My poor little girl

So today was an eventful one. Ryan and I had spent the weekend in Vegas with some awesome friends:) and had a blast(no kids!!!). When we got back we found a rash on Bailee's leg. Apparently it started on Sat night and was just red skin and by Sun night it looked awful. So this morning after dropping the older girls off at school, I called the Dr and they wanted to see her.

Prognosis.........my poor Bailee has Shingles.

While I was talking to the Dr, Bailee was playing on the stroller w/ Brody and the Dr and I watched in slow motion as Bailee slid off the side and cracked her head on the table leg. I picked her up and held her and when I lifted my hand it was covered in blood. It bled hard for about 30 seconds and then just stopped so she didn't need stitches--thank goodness.

After all this the Dr said her main concern was for Brody. He just turned one and didn't have his chicken pox vaccine yet. Well as fate would have it, we are in between insurance right now. Its was effective May 1st but still being processed so we don't have any of the info. So I ended up having to take Brody to the clinic to get the free shots and hopefully he won't get chicken pox. We'll see. Poor guy had to endure 7 shots.

As for an update for Brody--At his Modified Barium Swallow he went back on Honey thick feeds so no more feeding tube!! YEAH!!!! We will start an electrical therapy in about two months that will help strengthen the muscles so he won't need thickened feeds. He is getting to be a chunk so he is definitely not missing out on any calories.

Easter time

Quick update. Modified Barium Swallow scheduled for the 23rd for Brody so hopefully he can get rid of the nose tube. He is such a good boy, always smiling and eating whatever he can. He gets upset when he sees a sippy cup and can't have it.

These are just a bunch of randon Easter pics of the girls.

On the Saturday before Easter my mom's family gets together to eat and let the kids hunt some eggs and play.

This is Rylee trying to smile but it was sprinkling so she wouldn't look up.

My main man Brody with a smile as usual.

Cheesy grin by Kodee.
She refuses to keep anything in her hair or wipe off her mouth.
These are a few shots of the girls at my mom's house Easter morning finding their Easter baskets and the goodies inside.

Now it is time for finding the Easter eggs. Special thanks to Aunt Kelsey for helping the Easter bunny hide them all.

You would think that was enough fun for one day but we still had a ton more fun to have at Nana Bonnie's and Papa Randy's.

More eggs Brody and Kodee love their papa.

If you can't tell she just got up from a nap and is not too happy!
This is my brother in law trying to be sexy...maybe next time.

Cute as cute can be.

This is lil Miss Ava Brooklyn. KCs little one--I finally got a pic-she looks kinda scared but her mommy is holding her.

I'z jes kid-ding

Sooooo.....Last Thurs morning @ 10am the dr said we are sending you home today----Yeah!!!!!!! After a few mix ups with the equipment company and waiting forever, we were released at 11 pm that night. We got home and nestled in bed- so glad that the ordeal was over. They had finally allowed him to start eating solids that morning and he did great. The endoscopy just showed reflux and the Bronchoscopy showed the airway was red and inflamed(because he was aspirating the feeds). No serious problem, it was just something that he was going to have to grow out of. Because he was still having problems with liquids, they were sending him home with the NG tube and we have a follow up Modified Barium Swallow next month and hopefully he can get the tube out. Anyway, cut to 1 am Fri morning(2hours after released) Brody is throwing up, same at 4am and again at 7am. He was on a continuous drip @ night. I called the GI dr and they wanted me to spread his day feeds over 2 hrs instead of 1. They thought it may be a little too much for is tummy since he had been reduced to eating 3 oz at feedings. Anyways, still throwing up all day and then the diarrhea started. He wasn't getting alot of fluid to start with and they were definitely coming out alot faster than they were going in. So 7pm back to ER and he was admitted w/ a virus. We were so close to freedom-that is where the "I'z jes kid-ding" comes in. So, it's Sunday night and he is still there with Ryan and I will head back to a fun filled day of being confined to a room with a 10 month old sick boy.(that is me complaining) He is still sick but they started he back on a little bit of formula today. Hopefully we will know the plan tomorrow and we can get back home soon.

This is Brody last Wednesday in the playroom. He is such a trooper. We can't go there this time since he is contagious.

He is so stinkin cute!!(If you ask me)

This was his favorite toy in the play room. He would push those things down over and over. His hands have socks taped on them so he wouldn't pull the IV in his head out. There was a bunch of toys he couldn't play with since he couldn't use his hands. But he always had a smile and the nurses loved him.

Oops, I did it again!!!

It seems like any time I blog that things are going fairly well with Brody, I am made a liar. Yep, we are back at Phoenix Children's Hospital. He started to aspirate and choke on his pudding thick feeds. He had choked a few days ago and again Wednesday morning he started to turn blueish. After the 3rd choking episode I called his GI dr and took him to the clinic @ 1. They wanted to admit him so we went to the ER and were in the waiting room until5:30, then in a room until 1amuntil they moved us upstairs. It was a long day since you can't just put him down to crawl around and the bed was just a flat bed. They wouldn't let him have any fluids so he ended up not eating for 14 hours+(he was not a happy camper-neither was I) The nurse in the ER was apparently new and had to keep asking question to others. She put in an ng (feeding tube) which had to be redone upstairs and finally put in an IV at midnight which had to be redone upstairs too. Needless to say I was upset and so was the nurse upstairs. He was supposed to be being fed cuz they had to stop the feed at 2am because he had an MRI @ 8am but they moved it back so he could have some food. Thanks goodness. His MRI was clean. They have his feeding tube on a continuous drip right now. He has a bronchospy and endocospy on Mon so we will be there until next week. My poor little guy is such a trooper. It sounds like we will have to come home w/ the feeding tube-yuck! Hopefully they can figure out what is wrong.

