Kevin's New Pediatrician

Today Papa G. and I took Kevin to Dr. A's office. He is our new pediatrician, who is going to help us investigate the underlying causes (if there are any) of Kevin's delays.

My first impression of Dr. A's office was great. There was a TV playing Elmo in the waiting room, and some little tables and chairs for the kids to play at. The rooms had big cartoon characters painted on the walls. The nurses were cheery and friendly, and there was even soothing/cheerful music being played in the examining rooms! Dr. A. himself seemed friendly and knowledgeable (although Kevin screamed when he saw the doctor--he hates doctors).

Dr. A. asked lots of questions, and then did a quick but thorough exam of Kevin. He said that in 90 percent of cases like Kevin's, the child will drive everyone in the local medical community crazy for a few years, and then will be fine, and caught up to the other children, by the time he is four or five years old.

However, he did have some concerns about Kevin. One, of course, is Kevin's low muscle tone, which we are all well aware of. The other is that the soft spot on top of Kevin's head hasn't closed up yet. Most babies' soft spots close by about 18 months of age.

So, Kevin has to go for some blood tests to check his vitamin and mineral levels (soft spot sign of low calcium? metabolism/enzyme issues?). He is also being referred to a neurologist, to see if his low muscle tone is due to a problem with his nervous system.

I hope that Kevin falls into that 90 percent of kids who just need some extra time to build up their strength.

***

By the way, Kevin officially moves up to the Toddler Room at daycare tomorrow. He has been spending time in there this week, and seems to be doing well. I'm not sure if they've ever had a toddler that doesn't "toddle" yet, but they seems to be doing their best to accommodate his needs. Right now, I think he's a bit overwhelmed by all the new faces and new activities; however, I also believe the new stimulus will be good for his development.

Actually, we witnessed a new skill last night: as Papa left our house, Kevin pulled himself up to standing at the railing by the stairs. Then, with Papa's encouragement, he walked from post to post for a couple of steps, until he got to Papa!

***

Here's a video of Kevin I took about a week and a half ago, when he started climbing up on Andrea's bed!

***

Random Kevin Pictures . . .

Accountant in Training

Practicing Sounds from his Word Bowl

Waiting for Andrea to Finish Going Potty

(He was banging on the door and calling to her!)

Heartache

Pregnancy number three ended yesterday.

It still hasn't really settled in for me yet.

Briefly, I spent 8 hours in the ER on my birthday (Thursday) because the spotting got heavier. I went back to the hospital on Friday afternoon for an ultrasound. I went to the ER, and sat there for about 4 hours before I finally got the results, that I'd had a partial miscarriage. Then, I waited in the ER until past midnight to see the OB/Gyn on call, who decided a D & C was the best option, and also decided to admit me. I was finally brought upstairs at 1:30 AM. They were supposed to do the D & C by around 9 AM, but I ended up waiting until 7 PM. I got home around 10:30 PM last night.

Physically, I'm doing okay. Emotionally, I'm kind of on shut-down.

The doctor said it looks like the pregnancy made it to about 6 weeks, 6 days. This means that I must have lost it just after that last ultrasound, where I saw the heartbeat.

Today, Andrea asked about the baby again. That was tough. I explained that there wasn't one anymore. Thankfully, she didn't ask too many questions, but just said "it's not fair." I have to agree with that. But I know this is God's/nature's way of taking care of a baby that was probably very sick.

I'll be okay. We'll be okay. It's just been a rotten few days . . . sigh.

The Cutest Conversation . . . about Babies

I don't remember how our conversation started, but after school, Andrea informed me that she wanted "a girl baby." We were playing, so I thought she was talking about wanting one of her baby dolls. But she kept insisting, "I want a GIRL baby," so I said, "Okay, we ARE going to have a new baby, but I don't know if it's a girl or a boy." (I'll admit, I hesitated a bit to open this conversation, only being 8 weeks pregnant, and still spotting daily, but she was so insistent about pursuing this topic!)

