Wednesday weigh-in (7/30)

Well, Benjamin did not do that great this week. Last week, after two weeks of not doing horribly great (2.9 and 3.4 ounces), he did wonderfully, with a gain of 6.2 ounces. (You're looking for a 5-8 ounce gain per week.) Ummm....yeah. This week he gained 0.4 ounce. He is now 11 lbs, 8.1 ounces, up from 11 lbs, 7.7 ounces last week. Nothing has really changed except that his heart is getting bigger and the strain of having to work so hard to keep the blood pumping is making it hard for the calories he takes in to go toward weight gain. The calories are too busy trying to make his heart work.

I think I now understand why Dr. Herold wanted to go ahead and get the ball rolling on surgery. He mentioned awhile back that many times, babies waiting for heart surgery will plateau on their weight. The "magic" weight is 12 pounds, and we *might* get there before surgery! (Of course, babies of all weights have surgeries, but for how difficult it is on them, the surgeons like them as large as they can get!)

As far as an update on us, Matthew is feeling achy in his joints and I am starting to feel my usual "nighttime sickness." In fact today I have a new symptom--a sore throat. My temperature is nearing 100 and if it happens like the previous two nights, it'll just keep going up. We both just took some Aleve. Hey, at least the sickness has mainly been in the evenings and at night after the boys have gone to bed. I feel so bad there's no way I could function during the day with both of them if I felt like this then.

Matthew and Andrew are upstairs playing in the bonus room. Benjamin is sleeping. I am sitting here at the kitchen table actually enjoying the noise of the dishwasher running. Hey, at least the dishwasher doesn't need me to do anything for it.

It's been awhile since I've posted any pictures. Sorry. Been kinda feverish.

These first two are of sometime last week. Daddy and the Boy going out to get the mail in the rain. It's been raining a lot here in the afternoons lately.






Here is Benjamin's three month picture. He still can't sit up very well by himself, but we're getting there.



Ahhh....to be a toddler with OCD....



Today was the first day that I moved Andrew out of the high chair!! There really was no reason to--he does just fine in the high chair. I just thought it might help him eat better, and it did! He ate pretty well today. (He is a horribly picky and tempermental eater--drives us NUTS!)



That's all for now! Thanks for all the prayers. They're totally appreciated. :)

Ugh! And a great cardiologist appt!!

Okay, so I felt pretty normal allllll day yesterday. And then last night, at about 8:00 I started feeling bad again. By 9:30 I was feeling horrible again, with a 101 fever, the chills, achiness, etc. NOOOO!!!!!!!!!! Today I have a slight headache again but the fever is gone. What is going on?? Matthew even said he felt achy yesterday but felt better after taking some Aleve.

Yesterday at the cardiologist we had a good appointment! Benjamin hadn't gained a ton of weight in three weeks, but is still doing well. The doctor said that since he was pretty big (about 11 1/2 pounds) and his x-rays hadn't really changed that much, that he was going to go ahead and send all the paperwork up to Vanderbilt this week!!!! Which means that the surgeons up there will look at it, assess what needs to be done (and how soon), and they will call us with a surgery date! We should hear back from them in the next three weeks, and the surgery *may* be three to four weeks after that. (So possibly mid to late September?) We will definitely keep you posted!

A much better day so far!

Yesterday I really just felt like I couldn't cope with life!! All day I was SO tired and had an awful headache. And then last night it got much worse and I felt HORRID! But today my fever is gone and I feel much better. Not 100% but better.

Off to the cardiologist. I'll update later. :)

I. Feel. Horrible.

OH my goodness. It is 11:10 p.m. and I am so sick!!! I am achy all over. I have a fever of 100.9 and have the chills. I haven't thrown up yet, but I am quite certain that is in my near future. I am up so late b/c I had to nurse Benjamin. Yeah, that's real fun to do when you're sick.....(Yes, it's safe to do so--I didn't know either until I had Andrew.)

We have to go to the cardiologist tomorrow, and thankfully, my mom is taking the afternoon off to watch Andrew while we do so. But I still have to make it to noon by myself. UGH! If you're up late and read this, please pray that this is *very* temporary and that I wake up tomorrow feeling like myself again. But more importantly, that Benjamin doesn't get it.

Achy

You know that moment when you just *know* you're sick? I suppose it manifests itself differently for everyone, but for me, a chronic knuckle-popper (sorry, Dad), I know I'm sick when my knuckles hurt when they're popped.

