Thursday, May 24, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
No Sugar After 4PM
This is the new law in our house.
Isabella has never handled sugar well. She gets REALLY hyper and unmanageable. Well, until tonight I let the sugar rule slide for special occasions - birthdays, picnics, visits to relatives' homes, etc - but not after today.
We celebrated Kevin's birthday tonight with his family and so Isabella had cake, of course and some other sugar. Now I was there and said it was okay since this qualified as one of those special occasions. It's not good for her because she gets too wired. We really have to watch from now on what she's eating.
She didn't get laid down in bed until 9:30pm tonight. She started screaming 15 minutes later and after rocking and reading and new diapers and watching TV, she finally cried herself to sleep at 11:46pm. Needless to say the whole house is still up.
Isabella has never handled sugar well. She gets REALLY hyper and unmanageable. Well, until tonight I let the sugar rule slide for special occasions - birthdays, picnics, visits to relatives' homes, etc - but not after today.
We celebrated Kevin's birthday tonight with his family and so Isabella had cake, of course and some other sugar. Now I was there and said it was okay since this qualified as one of those special occasions. It's not good for her because she gets too wired. We really have to watch from now on what she's eating.
She didn't get laid down in bed until 9:30pm tonight. She started screaming 15 minutes later and after rocking and reading and new diapers and watching TV, she finally cried herself to sleep at 11:46pm. Needless to say the whole house is still up.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Sick Bella
After being up at 1:15 a.m. with Bella, she didn't sleep well the rest of the night. By 3:30 a.m. she was still burning up so I let her lay in bed with me. She dozed while I rubbed her back until 7:45 a.m. By 8:30 a.m. I had a doctor's appointment and was out the door to take her in.
A viral infection is going around. High fever and aches & pains are causing the uncomfortableness. It lasts 48-72 hours. I'm hoping that Motrin and Tylenol help comfort her so she can rest tonight. And I'm hoping the fever has broke by tomorrow afternoon because we are supposed to celebrate Kevin's birthday with his family tomorrow evening.
A viral infection is going around. High fever and aches & pains are causing the uncomfortableness. It lasts 48-72 hours. I'm hoping that Motrin and Tylenol help comfort her so she can rest tonight. And I'm hoping the fever has broke by tomorrow afternoon because we are supposed to celebrate Kevin's birthday with his family tomorrow evening.
Busy weekend
Ever have a weekend that flies by because you have so much going on that you can't stop to catch your breath? This was one of those weekends!
Friday, Kevin and I attended his cousin's wedding. Sarah looked absolutely beautiful, and she and Ben were beaming with happiness.
Saturday called for a birthday party for another cousin who was in town for the wedding. Noah turned four, plus we all got to meet baby Samantha, born in February.
Following mass and a baptism for a family friend on Sunday, we headed to yet another birthday party for Owen who today turned one.
Isabella is feeling the stress, too. Note the time I'm posting...she awoke crying at 1:15 a.m. I thought she just wanted a drink, but something told me to check her temperature. It was 104.2 degrees. Motrin and an hour of cuddling and "cool rag" therapy calmed her enough to head back to bed. I'll be getting up early to call her pediatrician to get an appointment.
Friday, Kevin and I attended his cousin's wedding. Sarah looked absolutely beautiful, and she and Ben were beaming with happiness.
Saturday called for a birthday party for another cousin who was in town for the wedding. Noah turned four, plus we all got to meet baby Samantha, born in February.
Following mass and a baptism for a family friend on Sunday, we headed to yet another birthday party for Owen who today turned one.
Isabella is feeling the stress, too. Note the time I'm posting...she awoke crying at 1:15 a.m. I thought she just wanted a drink, but something told me to check her temperature. It was 104.2 degrees. Motrin and an hour of cuddling and "cool rag" therapy calmed her enough to head back to bed. I'll be getting up early to call her pediatrician to get an appointment.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Portrait Session
She's so cute!!!!!!!! Here are a few of the pics taken at Sears for Isabella's 2nd birthday.
1 to 10
Wow! Isabella counted from one to ten today all on her own. This was the first time she counted by herself without help or prompting. Our little girl is getting so big!
