Take Two

Last week was quite a long one as we had three ear infections between two kids.  Never had that before and, I can honestly say, never want to have that again.

Two weeks back at Logan’s 6-month follow up with his ENT, we found out his right ear tube had fallen out, which is normal, but that the middle ear canal was filled with fluid.  Sometimes (most times I am told), when a tube falls out, the ear naturally corrects and drains.  Well, we scheduled Logan for his second set of tubes (& adenoid removal) on the 22^nd.  At the time, the 22^nd was two weeks out, so I left the ENT knowing that “acute otitis media” was making its way to Logan’s right ear.

No problem.  I can handle one ear infection.  Got that down.

What I was not prepared for was the fact that “little baby red head,” who up until this month, had been my laid-back, calm child, developed a double ear infection.  Standing fluid in both ears.  Should have gone to the pediatrician on Friday, but of course, waited until Monday (very long weekend & not the relaxing kind) to take her. So when I realized Catherine’s ear infection count had risen pretty quickly in the past 5 months (5 infections in 5 months and she was breastfed and not in daycare…for whatever that is worth), I knew it was time to see the ENT.

The problem is that our insurance is changing at the end of the month and I wanted to get Catherine in to see the ENT, conduct her hearing test, and schedule her surgery all within 3 weeks.  Possible but not probable.

In comes Riffat Sikander, Dr. Albright’s (ENT) nurse.  I called her directly (we are pretty tight from Logan’s frequent visits) that Tuesday and kindly told her that I recognized scheduling appointments and hearing test was not part of her job description, but that I needed a big favor.  I needed to get in on Dr. Albright’s calendar the same week and have her tubes scheduled this month, ideally the same time as Logan’s surgery.  Anyway, she was my savior!  She did it all and I had Cat’s first visit for that Thursday and she got her tubes yesterday with Logan.

Anyone who knows me well, or at least recently, knows about my complete obsession with the health care industry, billing, insurance, you name it.  So, I was beyond excited to receive personal thoughtful care from my doctor’s nurse and relieved that she empathized with me enough to go out of her way to help us.

Pre-op in a wagon with gloves.

They gave Logan a sedative before his surgery & I tried to get a script to take home!  It was magical.

She is still so little even though she is getting so big.

Logan waking from anesthesia

366 days on earth - official celebration

So, it is official…baby girl…Catherine Anne, Katie, Kate, what have you…She has reached her first birthday.  We had a nice little party with family and friends and enjoyed celebrating her 366^th day (darn Leap Year) on this earth.

From a selfish perspective, after having birthed children, I kinda feel like birthdays should be about mom as she is the one who actually went through the pregnancy and gave birth.  Anyway, I digress.  I was elated that my baby girl was turning one, but also very emotional as I am so acutely aware of how quickly she is growing.

Weight:                       17lbs, 12oz    (5%)

Height:                        29”                (47%)

Head Circ:                  17.72”            (48%)

Sleeping:                    Early to bed, early to rise.  Sleeps through night, out by 7pm & up by 6 or 6:30

Eating:                        Adores solids!  Eats everything in sight and always seems to out-eat Logan, yet still remains “petite” (see statistics above).  I have been trying to wean her but she wants nothing to do with it.  We are currently addressing this, as mom is ready to either not be pregnant or breast feeding some time this decade!

Accomplishments:      Standing on her own while clapping and hitting her belly and chest (assuming Logan taught Catherine the Tarzan move)…Have not actually taken those first steps yet.

Words:                        Love to baby talk.  Actual words spoken are: Momma, Dadda, clock, ball, dog, & stop, and a few random ones.  (100% enthralled with stop signs).

Current Phases:           Completely obsessed with Winston, he wags his tale and Catherine laughs hysterically.

Throws EVERTHING off the high chair so she can look for it and say all gone.  This is cute the first day, but otherwise not so much…Mommy and Daddy are the only ones in the house who bend down to pick up and clean up.  That is of course when Winston is outside.

Also completely obsessed with biting.  Logan, Brian, and I have all been victims of this not so attractive phase.

I did not bake the cake but I did make the banner (thanks to an inspiring friend for the idea!)

Debating to walk with Aunt Wanda

She loves Logan's throne

Absolute cuteness

She Talks to Angels

Growing up, I was fortunate enough to go on at least one family beach trip every year.  I have always enjoyed a beach vacation.  Living in New Orleans is great for so many reasons – including being just a three-hour drive to some of the most beautiful beaches.  Moving away and traveling to many beaches around the world have reinforced my appreciation of the soft white sand and the clear blue water that the Alabama and Florida gulf coasts exhibit.

