Cutie Pie

A few cute pics of CJ. We took him out to lunch on Sunday and I got a few cute pics so I could not resist posting them. He's a sweetie. :)Sorry there is a little bit of a sun glare there. ;P

Feeling Better...

Well Phil took CJ to the doctors office this afternoon and the news was good. Basically, the doctor said that his ears look great, always a plus, and that he sounds a little congested, but that it also sounds like whatever is in there is breaking up so he is on his way to becoming better. He also has had no fever which the doctor was very pleased about. So to make a long story short he has a cold. And that I can handle. Other than that, CJ is happy and playing and in a good mood. Phil, CJ and I went out to eat tonight and he ate like a piggie and danced. He also had a great day at daycare today which is a plus. :) He does not seem to feel bad, as I said just a little cough and a runny, congested nose. Basically the rest of that stuff just has to break up and hopefully he will be all better again. So he is a little sick, but not contagious and it could be so much worse. We certainly know that. Anyways, I am really glad that we took him to the doctor and that the doctor did not seem too concerned. I feel much better too. Phil, CJ and I had a nice time at dinner and discussed all the fun things we have coming up. I am so excited to see what Phil has planned for the BIG 3-0. Anyways, I do not want to completely let my guard down and get my hopes up yet, but I am glad that at least for right now CJ is better. I hope he continues to get better and better and gets even healthier. As I have said a million times before, he deserves it.

CJ at dinner tonight:

Babbling....

It occurs to me that I have not updated on here for awhile. CJ has been doing really well. Playing and talking and laughing and having a good old time. He had an ENT appt. on Tuesday. Phil took CJ to see Dr. Weiss, his ENT and the ENT who performed his surgery. Dr. Weiss said that CJ's ears look wonderful right now. He said they look awesome on the inside and the back where they did the surgery looks wonderful as well. He said that the only concern that they always have in a situation like this is that they did not get all the infection out. He says that with the tube surgery and the surgery for the mastoiditis that they drained out as much as they could and that hopefully they got everything, but that there is always that chance that they didn't. But he was very positive about things right now, he said that his ears look great and that there is no inflammation or infection right now so hopefully it will continue that way. He still has his tubes so everything should hopefully stay healthy and uninfected. He has another follow up in two months on May 20th at 9 am. Dr. Weiss said if we notice any drainage before then to call him and get him in right away. He said if we notice any puss or wet looking ear wax or anything like that to call right away and get him in, but as long as everything continues to go well than bring him in 2 months for a follow up. So let's all hope and wish and pray and all that good stuff that everything will continue the way it has been and everything will continue to go well and hopefully he will not have to go back to the ENT until May.

So he has been doing really well. But since our lives are never boring, he now has a cough and a runny nose. He seems to be doing okay otherwise. He does not have a fever, and he is still playing and eating and laughing and stuff. I guess he was a little cranky yesterday at daycare, but alas. But Tuesday night he was up for awhile coughing so I called the doctor a few days ago and they called in a prescription for the cough and congestion. It seems to have helped in that he is coughing less and it is not keeping him up at night anymore. But this morning his nose was all congested and his coughs sounded a little more congested. So he is going to see the pediatrician this afternoon. I swear he never used to go to the doctor, but now it seems like we are always going. I am hoping that it is a just a little cold or something. This poor baby!!! I know that in the grand scheme of things a cough is not a big deal. But after all he has been through, this poor little boy deserves a break. He just does. It's just not fair that such a sweet little guy has to keep getting sick like this. It just makes me want to cry, which I do sometimes. It does not help that I have had no time to myself in a long time. I have not seen friends or done anything social in ages. I usually don't mind. I love spending time with my family and being with CJ. But I think it is only human to need a break now and then to keep myself sane if nothing else. Anyways, I really really hope that this is just something little that can be fixed easily. It seems that way, but I have been fooled before. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!!

