Monday, March 23, 2009

Pneumonia- a rough spring for Charlotte

Miss Charlotte has had a rough 2009. Back in February she came down with a terrible head cold that made its way into her chest. We ended up in the ER on a Saturday (Valentine's Day) and she was diagnosed with "Bronchiolitis" and was given antibiotics and breathing treatments. She then became worse and was diagnosed with "RSV" which is a nasty childhood respiratory virus. After healing from that she was left with wheezing and coughs. Last week we went back to the doctor and found out that she had asthma. It is a "chicken or egg" scenario because it may have been that she had a predisposition towards allergies which caused her to come down with RSV more easily or it could be that the RSV caused damage which then became asthma. Who knows. On top of this, she had a very high fever a few weeks ago with no other symptoms...we took her in and she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (uncommon in babies). They think she may have a reflux-like issue in between her urethra/bladder/kidneys which is allowing bacteria to multiply. We have a bladder ultrasound tomorrow to check that situation out and a radiological catheter exam in a few weeks to actually "see" if there is reflux.

After the asthma diagnosis of last week we went back to the doctor the next day because her breathing treatments at home were not helping and her cough was getting worse. She sounded terrible in her chest and had a high fever. After chest x-rays we found out she had pneumonia in her right lung and needed to be hospitalized so that she could be treated with IV antibiotics, hydrated with IV fluids, monitored closely and given more frequent breathing treatments by respiratory specialists. So...Mommy and Charlotte checked in to Lodi Memorial Hospital on Thursday morning. We were happy to see Auntie Aimee working on the floor. She helped by recommending a nurse and helped to get Charlotte's IV started. It was heart-wrenching to watch a baby being held down while doctors and nurses tried to feed a tiny IV tube into her vein. She had blood drawn (yet another stick) and was put on a nasal cannula for oxygen. She was attached to lots of tubes/monitors! The first day was rough. She felt terrible and wanted to just be held. The night in the hospital was long, but she was a good sport. She slept next to me in the hospital bed. The next day was better. Her fever was gone, she felt better and was smiling more. But, trying to keep an active 9.5 month old busy on a hospital bed when she wants to crawl around and mess with her IV is HARD! We were released Friday evening and sent home with instructions and meds. She is much better. We will continue breathing treatments for her asthma as long as needed but we are so happy to have her home. Matt missed his little baby and Lorelei missed her little sister...and we missed them! A big thank you to Grandpa Barrow, Auntie Colleen and Auntie Amanda for helping out so much and taking care of Lorelei so that Matt could still work!

Here are some photos:

Charlotte pneumonia March 2009

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Monday, March 16, 2009

Zoo time with the Troys

Last Saturday we had a wonderful day with the Troy family. We ate sandwitches at their deli "Cut the Mustard", went to Micke Grove Zoo to enjoy the animals, and spent time on a fabulous play set too! Lorelei had so much fun with Nicole (3 yrs) and Camille (4 years). I didn't know that Lorelei knew how to play with little girls! All of her little friends are boys! Charlotte enjoyed her first time to the zoo and passed the time eating snacks in her stroller. It was a beautiful day spent with good friends.

Here are photos from the day courtesy of Chris Troy

Day at the park and Zoo with the Troys

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Mid March fun

Half of March is already gone. The girls are enjoying the beautiful weather we have been having and Mommy has really been enjoying spending time outside of the house with the kids! Here are some photos from the last week or so.

2009-03-12 Charlotte Lorelei Mid March 2009

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Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Baptized!

Better late than never, right? Charlotte had a beautiful private Baptism ceremony last weekend at St. Joachim's Historic chapel in Lockeford, CA. She was a very happy girl and looked adorable too!

Here are some photos from the day: courtesy of Larry Peters (cousin) and Beth Schneider (friend). Thanks guys!

Charlotte's Baptism, March 2009

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Recent favorite photos...

The girls are now 9 months old and two and a half. I've been so bad at keeping up to date on the blog that it is way too overwhelming to post all that has gone on in the last four months. So, here are the girls now! Charlotte is crawling (strangly) and saying "mama", "dada", "nawnaw" (no no?) and "daw" (dog). She is pulling up and starting to cruise. She is eating crackers, meats, yogurts and all kinds of things now and is a very happy baby. Lola is a talker and loves to "read" us stories, and has a great imagination. She loves to dance to music and do summer-saults. She loves to be outdoors with her dogs and is almost potty-trained (thank goodness). Lorelei loves to ride her trike and sing songs too! These girls are growing up so fast. I am holding on tight to each moment and trying to live in the "now" instead of looking forward to the next thing they will do.

Charlotte 9 months, Lola 2 and a half

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Baxter vs. Lorelei

Well, this is what happens when a 90 pound dog's muzzle makes contact with the eye of a toddler as he's racing around the front yard like a maniac while being chased by Bailey! When Baxter is in one of his crazy moods he has no awareness of his surroundings or of his size. His nose smacked straight into Lola's eye and he just kept on running! The bruise formed immediately as did her tears! Oh Baxter. What are we going to do with you?

Lola vs. Baxter March 2009

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