Yea for clean scans! I've been told by one of Dr. Smart's colleagues that Bella's scans look good. They were checking for hydrocephalus more than anything, but we are for sure clear of that. Her gigantic head comes from her daddy and it just happened to catch up with her more quickly than expected. However, they found that a piece of her cerebellum is longer than the other. At least that's what I think he told me :).
The doctor said that the radiologists pointed that out on the scans only because they are supposed to point out any abnormalities they find, whether they may be cosmetic or not. He's fairly certain this is something that we won't need to worry about. But because Dr. Smart is out of town, he is leaving the scans for her to look at when she returns and then she can decide whether she thinks its worth calling the neurologist about. Worst case scenario, we'll have to do another MRI in another 6-12 months. That way they can be certain whether it is something that needs to be dealt with or not. But I'm thinking its merely a fluke, just like her rapid head growth. Things happen, right?
Anyway, like we thought (despite my usual worrying), nothing is wrong. All of our problems get blown out of proportion and then turn out to be small manageable issues. I'm thankful for that, but I'll tell you, it sure is tiring. Doesn't help that I'm pregnant again. This poor kid is gonna come out predisposed to stress because someones big sister likes to cause trouble :)! Oh well, things are great. Bella wants to crawl and has started the army shuffle to get short distances in front of her. She gets out of sitting easily and she's trying desperately to sit up on her own. She stands using us as her solid object. For sure, things could be a whole lot worse!
Keep moving forward! That's what we are doing and will continue to do! (PS: Its from "Meet the Robinsons". Go watch it! Its awesome!)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
That's the spot!
A lot has happened recently. New car, new carpet, another well baby check up. Enough stuff to cause some stress. Now, I'm not saying my life is hard by any means! It's not a walk in the park, but things could be a lot tougher than they are now. However, I could always go for a good massage. That was my mother's day present. A massage, a manicure, and a pedicure.
I waited on it some because of my surgery on my toes. They still aren't 100% healed, but they are well enough to be poked and prodded. But then, I found out I'm pregnant. Unfortunately, that means no massages for a while, prenatal or not. There's a slight risk that you could miscarry if a certain place on your body is rubbed or moved too much. I'm not sure exactly how that all works, but I just know that its recommended you wait to get a prenatal massage after your first trimester.
Being 12 weeks means that the second trimester is near! However, I'm still skeptical to get a message so soon after the benchmark, so I'll wait until my next check up and talk to my doc about it. I figure that's usually a good plan. I am very excited for a massage though, I must say. I carry a lot of tension anyway because I have a tendency to stress myself out over nothing.
It will be nice to let some of that go for a little while! I think that a great time to do this would be right before our Disney trip. If I'm relaxed before we go, then perhaps it won't be so stressful while we're there. If I'm relaxed, then maybe Bella will chill out with me! Or I could leave it for the return, to get over the busy week. Either way, its going to be a welcomed mini-vacation from worrying and stress! Can't wait!
I waited on it some because of my surgery on my toes. They still aren't 100% healed, but they are well enough to be poked and prodded. But then, I found out I'm pregnant. Unfortunately, that means no massages for a while, prenatal or not. There's a slight risk that you could miscarry if a certain place on your body is rubbed or moved too much. I'm not sure exactly how that all works, but I just know that its recommended you wait to get a prenatal massage after your first trimester.
Being 12 weeks means that the second trimester is near! However, I'm still skeptical to get a message so soon after the benchmark, so I'll wait until my next check up and talk to my doc about it. I figure that's usually a good plan. I am very excited for a massage though, I must say. I carry a lot of tension anyway because I have a tendency to stress myself out over nothing.
It will be nice to let some of that go for a little while! I think that a great time to do this would be right before our Disney trip. If I'm relaxed before we go, then perhaps it won't be so stressful while we're there. If I'm relaxed, then maybe Bella will chill out with me! Or I could leave it for the return, to get over the busy week. Either way, its going to be a welcomed mini-vacation from worrying and stress! Can't wait!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
You're gonna run out of problems soon, right?