Anyways, other than that I am just trying to think of all I have to look forward to. Tim and Laura coming over this weekend, whatever Phil has planned for my 30th birthday, going to the Carolina's this summer with boys, getting to see Molly and meet her family in NC and taking CJ to the beach in SC and seeing the family. Hopefully, maybe a couple other little trips here and there or some other little mini-breaks. I have to figure out when to see Deals, she has no choice in the matter. ;) Anyways, I have a great life and a lot of wonderful things going for me. I guess I am just a little over tired right now. I just want my CJ to be 100 % healthy for awhile, why is that so much to ask? No coughs, no colds, no ear infections, just a healthy baby...Sigh....I tell you, I used to always say I wanted two kids, but now I am starting to think I might just one. I LOVE CJ more than anything in the whole world, but he is so sweet and perfect and I still spend all my time worrying about him, so I am not sure if I want another one. I probably will want another one someday. I am certainly not ready yet. I am just overwhelmed that's all.

Anyways, this is a big babbly mess that makes no sense at all. I will let you guys know how the doctors appt. goes. Have a good weekend!!!

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter everyone!!! Hope you all had a wonderful, happy, healthy Easter weekend!!

Almost Daycare Time....

Well CJ has been doing great. He has been feeling well and playful. The babysitter was wonderful, she loved him and he loved her. He has a little bit of a runny nose, which of course makes me nervous, but other than that he is great. He has no fever, he is playful, he is happy, his appetite is great and we are having a great time. He had his 15 month check up last Wednesday. Everything went well. He is still tall and thin with a big head, hehehe. He is in the 93rd percentile for height, 90th percentile for head size and the 20th percentile for weight. He certainly eats like a pig that's for sure. I told the doctor that and he said he burns it off really fast with how active he is, plus he is really tall, plus he has been sick and also there is nothing wrong with being tall and thin. But CJ sure has a HUGE appetite. Anyways, he said his ears look good which was awesome to hear. I will still feel better to get the ENT report this week, but still good to hear. Basically he was healthy all around except he had a really bad diaper rash. The doctor said that was a side effect of the antibiotics and he gave us some medicine that has already cleared it up quite a bit. It is called Nystatin and Phil is very proud because his company makes it and we got it for free. Woot!!! So anyways, things are looking up. Today was CJ's last day of antibiotics and Monday he is supposed to go back to daycare. I would be lying if I said I was not a little nervous. I am actually really really nervous. I really want CJ to be healthy for awhile. This will be the true test, going back to school with all the other little kids not to mention their germs. It seems like every time he is doing better, and I start to relax, he gets sick again. And he has a runny nose, which so far seems to be just that, a runny nose. I also think he might be teething again because he is drooling again which could cause the runny nose. But still I can't help, but worry. I really want him to have fun at daycare when he goes back, playing with all his friends and teachers who I know miss him. And I want him to be healthy and happy for a long long time. I know he can't be healthy forever and that little kids get sick a lot. But I really want him to be healthy for awhile now. I think he deserves at least that. Anyways, he goes back to daycare on Monday and his follow up appt. with the ENT is on Tuesday. Wish us luck!!! I'll keep you all posted!!


My Two Handsome Men

Sleepy Friday

I am tired. Work is going by slowly and I am a little bored. And you know what?! I would not trade it for anything. I would much rather be at work with a healthy happy boy at home than at the hospital or at home with a sick baby. I would much rather be back to a regular routine and be a little bored than to have my little man feel yucky. All that matters is that CJ is healthy and happy and that we can all get back to our normal lives. Let's hope this continues. We could use the break. Keep your fingers crossed!!! Oh and on a random note LOST was awesome last night!!! I had been saying from the beginning that Michael was the spy!!!! And have a GREAT weekend everyone and please please be careful if you plan on doing any drinking or partying for St. Patty's Day, but have tons of fun too!! :)