Brody's update

At the end of November, Brody had a Modified Barium Swallow. Because he was a preemie, he aspirates his feeds(his food goes down the wrong pipe into his lungs) so his feeds are thickened. His bottles were at a honey consistency. After the swallow test the results indicated that he was still having trouble so he was to stay on the thickened feeds---YUCK!!!

At the end of Feb. it was time for another Modified Barium Swallow for Brody. This time the results were worse. He went from a honey thickness to now pudding. Meaning any fluids he gets are as thick as pudding. I can only imagine how he would love to have a drink of water. The pudding thickness is the worst you can be before having to have a feeding tube put in. We followed up with his GI and pulmonary Drs who were not happy w/ the results so they want a repeat. If the results come back the same then he has to have a brain scan and also a scope down his throat. My poor little guy!! He is such a trouper though. He is always smiling and you would never know his was having some issues w/ eating. Only time will tell what is going on there. Hopefully we will know soon and it can be fixed. The next swallow test is scheduled for mid April.

I think that he is about 6 months here. Don't let the drool fool you-he just barely got his first 2 teeth this month.

These pics are from when he was about 9 months--about a week before he was in the hospital--read below). (I really need to start taken more pics) He is so stinking cute if you ask me.

It's been awhile!!!

Alrighty now...I know it has been forever so I will just do a quick update on what has been going on in the last....oh... say...4+months. I know I am slacking in my blogging--what can I say, that's what having 4 kids will do to you.

November—
My family did the Turkey Trot in Mesa. It was a lot of fun and the kids loved it.

I think this pic makes it look like Rylee is at the 3mile mark at 41.13 and still running strong.(We only did the 2 mile run)

This is my papa, Rylee, my mom, Bailee, Ryan, Kodee, me and Brody.

This is Rylee and Kodee doing the cake walk at our Thanksgiving get together. Our family is pretty big and we have lots of fun activities for the kids.

December—
This is Rylee and Kodee enjoying the grand town on Williams, AZ when we went up north for the Polar Express. We go every year and the kids love it. This year the cold wasn’t so bad, last year we froze—I am definitely an AZ sun girl(I like the heat and the sun, unless of course I am skiing)

As far as Christmas goes, I have to admit it but I think that my kids are a bit spoiled. This is a gift from one of their favorite aunts, Kelsey.
This is Bailee sporting her cool vans.

January—
We ended up taking Brody to the hospital on Wed, January 14. Brody had been sick with pooping and puking. His eyes looked weird to me that morning but I had been up with him all night so I just figured I was tired. This is from my phone but your can see how his eyes are kinda sunken in.

He was just laying there-just his eyes moving. So I called the dr and they said to take him to Phx Childrens. So off we went. By the time we got there he was so lethargic. They pricked his finger to ck his blood and he didn’t even flinch. We they put in the IV he just grunted then nothing. We had a ton of drs come in to check out he “listless baby”—kinda freaky. Anyways, he was in the hospital for 4 days. They drs said it was just a virus. He was back to his smiley self in no time.

I attended a camera workshop in the middle of Jan. It is put on by a girl I went to high school with. It is for people who want to become more familiar with their Nikon or Cannon Camera. Let me just say it was awesome. So much great info-almost too much. Then she shows how to use natural light to take pics. It was awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome!!! Anyone interested these are her sites:
http://www.sarahgoodmanphotography.com/htmlver/index.php
http://joyinthejourney.typepad.com/my_weblog/

February—
Phatty Jr was born. Finally, Ava Brooklyn Adair was born on February 12th to my sister Kaci and her husband Tyson. I don’t have any pics but if you ask me she is the spittin image of my sister KC.

As for now, nothing much is going on. We are getting ready to head to the Dunes next weekend--I can't wait!!

Fatty Magee

Fatty Magee will be 6 months on the 11th. I can hardly believe that it has been 6 months since our ordeal in the hospital. He is quite the growing boy and just solid. He loves to laugh and when anyone pays attention to him. This month I have a total of 9 doctors appointments. He had his EKG/ECHO last week. The EKG is showing some thickening of his heart wall but the ECHO was clear so the cardiologist doesn't think that it will amount to anything but we still have to follow up in 6 months. He had a GI appointment on Thursday. He is still having problems with his acid reflux and taking Previcid(Follow up in 2months). The appointment with his Physical Therapist went well and she was impressed his progress and how strong he is. He has his 6 month appt with his pediatrician next week along with a RSV shot at another office. The following week we will see the pulmonologist again. They have taken him off caffeine and the apnea machine. The week of Thanksgiving we have an appointment with the Neurologist to have a head ultrasound to check the brain bleed. Also we have an appt to see the radiologist to have a Modified Barium Swallow. This is when we will find out if we can thin out his feeds or if he will still aspirate it into his lungs. Right now he is on a honey thick formula(1Tbls of rice cereal to every 1 oz formula). This is all of the fun that Brody and I get to have and poor Bailee will be dragged along. Luckily the older ones will be in school. I can't imagine if I have to entertain all of them at the dr.s

Brody was a pee in the pod for Halloween. We didn't get many shots of him so I took a few today before we put the costumes away. He is so stinking cute if you ask me:)

Bailee is 10 months older but you can hardly tell in this shot. Bailee is on the small side so I am sure it will not be long before Brody catch ed up.

His Physical Therapist wants him to sit as much as possible so here he is in a Bumbo. He will only stand it for a few minutes. He is still pretty stiff which is common for preemies. We do exercises with him everyday.

I thought this pic was cute. He was getting upset at being in the Bumbo and making faces.