Sometimes I question whether we should have had a child at all. I know it sounds terrible, but I feel like Bella has just had a miserable time. Nothing seems to go her way. First, we had a week in the NICU due to sugar levels and possible bowel obstruction. OK, we got through it. Two and a half months later, she develops a food "allergy", or more her digestive system doesn't develop at the proper rate to handle regular breast milk or formula. We got through that, too. At four months, she stops gaining weight. We figured out the food problems, and we got through it. Six months, delayed physical development. We aren't out of the woods yet, but we work on it everyday. Also at six months, "Oh hey mom! I hate solids. I'm only gonna eat this disgusting formula." Again, we're working on it.
Well, now we've made it to nine months old and I was pleased that my sanity is still in tact, mostly. Obviously, that wasn't meant to last. Now, after 7 months of rapid growth, Bella's head circumference has gone from being in the 5-20th percentile to being in the 97th percentile. While initially I thought that this was just weird that her head had grown so fast, I quickly came to terms with what it really could mean. It helped that our doc mentioned that she would need an MRI, so this could possibly be a very serious thing. To give you an idea of the rapid growth, here's the percentiles she has been in for head circumference at each well baby visit:
Birth: 13%
2 months: 1.7% (no clue what happened there)
4 months: 56%
6 months: 79.7%
9 months: 97%
I could care less if Bella has a big head, that's not a big deal. But it isn't the fact that her head is large that concerns her doctor, it's the fact that it has gone up 80% since birth. Normally, a child's growth in any respect (height, weight, or head circumference) will grow at a curve and stay relatively close to the same percentile range. I was always around the 50th percentile as a baby. My niece's head has always been 75% or more. So, having a growth like this is slightly alarming. Alarming enough to run tests.
At first, I thought that I wasn't worried about the MRI itself. I was more concerned about the fact that Bella will need to be sedated. Getting anesthesia is always a scary business, because you can't be sure if there will be no problems. Then I started thinking more about the implications of what this rapid growth could mean. There's always a chance that its just an odd occurrence and nothing is wrong. Steve's head is big, so it wouldn't be a surprise for her to have a large head. However, we don't really know how fast his head grew or if he just always had a larger head.
After browsing the internet for possible answers, I found a few articles that suggest a rapid growth like hers could be an early indicator of autism. Not many studies have been conducted on this topic yet, but the results of the ones that have occurred have shown a correlation between the two. OK, this I can cope with. I know that it wouldn't be easy, but it would sure be a welcomed alternative to my other guess: a tumor. To me, a tumor could fit this. Bella has now shown an accelerated head growth. She also has a history of delayed motor skills. I don't think that her cognitive skills are behind, but I suppose you can never really be sure as they are less easy to detect than the physical skills. Now, none of these things are direct signs that she could have a tumor, thankfully, but none of them help rule it out.
Unfortunately, I get to stew on these thoughts and concerns for at least another 2 weeks, probably more. I will hopefully get a call later today with a scheduled MRI, then I can look forward to waiting another week or so after that until we get the results back. I've learned over the past few months, that you can't take anything for granted. You are never guaranteed an easy ride in anything. If you don't have any problems, then that's wonderful! If you do, take it a day at a time. Don't expect anything, because nothing is set in stone. The best you can do is know what can happen and hope for the best.
Rich words coming from me....I'm finding it very difficult to stay positive anymore.
Well, now we've made it to nine months old and I was pleased that my sanity is still in tact, mostly. Obviously, that wasn't meant to last. Now, after 7 months of rapid growth, Bella's head circumference has gone from being in the 5-20th percentile to being in the 97th percentile. While initially I thought that this was just weird that her head had grown so fast, I quickly came to terms with what it really could mean. It helped that our doc mentioned that she would need an MRI, so this could possibly be a very serious thing. To give you an idea of the rapid growth, here's the percentiles she has been in for head circumference at each well baby visit:
Birth: 13%
2 months: 1.7% (no clue what happened there)
4 months: 56%
6 months: 79.7%
9 months: 97%
I could care less if Bella has a big head, that's not a big deal. But it isn't the fact that her head is large that concerns her doctor, it's the fact that it has gone up 80% since birth. Normally, a child's growth in any respect (height, weight, or head circumference) will grow at a curve and stay relatively close to the same percentile range. I was always around the 50th percentile as a baby. My niece's head has always been 75% or more. So, having a growth like this is slightly alarming. Alarming enough to run tests.