First, a quick update. Andrew continues to have a fever but seems to be feeling fine. He and Matthew stayed home from church on Sunday while Benjamin and I went by ourselves. Today, Benjamin seemed extra fussy and wasn't eating or sleeping well. I took his temperature at about noon, and it was 99.3. I gave him some Tylenol and later (at about 7:00), it was 98.3. He has no other symptoms (other than a persistent runny left eye, but that's been like that for about three weeks), so I think he's okay for now. We go to see the cardiologist tomorrow anyway.

And then today, alllll day I have just been super tired (even though I got 7.5 hours of sleep last night) and my head has been throbbing. Tonight, I got up off the floor (where I was practicing the nightly Amick ritual of picking up toys) and I just felt it. That soreness and achiness. Where my eyes hurt in their sockets and my bones and joints hurt.

Please pray that we are NOT getting sick!!!!!!!

On a side note, my younger brother and my younger cousins (plus my older sister-in-law but she doesn't have a newborn) are going to Six Flags tomorrow. I'm so sad that I cannot go b/c I have a baby that won't take a bottle!! I mean, I know it's part of being a mom, but waaaaaa....... I *LOVE* Six Flags!!! :(

Photo Friday & Andrew update

Andrew seems to be doing okay today. His temperature was normal this morning, and he slept all night. However, right before his nap just now, his temperature was back up to 100.9. He is still whiney and has a short circuit. It's hard to know if that's because he's sick or he's two. :)

So, for your viewing pleasure, here are some pics of the week!

I *knew* he liked cheese! Naturally, he likes the messiest kind there is--shredded. At least he's still pretty neat; look how he hovers over the plate so he doesn't drop it. That's my boy!




We busted out the lowercase letters to go on his Leap Frog Word Whammer. It was like Christmas! Now we have 52 letters to get lost instead of just 26.



This is Benjamin's blanket. It's very soft and is perfect for floor time. He is now rolling over from his back to his stomach. Almost every time. He forgot how to go the other way, though, and his neck support isn't that great. So he'll roll over onto his stomach and then squirm and scream b/c he can't breathe very well.



Sweet, sweet boy.



Ceiling-fan shot. (AKA mommy standing on the arm of the couch) Notice the blue blanket. That's Andrew's. Benjamin has a blanket, so Andrew has to have one, too. He even likes for me to do the same physical therapy with him as I do with Benjamin. ("Okay, Andrew, raise your arms alllll the way up! Come on! Good job, Andrew!")



He is always smiley and chatty after he eats. I love it. Especially b/c Andrew was always still screaming and spitting up. This happy baby thing is new for me. :)



Thanks for looking!! I hope you all have a great weekend. Hopefully whatever Andrew is fighting will just go away without spreading to Benjamin or causing Andrew any more symptoms. Knock on wood--he's never had an ear infection or really been sick, save an occasional bout of diarrhea or a random throw-up. God has spared us any of that. Guess He was letting us save up for Benjamin's open-heart surgery, LOL!!!!!! ;)

Andrew is sick

Please pray for our little guy. He was rather fussy today (more than usual, anyway) and woke up from his nap with flushed cheeks and feeling kind of warm. I felt him a little while later and he seemed to feel okay. While he was taking his bath, Andrew just seemed to break down and was crying at the drop of a hat. As I stood him up to wash him, he was shivering. He just kept crying and yawning, yawning and crying. While I was reading to him before bed, he literally almost fell asleep on me. This *never* happens, as he takes up to an hour to fall asleep in his crib, talking and playing. I felt him again and he was burning up. Turns out his fever is 102.1. Oops. I went to give him some medicine and realized that not only did it expire in December (oh well--it won't kill him), but that all I have is Infant Motrin. But since it says up to 23 pounds and Andrew is barely 26, I gave him a little more than the top dose and put him in bed where he fell asleep immediately. Wow.

The true prayer request here isn't just for Andrew, but for Benjamin. We don't know what Andrew "has," but anything that he may pass along to Benjamin could be really bad, considering his heart defects. Even a fever could put him in the hospital. So please pray that I am able to keep Andrew away from his little brother. Just as a precaution, after I scrubbed my hands with soap and hot water, I took Benjamin's temperature, but (thank God) it was only 98.3.

It's been a long and trying week, even though I feel strangely okay about it. Matthew is in a busy time at work right now. He had to work SUPER late Tuesday night (he crawled in bed at 3:18 a.m.) and today, he had to work a full day of work, come home, mow the lawn, and then go back to work for a few hours. (He had to specifically be there at 7:30 for some thing they're doing on a program; they had to do it at this time so everyone was gone and they could shut down the system or something like that. He should be home at 10:30 or so.) Thankfully, only one more day until the weekend. I only hope we are all well. Unfortunately, we were supposed to have a get-together with some friends from Sunday School at our house on Saturday, but I've had to cancel that. I really just can't take any chances. Andrew seems like he's at the beginning of this, and I just want the sickness GONE!

