Jacey's Initial Eye Appointment

Jacey's regular eye appointment in December (December 31st, actually) showed signs of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in both eyes during her retinal photos.

Thanks, 2014, for that one last punch in the gut...you weren't kind to me. Not at all, so thanks for getting that last one in as you were being ushered out the door.

We had gone through the entire visit and it had become obvious that Jacey is farsighted in both eyes and also has astigmatism in both eyes.  One eye is markedly worse than the other.  While she was sitting on the examination chair, she remarked to the doctor, "This eye" (and pointed to the eye that had examined worse) "doesn't work."  I was floored.  Completely and totally taken aback.  She had never mentioned anything like that to me before, and I was totally caught off-guard by that comment.

The doctor, a stand-in for our 'normal' doctor, who was on vacation that week, was looking at the photos as I walked back into the room from a conversation with hubby, as I had let him know this appointment was taking much longer than we had originally anticipated.  The doctor and I had already discussed the need for Jacey to have glasses based on how the appointment had gone so far, and I was anticipating going to the lobby upon the conclusion of our appointment to try some on and select some with her.

Well, the doctor turned to me, with a look I'm not sure I can describe on her face.  It was a combination of "I have bad news and really don't want to share it" and "Oh CRAP", but at any rate, I read it and immediately said something to the effect of, 'So what do we have?'  The doctor went on to indicate that Jacey's retinal photos showed signs consistent with RP.

So I made her go through comparisons....Jaceys's photos with Tatums.  Jacey's with Kellen's.  Jacey's with mine.  Jacey's with a confirmed RP.  Jacey's with a normal child around her age.  It was clear - even in my limited knowledge, that was I was seeing was very different than what was supposed to be there - except for the similarities between the confirmed RP photos.  In those photos Jacey's bone spicules (they show up like black lines) weren't as abundant as the confirmed RP case, but they were there. In both of her eyes.

The doctor immediately suggested that we hold off on getting her glasses until we see a pediatric specialist through Houston Eye Associates, and that their office would research which of the doctors through that office (they have many) specialized in this disorder group so we were seeing the best doctor for her issue and that they would call us early next week (despite it being a Wednesday, we were rolling into the New Year's Holiday) with that information so that I could call Houston Eye Associates to schedule the initial consultation.

And that was that.

Jacey and I walked into the lobby and she immediately asked, "So do I get my glasses today?"

I responded with a calm, "No, we have to go see another doctor about your eyes first, honey." It was all I could do to hold it all inside...a swirl of emotions whirling.  It wasn't as if RP was new to me...I have immediate family members with it.  I know what this looks like day in-day out.  But this is my baby.  These were my genes that did this to her.

Kellen overheard my response to her, since he had come with us to get his glasses adjusted and immediately started in with, "But Mom, why isn't she getting her glasses today?  Mom, did you hear me? Mom....why isn't she getting them today?"  Then a quieter, "Mom, what's wrong with her eyes and why does she have to see another doctor?"

I turned to him and simply said, "The doctor here wants another doctor to look at her eyes because she has special eyes....Your eyes and my eyes are normal eyes and they only need one doctor. Hers are special."

Although I thought that was a pretty good answer, it didn't satisfy big brother for long. His questions continued as we left the doctors office, got into the car, and headed home...my emotions got ever-closer to the surface, threatening to spill over.

I quietly said to him, "Honey, I need to talk about this all with your Daddy.  If he and I think there is something you and your sisters need to know, we will tell you.  But let me talk to your DADDY first.  STOP asking me questions."

When I walked through the door my hubby was outside chopping wood for the fireplace.  He popped his head inside and asked nonchalantly, "So, how did it go?"

"I need to talk with you." was what I mustered.

He motioned for me to come outside while he was chopping wood....and something on my face must have given it away, because in his joking manner, he said, "Just tell me she isn't going to be blind."

And at that moment, I could no longer stop the tears....."She has it" was all I could say.

And we both knew...we had been watching for this with all of the kids and it had arrived.

God help us.

The only thing either of us can say is that she is still the same Jacey....the one that God created. The one that is fearfully and wonderfully made...by Him.  He made her JUST the way HE wanted her to be. And my God, hubby's God, JACEY'S GOD...He doesn't make mistakes.

So there is a reason for all of this.

Tatum gets braces!

Today Tatum got her braces!

She was ready to get them, considering all of the hecticness and trouble that her expander had caused.  I am so hopeful that the braces will be a smooth process for her!

