Diagnosis - Cold

I took Kristen to the doctor on Thursday and they said she had a cold. I was concerned it was RSV because the pediatrician told me a week ago that they were seeing more cases of RSV than usual. They said Kristen's lungs sounded clear and that it was just a head cold. Kristen's fever broke on Thursday around 6pm and I was relieved. She sounds a bit stuffy, but hasn't been coughing or had a runny nose. I am so glad she is feeling better. Now I just pray Lauren doesn't catch it.

GI Appointment And A Sick Little Kristen

So Lauren's appointment went good. She did weigh 15 lbs 10 oz. We have almost hit the 16 lb mark! She is still following her 3% curve, which is good. I discussed my concern about her not eating at all when I would tube feed during the day with the doctor. She did agree that while it is important for her to gain weight, we also don't want to loose the progress we have made with her eating. So, we will be starting her night feed two hours earlier and basically just let her eat what she wants during the day. We go back in a week for a weight check. I hope this works. I did get to see them replace her Mic-Key button. When we go back I will do it while the doctor watches. It really did seem very easy. A lot easier than measuring off a g-tube and sticking it down her nose into her stomach. I hated those days!

When I got home Kristen had started to feel bad. My dad said she felt like she had a fever, so I checked her temperature and it was 100.3. She just wasn't herself. I gave her medicine, but it really didn't work as well as I would have liked. It did bring it down, but only a very little bit. I called the after hours doctor line last night because she felt much warmer than her temperature said and when she fell asleep on the couch I noticed that she seemed to be breathing very rapidly. They said this was due to her fever and the body was trying to cool itself down. They said to keep an eye on her temperature and to bring her in today so I am up and waiting for the doctor's office to open. I hope I can get her an early appointment. She has been drinking and while last night she only had a fever, today she seems to be stuffy and having a little difficulty breathing. I slept on the couch and moved her mattress into the living room floor so that I could keep an eye on her. Her temperature 30 minutes after she woke up this morning and after her last dose of Tylenol was 102.5. No more Sunday School for little Kristen. She is going to be upset, but we can't be bringing all types of germs into our home for little Lauren to catch. I have been praying that Lauren will not catch it and Kristen will start to feel better very soon. I hate seeing her sick.

Check Up Time

So Kristen and Lauren had their check-ups on Tuesday. Kristen did very good but she did keep asking if she was getting a shot. When Dr. Little came in she looked at her and said "I'm not getting a shot, only sissy is getting a shot." She wanted to establish that right from the start. The only thing she was a little scared of was when they took her blood pressure. She is still in the 25th percentile in height...imagine that. She has gone up from the 25th to the 30th percentile in weight. She was 29 pounds! Her head is big though...she was in the 95th percentile in head circumference. Lauren, however, was the same weight as when we went in to get her Synagis shot a few weeks back. I was not happy to see that she hadn't gained any weight. She has been a lot more active during the day and is now on the move. She isn't crawling or walking, but she is rolling to get to where she wants to go and to get Kristen's toys. I don't know if this has something to do with her lack of weight gain. She seems very uninterested in her Formula, which the GI doctor insists we continue to give her and barely drinks any during the day. Juice gives her really bad heart burn because it is so acidic so that basically leaves regular whole milk or water which neither have as much calories as her formula. She also eats like a bird during the day too. The GI doctor wants me to feed her via the pump what she doesn't eat during the day but I feel as if she will become uninterested in eating completely. When I do feed her during the day on the pump she doesn't eat at all because it has to run for 30 minutes to an hour depending on how much she is getting. I really feel like she doesn't get hungry and I feel if we start feeding her non-stop from the pump she will never feel like eating. She is continuously fed at night for 10 hours. If I had food constantly pumping into my stomach for 10 hours of the day I don't know how much I would want to eat for the other 14. Other than the feeding issues, Dr. Little was very happy with her progress. They don't have a preemie growth chart so she really couldn't tell me if she was still following the 3% mark or not. We do go see her GI doctor on Tuesday, so I am anxious to discuss my concerns with her. She will get her MIC-Key button replaced at this appointment and maybe we can discuss some other options for her for eating during the day. I have to go start her feeding now, but will update after her appointment on Tuesday.

Party Pictures!!!

This is the AWESOME cake that a friend of Paul's wife did for us. She also did a small cake for Kristen as well.






Kristen opening her card that plays music. That was one of her favorite gifts.

Bouncy Girls

Kristen's Birthday Pictures

I thought I would post a few pictures of Kristen's little party we threw for her last night. It was just Paul, Kristen, Lauren and me. She will have a another party on Saturday. Just immediate family because of Lauren. We still have to avoid large crowds for this winter. Anyways, she enjoyed opening a few presents and the cake. She did blow out the candles all on her own.

Happy Birthday Kristen!

Today Kristen turns 3 years old. My little girl is growing up so fast. She has brought so much joy to our lives. It does sadden me because everyday it seems as if she needs me less than the day before. I love her so so much. It is hard to believe that in just 2 1/2 years she will be starting school. This September she will start in the AWANA cubbies at church and I just smile when I think about her carrying her little bag and learning the songs and pledges. While I am enjoying watching her grow, I do miss the little things, like having to cover her up at night. Now when I go in there she is always under the covers because she can do it "All by myself" as she says. Having to hold her hand on the stairs, having to put her shoes on, helping her down the slide, helping her into the chair to eat dinner. Everyday she gets more and more independent and while I know that is good, I still miss my little girl who needs me. She can now say her ABC's, count to 13, knows all of her colors and some of her shapes, knows her full name, knows how to operate every electronic gadget in our house better than me, and is using the potty like a pro! She loves the Disney Princesses, she likes to wear dresses, she likes to play hide-n-seek, she likes to read and is memorizing some of her favorite books, she loves her EET (her blanket), she likes listening to music and dancing, she likes organizing things into lines and helping me do things around the house, she likes to feel important and needed, her favorite food is pizza and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and she likes bossing our dog Degas around. She has grown so much over the past three years and is developing into such a unique little person and I am so proud to be her mother.