We met with the Pediatric Pulmonary Specialist today. She is a lovely woman and treated Noah in the hospital; she was also the one that said we could handle his needs at home and allowed us to be discharged from the hospital. Apparently, he does not have asthma per say, but he does have a respiratory disease that I can't remember the name of. In essence, we will treat him as if he has asthma and this should prevent further hospital stays. So for the next month, Noah is on Pulmacort twice a day which is a steriod and then he will switch to one a day for the next year. Because of his age he can't handle an inhaler yet, so we will have to see and we may find he grows out of it. Currently, it is brought on by seasonal allergies. So the goal is to be able to take him off the steroid for a couple of months next summer. We shall see.
Because life is not enough if you can't have two crisis, we now have problems with our dog. About four days ago, Willie could not bend his back legs. We tried walking him around the block and he couldn't make it, same with playing with the ball. So of course, we rushed him to the vet. They tell us that he has gained 10 pounds in the past month and he has to have a bland diet, due to a three day diarrhea explosion all over the house. Thank god for carpet cleaners. So needless to say we were panicked. After blood tests and x-rays, it has been determined that Willie has hypothyroid issues. So he is now on a daily medication as well and soon should be feeling better. Our biggest hurdle is keeping Noah from feeding him. Noah likes that Willie gives him licks when he is fed.
The bright spot is that everyone will be okay with some handy drugs and a lot of TLC. My munchkin has regained his speech and is back to climbing like a champ. Still doesn't walk, but honestly he doesn't seem very interested in it. Very much the way Stephen and I were according to our mothers.
Speaking of mother, Chips came for a visit after Noah got back from the hospital. It was great. She cooked meals for us which tasted fantastic and the house is clean with the laundry done. I will never keep this up until summer, so I am enjoying it as long as I can.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
New Appreciation
We arrived home Saturday and it took until today to get myself together enough to recall the events of the past week and a half. I feel like I have entered a surreal nightmare and am only just coming back to reality. Here are the events of the past week and a half.....
Thursday, May 8 - Noah's nose had been running for a day or so and the mucous was getting thick, so we quite milk products and decided to take him to the doctor, since he was breathing a little harder than usual and was uncommonly fussy. When I left for work at 5:45am, he was sleeping soundly and I thought maybe it was a rough night, but told Stephen to take him to the pediatrician anyway just to check it out. I get a call from school at 9:30am that Noah is no longer able to breath on his own and has been taken to Landsdowne. I immediately leave school and everything a mess to go to the hospital. After I am there for about 15 minutes, they determine that they cannot handle his situation and the drugs they are giving him aren't working. Noah is placed in sedation and transfered by helicopter to INOVA Fairfax Hospital for Children.
Friday, May 9 - After a long night of working on his breathing and the right combination of drugs and testing, it is determined that Noah has had an acute asthma attack combined with a strep infection in his lungs, so they are continuing the breathing tube and placing him on helium to see if they can get air into the lower parts of his lungs. They basically are sealed shut and the doctor is trying to avoid another numathorax issue which would require a chest tube as well. He is also put on an opiate drug so that he remains sedated and without pain.
Saturday, May 10 - clearly we are not going to the zoo and life at the hospital is still wait and see. I have taken to massive hours of playing Sims, since it does not require a lot of my thoughts.
Sunday, May 11 - Happy Birthday to me, but still no significant improvement in Noah. At this point he has not been awake since Thursday morning. He is also diagnosed with a heart murmur. The pediatric cardiologist is not too concerned. We will see him again when Noah is three.
Monday, May 12 - That evening we are able to take out the breathing tube, since he has loosened up enough to breath on his own. Did I also mention that they had to adjust the respirator because he kept fighting it? Oh goodness!
Tuesday, May 13 - Happy Birthday, Sue. :) Noah is in a significant amount of discomfort, so we are continuing with the sedatives, but they are being reduced slowly. He has the shakes and is suffering from a certain amount of withdrawal, so they are contemplating placing him on a morphine which is a lower opiate than he is currently on. He is also on round the clock albuteral.