She selected several colors, but then the doctor decided to move full steam ahead with the braces process and went ahead with a wire that would cause movement, rather than one to just 'get used to things', so she had to simplify her color scheme.  She was ok with that and was already planning her next color change.  This girl. She just cracks me up.

She has been the best trooper during this entire mouth ordeal and process.  She really hasn't complained, fussed, nothing....and I am quite sure that this has been painful, and a pain, for her.

The braces went on without any problems, and we'll see how things go!  Back in a month to check on her progress!

Well done

His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!

Matthew 25:21

It's what we strive for, right?  The knowledge that our work on earth has meaning - that we're not just doing good....we're trying to do the BEST...making a difference for the kingdom of God in the lives of others. Being faithful with the talents God has bestowed upon us and doing with those talents what He wants us to do.

At 11:02 AM today, I believe that Dr. Royal Benson heard the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant!" from the ultimate master, and although my heart is so heavy for those he has left behind in his whirlwind illness, his life truly made a difference.

I am completely and 100% confident that my God could have healed him here on this earth. But He didn't.

I don't know why.

It would have been miraculous.
It would have been awesome.
It would have been glorious.

But apparently, it wasn't the BEST.

I don't know how this fits into God's plan. My perspective is that of a pinhead compared to His. I have tunnel vision and I can barely see beyond the pain of those whose lives are hurting because of this loss...including mine.

I mean...I was just his patient. And I called him my friend. He delivered Matt and I's three precious children....Well, if you want to get technical, Matt was the first person to touch and deliver all three kids.  He had asked Dr. Benson if we would get a discounted rate if he delivered the kids. After a laugh, Dr. Benson asked how many kids Matt had delivered...after Matt recounted the 'where's' but not the 'how many's' of the delivery's, Dr. Benson's response was, "Good answer,", followed by, "It's up to her" and left the decision up to me.  (Sidenote: I did say yes with the requirement that he had to coach until delivery time)

So we had three "Royal deliveries", with him and his staff.  I love that. Such a celebration of life.

I don't want to stop and think about what it would have been like to have a doctor who may not have taken me as seriously when I said something just 'didn't feel quite right'....I mean...three deliveries with prolapsed cords, despite all precautionary measures?  One with an additional perfect knot in the cord?  Diagnosed oligohydramnios (that's low amniotic fluid for those of you not aware)? The roller coaster of twins, losing one, and the emotional turmoil that the remainder of the pregnancy was with each ultrasound after...still wondering, hoping...maybe, just maybe...Twin B was just hiding? Celebrating life and mourning all at the same time...And he never once made me feel silly for any question I asked. In fact, he seemed to love it when I would bring in my notebook with questions already lined out and write his responses down - 'model patient', he would call me. "I did pregnancy well", he would always say, although I never agreed with him. :)

And then dealing with postpartum depression...what doctor reshuffles their vacation because a babbling postpartum patient calls the office and can barely speak the words, "There is something really wrong with me....I can't keep doing this..." After being on hold for just a few minutes, I was told to come into the office immediately - that he was making a special trip to the office to see me. What doctor does that?

Dr. Benson. He does.
And now he's gone.

He welcomed you with, "And how are you today, friend?" or asked about Matt and the kids, or my parents, etc. I don't think I ever saw him without a smile on his face in over 12 years.

And from my pinhole perspective, he lived life well, and served the Lord with the talents that God gave him. And he certainly made a difference in the lives of others. He was a staunch pro-life supporter, which is one of the things I respected about him and that resonated with me - especially when he took some heavy public fire for his stand.

Well done, Dr. Benson. Well done. You will be missed. Your wife and daughter will be in my prayers as they learn to navigate life without you.

The sickies....

So the sickies invaded our house.  I think we might have finally stopped the invasion, but not before taking some heavy fire.

Jacey was the first to fall.  In the middle of a restaraunt.  Right before we were to celebrate a suprise birthday party.

I don't think that was the suprise the friend had intended.

Needless to say, we left.  (Tatum and I eventually went back and celebrated, but not before another wave of attacks occurred on the way home.  It was a brutal attack).

She had an evening and a night's worth of the sickies, laid around for the remainder of the next day, then was fine.  Luckily, her attack fell over a long weekend, so we had the Monday off to recover.  Tuesday was the first day back for everyone, and everyone went to school, feeling fine.

Wednesday morning didn't go the same.

I took some heavy fire.  It was a slightly different army than the one that had attached Jacey, but a vicious one, nonetheless.  Daddy suggested I stay home.  I didn't argue.  Daddy headed off to work.

Then the army that had attacked Jacey doubled back in, trying for the kill.  It was almost successful.

