What a Week!

This week has been both chaotic and crazy, although it has not been bad overall. I expected the chaos and crazy, given that it was the first week for the kids to report to school. I waltzed in Monday morning with a room that was not finished--had books all over the place--and lesson plans that were not submitted. I was missing my baby girl but ready to see all of the new 6th grade faces that would occupy my classroom for the next 10 months. Although my room was not ready, surprisingly I was. I managed through the chaos of that morning, played some games with my kids, and got all of the first day procedures required by the state finished with very little time to spare. Then, I rushed over to Carrie's to pick up my girl. I'n so lucky to have Carrie around. I honestly don't know what I'd do without her. It is a great feeling knowing that I don't have to worry about Keely being 100% taken care of by the person keeping her. Nevertheless, I am so ready to see my girl at the end of the day! I leave school just as soon as I can possibly get away and speed on my way to Aunt Pete's. Seeing that girl after a day of work is the best part of my day. Needless to say, it's been a chaotic and crazy week, but it's been a good one, too.

Keely has started watching TV! This little monkey watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Dora the Explorer, and the Baby Einstein videos. It is one of the cutest things ever! She was watching Baby Beethoven up until a few minutes ago when she started fussing. I'd look over at her, and she would talk to the TV. So cute! It is hard to believe 2 months has come and almost gone. She's getting so big! I almost already want another one! But, that will have to wait until Keely's had her fair share of alone time with Mama and Daddy. I think she deserves that. She's trying to sit up now. I mean, unsuccessfully, of course. But, I had her propped up on her Boppy the other day, and she started trying to lean forward towards me. What a big girl! She's holding her head up really, really well, and she laughs and coos constantly. She's one of those babies that people say was born talking. She's definitely a Mama's girl. She's still nursing, which means that I get to pump twice at work. Yay (sarcastically). But, she's completely worth it. I'd do anything for that sweet baby girl! Speaking of, here is the first of two slideshows I am posting today. These pics were taken on August 11, 2009 at JC Penny.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This next slide show is a conglomeration of pictures from the past 2 or 3 weeks. Isn't she just adorable?!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Have a good week. God bless!

2 Months

Today marks the two-month anniversary of Keely's birth. Happy two-month birthday, baby girl! Because of this anniversary, I thought I would offer some reflections and highlights of the past two months. Here we go.

Reflection #1: Being parents has completely changed mine and Carl's lives. We tend to get frustrated with each other a little more often, but we have this closeness that doesn't shift despite our constant picking at each other. We've always had a close relationship, but it's different now that Keely has entered into our family. I think those of you with kids understand what I am trying to communicate to you. In short, Carl and I absolutely love being Dad and Mom.
Reflection #2: Even though we had all of those fertility issues, we wouldn't change anything about the past two years. I think those complications helped us to prepare for parenthood. Carl and I were able to focus on our relationship and long-term goals during those difficult years. We did not appreciate them while they were happening, but we've both come to appreciate them now. If we had conceived prior to when we did, we might not have ended up with beautiful Keely. No, we wouldn't change them. We certainly hope it is easier the next time around, though. And, I have a feeling it will be.
Reflection #3: Being a parent is hard. We didn't think it would be easy, honest. We knew it would be hard, but we've still had a few reality checks over the past two months. With Keely's thyroid problem, reflux, and milk protein allergy, we've definitely had our fair share of difficulty. Keely is still perfect. We would not wish any of those complications upon her by any means, but we can work with them (and hopefully through them eventually).
Reflection #4: The things we thought were so important prior to Keely's birth seem to take a backseat to her now. I guess that's part of being a parent. I hate to think not all parents feel the same way about their kids. For us it goes, God, family, then friends.