Wednesday, May 14 - Still sleeping quite a bit, but his able to stay awake for two hour stints. He is almost ready to change to albuteral every hour. By the late evening he has been placed on oxygen continuously, but albuteral every hour.
Thursday, May 15 - We are changing to albuteral every two hours and they are placing him on a nasal canula. At about 5:00 pm, our Noah returned. We played pull mommy's glasses off and get out bingy back. He has trouble getting his fingers to his mouth and he can not support his own weight on his legs, but he is smiling and laughing. Late that night he is moved to intermediate care.
Friday, May 16 - He continues to improve and has his first meal - French toast. He loves it. He is able to sit up and we are working on fine motor skills. They have reduced his oxygen to the point that they decide to place him on room air and see if he can maintain his sats. We are moved to the "floor."
Saturday, May 17 - The pulmonary specialist says his lungs are clear and we can take him home with specific maintenance instructions which include two different oral medications and nebulizer treatments every 4 hours. We go home and collapse.
Sunday, May 18 - Stephen's mom arrives from Houston an Noah naps for the first time in 4 days.
And then there is today. I went back to school. My kids were thrilled. Noah saw the pediatrician today and he is doing well. I found out he turned purple. They are unsure about any long term neurological damage done, so we get to wait and see and work on prevention for the future. After all the stress, coming down from it has been a trick. I am exhausted and unable to sleep. But my baby is home and breathing like a champ. He has fallen behind in crawling and pulling himself up until his leg muscles gain some strength, but he is getting there. Today, I just held him and cried. The doctor's were wonderful, but I could have lived my whole life and never met them.
Thursday, May 8 - Noah's nose had been running for a day or so and the mucous was getting thick, so we quite milk products and decided to take him to the doctor, since he was breathing a little harder than usual and was uncommonly fussy. When I left for work at 5:45am, he was sleeping soundly and I thought maybe it was a rough night, but told Stephen to take him to the pediatrician anyway just to check it out. I get a call from school at 9:30am that Noah is no longer able to breath on his own and has been taken to Landsdowne. I immediately leave school and everything a mess to go to the hospital. After I am there for about 15 minutes, they determine that they cannot handle his situation and the drugs they are giving him aren't working. Noah is placed in sedation and transfered by helicopter to INOVA Fairfax Hospital for Children.
Friday, May 9 - After a long night of working on his breathing and the right combination of drugs and testing, it is determined that Noah has had an acute asthma attack combined with a strep infection in his lungs, so they are continuing the breathing tube and placing him on helium to see if they can get air into the lower parts of his lungs. They basically are sealed shut and the doctor is trying to avoid another numathorax issue which would require a chest tube as well. He is also put on an opiate drug so that he remains sedated and without pain.
Saturday, May 10 - clearly we are not going to the zoo and life at the hospital is still wait and see. I have taken to massive hours of playing Sims, since it does not require a lot of my thoughts.
Sunday, May 11 - Happy Birthday to me, but still no significant improvement in Noah. At this point he has not been awake since Thursday morning. He is also diagnosed with a heart murmur. The pediatric cardiologist is not too concerned. We will see him again when Noah is three.
Monday, May 12 - That evening we are able to take out the breathing tube, since he has loosened up enough to breath on his own. Did I also mention that they had to adjust the respirator because he kept fighting it? Oh goodness!
Tuesday, May 13 - Happy Birthday, Sue. :) Noah is in a significant amount of discomfort, so we are continuing with the sedatives, but they are being reduced slowly. He has the shakes and is suffering from a certain amount of withdrawal, so they are contemplating placing him on a morphine which is a lower opiate than he is currently on. He is also on round the clock albuteral.
Wednesday, May 14 - Still sleeping quite a bit, but his able to stay awake for two hour stints. He is almost ready to change to albuteral every hour. By the late evening he has been placed on oxygen continuously, but albuteral every hour.
Thursday, May 15 - We are changing to albuteral every two hours and they are placing him on a nasal canula. At about 5:00 pm, our Noah returned. We played pull mommy's glasses off and get out bingy back. He has trouble getting his fingers to his mouth and he can not support his own weight on his legs, but he is smiling and laughing. Late that night he is moved to intermediate care.