Thursday's attack was directed towards Tatum, and luckily it was just the same army that had attacked Jacey the weekend before (since the other army was still attacking me).

Friday we licked our wounds and assessed our damages, trying to recover and build back up our gear.  Friday night, the attack landed on Kellen.  It actually stayed on Kellen longer than the girls (but not quite as long as on me), and he fought for a little longer than I anticipated he would.  The weekend progressed and so did the battle lines.

By Sunday afternoon, we we gotten a dose of fresh air, some playground adventure, and our first real meal since the attack had begun. 

Now it's Monday, and everyone is back at school and work, and I think the sickies are gone.  The battle grounds have been cleaned, and there is no longer signs that a battle even took place at our house last week (I mean, except for the empty Lysol containers, half-empty bottles of Purel). 

I don't want to fight that battle again any time soon, although if I could bottle the end product of the few days of it, I might have a best-selling diet aid on my hands.

May Running Recap

3 - 1.05 miles (12:10 total - 11:33 min/mile pushing Jacey in the stroller)
5 - 2 miles (13:42 - pushing Jacey in the stroller and following Tatum on the bike for the first 1/2 mile, then just pushing Jacey in the stroller for the 2nd 1/2 mile and 9:41 - Just me running!)
6 - 2 miles (9:24 and 9:35)
7 - 1.07 miles (9:39 total - 9.01 min/mile)
8 - 1.52 miles (18:16 total - 12:34 mile 1, 5:22 1/2 mile - pushing the double stroller with Tatum and Jacey - almost 70 lbs, so while it was slower than normal, it was a way different workout)
9 - 1.54 miles (1.03 in 8:54 total - 8:38 min/mile in the morning then 0.51 in 8:31 walking in the afternoon pushing Jacey in the stroller walking with Tatum and Kellen)
10 - 1.02 miles (9:13 total, 9:04 min/mile)
12 - 1 mile - 9:04 min

May monthly total =11.2 miles
Yearly total = 64.1 miles
Mileage Deficiency before May = 68.1 miles
Mileage Deficiency after May =  87.9 miles

2012 Recap:
January total = 31.24 (31 days) [MET GOAL]
February total = 9.26 (29 days)
March total = 12.4 (31 days)
April total = 0 (30 days)
May total = 11.2 miles (31 days)


Ouch...I don't like going further and further into the hole....but another goal, which seems now contradictory with THIS yearly goal, is being kind to my body.  Still recovering from bronchitis....bronchitis that has now hung on for months, has taken its toll on my body and has spawned other far-reaching medical side effects. I'm trying to listen to it and allow my body time to recover. I dislike this aspect of getting old(er).

On a positive note, when I am able to run  - or perhaps when I test my body a bit - I am running quite a bit faster.  But I seem to have forgotten how to run any longer than 2 miles.  Not sure how to combine my distance and speed....

Girls sick day..

AKA...Tatum's Pukefest

Gross, I know, but sorry.

I'm a parent.  Discussing bodily secretions and functions became 'normal' a L-O-N-G time ago.  Poop, mucus, spit up, pee, puke...whatever.

As a random side note, did you know baby girls could squirt and project their pee pee like boys, without the equipment I thought was oh-so-necessary to do so?  I did not know this until having girls.  Who knew?

Anyhow...back on the farm...

Tatum woke up this morning complaining of her tummy hurting. In my bed, where she had meandered to at some point in time during the night. She doesn't 'play' sick.

I took her temp. Normal. I asked her if she really felt badly.

"Yes."

I tell Daddy, who is concerned but unsure of how sick she really is, then proceeds upon with his day, heading off to Bible study.  I let her lay in bed, which she willingly did (serving as confirmation if I actually needed any) and get the bookends ready for school and daycare.

At some point in time in the morning, I moved her from my bed (which is much more difficult to clean if a puke-fest should ensue), to the pallet that is now a permanent fixture on the floor beside our bed.  I include a throw up bucket for her, 'cause I'm a nice mommy and all.

It was time to get the bookends to school so I needed to wake her up (yet further confirmation of her being sick) and get her clothes changed from her nightgown to something more comfy and slightly more appropriate for the car so I could get her into the vehicle while I dropped the other kids off to their respective schools.  After we did this, she decided to lay back down, then quickly realized that the movement of getting dressed must have stirred things up, resulting in our Puke #1. Time = 7:20 AM

Shortly later I was getting things ready to walk out the door (after texting Daddy our sick-fest update), when she thought she was going to be sick again.  To the toilet she went, but to no avail. She gets a look of relief on her face as she tells me that she must not have to throw up, then that look rapidly changes.  I now have to clean my bathroom sink and mirror. Puke #2. Time=7:26 AM

*sigh*

Have I ever mentioned how much of a sweetheart Tatum is when she is sick?  I mean, she is just the absolute sweetest thing on earth when she isn't feeling well.