Highlights:
1) watching Keely sleep
2) listening to Keely laugh
3) hearing Keely say what sounds like Mama when she's upset
4) showing Keely off to everyone
5) knowing that she is ours
6) praying for Keely
7) napping with Keely
8) Keely's first vacation
9) shopping for/with Keely
10) Keely's first play date
11) evening walks with Keely
12) hugging and kissing Keely
13) making Keely smile
14) talking to Keely
15) getting through bath time without Keely screaming
16) nursing Keely
17) being able to check Above Average on the doctor's form when asked to compare her to other kids her same age
18) taking pics of Keely
19) watching Carl play with Keely
20) imagining how wonderful Keely will turn out

Another Smile Box to Show Off Our Girl

Make a Smilebox slideshow

These pics are all from the past 3 three weeks. Most of them are from the past 2 weeks. Keely is 8 weeks old today. I cannot beleive she is already that old! I cannot believe summer is drawing to a close already either. I report back to work on Wednesday, and I am already planning to be dramatic the first day I have to leave Keely with my sister. Thank goodness for Carrie, though. I don't know what I would do without her! Nonetheless, I really don't want to leave my sweet girl. I cannot imagine my mornings without getting to watch her sleep and cuddling with her. So, I am naturally holding her all day long almost, thinking I should savor every last second with her. No one ever said I wasn't dramatic. Anyway, while I am looking forward to meeting all the new faces and getting to teach again, I am not looking forward to leaving Keely. It will be hard. So, say a prayer for me that I will do better than I suspect I will. Say a prayer for my sister because I'm not sure she knows what she's getting into. She'll have her 3 kids and my 1 kid until school starts and Ally reports to kindergarten. Two more things, and I'll draw to a close. First, Keely actually made it through bath time without a single cry! Last night marked the first time we didn't hear wailing and screaming while being bathed! We were both shocked! And, very, very proud. Last thing, we got the lab results from Keely's endocrinologist, and her thyroid medication is fulfilling it's duty. No need to up her dosage at this point--YAY! Have a fabulous week, all!

Updates and Pics

So, as usual, a lot has been going on. Carl and I have been busy new parents, adjusting to scheduling, budgeting, and hanging out with our sweet little girl, who just so happens to be sleeping at the moment, giving me a few minutes to update my blog and just breathe. This has been a week of doctor's visits, smiles, and a few disappointments. I'll start with the latter of the three.

About two weeks ago, Keely started spitting up a ton. It happened after almost every feeding and sometimes in the middle of a feeding. I didn't know what to do. After she spit up four times in a 35 minute span, I decided to call the doc. Unfortunately, her pediatrician's office was on vacation, so I took her in to see the doctor that was taking her regular pediatrician's calls. He told me that it could be any number of things, including reflux, but he thought it best to just monitor her for now and for me to give him a call if something changed or it got worse. The spitting up continued, although she had days where she wouldn't spit up at all. I decided not to call because I'd scheduled an appointment with her actual doctor for Tuesday of the following week. At that appointment, I mentioned my concern again. Dr. Stripling ordered an X-Ray of her stomach, which was actually called a barrium swallow, which was carried out on Wednesday. I dreaded this appointment, because I was afraid they would have to stick her for the thousandth time. Fortunately, they didn't. As a matter of fact, it was completely painless, except I had to bring her to the appointment with an empty stomach. All they had her do was drink a concoction of barium and water, while they watched it go down on a screen, wash it down with sterile water, and see if anything started to come back up into her esophogus. She did fine, and stuff did start to come back up. I got a call from Dr. Stripling's office Thursday, saying that he wanted to start her on Zantac because she had slight reflux. She started that medication Friday, while Carl and I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince with my parents and Carrie watched her. I was so sad about leaving my little girl for such a long time. I wanted to see the movie, but I didn't want to leave her. I guess it's mainly because I know I will have to leave her nearly everyday once school starts up. I'm trying to maximize the amount of time I have left with her. Anyway, I managed to get through it. I did cry in the car after we picked her up. I was just happy to see her. I'll talk more about the movie later. Back to the medicine . . .

