Health Update, 13 Months & Christmas....Lots of Photos

Scarlett is growing up so fast.  She had her "1 year check up" at 13 months and she weighed 20 pounds 15 ounces and is almost 31" tall!  Her size 12 month pants fit great in the length but are little big in the waist - even with her fat diaper! 

I'm going to back up a little and play catch up.  So on November 16th (right before she turned 1) the doctor diagnosed her with a severe UTI / Kidney infection.  He also had us go to Medical City Children's Hospital for some testing on her bladder and kidneys.  We did that on December 13th.  The first test she had done was a renal sonogram.  That looked good.  The second test was a VCUG.  Chad & I got to stay in the room when they did this.  Scarlett was sedated with gas because there is no way she could lay still for this.  The sedation was fast and I cried watching her "go to sleep" because it's just terrifying to see my baby girl lay there limp.  The nurse inserted a catheter and ran dye into her bladder & got it really full.  On the large monitor you could see her bladder very full.  A staff urologist was there watching everything and that was comforting.  I thought the test was going to be done by a radiologist and we'd have to wait to hear from our pediatrician to know the result.  The nurse explained to us that when Scarlett peed they were looking to see the size of her ureter on each side and to see if the ureter(s) were "refluxing" into the kidneys.  She said if  there was reflux we would see something that resembled "moose horns."  So we waited for Scarlett to pee.  AND THERE IT WAS....MOOSE HORNS ON THE RIGHT SIDE!  The left side was perfect.  The urologist said she would be back in a few minutes to talk.  Scarlett was waking up as the doctor told us this:  VUR - Kidney Reflux is graded on a scale of 1-5.  Scarlett has a grade 5!  She said that she sees Kidney Reflux all the time just not this severe.  What makes it so severe is that the urine is back flowing out of the bladder, up into the ureter, back into the collection system in the kidney and then leaking into the kidney itself.  The Urologist was going to call our pediatrician right away.  (I am somewhat familiar with this because Courtney had VUR several years ago)  So, we went to the recovery room for Scarlett to fully wake up and cough out all the gas.  By the time we got home and I was putting Scarlett down for a nap, I had 2 phone calls from the pediatrician's office.  We were referred to Dr. William Strand, Pediatric Surgical Urologist.

We met with Dr. Strand on December 15th.  I did a lot of research on him beforehand and I really liked his credentials.  In person, I like him even better and so did Swilly.  She took right to him and even wanted him to pick her up and carry her around!  He agreed that the VUR is a grade 5 and he said there is a possibility of her having 2 ureter tubes on the right side - this is called "double-tubed" and this is what Courtney had.  If you do not correct VUR then the urine that back-flows into the kidney causes scar tissue and can eventually lead to the loss of the kidney.  The only way to fix this is surgery.  Her kidney function and growth will be monitored for many years.  Dr. Strand also informed me that VUR is genetic!  So, my family is 2 for 2 with both granddaughters / nieces having VUR.  Thanks a lot Mom & Dad!!!!  What this means for me and Chad is that if we have another child his or her kidneys will be monitored beginning in the womb.  Scarlett was monitored in the womb too.  My Perinatologist, Dr. Brian Rhinehart, saw that her right ureter was dilated about 1 month before I had her.  The renal sonogram done right after birth showed everything to be fine.  Dr. Strand said that she's probably been refluxing for the entire year of her life.  So, Scarlett is scheduled for surgery on January 9th.     

We attempted to see Santa this year at Santa's Village in Richardson but it didn't happen. We went on the last day and there were way too many people. But it wasn't a wasted trip....Papa Tom & Dede went along, we hung out with some awesome friends and got some great pictures! 

We all had a wonderful Christmas.  This year was so different than last year when all she did was sleep and eat.  It was fun buying things for her and putting them under the tree.  We spent Christmas Eve at Papa Tom and Dede's house with family.  Scarlett loves all the attention.  We joke that she thinks that everyone is there to see her - and they are!!!  She loves Great Uncle Jimmy and was by his side most of the night.  She was such a trooper being up so late.  She opened up a big pink Minnie Mouse and hasn't let go of her yet!  Christmas morning she paid no attention to the gift from Santa (unwrapped of course) and went straight for the tissue paper in Chad's presents!  I intentionally wrapped her gifts in tissue paper hoping that she would be able to open them easier.  She didn't care; she wanted the full, open sheet of paper.  Then we headed to my moms house for lunch with my side of the family.  Once again, she was wonderful.  Scarlett loves all the boys in the family.  She was the center of attention for all my nephews.  We left my moms house and headed back to Papa Tom's and Dede's house for dinner with the other side of Chad's family.  I was amazed at how well she was with all the stimulation and not getting her normal naps and nighttime sleep.  Once again, she wanted to be with the boys!  Jordan, who is 6, and Judson, who is 3, just love her and she loves them!  Scarlett loves chasing Addison around and I see her trying to copy what she's doing.  It is so sweet to see how gentle and loving they all are; I know they will all be best friends someday, just like Chad is with his cousins.  We finally got home and settled about 8 pm.  It was a great 2 day whirlwind and I'm really looking forward to next year!