At first, I thought that I wasn't worried about the MRI itself. I was more concerned about the fact that Bella will need to be sedated. Getting anesthesia is always a scary business, because you can't be sure if there will be no problems. Then I started thinking more about the implications of what this rapid growth could mean. There's always a chance that its just an odd occurrence and nothing is wrong. Steve's head is big, so it wouldn't be a surprise for her to have a large head. However, we don't really know how fast his head grew or if he just always had a larger head.
After browsing the internet for possible answers, I found a few articles that suggest a rapid growth like hers could be an early indicator of autism. Not many studies have been conducted on this topic yet, but the results of the ones that have occurred have shown a correlation between the two. OK, this I can cope with. I know that it wouldn't be easy, but it would sure be a welcomed alternative to my other guess: a tumor. To me, a tumor could fit this. Bella has now shown an accelerated head growth. She also has a history of delayed motor skills. I don't think that her cognitive skills are behind, but I suppose you can never really be sure as they are less easy to detect than the physical skills. Now, none of these things are direct signs that she could have a tumor, thankfully, but none of them help rule it out.
Unfortunately, I get to stew on these thoughts and concerns for at least another 2 weeks, probably more. I will hopefully get a call later today with a scheduled MRI, then I can look forward to waiting another week or so after that until we get the results back. I've learned over the past few months, that you can't take anything for granted. You are never guaranteed an easy ride in anything. If you don't have any problems, then that's wonderful! If you do, take it a day at a time. Don't expect anything, because nothing is set in stone. The best you can do is know what can happen and hope for the best.
Rich words coming from me....I'm finding it very difficult to stay positive anymore.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Ooo, new car!
New cars are exciting right? Well, yes and no. You have a brand new toy to drive around and get used to, but, at the same time, you just spent a lot of money. Steve and I just spent a lot of money. It was kind of a necessary evil. We bought the car for two reasons: we needed a vehicle with more trunk space and we needed a vehicle that could easily fit two car seats in the back seat. We looked a minivans and trucks mostly. I wanted a Sienna. I really wanted a Sienna. However, we would need to buy one used because they cost a pretty penny. While I can totally live with a used car, it just depends on how used it is. The 2009 we say was pretty used. Things were already falling apart, like a piece of the passenger seat door armrest. And it had an old, crusty french fry on the floor. I was quickly turned off of that van.
We also looked at Kia Sedonas. Kia is known for having cheap vehicles (in both senses of the word), but the Sedona got some good reviews and had good crash test ratings. Well, Steve really thought that van was a POS when we test drove it. Not to mention, it was just as much as a new Sienna. Where's the value in that? It didn't take long to nix the Sedona off of our list.
The other car we looked at was the Mazda 5. Now this is a mini minivan. It seats 6, but not very comfortably. So where is the appeal. If you aren't going to haul around extra people all the time, you fold down those back two seats and you have loads of storage space! Another appeal is that the two middle row seats are captain's chairs. They can be moved forward or backward for however much space you'd like to have and they can lean back for napping as well! For us, that's where the car seats go. We can push the seats back to leave more room for the rear facing infant seat. Something that appealed to me was that the Mazda 5 isn't a big car. It's between the size of a Toyota Camry and Avalon. I know this because my mother and sister have these cars, so I could compare. I like that fact because that's around the size car I'm used to driving. Overall, this car had the things we wanted without being overkill. So, it won the buy a car battle!
Although, it is going to be interesting to make car payments now, Steve is smart with money and I'm more than willing to listen to him and work out a plan on how to save money (which we really have already done). In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my pretty new car, who I named Perry. Yes, I named him after Perry the platypus, because Perry the platypus is really freaking cool! Soon enough, my new mom car is gonna be full and that's OK. When the kids reach elementary school and extracurricular activities, Steve and I will reevaluate the minivan situation. Because I can tell you right now, I'm ready and willing to be the mom who helps haul the kid's friends around for fun times! We'll see, though, in 5 years :).
We also looked at Kia Sedonas. Kia is known for having cheap vehicles (in both senses of the word), but the Sedona got some good reviews and had good crash test ratings. Well, Steve really thought that van was a POS when we test drove it. Not to mention, it was just as much as a new Sienna. Where's the value in that? It didn't take long to nix the Sedona off of our list.