Medical update...I know a lot of you are thinking and wondering what my surgeon had to say about my bone scan and MRI. I heard from him late this afternoon. Good news...no cancer. Bad news...there is a new disk herniation at L5-S1 and the disk below. Because of the recent surgery he is hesitant to operate right now and asked me to "deal" with the pain for another six months. He also suspects that I will have continued herniations and pain because of the degenerative disk disease and spinal stenosis. The nerve damage in my leg is permanent and will forever cause numbness and the occasional shooting pain. I'll monitor the pain and we'll do another MRI in six months (if not sooner) to watch the progression of the pressure and bulge. Thanks for all the continued prayers! (I can't wait to get back to our house and some resemblance of a schedule. I just have to remember to take it easy. My back will never be as strong as it used to be!)
Medical update...I know a lot of you are thinking and wondering what my surgeon had to say about my bone scan and MRI. I heard from him late this afternoon. Good news...no cancer. Bad news...there is a new disk herniation at L5-S1 and the disk below. Because of the recent surgery he is hesitant to operate right now and asked me to "deal" with the pain for another six months. He also suspects that I will have continued herniations and pain because of the degenerative disk disease and spinal stenosis. The nerve damage in my leg is permanent and will forever cause numbness and the occasional shooting pain. I'll monitor the pain and we'll do another MRI in six months (if not sooner) to watch the progression of the pressure and bulge. Thanks for all the continued prayers! (I can't wait to get back to our house and some resemblance of a schedule. I just have to remember to take it easy. My back will never be as strong as it used to be!)
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Pretty as a picture!
Kevin and I took Isabella to Sears for pictures to mark her soon-to-be 2nd birthday! Professional picture sessions have always been a struggle for Isabella so we had been practicing posing and smiling. I also decided to try making an evening session since two attempts at morning sessions had failed int he past.
Even though we had to wait over an hour while the photographer finished with a screaming baby and toddler, Isabella was adorable! All smiles and cuteness.
Check out her session by clicking on the first photo session at the following link:
https://www.searsphotos.com/view_rolls.asp?tag=D126BB1727BF46F894E50E273C1102A47750BD31A7124D14AF62DC126F063FE5
Even though we had to wait over an hour while the photographer finished with a screaming baby and toddler, Isabella was adorable! All smiles and cuteness.
Check out her session by clicking on the first photo session at the following link:
https://www.searsphotos.com/view_rolls.asp?tag=D126BB1727BF46F894E50E273C1102A47750BD31A7124D14AF62DC126F063FE5
My backyard
Isabella loves to play outside and what little girl wouldn't, with her own swingset, Little Tikes house and two dogs to chase!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Happy Mother's Day
Wishing each and every Mom, Grandma, Step-mom, Aunt, Sister, Godmother, and Pet Mom a very happy and relaxing mother's day!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Tough, tough week
So sorry for the lack of posts this week. I haven't felt up to it.
I had had a doctor's appointment 10 days ago to check blood levels from my recent infections. I heard 9 days ago that the mono test was still positive - I've decided to go for the world record for the person with the longest case of mono! HaHa! But no big deal, I thought. So I still have mono. I've learned to live with it and continue to rest as much as possible. No other news that day gave me relief.
But the relief didn't last. I got a call early Monday morning from my doctor. She had the blood sent out to a specialty lab for processing because of "abnormalities". My sugars were off. I thought - no big deal. I've got PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). It plays games with insulin resistance causing sugar levels to fluctuate. In fact, I was told when I was first diagnosed that many PCOS patients develop Type 2 diabetes within 5-10 years of onset. I thought I had more time. But I guess not because as of Monday I was diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome with early onset Type 2 Diabetes. Sugar testing five times a day has not been easy, but I'll get used to it and doubling my insulin medication (Metformin) has played games with my sugar, dropping it pretty low and causing cold sweats and light-headedness. But my body will adjust. (And hopefully this increased medication will help me lose the extra weight I've gained since my back surgery.)
So I thought that was enough for one week, but no! When it rains it pours as it always does with me and my health.
I met with my back surgeon Tuesday morning for follow-up X-rays and a post-surgery evaluation. He informed me, based on testing, that I have permanent nerve damage in my lower back, leg and foot. The numbness, mostly in my foot, will never get better. Again, something I can live with. But...
I had complained several times at physical therapy and previous doctor's visits of post-op hip pain, new pain from the lower back incision to my hip bone. The surgeon did not like what this meant. He ordered an immediate full-body bone scan and an MRI, and I mean immediate. The bone scan was today and the MRI is Friday. I talk with the surgeon again next Wednesday to discuss options but he said the lower back and hip pain is spinal stenosis, a narrowing of spaces in the spine (backbone) that results in pressure on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots mostly found in people over age 50. Yeah, age 50! I should have a lot more time but due to family history, I hit the jackpot early! He also suspects a new disk herniation because of the weakness of my lower back. We'll talk about "next steps" next week, he said.