Here are a few pictures from the last month:

These were taken at Prairie Creek and Swilly is sporting her "Queen Elizabeth" jacket!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Morning

Christmas Afternoon

Christmas Night









I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!



Thanksgiving and Sick

Thanksgiving came and went so fast.  Scarlett was pretty cranky at times and we thought she was just tired from doing so much walking!  She was just finishing up a round of antibiotics for a UTI / Kidney Infection. 

The Saturday after Thanksgiving she spiked a fever of 102.2 so we saw the on-call doctor.  The doctor diagnosed her with Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease.  Gross!  Nothing you can do about it except keep the pain under control with Motrin & Tylenol.  By Monday morning we were back at the doctor because spots in the diaper area turned into huge fluid filled blisters.  She had no interest in eating and sleeping was totally out of the question!  The doctor said that it looked like she has Impetigo infected with Staph or Strep and put her on a massive dose of antibiotics. 

Since starting the medicine on Monday night she is improving!  All the blisters are drying up, she slept much better last night and her appetite is slowly starting to return.  Thank God!!!

Scarlett is walking everywhere.....Now we're just waiting for her to run.  She says "mama" and "dada" quite frequently and of course it melts our hearts. 

Happy 1st Birthday Scarlett!!!!

WE DID IT!  Not only did we all survive the entire first year BUT we all survived the 1st birthday party!!!!!

Since I didn't post anything for 11 months, I have some brief catching up to do.  We started Scarlett's 11th month with her having "the crud" and spreading it to me, Chad and my mom, then her 1st ear infection and she ended it with a big fat UTI / Kidney Infection!  She started taking about 4 steps at a time and then would sit down and crawl.  This has all changed now!  11 months was pretty hectic!

Now, for the big 1 Year Young!  Her party was so much fun.  Lots of family, friends, food, and bouncing in the bounce house!  She absolutely loved her smash cake.  After she got used to it she started massaging it and having a great time! 

Here are a few pictures from the day:

The 1st year was wonderful and Chad & I fall in love with Scarlett everyday. 

Pumpkin Patch

This past Sunday we took a family outing to the Owens Farm Pumpkin Patch in Richardson.  Scarlett stayed in her daddy's arms the entire time we were there and that is her favorite place to relax!  She fed the goats, sat on some pumpkins and we all went for our first hay ride together!  Here are few pics from the day:

Stay tuned for pictures from her 1st Halloween in a couple of weeks and her 1st birthday is right around the corner too!!!!

Thoughts

There are a few blogs that I follow on a daily basis and I just wanted to share them.

The first one I follow is Butterflies.  It's about a baby named Scarlett Grace.  She is just about 1 month older than my Scarlett Lillie.  Scarlett Grace is a baby that has a very rare form of brain cancer.  She has gone through numerous surgeries and is now mending with intense chemotherapy.  She still has many surgeries ahead of her. 

The second blog is Another Day Stronger.  This is about a mom and dad, Kellie and James, who are learning to live life after the loss of their 4 month old baby, Madison.  Madison died of SIDS 1 day after she turned 4 months.  Today is Maddie's birthday.   

The third blog is Obedient To His Command.  This blog is written by Stephanie and David Barnett.  I went to middle school and high school with Stephanie.  Stephanie and David have been called by God to adopt special needs orphans from another country.  They are currently in the Ukraine getting 3 of God's children and already have another one at home. 

The last blog is Answers For Addison.  I can relate to this mom.  She is searching for answers to questions on her little girls health problems.  I remember going through this Courtney.

Being a mom and dad is the hardest job in the world.  It is truly a blessing to be given the gift of caring for one of God's children.  I am reminded of this everyday.  I "learned" 13 years ago how precious and delicate life is when Courtney was diagnosed with SMA.  But I have really, truly, to the core of my heart LEARNED how precious and delicate life is when I had Scarlett.  Everyday I hold Scarlett a little longer; I smell her; I memorize her face, her hands, her feet, her voice, her eyes and her smile.  I never knew loving a child could hurt and be so rewarding at the same time.