Keely does not like Zantac. I asked the pharmacy to flavor it, but they told me nothing could mask the peppermint flavor it naturally had. She makes a horrible face every time she has to swallow it. Really, I think it's kind of cute. She's been taking it twice a day since Friday. With the reflux diagnosis, came a referral to a gastrointerologist, whom she saw Monday. Prior to that appointment, the spitting up continued. I mentioned all of this to Dr. Higgins, and he determined she has a milk protein allergy, meaning she is allergic to dairy products, which she is getting through my breastmilk. He told me to stop nursing her for a week, so all of the dairy will get out of my system, and to put her on specialized formula during that time. I have to pump to keep my supply up and eliminate all dairy products from my diet in order to keep nursing her. I'm giving it a shot. I know I can do anything for Keely's sake, and I'm looking at it from that perspective. By the end of the week, I should be able to nurse again, and Keely's spitting up should be completely minimized. It's been going okay so far, but I hate pumping 7 times a day. It sort of sucks.

I had an appointment with my doctor Tuesday, so I had to leave Keely with Mam and Pete. It was not for very long, so it was fine. Those of you who know me best know that I always run 10-15 minutes behind for everything. I always say that I can plan to leave early, get completely ready without falling behind schedule, but still end up 10-15 minutes late for everything. I don't know why that is. It just is. So, I was running late for my appointment and hadn't dropped Keely off at my mom's house yet. I called Dr. Owen's office to let them know I was running behind. I hadn't left my house yet, but I told them I would only be 10 minutes late. Lie. So, I called Carrie and asked her to run out to my car and grab Keely in a very speedy manner so I could make my appointment. She did, and it was funny. Thank heaven for my sister, I made the appointment only 14 minutes late, one minute shy of the timeline they give you to arrive without being rescheduled. Yay for that! Tuesday was also my niece, Hadley's, birthday party at the pool by my parents' house. Carrie gave Keely a swimsuit that matched Ally's. It was so cute! The suit was a little big, but Keely looked adorable anyway. My brother, Allan, spent a lot of time holding her. He was so cute with her! He'll make a great dad someday. The party was fun, and Hadley got lots of good stuff. Keely got a ton of compliments, too.

This brings me to yesterday, which was Wednesday. Keely had an appointment with the endocrinologist to evaluate whether the medication she takes for hypothyroidism was working properly or if the dosage needed to be upped. This appointment was pretty rough on her. The endo didn't really tell us much that we didn't already know. He said that a lot of children with this condition that take the thyroid medication end up very bright. He even added, "It makes me wonder if I should have taken thyroid when I was young," in a joking manner. He also said that we can no longer give her a compounded form of the medication because there is no guarantee she's getting the same amount of the medication in every dose. So, we have to give her the pill form, which we crush up into teeny-tiny pieces using this cool pill crusher we bought at the pharmacy, and mix it with breastmilk. We put that concoction into a pacifier that has a medicine dispenser attached and let Keely suck it down. We tried this for the first time last night, and it was a huge success! We liked Dr. Varma just fine. He wants to see Keely every 3 months for the next while. She had to have blood drawn from her heel, which kind of offset her for the rest of the day. She wasn't very happy. I felt so sorry for her because I didn't know what she needed. It was sad.

Keely is six weeks old today, and she's having a pretty good day so far. She's sleeping on the couch, propped up on her Boppy pillow, at the moment. She looks so sweet! I am so glad we're not getting ready for a doctor's appointment right now. Unless Keely gets sick, we won't have another doctor's appointment until her 2 month on August 13. I'm taking off work for that, and it doesn't even bother me to do so. We adjusted Keely's schedule to see if we could get her down to one night feeding, instead of two. We started it Monday night, and so far she's adjust quite nicely. We get her up at 3 to feed her, and she goes back to sleep until around 6. She starts to cry then, so I give her her plug or move her into her swing. If she keeps crying, I take her to bed with me and cuddle. She does wonderfully then. We get up at 7, so she can eat again. After that, she usually goes back to sleep until close to 10. She is such a good baby! I just love being her mommy. It's the best feeling in the world.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

One Month Old

Golly! I cannot believe our little girl is already a month old! Today marks the one-month anniversary of Keely Star's birth. One month ago was one of the happiest moments in my life. One month ago I finally laid eyes upon my little girl, something I'd been waiting to do for what seemed like forever. One month ago I was in labor, trying to convince myself that I could go through it all without an epidural. One month ago I was both terrified and elated, knowing that I was about to become a mom and hoping I would be a good one. One month ago I was looking at my husband and wondering if he was more terrified than I was. One month ago tears filled my eyes when the nurse told me our little girl had dark hair and I thought, "Maybe she's going to look like me." One month ago I heard the precious sound of our baby crying for the first time. And I knew everything would work out just fine.