Wednesday weigh-in (7/23)

I went to weigh Benjamin yesterday, and in one week, he gained 6.2 ounces!! That's very, very good, considering the previous two weeks, he only gained 6.3 ounces total!). He now weighs 11 pounds, 7.7 ounces. He is three months old today. We go back to the cardiologist next Tuesday for another checkup. :)

Long day and an explanation of "heart failure"

As I type this, it is almost 9:30 p.m. Matthew is still at work. :(
He rarely has to work late, but it still stinks when he does!
Today was just a typical I-have-two-small-children kind of day. Benjamin hasn't been napping that well, and neither has Andrew. Any stay-at-home mom knows that nap time is MOM time. And with no mom time, well, let's just say it's been glorious since they've both been asleep.

I go to the hospital tomorrow to weigh Benjamin. The past two weeks he has not gained very much. (2.9 ounces and 3.4 ounces) His appetite has just seemed low. It could be that the upped dosage of his Lasix (heart medication) is causing his appetite to decrease, thus he's not gaining a lot. OR it could be that he is taking too much Lasix; it's a diuretic, so he could be peeing away too much liquid. OR he could be at the beginning of heart failure.

Let me explain what heart failure is. Before I had a child with heart defects, when I heard the words "heart failure" I just assumed this was a sudden condition. Like a heart attack. But that is not what it means. Heart failure simply means that your heart cannot keep up with its job. Most people, leading up to open-heart surgery, are in heart failure for awhile. At his last cardiology appointment (two weeks ago today), Benjamin was still not in heart failure. But ever since then, he seems to be eating less, gaining less, and these are all signs that he could be starting to go into heart failure. What does that mean? Simply that the holes in his heart are needing to be fixed. And they will be. Soon. :)

Cute pictures from today

Update on the Infantile Spasms

I just wanted to let you all know that Benjamin has not been having *ANY* spasms in quite some time. The little jerks (not to be confused with the Seinfeld episode "The Little Kicks" when Elaine dances...) really only continued for about a week after I last blogged about it. He hasn't had any at all since then. I'll mention it again to his pediatrician at his four month appointment in about a month, but I just wanted to update my cyberfriends!

Bottle update :(

Well, we tried unsuccessfully the past two nights to give Benjamin a bottle. Last night, it was frozen milk (thawed, obviously) and tonight it was room temperature milk (pumped earlier today). The one time this week he did take a bottle, it was *very* freshly pumped. Hmph....kinda defeats the purpose, you know? Maybe there's something about my milk that doesn't taste good later; Andrew wouldn't drink it from the freezer either. :(

Dinner anyone?

Just wondering how many of you would want to come over and eat off my plates now.....

Dr. Brown is my hero

I'm not even sure who Dr. Brown is, or if he really exists, OR if he is truly a doctor. But you know what? I don't care! Because today, he is my hero.

(Newer) moms reading this already know what I'm talking about. It's a kind of bottle. Dr. Brown's. One of the gazillion out there. I had $3.50 worth of CVS bucks (it's literally right down the road so we go a lot), so I figured I could spend the extra $2.66 to see if Benjamin might take this type of bottle.


Andrew didn't care what kind of bottle he took. He did great with any of them. So we got Avent bottles. We have a LOT of them. Bottles, nipples, etc. Lots. But Mister Fussypants Benjamin gags and chokes and acts like, well, a baby when we try to give him an Avent bottle. I even got a freebie Gerber NUK bottle. Yeah, he hated that one, too. (Actually, he did take an Avent bottle two or three times, but that was weeks ago, and we waited too long to try again.)

So last night Matthew took Benjamin and the Dr. Brown's bottle upstairs at feeding time. Away from me and away from the living room, both familiar "nursing" reminders. It's not imperative that Benjamin take a bottle; I don't work. But for many reasons (especially his upcoming surgery), a bottle would be a lot easier if we need the option. I have lots of frozen milk in the freezer, so it's all still free! (Can you tell I'm married to Mr. Budget?)


