Barf at 12 am = not cool

I guess we are pretty lucky that we made it almost 8 months with no sickness! I knew our luck would change now that we started school. I just wasn't sure how long it would take. Ashlyn started out with a stuffy nose a few days before Christmas, but never really acted sick or had a fever. I put her to bed last night as usual (after our shower/freezer routine and with a humidifier going) around 8. I went to be around 11 and was just almost asleep when I heard an unfamiliar noise...I mean it sounded familiar, but not quite with such force or volume!! I turned over and saw that Ashlyn had thrown up! A LOT! Peas and carrots...not pretty. I kind of freaked at first because it was everywhere and I was worried she couldn't breath because she was already stuffy and now she had barf coming out of her nose. So we suctioned her nose and got her cleaned up. Checked her temperature and it was 101.5! This was her first fever :( Since she had never had fever, I wasn't sure what to do. I called the advice nurse and she gave us step by step instructions on what to do for the fever and the vomiting. She was very patient and reassuring. So we gave her Tylenol as instructed and she gagged on it and threw up again! EVERYWHERE! All over our sheets and comforter...all over her hair...all over us! It was another mess! So we gave her a quick bath to get her cleaned up and then I held her in the chair and she slept while Chance cleaned up the mess! We took her to the doctor in the morning just to get checked out and he thought it was mostly like a viral bug that will just run its course. Her ears and lungs were clear and her fever had gone down. She spent the rest of the day snuggling with daddy and I went in to work. It was a long night!

A few follow-up appointments

We had another busy week following up with lots of doctors! First, we saw the cranial facial doctor to check up on her plagiocephaly (flat head). She was quite confident that everything was going to "shape" up to be just fine, but since her head was still a little asymmetrical she wanted to do the work up just to make sure she wasn't missing something. The work up entailed a series of x-rays to check that the sutures hadn't closed prematurely and a laser scan of her head to get precise measurements. Both of which were perfect!!! Her skull has about 2mm of asymmetry that will continue to normalize as she grows and her facial bones become more prominent. So we can check that one off the list!

Next (same day...same office) we saw Dr. Burns the plastic surgeon who is monitoring her hemangioma. He gave us a great report and is ecstatic with the progress it has made. He said really, the medicine isn't supposed to make the birthmark get smaller. It is intended to stunt the growth. He said the fact that hers continues to fade is VERY optimistic. He continues to assure us that by the time she starts kindergarten, we won't remember which cheek it was on! We are going to begin tapering the medicine in a month or so and it is a 2-3 month taper during which we will closely monitor the hemangioma for any rebounding. Another good report!

Waiting to see Dr. Burns

After a long afternoon at Medical City

Waiting to get scanned

Getting scanned

The toy was a distraction while the scanner

was going so she wouldn't move

Ready to go home!

The next day we saw Dr. Laird, the pediatric cardiologist to follow up on Ashlyn's atrial septal defect. This visit entailed an EKG and an echocardiogram. The EKG is pretty quick but the echo takes a while and requires her to lay flat and still! I was a little curious how this was going to happen! The first time we did it, she was 6 weeks old and slept through it. Different story now! She did GREAT! The technician had a movie playing over his shoulder and she just laid there and watched it the entire time (I guess they do this often ;). We met with the doctor after the procedures and she gave us an update. The hole/holes are still there (there are 2 holes, but it is really like there is just one because of the location) but they are smaller. They are so small that if they were any smaller they wouldn't be measurable. They are 2mm (the height of a penny) and if they get smaller they will be closed. She reassured us that she still believes they will close on their own. She gave us a 95% likelihood that they will be gone in a year when we follow up again. She said there are no 100%'s in medicine. And the good news is that they didn't get bigger. When the heart grows, sometimes the holes can actually get bigger because the tissue doesn't expand. This is not the case. So that is very good news. We love Dr. Laird and she again told us that we are not allowed to worry. So we can't check this one off just yet, but overall we are pleased with the report and the fact that she doesn't want to see us back for a year!

Waiting at the cardiologist

Get hooked up for the EKG

EKG

Echocardiogram

(wearing baby legs to stay warm and fashionable:)

She laid perfectly still the entire time!

Oh...and we also had a flu shot and another round of Synagis (the RSV shot)! It was a busy week. No doctor's appointments scheduled until her routine 9 month check-up!