Andrea: "What kind is it? Is it a girl baby or a boy baby?"
Mommy: "I don't know. We have to wait a long time until we can find out--maybe not until it's ready to come out of my belly."
Andrea: "Can I SEE it?"
Mommy: "Not yet, honey, it's in my belly."
Andrea: "How do you eat with it?"
Mommy: "Well, it's not IN my belly where the food goes. It's kind of in a special place just under my belly."
Andrea: "Where is it? I wanna see it!" (as she starts patting her hands on my belly, and jiggling it)
Mommy: "Well, it's deep down inside, and it's very small right now, so we can't see it from the outside. Would you like to see a picture of what our baby looks like right now?"
Andrea: "Okay!"

So, I got out my pregnancy week-by-week book, and showed her the illustration of baby at week 8, and its actual size. She was very impressed by the book, and asked to see more images.

Andrea: "So it's in your tummy, and it comes out of your mouth!"
Mommy: "Well, no, honey . . . the doctor will put a little cut in my tummy, and gently pull the baby out, when it's ready to come out."

I showed her an illustration of a baby being removed by c-section (not at all gory, so it was entirely kid-friendly), and she was again quite impressed.

Andrea: "So when can it come out?"
Mommy: "Around Halloween. It's going to take a long time to grow. See how tiny it is now? It has to get big like a baby doll before it's ready to come out."
Andrea: "And THEN we'll have a girl baby."
Mommy: "I don't know . . . you don't think it might be a boy?"
Andrea: "I'm having a girl baby. "
Mommy: "You are?"
Andrea: "Yes. It's in my belly."

Later in the evening, she asked to "see the baby" again (meaning the pictures). She especially likes the 8 weeks one, the one at 25 weeks of a side profile of a baby in utero, and the c-section image.

Tonight, while brushing her teeth, she brought it up again. (I think she's seriously pondering this whole process!)

Andrea: "Mommy, when they take the girl baby out, the doctor will have to put your belly back in. It will be a hole."
Mommy: "It's just a little cut, and they don't take my belly out--just the baby. Then the doctor will sew me back up. But it doesn't hurt too much."
Andrea: "That's good!"

Then once again, at bedtime . . .

Andrea: "Mommy, when's the girl baby coming out?"

Sigh . . . I'm glad she's so interested, but it's going to be a LONG seven months for both of us if she keeps asking for her "girl baby" every day. But at least she didn't ask how it got in there! :))

Various Updates (Mommy, Kevin, Andrea)

Mommy and Baby
Nothing much has changed with my pregnancy in the last week. I am still spotting every day, but it hasn't gotten worse. I haven't heard from my doctor because she's off for March Break.

Morning sickness is setting in. I'm feeling pretty rough most mornings (and some whole days)now.

I saw my endocrinologist (diabetes doctor) yesterday. My sugar levels are ridiculously high--averaging 15 to 17 most times (when I should be 7 or under). So, I'm back on insulin injections 4 times a day, and blood testing 5 times a day. I'm going to see the dietitian and nurse educator on Monday afternoon to get my pregnancy diet set up. The doctor is happy with my weight loss (about 17 pounds since January), but my high blood sugar is really a concern right now. I was surprised to see such high numbers, because I've been eating much better (as the weight loss shows). I guess I'm going to have to be meticulous to get my sugar under control.

Kevin
Kevin has some doctors appointments and assessments next week, so hopefully I'll have some more information about his needs after that.

Last week Kevin went for an assessment at the John McGivney Children's Centre, where his Gram worked until her retirement in June 2008. I hadn't mentioned it here because their findings were similar to Children First's. However, it was good to get a second opinion and some more details about his condition:

1. Kevin has extremely low muscle tone. This is why he has such a hard time supporting himself on his feet, and why he gets tired so easily. He tends to sit in a slumped position, with a rounded back, because it requires less effort; but this could be bad for his spine in the long run. They estimate that it will be another 4 to 6 months before he begins walking. However, the worst thing we can do is force him to stand up and walk before he's ready, because it could injure his feet and joints. We have to work slowly with him on strength-building activities for his muscles.
The big question is, What is the cause of the low muscle tone? Our hope is that the new pediatrician he is seeing next week will order some investigative tests.