I could hear Matthew and Benjamin on the monitor downstairs while I was folding laundry. It wasn't going too well. Evidently he wasn't gagging on it; he would leave it in his mouth, but he would not swallow! It all kept spilling out of the sides of his mouth. Ugh. So about 15 minutes (and one soaked burp cloth) later, Matthew came downstairs. Benjamin was not having it. Sad. Then I thought, "What the heck? I'll give it a shot." Matthew sat next to me on the couch and we tried. And tried. And he just wouldn't suck on it! ARG!!! I slid my pinky in his mouth (upside down) to remind him what sucking was. He went to town on it! Then Matthew (my brilliant sidekick...not kidding....) said, "Are you aiming your finger at the roof of his mouth?" I said, "Yes." (And kind of resting it on his bottom lip.) He said, "Are you doing it that way with the bottle?" And of course, the answer was NO. So I tried it. And after a little adjusting, HE GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, he was still slow. But he got it! He proceeded to drink about two ounces! (At least 1/2 ounce ended up in that burp cloth!) I was one happy momma.


We're going to try giving him one bottle every two to three days for awhile so he will get used to it. OH! And this morning, when I was putting him down for a nap and trying to settle him while I walked around his room, I tried for the gazillionth try to get him to suck on a paci. It's a Soothie (which looks absolutely ridiculous but is shaped better for him), so I put it in his mouth just like my pinky and just like the bottle the night before. He went for it! He sucked on it for quite awhile with no gagging and without spitting it out! As I left his room I literally said aloud, "I don't know *who* that is, but he's welcome to stay!"


YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Praise God! I have seriously been praying about this! Here are some pictures. The last one is right after I fed him.

Andrew is Two

Okay, I know he's been two for almost four months. But what I mean is, "He's two." Moms understand. Granted, for the most part, Andrew is a mild-mannered, well-behaved boy. He is respectful and obedient. But his recent, ummm... shall we say assertiveness, has just reminded me of a few things:

1. I need to be in prayer for him more than I am.
2. We are all born with a sin nature.
3. He is so cute and I love him to pieces. (Look at those ears!! How could you not love him?)

Because, let's face it--we often have to swallow our laughter as we are disciplining our children.

I heard back from Leap Frog

Here is what Leap Frog had to say. Not much. Oh, well. Can't blame a grammar/spelling Nazi for trying! (Incidentally, is it wrong for me to think that their letter wasn't well written either???) :)

Hello Ms Amick,

Thank you for your email. We apologize for the delayed response. You are right. The map behind the professor in the video has Antarctica misspelled. Unfortunately, we do not produce the videos anymore and this cannot be changed as well. Thank you and have a nice day.

Matthew and Andrew helped me make dinner...

There's a reason that mommies have wrinkles and gray hair. (The same reason that children have the vast majority of their bumps and bruises.) The reason? DADDIES. :)

(No children or daddies were harmed in the making of this dinner of yellow rice, black beans, crescent rolls, and salad.)

Cardiologist appt today

This will be brief. (Well, as brief as I ever am...) I am tired b/c I have faithfully gotten up at 5:30 the past two mornings to exercise. (Okay...a bit of a lie. It was actually 5:39. I don't know why, but I *have* to hit the snooze at least once or I feel extra tired. But that has set me back a bit, so tonight I am going to set the alarm for 5:21.)

Anyway, we went to see Dr. Herold today. Benjamin weighed exactly 11 pounds and was 23 1/4 inches long. His heart still looks about the same, which is pretty good. I can't update you exactly on what the issues are b/c despite my master's degree and fairly decent intelligence, I suffer from Mommy Brain and can't really grasp all that is said at these appointments about pulmonary pressure, shunting, and heart defects. I want Matthew to explain it to me when I've had a bit more sleep. (So basically never.)

Suffice it to say that we have another appointment in three weeks, which will just be another check up. Three to four weeks after that (which will be August 19th or 26th), we will go back again. (Benjamin turns four months old on August 24th.) At this appt, it will be extensive with more x-rays, measurements, and ultrasounds of his heart (which Dr. Herold always calls "pictures," which we think is cute). All of this information will then be sent to Vanderbilt. The surgeons there will review the packet and contact us for a date. It could be as early as two weeks after that, which would be early September. (Which kind of stinks b/c my cousin Carol is getting married in VA on September 13.) BUT we really want this done as soon as we can.

Dr. Herold said that b/c Benjamin is gaining well and the pressure in his heart (or lungs...I can't remember) hasn't dropped yet (normalized...) that it might be better to do the surgery sooner (closer to four months) as opposed to later (near six months) b/c if we wait for the pressure to drop (again...not quite sure what this means, LOL), then the surgery might be more complex b/c then we'd be dealing with more issues. BUT if they do it sooner rather than later, they might only repair his larger hole (his VSD) and leave the smaller one (the ASD) so that there is a release for all the extra pressure. The good thing about that is that the ASD could possibly close on its own, and if it didn't, it could be closed non-surgically (with a catheter) when Benjamin is five or six years old. Naturally, we'd rather have both defects fixed, but if it means a less-complicated surgery (with less chances of complications), then that might be better.