Take some time during your day and read these blogs.  Your life will change.  We need to remember to speak kind, loving words to others; you never know what someone else is going through.  Love your family and friends and cherish every second you have with them. 

    

10 Months....And Lots of Pictures

When I originally started this blog I wanted to write everyday.  Well, life takes over and I'm good to get something done once a month.  Scarlett turned 10 months on the 19th.  She is growing so fast and doing and learning so much!  She's like a sponge....she's soaking up everything around her.  She gets a very serious look on her face when she's trying to figure something out.  She's working on cutting more teeth (she already has 8)!  Teething is so painful for her.  She cruises all around the furniture and pushes her walker all over the house.  I expect her to be walking by her birthday.....in 2 short months!  Parts of her hair is starting to turn red and that makes me super happy.  We started MOPS and BSF this month.  This is her first time in a nursery setting and she loves it!  She interacts very well with other kids when she's not yanking their hair out.  Scarlett's most fun thing to do everyday is climb.  She wants to climb on anything and everything.  We don't have any toys here at the house for her to climb on (yet) so we have discovered McDonald's and Chick-Fil-A.  The indoor play area is wonderful and she can climb up and down anything she wants!  She loves to go face first down the slide and then climb back up it!  It also gives me a great workout.  Scarlett saw Chad play softball for the first time last week and of course she loved it!  I love watching her discover new things, like the huge, bright yellow-green ball flying through the air.  She loves to "talk" and is very animated with her hands (as you'll see in the last picture).  The pictures below are from 9 months and a few from 10 months.





9 Months

Oh my gosh I can't believe how fast the time is going.  She weighs 18 1/2 pounds and is 28 1/2 " tall!  Her head is still pretty small but we're OK with that.  She is making all kinds of sounds with consonants, crawling at the speed of light, walking very carefully behind her walker, her 8th tooth cut through this week, she found the toilet AND realized it has water in it and her new thing is that she is standing on her own for just a few seconds! 

She also had a surprise play date with Kason!  It's so funny to see her with other babies because she just stares at them and isn't sure what to do.  However, she figured out really quick that Kason has a lot of hair that she can pull.  She also decided that she wanted the water bottle that Kason was playing with and decided it was a good idea to take it away from him.  They went back and forth taking it away from each other until they finally gave up and moved onto something else.  Kason is so chill and I think they're going to be great buddies!



Cirlce Of Life

On August 2nd, I received a phone call from my mom that my papa was not doing well and was in the hospital with pneumonia. Pneumonia is a pretty normal occurrence because he has COPD. He was being given a very strong diuretic because he had fluid in his chest which was making it even harder for him to breathe. On the morning of August 3rd I had this overwhelming urge to see my Papa.  I loaded up Scarlett and we picked up my mom and drove to Ranger, Tx to visit my Papa. Surprisingly he was doing very well. The fluid had gone down and he was feeling pretty spunky. Scarlett was scooting all around the hospital in her walker and loving the attention from all the nurses. My papa was making her giggle which inturn made him smile. He was so happy to see her and I really enjoyed my visit with him and my grandma.

On August 11th, my mom called and said that Papa had slipped into a coma very early that morning. I loaded up Scarlett and we headed to Ranger. When we got there he was completely unresponsive and just hanging out on Morphine. I had been praying for quite sometime that God would just peacefully bring him home and make him whole again. I left to get some medicine for my grandma and as I was pulling away I looked at his window and thought to myself that he would pass away while I was gone. As I left the pharmacy I prayed again that God would call him home and set him free. I walked in the doorway and my Aunt Sara took Scarlett and told me to go be with my Papa. He took his last breath about 4:15 p.m. on August 11, 2011, just as I walked in the door.

I remember back to November 19, 2010 at about 4:35 p.m. laying on the operating table having my C-Section. I couldn't wait to hear Scarlett cry because it meant that she took her first breath. At 4:38 she cried and took her first breath of life.

The last breath my Papa took and the first breath Scarlett took was exactly as I prayed to God it would be.......Peaceful.

8 1/2 Months

Scarlett was 8 months on the 19th.  She has 6 teeth and is always on the go.  She wants up and then she wants down....all day long!  Our favorite thing that she does now is reach for you when she wants you to pick her up.  Talk about melting your heart!  I love watching her light up when Chad gets home.  She'll be playing and not realize that he's home and then she sees him.......it looks like this

A Few First's & A Second

Over the 4th of July weekend we headed to Houston to see Amanda, Parrish & Lily.  This was Scarlett's 1st road trip!  She did so good in the car but she didn't sleep as much as I thought she would.  We had so much fun.  We relaxed, ate good food and swam.  Chad & Parrish played golf and Scarlett had her 1st time in the pool.  She was super happy lounging in her floaty!

