Catching Up

So, I haven't posted in a while because the sickness most certainly did NOT go away. It escalated and escalated until one of us finally had to go to the emergency room! I ended up going to the doctor twice, getting a shot of steroids, and starting a second round of antibiotics... I am finally better. My children on the other hand are another story... Cadence already had one round of illness and had gotten better by the time that I was getting round two. Then Tatum started getting congested. I immediately took her to the doctor, and she has the same virus that the rest of us have had. But she didn't get any better either and finally got so conjested that she was having trouble breathing. She would just stop, mid-breath, then start again. I was getting really concerned about it so I finally gave in Sunday night and told Dave to get it in gear we were carrying her to the ER. We usually go to Summit, and haven't had any problems there, but the new pediatrician's office prefers Vanderbilt Children's Hospital - so we decided to carry her there. It was only 15 more miles than Summit, and from our house it only took 45mins to get there, so we will probably just go there again if the need ever arises. So, the reason that Tatum was having so much difficulty breathing is because there is a flap that covers your airway (such as when you eat to keep food debris from entering the windpipe) that was getting shut because of the mucus buildup. To help her get her airways cleared out they just stuck a tube down both of her nostrils, down into her windpipe, and suctioned out all the mucus. It wasn't a pleasant experience, but she could breathe much better afterwards.

Both of the girls are still sickly. Both of them have coughs and runny noses, and just generally don't feel good - but we are trying to make a recovery... Hopefully Cadence will at least be feeling good enough to go to Disney Live this Sunday. We will be seeing Tigger and Pooh, Little Einsteins, Handy Manny, and most importantly, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

In other news, Tatum got her first tooth on Monday... it makes me happy and sad at the same time. Where have the past 5 months gone that my sweet Tater already has a tooth (and another one beside it will quickly be through too)? She now has a sweet little laugh too, and she is really ticklish. :) Both my baby girls still melt my heart every day.

Haven't posted any pics in a while, so here are a few random ones...

If this sickness doesn't GO AWAY.!.!.!.!.

So... my last post mentioned that I had been very ill and that I hoped that nobody else in my home would get it... well that didn't happen! Cadence started getting sick on Tuesday morning around 2am. She started with a fever and acting really sad and lethargic, and she would not eat or drink anything. So I called the doctor and of course they wanted to see her and told me that if she was dehydrated when I brought her in that they would have to admit her to the hospital. Let me add that I was already having the WORST day because I had gotten stuck in the snow twice! (well the ice really, but you know what I'm getting at)... So, I take her to the doctor and they swab her for strep throat and the flu, both of which come back negative. The doc comes back in and says, "It's not going to be pleasant, but I really think we need to catheterize her to see if we can get some answers." At this point I'm ready to do whatever it takes to get her better so I ask every conceivable question about the procedure and results and brace myself for the worst. You know, as a mom, you can't wait for the day that your kids can talk... when Cadence was a baby and she would get sick (which was and is rare) I would say "I wish she could tell me what is wrong or what is hurting." Well, now I almost want to take it back... To hold her down while she cries "Momma, get me. Momma, pick me up. Put my diaper back on. Momma, hold me" BROKE MY HEART! I really can't imagine having a chronically sick child and having to cope with that... Anyway, turns out she had some sort of virus that isn't treatable by medication, just waiting it out and forcing fluids. She is doing better now, she still has some rattling in her chest and some congestion, but I think that is fairly normal for this time of year. She did gain a little weight at least at this appointment. She is up to 26lbs! Tatum is still well so far. I'm praying very hard that she stays that way. I'll keep updating as this stupid sickness keeps making it's rounds. I hope that nobody reading this has to deal with any illness for the rest of the "Sick Season"!

Sickness!

Just another little tidbit... I was sick all weekend with what I thought was a severe sinus infection... couldn't breathe, swollen face, terrible headache... I actually had to start taking antibiotics to get it cleared up - and even that took several days to work. Turns out, it must be something going around because everyone else has it now. Tatum is getting congested, my boss has it, and my bestie has it. I'm a total germ-a-phobe so I wash my hands and use germ-x all the time, but I still got this nasty bug - so everybody look out for it!

Tatum - 4 months

Well, Tatum's appointment was like 2weeks ago and I still haven't had time to blog about it! She weighed in at 16lbs, 14oz (90th percentile) and measured 24inches (25th percentile). Doc said to cut out her bottle at night to see if we can get her to sleep better through the night, and to try to cut back her ounces during the day. She said that Tatum wasn't overweight, but she's taking too much formula. Evidently breast fed babies have a stronger urge to suck... so when Tatum has already had a bottle and she fusses like she wants more it is really that she is just wanting to suck. We have been doing this for about 2wks now, and Tatum has already lost some weight! I don't know her exact measurements, but she has slimmed down enough that her clothes are fitting looser. The little stinker tricked me and slept all night long 3 nights in a row last week... I thought we were finally going to have a good pattern down... WRONG! She is now back to her usuall routine - asleep for 3-4hrs and up again. The doctor also told us to start her on cereal and baby food, so maybe she will like that a little better. She is rolling and scooting, and Dr said she had EXELLENT head control (more than a baby her age usually has). She did have a bad reaction to her shots, the next morning she had a fever of 104.1 and it took me all day to get it down. Also, she is teething, so she is slobbering everywhere and whiney sometimes. I have decided to change pediatricians again... I waited for the doctor for 2 1/2 hrs AGAIN, and I decided that would be the last time that I sit there that long for a well-baby visit... so... we will be seeing a new pediatrician for Tatum's 6mo checkup and I'll let you all know how that goes! Guess that's all for my little Tater for now!