Thank you to all of you who have continued to lift us up in prayer. I find that I feel so much closer to God when I think of the connection I have to His people. I thank Him so much for all of you.

Oh, I don't think I can post without adding a picture. So, even though it is late, here are pictures of us at the cardiologist's office today. Poor guy was sleeping so soundly (it was naptime after all). Then we had to pull him out of the carseat and strip him down to his diaper so that he could have a chest x-ray, have his oxygen taken, and his blood pressure taken (that was a tough one b/c he wouldn't stay still until his daddy cuddled him in his strong arms). Then the diaper was removed for him to be weighed. (They never let me remove any clothing when I get weighed at the doctor's. I suppose that's a good thing, but it just doesn't seem fair....)

ARG!! It won't let me post my pics. I'll try again tomorrow. Just know that we are cute. ;)

*Edited to add pictures!!*

Did I mention my boys are cute?

5:30 is early

Every so often, I decide that I am going to start exercising. Those of you who know me even slightly well know that I do not like to do this. So it usually doesn't last very long. I did really well last May and then fell down some stairs like a dufus at Coolidge Park (while holding Andrew) and hurt my foot really badly. That benched me for awhile. By the time it healed, I was demotivated.

So here I go again. As a busy mom, early morning before the kids get up is really the only time you can be sure to get anything in that you want to do. So starting tomorrow morning, I am going to try and get up at 5:30. By the time the boys get up at 7:00, I hope to have exercised, showered, and read my Bible. (I am so out of shape that I have to start out with shorter workouts. I've actually been walking three times a week for the past three weeks. Not a lot, I know, but 100% more than I had been doing!) I plan to walk M, W, F, and do step aerobics on Tu and Th. Maybe just by sending out this plan into cyberspace I will feel guilted into actually getting up in the morning. I detest getting up in the morning. Ugh. Yuck. HATE IT.

If you get a chance, check out the Branton Family blog (in my list of blogs on the left of this page toward the bottom). Their son, Zach, has Down syndrome and just had heart surgery last Thursday. He is having complications and they could use your prayers!! They live in Arizona. I was given their blog site by an online friend who knew I would love reading it. What a precious family.

Hope you all have a great week!!!

Weekend pictures

I'm probably the meanest mom ever, but both my boys were sound asleep while the rest of us were enjoying fireworks from mom and dad's porch. It doesn't get dark here until 9:30 or 10:00, and that's just too late for a two-year-old and a two-month-old! The fireworks were so amazing! Mom and Dad have such a beautiful view; we must have seen a dozen different displays.

Here are some pictures of typical Amick life.

Daddy and Andrew pulling weeds. (i.e., Giving me a break.)



Trying to focus on mommy's hands.



Watching the U.S. Olympic trials. (SWIMMING POOL!)



A big brother's kisses are not always welcome. :)



My son is too cool for his Elmo sun hat and sunglasses.



That's all for now. Can I just say that I *love* a long weekend?!?!?!!? It has been so wonderful to have Matthew here, spending time with me and the boys and helping like he always does.

Wednesday weigh-in (7/2)

Another busy day! We go back to the cardiologist next Tuesday for a check-up. We are excited because with each visit, we get closer and closer to his scheduling Benjamin's open-heart surgery. (We are also excited because Matthew and I love Dr. Herold!) I try not to think about the actual specifics of the surgery or what the doctors will actually have to do to Benjamin in order to repair his heart. Since it's still weeks and weeks away, right now it is still generic to me, and that's the way I want it. The logistics alone would drive me batty if I let it. (The trip up there, where to stay, how we'll deal with being away from Andrew and our house--and Matthew's job--for up to two weeks....etc...) But to actually think about the surgery, possible complications, and the recovery...shudder... No, thanks. I'll cross that bridge later.

Benjamin gained another 4.8 ounces today from last Wednesday. He is now up to 10 pounds, 11 ounces. He looked so cute in his little peapod outfit that I got from my friend Christia. It was a little warm for the hat, but I couldn't resist!! Here are some super cute pictures from today. Sorry to all you other moms out there, but I have the cutest boys around!! (Thanks to Christia for the cute outfit and to my friend Heather for the swing you see in the fourth picture. It has been a lifesaver. God has seriously blessed us with *so* many people who have been such a great help!!)