Can I say no to fusion and disk surgeries if it means ignoring bones and tissue around my spinal cord? I don't know...It worries me both ways!
For now all I can do is go day to day. Tomorrow - gymnastics!!!!
I had had a doctor's appointment 10 days ago to check blood levels from my recent infections. I heard 9 days ago that the mono test was still positive - I've decided to go for the world record for the person with the longest case of mono! HaHa! But no big deal, I thought. So I still have mono. I've learned to live with it and continue to rest as much as possible. No other news that day gave me relief.
But the relief didn't last. I got a call early Monday morning from my doctor. She had the blood sent out to a specialty lab for processing because of "abnormalities". My sugars were off. I thought - no big deal. I've got PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). It plays games with insulin resistance causing sugar levels to fluctuate. In fact, I was told when I was first diagnosed that many PCOS patients develop Type 2 diabetes within 5-10 years of onset. I thought I had more time. But I guess not because as of Monday I was diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome with early onset Type 2 Diabetes. Sugar testing five times a day has not been easy, but I'll get used to it and doubling my insulin medication (Metformin) has played games with my sugar, dropping it pretty low and causing cold sweats and light-headedness. But my body will adjust. (And hopefully this increased medication will help me lose the extra weight I've gained since my back surgery.)
So I thought that was enough for one week, but no! When it rains it pours as it always does with me and my health.
I met with my back surgeon Tuesday morning for follow-up X-rays and a post-surgery evaluation. He informed me, based on testing, that I have permanent nerve damage in my lower back, leg and foot. The numbness, mostly in my foot, will never get better. Again, something I can live with. But...
I had complained several times at physical therapy and previous doctor's visits of post-op hip pain, new pain from the lower back incision to my hip bone. The surgeon did not like what this meant. He ordered an immediate full-body bone scan and an MRI, and I mean immediate. The bone scan was today and the MRI is Friday. I talk with the surgeon again next Wednesday to discuss options but he said the lower back and hip pain is spinal stenosis, a narrowing of spaces in the spine (backbone) that results in pressure on the spinal cord and/or nerve roots mostly found in people over age 50. Yeah, age 50! I should have a lot more time but due to family history, I hit the jackpot early! He also suspects a new disk herniation because of the weakness of my lower back. We'll talk about "next steps" next week, he said.
Can I say no to fusion and disk surgeries if it means ignoring bones and tissue around my spinal cord? I don't know...It worries me both ways!
For now all I can do is go day to day. Tomorrow - gymnastics!!!!
Monday, May 07, 2007
Exploring Grandma's Backyard
Isabella loves being outside so now that it's warm we are out back at Grandma Mary's and Papa Steve's all the time. (Hopefully not too much longer though since we plan to move back home really soon!!!) Check out how Isabella tries to imitate grown-up activities!
Friday, May 04, 2007
Gymnastics - Round One
Isabella started a gymnastics class on Thursday. The class is for 18 month to 3-year-old kids and "an adult" (all moms and one grandma). Her class has five girls and one boy. The goals of the class are to teach listening skills and introductory tumbling. Most of the class time is spent chasing your little one around and playing on the gymnastics equipment. (I think I got a better work-out than Isabella did. Whew!!!)
My First Day @ Gymnastics
My First Day @ Gymnastics
Amazing
Did you know?
At THREE minutes and FOUR seconds after 2AM on the 6TH of MAY this year, the time and date will be:
02:03:04 05/06/07
This will NEVER happen again this year!
(Thanks to Aunt Sue for sharing this amazing fact!)
At THREE minutes and FOUR seconds after 2AM on the 6TH of MAY this year, the time and date will be:
02:03:04 05/06/07
This will NEVER happen again this year!
(Thanks to Aunt Sue for sharing this amazing fact!)
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
First Zoo Trip of the Year
Isabella and I joined friends Tracy and Paige for our first visit to the Akron Zoo of this season. As members of the Zoo, our family can take guests to the Zoo for free so we took advantage of the wonderful weather to see the new lions that joined the Zoo this winter.
Isabella was so excited to see the lions I couldn't keep her in her stroller. She would walk up to each exhibit and look back at me and ask - "Lions, where?" When we finally made it to the lion exhibit she pushed her way right up the glass so she could see them!
We all had a great time!
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