Friday, May 16 - He continues to improve and has his first meal - French toast. He loves it. He is able to sit up and we are working on fine motor skills. They have reduced his oxygen to the point that they decide to place him on room air and see if he can maintain his sats. We are moved to the "floor."
Saturday, May 17 - The pulmonary specialist says his lungs are clear and we can take him home with specific maintenance instructions which include two different oral medications and nebulizer treatments every 4 hours. We go home and collapse.
Sunday, May 18 - Stephen's mom arrives from Houston an Noah naps for the first time in 4 days.
And then there is today. I went back to school. My kids were thrilled. Noah saw the pediatrician today and he is doing well. I found out he turned purple. They are unsure about any long term neurological damage done, so we get to wait and see and work on prevention for the future. After all the stress, coming down from it has been a trick. I am exhausted and unable to sleep. But my baby is home and breathing like a champ. He has fallen behind in crawling and pulling himself up until his leg muscles gain some strength, but he is getting there. Today, I just held him and cried. The doctor's were wonderful, but I could have lived my whole life and never met them.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
I miss me....
For the past year, I have enjoyed the wonderful new role of my life...Mommy, but I miss parts of me. It is funny I was looking at a friend's pics on flickr and saw her oldest is graduating from high school. I remember when he was 9 months old. I kept thinking about how much fun we had together and suddenly I'm missing old stuff.
I downloaded the lastest Depeche Mode and Duran Duran. I miss these bands and music right now I like, but it doesn't let me escape like these guys. I was a little sad to see Timbaland on Duran Duran. I think he and Justin Timberlake have become a bit overexposed, but I digress. I had a rough couple of days and whenever I got the chance I would drown in Cure - Disintegration is the best album ever.
I miss my crafts--cross stitching and scrapbooking. So far Noah is still in the NICU and connected to many tubes. There just isn't time with work and Noah to do it all. I want to learn to knit better and finish learning sign language.
I miss literature and book discussions. Although adorable Big Bulldozer is not some great allegory.
I guess you could consider this my birthday whine, but I think of it more as a moment of misty-eyed walk down memory lane and the dreams I had when I was young.
(Now is the perfect time for a song...)
But all that comes to mind is 5 Little Ducks :)
I downloaded the lastest Depeche Mode and Duran Duran. I miss these bands and music right now I like, but it doesn't let me escape like these guys. I was a little sad to see Timbaland on Duran Duran. I think he and Justin Timberlake have become a bit overexposed, but I digress. I had a rough couple of days and whenever I got the chance I would drown in Cure - Disintegration is the best album ever.
I miss my crafts--cross stitching and scrapbooking. So far Noah is still in the NICU and connected to many tubes. There just isn't time with work and Noah to do it all. I want to learn to knit better and finish learning sign language.
I miss literature and book discussions. Although adorable Big Bulldozer is not some great allegory.
I guess you could consider this my birthday whine, but I think of it more as a moment of misty-eyed walk down memory lane and the dreams I had when I was young.
(Now is the perfect time for a song...)
But all that comes to mind is 5 Little Ducks :)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Coolest Unit Ever
Although most of my blogging is about Noah, I have to share the coolest science unit ever. The kids and I have become science detectives at Mrs. Faraday's Fudge Factory. Turns out her factory isn't working properly and we are there to gather clues, conduct electrical experiments and solve the mystery. The best part so far comes tomorrow, when the kids and I test insulators and conductors with electricity and fudge. Can you think of a better way to spend the day? The other great part is that Maureen is going to make the fudge. She is a fantastic baker and makes the best goodies. She promised to keep making me yummies even when I am in third grade.
Stephen and I went on our first date in 2008. When we went to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." We loved it. In the movie theater we were at, you could order dinner, so we picked up our dinner at the cafe and took it with us--a very fun time. Unfortunately, when we returned from our 3 hour fun feast, we found out that Noah spent a half an hour at my mother's door crying mommy and daddy and pushing his hands against the door. So it will probably be a while before I will be ready for a date again. I know this is his age, and I can't wait until Grandma's is the coolest place ever.