She felt absolutely horrible about getting sick outside of the toilet or throw up bucket.  It was so pitiful.  I just kept telling her over and over that it was ok...it was the sink and counter. The mirror was just a mirror and it was all so easy to clean and that she wasn't in trouble and that it wasn't her fault.  Bless her little heart.  She just hated that she had created work for me to do and that I had to clean up after her. 

A quick clean up and into the car we went, throw up bucket in hand - literally.  We got the bookends dropped off with no incident, then on the way home I hear her.  In the bucket.  Puke #3. Time=8:01 AM

Once we got back to the house, I got her situated on the bean bag chair so we could rest in the living room watching movies ('cause that's what we do on sick days in our house).  She laid on the bean bag on top of towels (just in case, because I can't just throw a bean bag chair into the washing machine), with her throw up bucket next to her (on a towel, I have light carpet in my house and um...just no).

We watched Cinderella.
We watched The Little Mermaid.
We watched Hercules.
We watched Curious George.

By lunch time, she seemed to have a little more color in her face.  She had managed to keep a little ginger ale and 4 Ritz crackers down, and was asking to try lunch.

I obliged.  She ate a peanut butter roll-up and some raisins, then laid down for a nap.  Whether she actually slept or not is in question, but she did rest.

Afterwards, she was back to her normal self again.  I'm still not quite sure of what she had, but it hit her hard and quick.  Luckily, it didn't last too terribly long!

I lamented the fact that I missed a day of work, but considering that I have felt poorly since the latter part of March, taking a day that included resting was probably just what I needed as well!  I think I may have truly napped more than she did...I remember parts of both Hercules and The Little Mermaid, but I'm quite certain I didn't make it fully through either of those movies.

Jacey's 18 months old update

The littlest princess is 18 months old.

Where did the time go?

What's that saying, 'The days are long but the years are short.' In this case, the months are short....

18 months...really?

Her 18 month check up was a day shy of her 18 month birthday, but we'll take it.

She weighed in at 21.9 pounds (insert Mommy's incredibly HUGE *Happy Dance* here) (putting her at the 16% for weight - WHOOP, that's UP from 10% at both the 12 and 15 month check up!)

She also grew 2 inches in height (putting her at the 86%, down from the 95th at her 12 month check up, but considering she *finally* grew, I'll take it!)

[For those wondering what that comment means, she didn't gain any weight or grow any in length between her 12 and 15 month check ups. That, along with some other longstanding feeding issues, earned us a referral to ECI]

Here are some pictures of her in the doctors office entertaining herself with the other baby in the mirror.

She has undergone a verbal explosion over the last couple of weeks....her vocabulary has increased exponentially...it's remarkable, really.

And now she begins her newest adventure attending daycare where her sister has been attending for quite some time.  This adventure for her will make life easier for Mommy, who will now only have two - count 'em - two, drop offs every day.  While we are sad to leave her old daycare and the teachers who love us behind, we know this is the best move to make.

Matt and I were remarking the other day that we can barely remember what life with like without our littlest princess...We are so thankful that God blessed us with her..even when we didn't know that she was what we needed.

Another new one....

So I received a call late yesterday afternoon from daycare indicating that Jacey had a rash on her feet and legs, moving up her leg, and on her bootie. They indicated to me that there were 2 confirmed cases of hand, foot and mouth disease already at the school (and more specifically, I *believe* in her class).

I immediately called the doctor's office to see if I could get her seen yesterday afternoon, or if I should go to urgent care (this was a new illness for me to deal with - neither of her siblings have had this) or just get an appointment for this morning. This morning won out and so she was seen at 9:30 today.

It was confirmed.

Hand, foot and mouth.

She appears (at least as of now) to have a mild case of it. (Thank you, Lord!) She only has a few moist blisters (one on her thumb and another couple on her feet/toes) and then a dry rash up her leg and on her bottom. She is not running fever (and hasn't, which is apparently uncommon), and there currently appear to be no blisters in her mouth. (Again, another thank you, Lord!!)

The doctor indicated that we could be looking at about 4 days, or as long as 10, for the moist blisters to dry up. He said she was contagious if she had any fever or any moist blisters (he wasn't at all concerned with the dry rash).

So, since I'm yet again dealing with a new illness (not 'new' as in undiagnosed to others, just 'new' as in I've-never-dealt-with-this-with-either-of-my-other-kids new) with Jacey.