This was Scarlett's 1st Independence Day but we didn't see any fireworks this year because Houston is too dry.  This did not stop Lily & Scarlett from getting dressed in their Independence Day outfits!

On our way back we detoured to Fort Worth and picked up Courtney.  She stayed with us for a few days and it was so nice having her.  She hasn't stayed with us since I became pregnant in March of 2010. 

On Wednesday, July 6th, Scarlett had her 2nd surgery on her mouth to remove the Mucocele growth.  We are praying that it doesn't return.  She had a little harder time in recovery this go around with the gas in her system.  By the time we left she was completely back to normal.

 

Chad has been home with us for a week and it has been wonderful!  He cooks, he cleans and he entertains Swilly!  She LOVES relaxing in her daddy's lap!

7 Months & Father's Day

Scarlett was 7 months on Father's Day!  We had a great day of just hanging out as a family.  Scarlett & I cooked Chad breakfast and then that afternoon we all headed out to Bass Pro Shop to look at all the exciting stuff!

Scarlett is so much fun everyday.  She is crawling ALL OVER THE HOUSE!  Skyler is home from Colorado for a visit and he will finally get to meet her this weekend!  Here are few pictures:

Moving so Fast

Everyday seems to go by faster than the previous one.  I think it's true that the older you get, the faster the world moves!

Another part of our life that is moving is Scarlett!  She is crawling and loving every second of it!  The dogs, however, are not getting their normal all day nap time.  The dogs are always Scarlett's target.  Although she isn't moving at lightning speed YET, the dogs are having to be on the move constantly! 

She is also making a lot of gibbering noises....especially when she's mad.  We say that she's "giving us the business."  We can only imagine what she'll really be saying when she's mad!  She has perfected her tri-pod stance to where she is flat footed rather than on her tippy toes.  The other day she crawled over and sat in front of her walker.  She looked up and then down, then up and then down.  You could see the wheels in motion that she wanted to pull up.  So, she tried.  She got one hand at the top of the walker but then lost her balance and then lost interest and started chasing Tootie again.  Then, today she was in front of the recliner and was trying to pull herself up.

The best milestone for me so far, is that she can sit up so well that she can now sit in the grocery cart!!!
Life is moving very fast and we're loving every minute of it!

 

She's Trying.......

I was so hoping that she'd crawl for me yesterday, since it was my birthday, but this is as close as we got.   

She's more interested in getting up and around than tyring to learn to sit up! 

Our First Night Away

Chad & I finally had our first night away from Scarlett since she was born.  Chad planned our first night away to be on Saturday in Oklahoma at Choctaw Hotel & Casino to celebrate my birthday.  We started off by heading into Durant meeting up with Alex for some lunch.  Chad & I hadn't seen Alex in a while so we were really looking forward to hanging out for a bit.  After lunch we headed to the hotel to check in.  The hotel is really nice and the casino is pretty big.  We gambled for a little while and then headed back to the room to get ready for dinner.  While looking around the hotel I found this:

It is "Waste Reducing Exfoliating Body Cleaner."  On the back it says that it reduces the waste of the center of the bar that is never used.  It's Choctaw's way of going green.  Why not just put a smaller bar of soap?

We had  a great time at Choctaw and enjoyed seeing Alex.  Our night away was great and the break was much needed.  I will not lie.....I could not wait to get home to this:

6 Months

Scarlett turned 6 months on the 19th!  WOW....I can't believe she's already 6 months old!  She's growing and changing everyday.  She weighs 15 pounds, is just a little over 2 feet tall & has 2 very sharp teeth!  She is pulling up on all fours and rocking back & forth very well.  In fact she's doing it so well she likes to do it in her cradle when she should be sleeping.....It's too much fun for her to be sleeping!  When she's not trying to figure out what to do while on all fours, her favorite place to be is outside in her "swing."  It's actually a jumper that's supposed to hook around the trim of a door opening but we use it outside and she LOVES it! 

I had a wonderful 1st Mother's Day celebrating with my family at the house.  I was pregnant last year on Mother's Day and had NO CLUE how special this day would be.  I absolutely love being a mom and a wife. 

Swilly.....

...that's what we call her!  One day Chad was trying to say sweetie or silly and it came out swilly.  So, Swilly has stuck and that seems to be her "nickname."

This past Saturday, Scarlett & I went to visit Jenna and her son Kason for a playdate.  The kids had a really good time playing and jabbering.  Scarlett wanted to eat Kason's head and Kason wanted to eat Scarlett's pacifier!  Neither one of them are around babies during the day so it's quite funny to see them interact with each other.