We love our little Keely Star. She's amazing, and being a parent is amazing. I always knew it would be, but there's a difference between knowing and experiencing. We are lucky to have such a wonderful opportunity as playing the roles of Mommy and Daddy. For that experience, we are eternally grateful to God above. I pray Keely's life is a testament to Him, that we can raise her to live such a life, and that she gets to experience His many blessings, just as we have.

Well, the girl is screaming, so I am going to go get her and hug her till she realizes she's okay again. I love this job!

The Week in Pictures

Don't I look sweet in green?!



I like to cuddle with Mommy and Daddy mostly, but my new frog is okay most of the time. It says, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" on it.



Mommy says this is one of her favorite pictures. Aunt Mamy and Uncle X got this outfit for me.



My cousin, Ella, and I were twinkies on Wednesday. Mommy and Aunt Pete say Ella and I are going to be best friends, just like they are.



My cousin, Ally, likes to hold me. She is so sweet with me!




Mommy found this ridiculous but adorable bow for me to wear. Daddy didn't like it very much. Mommy didn't really care, though. Aunt Pete gave Mommy a ton of Ella's old hairbows, and she bought several more. Now, I have a bow that will match everything! Yay!





It's been a better week this week. I've grown up a bunch! Yesterday, I didn't cry much at all! I even decided to let Mommy and Daddy sleep most of the night last night. I only woke up so I could eat. Mommy and Daddy sure are proud of me. We are getting along great! Mommy took me to get weighed yesterday, and I am already 8 lbs. Here are some things about me that you might find interesting.



Name: Keely Star Kline

Birthday: June 11, 2009

Likes: Mommy's milk, my swing, blankets, cuddling with Mommy and Daddy, visiting Mam and Pop, my cousins, aunts, and uncles, stylish clothing, music, and my pacifier

Dislikes: waiting at the doctor's office, taking my medicine, and having my diaper changed

What a week!

Man, it's been a strange and long week. There is much to tell, so I suppose I'll start at the beginning, which happens to fall on Tuesday of last week. It was 8:30 in the AM, and the phone rang. I happened to be up, because I'd just finished feeding Keely. Answered the phone. It's Keely's pediatrician's nurse, Reyna, who proceeds to tell me that Keely's PKU test she had in the hospital right after birth came back abnormal for thyroid. They want additional testing to make sure it was done right. After freaking out the whole way to the doctor's office, I got to visit with the doc at around 11:00. Dr. Stripling talked with me for a little bit, explaining that the test shows that her thyroid is not making enough of the hormone it produces. In short, her pituitary gland is telling the thyroid to produce more of the hormone, so it is working in overdrive to fill the demand. If it kept up at the pace it was going, her thyroid would eventually burn out completely. Think of it as diabetes but with an entirely different organ. He did manage to calm my nerves by saying that since they caught this early, she should be completely fine. It would mean a few visits to an endocrinologist and medication. Next, I took her down to the lab for the additional testing. I had to watch them stick my baby again; this time was one of the worst. They drew a full vial of blood from her arm. She was screaming, and I felt helpless. I wanted to cry with her. Poor, sweet baby. Mean lady sticking her with a needle in the arm. I mean, they'd pricked her heel twice within the week. Third time is not a charm. After waiting a day and a half for the results, Keely was diagnosed with Congenital Hypothryoidism. She's okay, really, but it could have ended up rather unfortunately, if they hadn't caught this condition at the beginning. So, this brings us to Wednesday. We got her prescription from the pharmacy the night before. The pharmacist recommended we wait until morning to give it to her. It came in a tablet form that had to be dissolved in 5 mL of H2O. Carl crushed the tablet, combined it with water, and tried to give it to her while I held her hands and head. She hated it! I mean, really hated it. I don't think babies like water anyway, but she really didn't like it with a semi-dissolved tablet in it. It took 10 minutes to get her to finish it. Carl and I agreed that we had to find another way to get her to take this stuff.