Doctors Appt. & Babysitter

So CJ had his follow up appt. with the ENT yesterday. The ENT said that basically the type of infection he had called streptococcus pneumonia was a very very resistant strep. He said that this type of strep is very resistant to antibiotics which explains why he has been so resistant to the antibiotics with all his ear infections. He said that this type of resistant strep used to be very rare, but has become very common in the past year or so. He says they are seeing it pop up everywhere. But the good news is that he said that CJ's ears both look really good. He examined both ears and the scar behind his left ear and he said that everything looks really good and like it is healing very well. He said that he wants to see him for follow up in 2 weeks after he finishes the antibiotics to make sure all the inflammation is gone. So he has an appt. on Tuesday March 25th for a follow up. He said that if we have any problems beforehand to call of course, but I certainly hope that is not the case. He said that the medication he is on should really help him and that draining the infection will be the biggest help of all. He said that is what he really needed and that should make him feel much better and that all should be good now. He said that he is not really at risk of infecting others or others infecting him, but to keep him out of daycare until Monday. He is home with a babysitter, a home health aide that we found through an agency. Even though, the doctor said that he could return to daycare on Monday, we are going to keep him home for another week just to let him recover and heal and have some more rest time at home. He has been through an awful lot for a 15 month old. Phil went back to work on Monday and I went back to work Tuesday after his doctors appt. and meeting with Sharon Hart his babysitter for the next two weeks. She was very very nice and gave off a warm, motherly, grandmotherly vibe right away. She was very sweet and he seemed to like her. He went into her arms right away and she seemed to have lots of experience. Apparently she has been doing this for the past 18 years, so this should be a good thing. Then, when I got home from work yesterday, he was sitting in her lap while they read a book. She said and I quote "He is a dream, an absolute dream. He is just the sweetest little boy in the whole world." Of course we think that, but we are a little bias. So it was nice to hear from an objective outsider. It seems that they had a really great day together!!! He was really happy and in a great mood when I got home. They had a lot of fun and he was excited to see her this morning. She was very very nice and they seemed to have fun reading, playing and dancing together. She was also very impressed by his massive appetite, lol. So hopefully today will be another good day. So she will watch him this week and next week and then he will go back to daycare on Monday March 24th as long as everything goes well. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!! CJ has been through way too much already and so have his parents. We are really hoping that he will have a happy, fun spring and summer and that we can get back to a regular routine soon.

Crib or Cage?

I am not sure what cribs look like in all hospitals. I don't know if they are all the same industrial looking scary cribs. All I do know is at GBMC, they look like big cages. The first time I saw it I almost had a heart attack!!! It was pretty scary looking. Luckily, CJ seemed to like it just fine and slept just fine in there. But still it was weird looking.



Does it not kind of look like a cage or jail?

