Other than his cold, Oliver got a good review at his check-up. He also went to CHOP last week for Spina Bifida clinic, and he got a good review there, too. Neurosurgery even offered to let him go six months (instead of three) between visits. That made me too nervous, so I'll still take him back in three months when we go back for clinic. The pediatrician at CHOP did mention that Oliver is a bit on the large side, and suggested we watch his intake so that he doesn't get too heavy. I get her point, since he doesn't burn calories as quickly as other babies, since he is less mobile. But really, you can't put a baby on a diet! But in case I didn't get the point, the orthopedist actually called Oliver's legs obese! Excuse me?? I left CHOP in a total huff, but have since calmed down. My home pediatrician said that his weight is fine, and that his eating schedule is a healthy one. But it is a thought that I will hold onto -- I guess his diet does have to accommodate the fact that he won't be moving around as much as one who is "fully mobile."

I guess I should get back to my dissertation and at least finish the section I'm working on. Since I'm up...

Mystery Solved

When I was changing Oliver yesterday, I noticed a bruise on his leg, right above his knee. It was rather large and round. It looked pretty much like a bite mark. But no...how could that happen? Who would bite Oliver? I have to admit that my first thought went to Mackensie, not the dog. But I keep a very close eye on them when they are together. Certainly I would notice her chomping down on his leg, certainly I would have heard him cry after something like that. Did the dog do it? Doubtful. The skin wasn't punctured, and the imprints looked flat, not sharp. 

I began my investigation by asking Mac directly if she bit Oliver. The answer was no. Later in the day, I brought Nanny in on the investigation. When she asked Mac if she bit Oliver, Mac told her no, that I had done it. Since I knew that I hadn't bitten Oliver, I knew that Mac was being less than truthful. But I still had some doubts. Usually, if she does something wrong, Mac tells on herself.  She was denying, and I was halfway buying.

Later that night, when I was helping her to get dressed, Mac leaned in and gave me what started out as a hug. But before I knew it, I felt little teeth digging into my shoulder! Mac was, in fact, the culprit. My little princess has been having some aggression issues lately, but this is the worst of them. Oddly enough, she wasn't angry or anything when she did it. She just leaned in and took a bite. So, of course, we reprimanded her and added biting to the list of things she shouldn't do.

Hopefully, we "nipped" this in the bud.