God is certainly using my parenting Jacey to stretch me.  Forget another chapter in my life book....parenting her is going to be a whole new book!!

9 months old

What??

How is it possible that it's been nine months since our bookend baby...our sweet peanut...our darling Jacey Victoria was born?

As of yesterday, she's officially 9 months old.

She celebrated her 9 month "birthday" by cutting tooth #3...the top right *finally* came through.

And today she had her well check.

Weight - 17 lbs, 8 oz (40th %)
Height - 28.75 inches (90th %)
Head cir - 90th %

The doctor still isn't concerned with her food intake (or lack thereof, actually), since she's maintaining her height growth curve.  His thought is that she's simply finicky, has sensory issues, both of which she'll likely outgrow.  Our action plan is to simply keep doing what we're doing, and actually have her eat next to the other two, so they can 'show' her what to do. 

She did get a finger prick to check on her iron levels, and she's anemic.  So our action plan is to get a daily iron supplement for her to take.  No biggie, assuming I can actually get it down her, since it's a liquid 'medicine', and she's doesn't do really great with those.

The great news is that her ear infection has cleared up, so we'll finish off with the antibiotics and be done with that.  Whew!

And we're a quarter of an inch away from having to graduate her to a big girl carseat.  Luckily, we have one that a friend gave to us (what a blessing!!), and we'll install it rear-facing and she'll ride that way for probably another couple of years.

My baby is growing up!

Randomness

So, I've missed 6 out of the last 13 days of work to deal with a sick kid. The same sick kid. And she was dealing with two different issues. First it was a cold-turned-pinkeye. Treatment was a five day course of a rather expensive antibiotic. Now we have a virus - one whose name I cannot remember nor pronounce if I could, which has resulted in virtually a full-body rash, plus an ear infection thrown in for good measure.  Treatment is now a 10-day course of yet another antibiotic.

Thank God for doctors.

Thank God for a job that provides me with excellent insurance and health care coverage.

And to top things off (as if the above trio wasn't enough), Jacey is thisclose to cutting her two top teeth.  There is a huge bulge and the top right tooth is just begging to come through.

I sure hope it does, because she is just miserable.

Unfortunately, I don't know if she's miserable from the virus, ear infection, or tooth.

*sigh*

And in other news, during this most recent home-bound experience, I have managed to wash almost every piece of laundry in the house that had been dirty.  I've also gotten the oil changed in my van, washed and vacuumed it (I think the van might actually be suffering from shock, really), and purged expired sunscreen (I recently learned that it expired...such a great mommy am I...).  I went grocery shopping, experimented with the new Starbucks iced cocoa cappuccino (decaf, of course), and deep cleaned the desk.

I've learned that Jacey is going to be just as accident-prone as her siblings. And she doesn't learn something the first time...another lesson-the-hard-way child, I'm afraid.

She's toppled a metal child-chair on herself. Twice. And the second time resulted in a bloody busted lip. She pulled a wooden photo box off the bookshelf and aimed it just perfectly so that it landed on her ankle, breaking the skin and her little heart, but luckily not any bones.

I've not looked too terribly much at my email coming through furiously on my phone, and will simply deal with it all when I get back into the office.  Sorry work-world, my baby is sick.  And when that happens, the mommy hat comes first.

Refried beans? Why yes, thank you.

Jacey has refused baby food.  Any and all baby food.  Well, except for the teensy bit of rice and oatmeal she ate, neither of which agreed with her tummy.

At eight months old, this was a slight cause for concern initially.  After discussing the situation with the doctor, his nurse, and hearing from lots of other normally mommies who have faced the same thing, we decided to not stress (read earlier post on hakuna matata) and just offer foods occasionally and see what happened.

So we have been trying some of our softer foods...just off of our plate.  And refried beans seemed like an easily paletable food for her to try.

She loved them. I know this post is picture heavy, but she's 8 months old and this is her FIRST set of messy face pictures.  These were taken over spring break, when the 'food intake' milestone occurred.

Well, it appears that she just doesn't want baby food.  It seems that we'll be skipping that stage altogether.

Jacey's new trick(s)

Jacey had quite the milestone week last week.

The recap:
On Monday (February 28th), she figured out crawling.  And Mommy mourned the loss of her somewhat immobile baby. *sigh*

On Tuesday (March 1st), she went to the doctor and we figured out that she had an ear infection.  She's weighing in at 16 lbs, 8 ounces.  We also figured out that she, in no way shape or form, likes to take medicine.  At. All.  For real.....(But of course she doesn't...this kiddo doesn't like anything except her milk.  But that's an issue for another post.)