Quite an Ordeal

Hello everyone!!! As you know, CJ had the tube surgery and then we headed to St. Louis to visit some family. Well, a few days before CJ had the ear tube surgery done we noticed that there was some swelling behind his left ear. The ENT too was concerned about it when he did the surgery. He told us to see if the tubes helped it go down and helped it to drain out and see him 3 weeks later for follow up. He did say that if it seemed to be swelling, red or tender to call him sooner. Well, we went to St. Louis, had a great time visiting family and CJ was in great spirits!! The lump behind his ear never seemed to bother him at all, we would touch it and he would not respond. However, it made us a little nervous because it was not going down at all. If anything, it was bigger. So we called the ENT as soon as we got back and made an appt. for him to be seen on Tuesday. Phil took him to his appt. on Tuesday afternoon. The ENT advised him to take CJ to the ER at GBMC to get a cat scan and to make sure that the lump was indeed an infection, not something more serious. So Phil took CJ to the ER at about 4 pm and I met them about an hour later after I got off work. Then we waited and waited and waited. Then finally, we got called back. CJ had a cat scan, blood work and an IV put in. And the doctor informed us that he had a buildup of infection and puss in the bone behind his left ear. Poor little guy. So we were admitted to the hospital, given a room about midnight and CJ got put on IV antibiotics and surgery was scheduled for the next day. CJ had surgery on Wednesday at about 1 pm. Basically, they had to cut into the bone and drain the infection out. It was about an hour and a half surgery and of course CJ was under anesthesia for the whole thing. Phil and I waited nervously through the whole thing. The doctor came out as soon as it was over and told us that surgery had gone very well. Everything looked good he told us and CJ did very well. About 10 minutes later, we got to go see CJ and wait with him until he woke up. Once he woke up, we were led back to our room and thus started the rest of our very long week. Poor little CJ was pretty angry at us at this point. You see on Tuesday he could not have anything to eat or drink before the cat scan and then on Wednesday he could not have anything to eat or drink before the surgery. So he had nothing from noon Tuesday until late Wednesday afternoon. He was pretty furious and of course there was no way of explaining to him why he could not eat or drink. Couldn't blame the poor little guy. He had already been through so much. Then he was on IV antibiotics for another 48 hours and had to wear a nifty gauze headband and he had another drain in his ear to help drain everything else out. Poor little guy. It was tough. He could not really walk around the room or play because he was tethered to the IV and every time a doctor or nurse came in he would freak out because he would think they were going to do something mean to him. But we made it through. Visits from grandparents helped. Phil and I made a good team. We held it together really well and stayed with him the whole time, despite one quick trip home by me to get some clothes for all of us and toys for the little man. Phil was calm and patient and I was pretty good too, lol. Anyways, Friday morning, they removed the headband and CJ was instantly a much happier guy. He was in a much better mood all around. Then they removed the line to his IV. Though he still had the IV in his hand it was not attached to anything anymore and he could finally walk around the room. This made him SO much happier!! And then last night, they finally took the IV out and he was like himself again. Such a brave little man. Then, they were going to send us home last night, but there was a glitch. Seems the medication that he needed could not be found at any pharmacy anywhere in the area. They all said they could get it ordered for Monday, but not before. So, it was looking like we were going to be stuck at the hospital until Monday because obviously he needs his meds. The hospital even tried to get permission for us to take some of their supply home, but no dice. Then today the most wonderful nurse in the world called around to about a billion pharmacies and finally found the medication at Johns Hopkins!! So we got to go home today!!! Hooray!!! We were so ready. So now we are all home safe and sound. CJ is doing well and in good spirits. His ear does not look too bad, he just has a little bloody scar and some stitches which they say should heal well and leave almost no scar in the end. He is still on medicine and ear drops. He has to be on a special diet because of the type of medication he is on, but luckily it should not be too hard. A lot of the things he can not eat or drink he is too young to eat or drink yet anyways. He has to take it easy for awhile as well, but hopefully we are out of the woods now. He has a follow up with the ENT on Tuesday in the office. He says he will give us a better timeline of his recovery and when he can return to daycare, etc. at the appt. on Tuesday. In the meantime, my mom is helping us find a babysitter so that we can return to work since CJ will not be able to go back to daycare for a little while. Anyways, it has been a long week for all 3 of us and quite the ordeal!!! We are all pretty exhausted and glad to be home. I think that we came together really well as a family and got through the crisis really well together. CJ was very brave and handled everything remarkably well for a 15 month old. I was very proud of him. It is a lot for a 15 month old to go through. Phil was a rock as always. He is my rock. He is the best husband and father in the world and I am so lucky to have him. And I have learned something about myself. When it comes to little, silly things I sometimes get upset or emotional easily. But when it comes to really big, important things and being there for people I love, I am calm and keep it together really well. I am really good at being strong when it is important. And I am proud of my strong family. So anyways, that is our week. I will write another blog soon talking more in detail about our trip to STL with some pictures too. And I will update you guys on CJ's progress. The tubes were supposed to nip this thing in the bud. No such luck. Let's just hope, this trip to the hospital is the last thing that poor little boy and his parents have to endure for awhile. Thanks to our wonderful family and friends for your love, support and understanding!! Thanks to the amazing doctors, nurses and staff at GBMC!! And thanks to our coworkers and bosses for your incredible patience and understanding!! Love you all!!



Our brave little patient!!



My two strong men!!



No more headband!! Yay!! :)