Luckily, Keely's 2 week appointment was scheduled for the following day. Carl took off work and came with me. The appointment was at 1:45, but it was literally 3:30 before we saw anyone. Carl's pretty impatient. He did not do well with the wait. It turns out that a different patient had appendicitis, so the situation could not be helped. The good points of the visit: 1. Keely now weighs 7 lbs. 2 oz., meaning that she has surpassed her birth weight. 2. Keely has grown 1/2 an inch since birth. 3. We found a new way to burp her that actually works most of the time. 4. The nurse hunted down a pharmacy that would compound the tablets into liquid form and mix them with grape flavoring. Keely actually likes this. 5. Keely's muscle tone is very good. Dr. Stripling said she is very strong already. The bad points of the visit: 1. They had to do another PKU test, where they pricked Keely's heel and filled those 6 circles. She cried pretty hard. 2. We didn't get out of there until nearly 4:30. Talk about a long wait! Imagine enduring that wait with a husband who needs to get back to work and a baby that had to wait an additional 45 minutes to eat. It was a long day, to say the least. At any rate, we did get to ask our questions and get some answers about this condition. Keely actually got a version of this medicine that she takes well, only I'm afraid it will take her body time to adjust to it. She's had an upset stomach for the past three days, since we started the medicine. It might not be a direct link, but I'm thinking it is. So, now we are at Friday. We had to take Keely to the hospital (doctor's orders) to get a thyroid scan. The procedure resembled an MRI, I guess. They wanted to figure out if her thyroid was fully developed and where it was exactly. With congential hypothryoidism, her thyroid either did not develop fully or developed in the wrong place. The purpose of the scan was to tell which it was. Our appointment was scheduled for 11:00, so we checked in around 10:30. They had to give her an IV in the hand in order to give her a minute dosage of radiation so they could see what was going on and some saline. Poor Keely had to get stuck yet again! It was horrible. Now, I have grown somewhat accustomed to have blood drawn due to all of my fertility treatments and being pregnant. But, I hated watching Keely have to go through all of it. Of course, she cried when they stuck her. I wanted to cry, too. The good points of this visit: 1. We'll get results and know where we go from here. We would really like to know what the next step is. 2. The pictures taken will go to the endocrinologist, and we'll get an appointment set up with him. The bad points: 1. We did not get out of there until after 2:00. Carl had to miss even more work, which he understandably complained a lot about. 2. We had to hold Keely completely still, while at an awkward angle to do so, during the photo session. Keely was not happy, but she finally fell asleep (and so did Carl and me) during the last shot. 3. We won't know results until Tuesday. Friday was a long day, too, to say the least.

So, yesterday, we gave Keely her medicine in the AM. She cried for about half of the day, acting like she just felt off. Carl and I were tired, too, but we mostly felt sorry for her. We would get her to calm down and doze off, but she would wake up as soon as we put her down, crying and crying. We held her most of the day, because of this. Even still, she was not very happy. It wasn't until we took her for a car ride and stroll around the mall that she slept for an extended amount of time. When we got home and took her out of the carrier, though, she woke up again and cried some more. She was having a rough time, and we didn't know what to do about it. I finally called my mom around 9:00 PM. By the time I got off the phone, though, Carl had her settled down, I fed her, and she slept, meaning that I could sleep. We slept on the couch until her next feeding at 1:00 ish. Carl went on to bed, while I fed her. Keely slept until her next feeding at 4:00 ish. She was awake after that feeding, so I didn't think she would let me get some sleep. I was wrong, though. I put her in her swing, and she fell asleep. She didn't wake up until 8:30. She's really a good baby. She just isn't used to all of this medicine and got worn out with the doctor's visits and long waits. Poor, sweet baby. It was as tough on Carl and me, if not tougher, as it was on her, though. So, for those of you who are praying people, send one up to the big man on Keely's behalf. Pray that she'll overcome this condition or at least adjust to the medicine. Faith moves mountains, and I am confident Keely will be just fine. Even still, a few more prayers for her would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy the pics.