(And Mommy and Daddy learned that amoxicillin is an irritant in the eyes, but doesn't cause permanent or long-term damage. Don't ask.  We also have a hypothesis that spraying a baby's face with water to wash out the eyes might necessitate therapy later. Remind us of that in about 15 years, ok?)

On Thursday (March 3rd), she pulled up to standing in the crib.  Note for Mommy and Daddy, moving the crib to the lowest setting was added to the lengthy to-do list for the weekend.

During the night of Saturday (March 5th), Jacey figured out how to get out of her crib. And she explored the floor of her bedroom until Daddy discovered her exploration (and put a stop to it).

On Sunday (March 6th) she managed to sit up all on her own.  Her big brother says that he's seen her do that before, but it was the first time Mommy had seen it.

Where did my little baby go again?

Medical Update

So it occurred to me that I haven't updated the blog-world with my current medical issues.

I started feeling poorly last Wednesday and initially decided to play the wait-and-see game.  Matt had some medical things already scheduled for Friday afternoon (he's fine!), so when I woke up feeling progressively worse towards the end of last week, my most realistic option was simply to wait it out through the weekend and just deal with it.

But I was convinced I had bronchitis again, and possibly a sinus infection.

I went in to the doctor's office on Monday, saw the PA, and she confirmed that I was correct.

This is one of those times when I didn't really want to be right.

*sigh*

So two shots - a steroid and rocefin (one in each cheek - yay for me) and 3 prescriptions later, I'm out the door and hopefully on the road to recovery.

I certainly seem to be sounding better now (day #2 of full medicine), but am just feeling zapped.  Unfortunately, some combination of the steroid or albuterol is working to keep me up late, it seems. 

I guess this combination is just 'my thing', since I believe I have gotten this the last three years.  Ug.  At least I know how to deal with it and it didn't progress to pneumonia!

Jacey is 6 months old!

As of Monday, Jacey is six months old.

I cannot believe it.

You would think I would remember how fast time flies, right?  I mean, I do have two other kids and I'm sure I was as dumbfounded by their seemingly speedy growth as I am now with Jacey, but still.

Does time have to fly this fast?

Her half-birthday was a holiday for (almost) the rest of the family.  So the kids and I hung out at the house while Daddy worked.

In the afternoon, we all loaded up and went to the doctor for her well-check.

Her stats are:
Weight: 15 pounds, 6 ounces (50th %)
Height:  27.5 inches (95th%)
Head circumference - (80th%)

According to the doctor, she's 'lean and mean'.  Quite a bit different than the older two, who looked like they were put together with marshmallows at this age!

Here is the post where I described Tatum's 6-month well check.

As for the shots, the older two had to stand outside the door while she got them.  I think Kellen was nearly in tears at just the thought of her getting shots.  So sweet!

After the first shot, Jacey let out a cry and then inhaled for another one.  Her inhale was one of those where you wonder when the kiddo is actually going to breathe.

You know the one, right?

Well, she let out another cry and in less than 5 seconds, was smiling at the nurse.

I kid you not.

The nurse even said it was a first!

Later on, she tried oatmeal (again, take 2).

Don't let that smile fool you....while she did eat the oatmeal, she wasn't overly enthusiastic about it.  She wanted to grab the spoon, but wasn't all that thrilled about actually eating the solids coming off of the spoon.

If you look closely, you can see the TWO gleaming white teeth that Jacey has in that adorable mouth of hers.  Tooth #1 came in on December 15th (bottom right) and tooth #2 came in on January 9th (bottom left).

To round out the night, she got a luxurious bath.  Well, as luxurious as you can get in a pink tub on the kitchen counter, but hey...she loves bath time!

Some notable things about Jacey:

• She's a very different sleeper than her older siblings.  She has slept through the night twice (and they were glorious nights for Mommy!), and still sleeps in the cradle next to my bed.  To compare, Kellen and Tatum were sleeping through the night consistently at 7 and 8 weeks, and both were out of the cradle and into their crib around that same time, but certainly by the time they were 2 months old.
• She LOVES silky fabric (satin).  Just like her older siblings.  Can a love of a particular fabric be genetic?
• She has started giving the wonderfully sweet, open-mouth kisses.  Is there anything as precious as a slobbery baby kiss?
• The bald spot she's rubbed on the back of her head is starting to grow back (no biggie..her older siblings did the same thing).
• We started cloth diapering last week with her.
• She spits up. A lot. She totally and completely trumps the amount of spit up Kellen did, and we even named our extra clothes "Kellen shirts" at that time.  She does not (or at least hasn't) projectiled like Kellen did, so he still has that over her.
• She does not like to have her head covered when she nurses.  In case you're wondering, this makes it difficult for Mommy.
• She hasn't attached herself to any particular object - no special lovey at this point.
• She's ticklish.  Very ticklish.  Very, very ticklish.  And tickling her produces the most joyous sound.  We do it often and she loves it.
• She likes to have her head rubbed (or brushed).
• She is sitting up with a little support.
• She likes tummy time quite a bit.
• She's coming up on her knees and is starting to rock a little.
• She's getting bad nursing manners, and wants to look at everyone else while she's supposed to be eating.  Silly girl.