Ashlyn goes to school

We have been planning on sending Ashlyn to daycare since before she was born. It has always been the plan that we would both continue working. We did a lot of research, visited MANY facilities and got on numerous waiting lists. We held out 2 months longer that initially planned for our top choice of day schools. So why is it when our spot finally became available I was heartbroken? Every week when I would call the admission coordinator to check on our "spot", I was secretly happy that it wasn't available! Yes, we had been scrambling every day, every week to find someone to care for Ashlyn, but with the awesome support of our family and 2 very understanding jobs we were able to do it. Well, December 13 reality set in and we had to drop our precious angel off with complete strangers and trust that they were going to take care of her. It wasn't easy...let me tell you. It is a very uneasy feeling trusting them to keep her safe and protect her they way we have been for 7 months (+34 weeks) now. But we all survived and I know each day will get easier. Miss Lydia, Miss Mona and Miss Tomeka are wonderful and do take very good care of our baby. (And yes, I call it school. It makes me feel better sending her to "school" than "daycare"...humor me :)

Ashlyn and Miss Lydia on her first day of school

2 tearful parents leaving our baby at school!

7 months old!

I was really bad this month and didn't do her monthly post...so I am trying to remember back. This one will be brief :(

7 month old stats:

Weight 14 lbs

Length 25"

Size 2 diapers

Mostly 3-6 month clothes

Eats 3 bottles a day, nurses 2 times a day and eats one solid meal in the evenings (usually cereal and a veggie)

Goes to bed around 8 and I wake her up at 6 to eat and then put her back to bed. She wakes up around 8-9. She takes a nap in the morning (30 mins-1 hour) and a nap in the afternoon 1-2 hours. She might take a cap nap in the evenings.

Stays at home with daddy during the day. Chance has been working from home until we get into daycare. Ashlyn can roll over both directions and is working on sitting up. She still needs a little help and loses her balance quickly. We have a lot of doctors appointments coming up this month. We are praying for good reports! We got to hang out with Gwen and Ryan recently and met baby Cash! It has been a very busy month getting ready for Christmas and having some work done on our house. I am going to be a better blogger in 2011!

Happy 7 months sweet baby girl!

This was actually at 8 months :(

Meeting baby Cash

We stopped by the Mitchell's house last night to meet Cash. Cash is the son of Kally (my PT school classmate and now co-worker) and Meredith. He is 10 days old and doing great! He was 6 lbs 15 ounces and 18 3/4 inches long when he was born. Ashlyn was 4 lbs 11 ounces and 18 1/2 inches long when she was born! He seems SO tiny and I can't believe Ashlyn was over 2 pounds smaller! It is so much fun having so many friends with babies right around Ashlyn's age!

"Yes, Cash? Do you have a question?"

I can't believe Ashlyn was 2 pounds smaller than that!

Ashlyn was very interested in him. She immediately

reached over and grabbed his hand.

We didn't have to camera ready :(

Cash wasn't too interested in her

I had to intervene...I feared for Cash. She has a strong grip!

"Daddy, get her away from me!"

Ashlyn has jammies just like his.

Maybe she thought they were hers?

Kally and Cash (10 days old)

Me and Ashlyn (7 months old)

Kally and his "little man"

It is NOT normal to look that good 10 days after giving birth!

Dinner with the Ivie's

We had dinner with the Ivie gang last night...probably one of the last times before they are a family of 4! Baby Ivie #2 is due at the end of January. I'm still thinking it's a boy, but I think I am one of the few. Ashlyn is still a little too young to play with Ryan, but Ryan was very sweet to her. We had Chris' famous homemade pizza (Chance's request) and watched a little college football. It was nice just to relax and hang out!

Ryan & Ashlyn

Me & Ashlyn

Jessi & Ashlyn

Chance finds Ryan's beer stash

Chance and Ryan

Chance reading to Ryan

Getting her jammies on

Ryan dancing

Chance and Chris feeding their girls bottles

Ryan doesn't usually drink a bottle anymore, but she

wanted one when she saw Ashlyn drinking hers.

Ready for bed. I have a feeling these

two will be having lots of slumber parties!

Ryan wasn't quite sure what to think

Ryan Layne Ivie

mmm...socks!

Ashlyn and I met Cassie and Gwen for coffee this morning. We haven't met up in a while since Cassie and I are both working full time now. I miss our Friday morning coffee! Gwen and Ashlyn were too cute! We sat them on the table and they smiled and laughed and talked to each other. Gwen was fascinated with Ashlyn's socks and spent most of the time trying to get them off her feet!

"Oh, cool socks Ashlyn"

"Mmm...let me see those"

"If I could just reach a little further"

"Got it!"

"Gwen, you are so funny!"

Gwen & Ashlyn

7 months

Gwen & Ashlyn

2 months