The other car we looked at was the Mazda 5. Now this is a mini minivan. It seats 6, but not very comfortably. So where is the appeal. If you aren't going to haul around extra people all the time, you fold down those back two seats and you have loads of storage space! Another appeal is that the two middle row seats are captain's chairs. They can be moved forward or backward for however much space you'd like to have and they can lean back for napping as well! For us, that's where the car seats go. We can push the seats back to leave more room for the rear facing infant seat. Something that appealed to me was that the Mazda 5 isn't a big car. It's between the size of a Toyota Camry and Avalon. I know this because my mother and sister have these cars, so I could compare. I like that fact because that's around the size car I'm used to driving. Overall, this car had the things we wanted without being overkill. So, it won the buy a car battle!
Although, it is going to be interesting to make car payments now, Steve is smart with money and I'm more than willing to listen to him and work out a plan on how to save money (which we really have already done). In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy my pretty new car, who I named Perry. Yes, I named him after Perry the platypus, because Perry the platypus is really freaking cool! Soon enough, my new mom car is gonna be full and that's OK. When the kids reach elementary school and extracurricular activities, Steve and I will reevaluate the minivan situation. Because I can tell you right now, I'm ready and willing to be the mom who helps haul the kid's friends around for fun times! We'll see, though, in 5 years :).
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Symptoms
When you first see your OB for your first pregnancy, you generally start to hear one phrase over all others: "Every pregnancy is different." Why do doctors, friends, and family start to tell you this? Because it is 100% true. Already, I know for a fact that not everything about your subsequent pregnancies will be exactly the same. For instance, I had very little nausea with Bella. This time, at least one meal a day, I get sick the moment I put food in my mouth. Thank heavens my doc believes in medicating a pregnant woman with the appropriate drugs so that she can survive the rough parts of pregnancy. The medicine they give me helps a ton.
There's also the fact that growth alone will cause your pregnancy to be different. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I already look like I did at 15-17 weeks last time. I am now 10 weeks. I've started to show quickly, so I've had the growing pains more quickly as well. You know those cramps and twinges that come with your uterus rapidly doubling in size over and over again. To get an idea, your uterus doubles in size by somewhere around the 10th week in most first pregnancies. You can't even tell a woman is pregnant by then, and that thing has already doubled! In a lot of cases, ladies don't start having growing pains until after that doubling point. Well, I think its safe to say that I'm past that.
Then there's the moodiness. Things that normally wouldn't bug me, bug me. For instance, during our trip to Tulsa, we talked about what a crunchy mom is. The more I thought about it, the term just really bugs me. When you think about it, the style of parenting isn't crunchy, that makes the parent sound abrasive. It's more of a natural style. Those moms and dads do things in a more natural way, just as parents would have had to do centuries and even millennia ago. Although, some of these moms and dads can be abrasive about their beliefs, so can parents with other parenting styles. Its bugged me enough that I'm sticking with natural mommy, not crunchy mommy (besides, they aren't peanut butter either....).
Another aspect of moodiness is the weeping. Oh yeah, I cry like a little girl, often. ESPECIALLY if you put a medical show on that either deals with children, infants, or birth. It also doesn't matter the age of the child. So long as they are talking about a mother or father and their child, I get weepy. This honestly just never left. After having Bella, I became more emotional about things like weddings and birth and hardships. I couldn't go a day with out watching a baby show and getting teary eyed. I started to get a bit better about it, but by May, that was over. I was back to weepiness!
There are loads of symptoms I have yet to deal with, like back pain that has nothing to do with me picking something or someone (Bella) up. Or the intense heartburn that comes with having no room for your food to work itself out in. Then there's the best symptom of all that doesn't usually cause a mommy pain but joy instead: fetal movement! I know not every mom is with me on this one because often times, baby kicks mommy in the ribs or the stomach or the bladder, but for me, it is my absolute favorite thing about pregnancy! With the annoying, pain in the butt stuff comes the wonderful, stop-in-your-tracks-and-smile stuff. Its only a matter of time until I get to re experience all of these things (most likely), but I think I'm ready for it. BRING IT ON BODY!
There's also the fact that growth alone will cause your pregnancy to be different. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, I already look like I did at 15-17 weeks last time. I am now 10 weeks. I've started to show quickly, so I've had the growing pains more quickly as well. You know those cramps and twinges that come with your uterus rapidly doubling in size over and over again. To get an idea, your uterus doubles in size by somewhere around the 10th week in most first pregnancies. You can't even tell a woman is pregnant by then, and that thing has already doubled! In a lot of cases, ladies don't start having growing pains until after that doubling point. Well, I think its safe to say that I'm past that.