She is a joy - through and through!

Water, water everywhere....

And an awful lot to drink!

I'm working on being consistent this year...consistent with my running, scripture memorization, healthful eating, menu planning, etc...

So, one of the areas that I need to be sure to be consistent in is my water intake.  It's not just for the healthy aspects of it, but I simply need to stay hydrated if I'm going to continue to nurish another human being.  And Jacey has only had a taste of 'food' twice so far (one taste of rice and one taste of oatmeal).  I'll start food 'for real' in another couple of weeks. 

Probably. 

If I'm not too lazy.

Because it's really quite a bit easier just to nurse her.

Anyway, my goal for myself this week was to drink two full bottles of water.  Easy cheesy, you might say, but my specific 'bottle' is a large one.  1.5 liters. 50.7 fluid ounces.

Yup.  It's a big bottle.

This has been my goal for a while now, and keeping the big honkin' bottle of water at my desk while I worked was good.  I managed *most* days to get through one bottle.

I decided to do things differently this week.

I now have a plastic cup next to the bottle and am drinking out of that.  I fill the cup every hour and my smaller goal is to drink the water before the top of the next hour.

Doing it in this method, I finish one bottle right before lunch.  I come back from lunch (liquid intake over lunch doesn't count toward this water goal!) and refill the bottle.

Yesterday I did it - I reached my goal.

Today I'm almost there...just have a little less than half a cup left to drink done with the water.

I'm interested to see if I'll notice a difference this week as I try this out.  I mean, a difference other than having to get up to go potty more often.

Happy Monday!

I dare you to look at this without smiling...dare you. 

This is Jacey before her bath last night. 

She was pretty miserable yesterday...and tooth #2 finally came through.  I was elated to get this shot, as it was a rare thing for her to smile much yesterday, so I was so overjoyed to have gotten this beautiful smile on camera (especially when I have so many difficulties getting her smiles captured at all!).

Have a wonderful Monday and a fabulous week!

Jacey's first tea party

While I was home with the sick girls over the Christmas break, we had many tea parties.  I was fortunate enough to be able to capture Jacey's first official tea party, so I wanted to share it with you.  This was one of the days when her medicine kicked in enough so that she felt good enough to sit on her own rather than in the arms of Mommy.  At least for a little bit.

Just long enough to have a spot of tea....

Tatum was such a gracious host.  I have a feeling I'll be seeing many more of these in the future!

Dental work

Kellen had his teeth cleaned a little over two months ago.  At the time, he had two loose teeth - one on top and another on bottom. The bottom tooth was so loose that they didn't even clean it...and he lost it later that day. The other tooth; however, has not endured the same fate. The permanent tooth was already starting to come in behind the baby tooth, so the dentist said to give it a month or two and if he hadn't gotten it out on his own by then, it needed to be extracted.

Fast forward a little over two months.

To now.

And the tooth still hadn't come out, despite Kellen's diligent attempts to wiggle, prod and pull on the tooth.

In fact, Daddy and Paw Paw attempted to extract the tooth on their own last night. They had a good plan - tie floss around the tooth and pull.

Sounds foolproof, right?

Not so much.

They did so, and the tooth ended up breaking the floss. And causing a lot of pain to Kellen. So we called it quits and decided to let the dentist do it today.

Here is the 'before' picture.

And here's the 'after' picture.

The dentist told me there was NO WAY Kellen would have been able to get the tooth out by himself.

The root was that long. But don't take my word for it. Or the dentists word for it. See for yourself.

Tooth view 1. This is the front view of the tooth.

Tooth view 2. This is the back side of the tooth.

In case you're wondering, he asked for and was given a milkshake as a treat. I also made spaghetti tonight for dinner, because you barely have to chew spaghetti! And we watched How to Train Your Dragon for a special night. He certainly deserved a treat!