2. Kevin's communication (speech) is in the range of a 10 month old. Again, some investigation is needed into the cause(s) of the delay. They have referred us to a special parent-and-child language program which will help us to communicate better with Kevin. I'm not sure when we'll be starting that.

Kevin is making some progress on his own. He now says "hi" and "bye-bye" spontaneously and appropriately. He likes blowing kisses to people. New words that he repeats include "Izzy," "A-ee-ah" (Andrea), "Ba-pah" (Backpack), and "Poop!" He also repeats "Hi, Mama" and "Hi, Dada." He is starting to point to objects in his picture books when we ask him to, and gets most of them right. His sense of humor is developing; a lot of shows on TV make him laugh, and he does silly things to get me to laugh (like big, cheesy grins).

Physically, Kevin loves pushing around his walking toys while he walks on his knees. He tries to walk a bit on his knees alone, but usually topples over. He regularly pulls himself up to standing by the furniture, and has even cruised down the length of the couch a couple times. One time, I helped him up to standing with his walking toy, and he walked it across the living room, but he was pretty shaky. He tries to climb up on to the furniture (but can't quite make it yet).***Actually, he just crawled up on Andrea's bed from a step-stool! Then, he turned around and crawled back down! (added 7:00 PM)*** So, the good news is that he has the desire to walk. He tries; he wants to move and climb. Believe me, he already tries to get into everything on the end tables, shelves, drawers, etc. He is very curious. When he does start walking, he is going to keep me busy!

At daycare, Kevin has started to visit the toddler room. They say he is doing well so far. He will probably move up at the start of April. I think it will be good for him to be with the toddlers.

Andrea
I'm not sure if I've mentioned potty training in a while. She is doing great--hardly any daytime accidents (usually only during nap, and even then, not often). She only gets a diaper at bedtime, because she's not night-trained yet. When she starts waking up dry, or asking to go in the middle of the night, then we'll do the night training. She's not ready yet.

Our big issue with Andrea right now is how she expresses her feelings. She's very sensitive, and yells or cries when she gets frustrated. At daycare, too, they are working with Andrea to help her express her emotions in a more appropriate way. Everything is drama with this child! Of course, now it's always, "Mommy, you're making me TERRIBLE!" (feel terrible) whenever she doesn't get the answer she wants. It's a double-edged sword. Sigh.

She also has to have a "grown-up friend" with her at all times. What happened to the child who could entertain herself for hours?

Nap-time is disappearing, too. She doesn't nap every day. I miss it a lot more than she does.

She's funny and sweet, too. Right now she declares she loves me and I'm her best friend (same for Daddy). She even shows signs of concern for Kevin, and seems to miss him when he's not around. Today, for example, she's at home sick, but Kevin went to daycare. She keeps asking where Kevin is, and whining, "but I WANT him!" She also gets upset when I do something like wipe Kevin's nose (which he hates), and he cries. She says, "Be nice to Kevin! Stop making him cry!" Sometimes, if Kevin's being naughty, and I scold him, she'll say, "But he LIKES it. He's just being funny!" It's amazing how she can get so annoyed with him, but if she thinks anyone else is "picking on" him, she jumps right in at his defense. I guess that makes her a normal big sister. :))

A "Dot" and a "Flicker" :))

I went for my second ultrasound today, and it was a much happier visit this time. As soon as I heard the tech talking to the student tech about measuring the "flicker" (heartbeat), I knew everything was okay.

They told me that I'm measuring about 2 weeks earlier than what I'd expected; they are saying I'm only 6 weeks pregnant, whereas I worked it out to be 7.5 weeks. That's probably why they couldn't see anything last time; I'd have been just over 5 weeks, which is really too early to see anything on ultrasound.

These techs were great--really friendly, and showed me things on the monitor. They even gave me pictures!

(Our little dot is just above and to the left of the arrow.)