Then there's the moodiness. Things that normally wouldn't bug me, bug me. For instance, during our trip to Tulsa, we talked about what a crunchy mom is. The more I thought about it, the term just really bugs me. When you think about it, the style of parenting isn't crunchy, that makes the parent sound abrasive. It's more of a natural style. Those moms and dads do things in a more natural way, just as parents would have had to do centuries and even millennia ago. Although, some of these moms and dads can be abrasive about their beliefs, so can parents with other parenting styles. Its bugged me enough that I'm sticking with natural mommy, not crunchy mommy (besides, they aren't peanut butter either....).
Another aspect of moodiness is the weeping. Oh yeah, I cry like a little girl, often. ESPECIALLY if you put a medical show on that either deals with children, infants, or birth. It also doesn't matter the age of the child. So long as they are talking about a mother or father and their child, I get weepy. This honestly just never left. After having Bella, I became more emotional about things like weddings and birth and hardships. I couldn't go a day with out watching a baby show and getting teary eyed. I started to get a bit better about it, but by May, that was over. I was back to weepiness!
There are loads of symptoms I have yet to deal with, like back pain that has nothing to do with me picking something or someone (Bella) up. Or the intense heartburn that comes with having no room for your food to work itself out in. Then there's the best symptom of all that doesn't usually cause a mommy pain but joy instead: fetal movement! I know not every mom is with me on this one because often times, baby kicks mommy in the ribs or the stomach or the bladder, but for me, it is my absolute favorite thing about pregnancy! With the annoying, pain in the butt stuff comes the wonderful, stop-in-your-tracks-and-smile stuff. Its only a matter of time until I get to re experience all of these things (most likely), but I think I'm ready for it. BRING IT ON BODY!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Traveling with a baby
Saturday, we're going to Tulsa for a couple of days to visit friends. Now, its so close, that it doesn't make sense not to drive. BUT, how easy is driving for any length of time with an infant anyway? Well, I take Bella to my mom's a good amount and that is an hour long drive. The typical for those trips is Bella being awake for around 5-20 minutes of the drive, playing with toys and what not, then the other part she is asleep. Easy peasy! The only drive we've taken at length was in Pennsylvania and that was around a 2 and a half hour drive. No big deal really. I think I had to get in the back and feed her on the way back. Again, there was a lot of sleeping.
This time, however, is different. It's almost double the length of a trip, so Bella will need to eat probably at least once during the drive. Then there's the fact that I'm pregnant. I can't be cramped in a car for too long before I start whining about something. Bathroom, food, leg pain, back pain. Something usually comes up. So, who's gonna be more trouble: mom or baby? And how is Steve going to cope with all of this? I don't think that it will be as much trouble as I might be making it out to be, but the journey is surely going to be interesting. So, stay tuned for vacation news. Will Steve survive? How many times will we have to stop the car? Will the baby or myself whine first? And will we get to relax while there (its highly unlikely since I won't be able to just sit in a hotel, that would be a waste of my 2 and a half days with Michelle and company!)? Then there's also the fact that this is just a warm up for Disney World in August.....ugh. I think its safe to say that that trip will NOT be relaxing. But at least I'll eat like a queen.
This time, however, is different. It's almost double the length of a trip, so Bella will need to eat probably at least once during the drive. Then there's the fact that I'm pregnant. I can't be cramped in a car for too long before I start whining about something. Bathroom, food, leg pain, back pain. Something usually comes up. So, who's gonna be more trouble: mom or baby? And how is Steve going to cope with all of this? I don't think that it will be as much trouble as I might be making it out to be, but the journey is surely going to be interesting. So, stay tuned for vacation news. Will Steve survive? How many times will we have to stop the car? Will the baby or myself whine first? And will we get to relax while there (its highly unlikely since I won't be able to just sit in a hotel, that would be a waste of my 2 and a half days with Michelle and company!)? Then there's also the fact that this is just a warm up for Disney World in August.....ugh. I think its safe to say that that trip will NOT be relaxing. But at least I'll eat like a queen.