Stephen and I went on our first date in 2008. When we went to see "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." We loved it. In the movie theater we were at, you could order dinner, so we picked up our dinner at the cafe and took it with us--a very fun time. Unfortunately, when we returned from our 3 hour fun feast, we found out that Noah spent a half an hour at my mother's door crying mommy and daddy and pushing his hands against the door. So it will probably be a while before I will be ready for a date again. I know this is his age, and I can't wait until Grandma's is the coolest place ever.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Change
Change is good, albeit scary, but good. Several events have happened over the last week. First, Stephen and I attended a band concert from our band. I haven't played in over a year and I was amazed at how much I missed it. Noah is one and I think by September I will be able to handle going to practice again. I will leave school at 3:00 and stay with Noah until 7:00, then head to practice. We will see how it goes. It is hard to be without him, but I have given up all of my interests to be with him, so I want to try and bring some of them back - slowly. He is so much fun to be with and I always feel like I am missing something. How can you resist a face like this....
The second change of the day is that I am changing grade levels. Due to the budget issues, we have to downsize 4th grade from five teachers to three. I sat in the meeting and looked at my team and felt it made the most sense for me to go. I had contemplated pushing for 1st grade, but 3rd seem to be a better placement, so I am off to 3rd grade next year. It is only one of two grades I haven't taught yet. I think it will be fun and challenging. Of course this all occurs just as I figure out a new way to organize all my 4th grade materials. Teaching 4th for seven years has resulting in the accumulation of a lot of stuff. One advantage to 3rd is that their is still pieces of what I have that can be useful. Unfortunately, changing grade levels can also be expensive. Luckily, I shouldn't need too many more picture books for next year. Although I do love picture books. :)
The second change of the day is that I am changing grade levels. Due to the budget issues, we have to downsize 4th grade from five teachers to three. I sat in the meeting and looked at my team and felt it made the most sense for me to go. I had contemplated pushing for 1st grade, but 3rd seem to be a better placement, so I am off to 3rd grade next year. It is only one of two grades I haven't taught yet. I think it will be fun and challenging. Of course this all occurs just as I figure out a new way to organize all my 4th grade materials. Teaching 4th for seven years has resulting in the accumulation of a lot of stuff. One advantage to 3rd is that their is still pieces of what I have that can be useful. Unfortunately, changing grade levels can also be expensive. Luckily, I shouldn't need too many more picture books for next year. Although I do love picture books. :)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Spring is here....
I love Spring. It is my favorite season and Virginia has the best springtime weather. We got up to the low 70s today, so I went on a photo shoot. It was a good way to play with my digital camera.
Fortunately, I have kind neighbors who don't mind me poking through their flowers to take some pictures. The last one is from my yard. I have high hopes for my rhododendron. Maybe it will be pink. I love pink now that I am the minority in my house.
Fortunately, I have kind neighbors who don't mind me poking through their flowers to take some pictures. The last one is from my yard. I have high hopes for my rhododendron. Maybe it will be pink. I love pink now that I am the minority in my house.
Monday, March 31, 2008
A Mom for a year...
Noah is one. I can hardly believe it. I am still looking at his baby photos and can't believe how much he has changed. We had a birthday party for him on Saturday at the Tuscarora Creek Park. Unfortunately, it was a bit colder than I would have liked, but everyone seemed to hold out okay. The party was also during most people's nap times including ours, but the kids seemed to survive it well.
He liked the whole party idea. Although he couldn't quite understand what to do with the candle on the cake. Daddy had to help.
It was a fun day and Noah was completely exhausted by the time it was over. Thank goodness birthdays only come once and year and I think we have learned that we will not be having his 2nd birthday party outside.
We got ice cream to go with the cake on Sunday. Noah seriously digs ice cream.
He liked the whole party idea. Although he couldn't quite understand what to do with the candle on the cake. Daddy had to help.
It was a fun day and Noah was completely exhausted by the time it was over. Thank goodness birthdays only come once and year and I think we have learned that we will not be having his 2nd birthday party outside.
We got ice cream to go with the cake on Sunday. Noah seriously digs ice cream.
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