This is how the inside of his mouth looked about 4 hours after the procedure, shortly before going to bed. Notice how much of the permanent tooth has already come in on this one. I'm praying that it moves forward, at least a little, on its own. But I also have no illusions about a lack of orthodonics in our future, either.

I'm so proud of him!  He was so brave....

Croup, cont.

I took Jacey in to our pediatrition for her follow-up to the ER visit this morning.  Just for the record, she weighed in at 12 pounds and 4 ounces (um, gained 5 ounces in a day and a half?). 

After the doctor's examination, he proclaimed that he was still hearing the stridor (noise when breathing in).  Once he made that statement, I realized what sound he was hearing. Yup, she's been doing that for a little while, I just didn't know what it was (ignorance was probably truly bliss on that one).  He and I discussed the ER visit, and he was disappointed that they hadn't prescribed a steroid for her, so he did - once a day for four days.

Unfortunately, she didn't have quite as good of a day today as she did yesterday. Perhaps she was just really tired yesterday after the stress of the ER visit, but yesterday she slept and ate and that was about it.

No such luck today.

She was quick to get upset and took a long time to calm down. Not a good combination, considering. And the world's best pacifier didn't even calm her down, it just caused her to spit up and burp more.

There's a limit to the amount of time one can hear their child cry inconsolably before the Mommy heart just breaks.  It was a stressful day for this Mommy. 

Croup

In case you're unaware, croup is a scary word for the mommy of an infant.

Croup - According to WebMD, is a common respiratory problem in young children. It tends to occur in the fall and winter. Its main symptom is a harsh, barking cough. Croup causes swelling and narrowing in the voice box, windpipe, and breathing tubes that lead to the lungs.

The 'overview' goes on to say that this can make it hard for your child to breathe.

Why, you ask, am I writing about croup?

I'm smack dab in the middle of it, courtesy of Jacey.

And just for the record, when your very level-headed, over 15 years of medical experience husband asks, "Do you want to take her in or do you want me to?" at 1:00 AM, after sternly saying, "You have got to calm down," in response to my increasingly panicked, "There is something very wrong with our daughter," and after listening to the seal sounds coming from your daughter and discovering that her fever really is consistently over 102 degrees, you realize that you're correct.

There is something very wrong with our daughter.

And that isn't a pleasant realization.

That's a snippet of the events that led to me driving the 2 minutes to our local hospital, praying to the Lord to, 'Please help me to stay calm and with Your strength, help us get through this," and telling a seal-sounding Jacey, "It's ok sweetie, Mommy is taking you to the doctor and they'll help to make you better."

I had turned down Matt's offer to drive by the ER to see how busy they were, simply responding, "She's 3 months old and sounds like this, we'll get triaged to the front of the line, I'm sure."

I didn't get to test that theory (not that I'm complaining!) because the ER was empty.

Thank you, Lord!

By the time I had the paperwork completed and had taken Jacey out of her carrier, we were getting called back to be seen.

By the way, a day after turning 3 months old, Jacey is weighing in at 11 pounds and 15 ounces. Just in case you were wondering.

So, her pulse-ox looked good, her fever was still over 102, and she quickly convinced everyone that heard her that she had croup.  My first experience with croup.  Our third child and a complete novice at this...guess she didn't want things to be status quo around the house!  We saw the doc, and he ordered a chest x-ray just to rule out pneumonia (how crazy is it that she's had 2 chest x-rays already in her limited lifetime??), and confirmed the croup.  Her lungs sounded clear, x-rays were taken and ruled clear, tylenol was given (no, I hadn't given it to her because we basically took the temp, retook the temp minutes later, and then I walked out the door), a breathing treatment was done on her and an oral steroid was given.

She was a true champ!

Were were in and out in less than 3 hours, and I was super impressed by all of the wonderful treatment she received!

Matt bought his littlest princess a new cool mist humidifier today (isn't that what every little princess wants?), I've kept tylenol in her system, and she's basically eaten, slept and pooped all day.  Oh wait, she's spit up and also peed on me as I was getting her into her bath tonight.  Such an eventful day for her!

I'm praying that the kids have a good night tonight and that they ALL sleep well.  Kellen can't even hear me talk about Jacey being sick because he starts crying and talking about how worried he is about her...he's very not ok with her being sick and is scared something horrible is going to happen.  Bless his heart!

As for me, I've gotten to hold my princess quite a bit today...she's sleeping best laying on my chest, and I'm ok with that.  I've realized (again) that nursing is the best pacifier I said I would never use.  I've been reminded that the first rule of parenting is to never say never. And I'm praying for quick healing for Jacey.

Because croup, and everything that goes with it, is pretty darn scary for this Mommy.