Of course, we have to keep in mind that I'm still spotting, and it's still very early (earlier than I thought!), so anything can happen. But it was a happy moment when I got to see that tiny dot and flicker on the ultrasound screen. :))

Quick Update

I called and bugged my doctor's office for the blood test results from Wednesday. The doctor came on the phone (seriously, unheard of at her office, so I appreciated her effort) and told me that my hCG levels are normal--I went from 1,600 last week to 10,000 this week. So, something is going on in this uterus; what is it?

The earliest I could book another ultrasound was next Friday morning. I had to BEG to get in after calling at least 5 different imaging places. Everyone was booking for late March and into April. Thankfully, I found a kind-hearted woman who could tell I was distressed, and she managed to slide me in for Friday morning.

I am also anxious because I got this good news that the hormones are increasing, but I'm starting to see a teeny bit of bleeding again over the past 2 days. :(( I told my doctor this when we were on the phone, and she immediately told me to get off my feet, rest this weekend, and NO lifting Kevin (really emphasized it this time).

I think Rod took her message seriously this time because he picked me up from work, and cancelled some activities he had planned this weekend, so he could stay home with me and help care for the kids. It's hard for him, since this is tax season, and he's already insanely busy. He is a sweetie. ;)

Baffled :((

The first ultrasound results are well, quite simply, baffling.

They wouldn't show/tell me anything yesterday, and told me to go talk to my doctor today. Last night I did another home pregnancy test, and it was CLEARLY positive.

When my doctor walked in to talk to me, she was absolutely confused. Here's my results: the tech said she couldn't find anything in there!

WHAT?!

Okay, so my doctor flipped back to my blood work from a week ago, which showed a normal hormone rate. I was definitely pregnant a week ago.

Since that time, I have had NO cramping or bleeding. (?)


Oh, and here's some other info.: my doctor said my hCG hormones were at 1600 last week. I looked it up on the American Pregnancy Association site, and that is well within normal range for 5 weeks. Here's another interesting point from the same page:

"A transvaginal ultrasound [which I had] should be able to show at least a gestational sac once the hCG levels have reached between 1,000 - 2,000mIU/ml. Because levels can differentiate so much and conception dating can be wrong, a diagnosis should not be made by ultrasound findings until the hCG level has reached at least 2,000. "

I dunno . . . make what you will of that.

So, we discussed the possibility that I had my dates messed up, and maybe it was too early to see anything on ultrasound yet. But, we went through a calendar and I gave her all my dates. I should be six and a half weeks. (?)

Here's what we decided to do: I went for more blood work tonight, to check if my hormone levels are rising. If they are, good. If they're not, then something has happened without my knowing it.

She's also having me book another ultrasound for next week. By then, I would be 7.5 weeks, and definitely should be able to see anything that's there. I also requested to go to a different ultrasound centre, because for many reasons, I was NOT impressed with the first one.

So, I am confused and upset. How can it be that I haven't miscarried, I'm still getting positive pregnancy tests, but the tech says there's nothing in there? I hope that tech was just a f'n idiot. But now, I'll have to wait another week to see. I'm not impressed.

Another One on the Way!

Well, I was going to wait a bit longer to share the news, but I went to an event tonight that required drinking, and I knew I'd have to explain why I must refuse, so I figured I'd better tell everyone . . .
Yes, it's faint, but the line is there. This test was from Thursday, the 19th (last week). I have been doing more, and the line's much darker now.

I went to the doctor's on Wednesday this week, and she did some blood and urine tests, just to check everything (no results yet). She has given me a due date of October 18th (but my calculations say the 26th; I think she's off about a week). It's still early; I'm only about 6 weeks along.

However, you also need to know that this pregnancy has started out a bit unusual for me. I'll try to skip the physical details, but I did have some VERY light bleeding for a week and a half, which, thankfully, stopped about 3 days ago. The doctor didn't seem too concerned yet, but she has booked an ultrasound for me on Tuesday, just to make sure. She also told me not to do any heavy lifting (including Kevin!), and let her know if things got worse. Thankfully, like I said, I've actually had 3 good days in a row. I am hopeful.

I was going to wait until after the ultrasound to let everyone know, but I went to a party for my cousin's 30th birthday, and I had to explain why I couldn't drink with her tonight! :))