Likewise, Joan’s family would make annual treks to the same beaches over the years when she was a child.  In keeping with a family tradition, Joan’s aunt (Gretchen) booked a family beach trip this year in Pensacola, FL.  For those not familiar, Pensacola is near a few military bases and is home to the US Navy’s Blue Angels.  Gretchen booked a condo on the beach for the week of the annual Blue Angels airshow – a big party for the entire community!

Needless to say we were stoked about the trip and definitely had no trouble selling the kids on the idea. Catherine would probably be happy anywhere at her age and Logan loved the sand and waves the handful of times we have taken him to the beach.  Add to that the up-close and personal front row seats we were expected to have to see real-life airplanes and Logan could talk of nothing else.

The drive from Houston didn’t seem as bad as normal given the excitement level and a nice well-timed stopover in Baton Rouge at Chateau Bertrand.  We finally arrived at the condo Wednesday afternoon and everyone was ready to enjoy the time with family and friends, and to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

As with most family trips, the chaos was the fun kind.  We did our best to add to it by injecting two toddlers to the mix!  Logan and Catherine both seemed overwhelmed and excited with all the new things to explore and new people to meet.

The Blue Angels practiced  Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons to prepare for their big show on Saturday.  Friday was a full-dress rehearsal as well.  Neither day nor session disappointed anyone.  We were literally in the middle of all the action and underneath the show.  The planes flew by not much higher than our 6th floor balcony.  They jetted past us in every possible formation and zipped across the waters of the gulf and back bay with such precision.  The engines roared loudly (too loud for our kids).

The trip was a lot of fun.  Now, the only downfall is when Logan sees an airplane, he expects loud, fast, and close and expects to see them for hours at a time.

Sorry, kid, not going to happen.  But we always have these “Top Gun” pictures (the top 1% of all Pensacola pictures, the elite, the best of the best)

Catherine is ready!

Catherine with her cousins & Aunt Gretchen...
One of the few times she let someone not named, "Momma" hold her.

Catherine Anne Dwyer

Catherine Anne Dwyer

A brief prelude:

It was Thursday, December 30^th, 2010 and I was unloading the dishwasher while talking to my best friend on the phone.  I can honestly say I remember every single detail of this conversation and even the random things I was staring at.  Basically, my mom was in town, on a last minute visit for New Years.  We were supposed to drive to NOLA for Christmas but I told Brian I just was not up for it.  I was truly and honestly 100% exhausted.

Up until that point, I had never missed a Christmas in New Orleans.  But for some reason, at the time, I thought I just was not adjusting to being a “working” mom and needed to regroup over the holidays.  Anyway, I know Brian was upset about my refusal to travel but deep down I knew I just could not.

Thankfully my mom flew up that weekend (dad could not make it) for what turned out to be anything but a normal weekend.  So, I was talking to Ashton and I told her how I just was not feeling well.  I had vomited earlier in the day and I figured I had caught a stomach bug from someone or something somewhere.

Ashton then told me that the last time she spoke to me I was vomiting.  It caught me off guard because I seriously had no recollection of our last conversation, let alone that I was “vomiting.”  She informed me it was Saturday December 4^th during the Auburn/ South Carolina SEC championship game.  I vaguely remember that day, my main memory being that I had to brew coffee that evening to stay up for the game because I was so incredibly tired.  I don’t remember vomiting as I really don’t ever throw up, but Ashton assured me I did.

At that point Ashton was convinced.  I will never forget when she said, “Joan, are you pregnant?”

I said, “What are you talking about… I don’t even remember throwing up a month ago and now you think I am pregnant?”

She said, “Exactly!”

I did not get it...My brain was slow that week and I was confused.  Brian was in the background and overheard the conversation and said we should check.  Still, I thought, “Check what?”

In hindsight, I should have known:

I had an aversion to coffee.

I was throwing up and I thought WINE was disgusting.

I even got mad at Brian for not returning a bottle to Costco that was clearly "bad.”

Anyway, Brian left to go get a pregnancy test while I chilled with my mom.  I even asked him to pick up ice cream on his way back from getting it (red flag right there).

He came back with the Walgreens special test and I did not even wet it and it said I was pregnant.

He was elated; I was not convinced.

“Why had he not bought the EPT fancy test that is digital?!”

So I took off in my car, went to the same Walgreens, and got the high-end EPT digital…

The result was the same.

By the time I got home, my mom and Brian wanted to toast to Logan’s sibling.  I was in shock.  Clearly you can’t get pregnant breast-feeding.  Right?  Well, clearly you can!

This is not to say we did not want another baby because we most definitely did.  I called the OB the next morning and they tried to tell me it would be two weeks before my appointment.  I remember taking a VERY deep breath and letting the receptionist know that I 100% had to see the doctor because I 100% had NO idea how pregnant I was.

At my first appointment I was at about 9 weeks.  Heartbeat was loud and clear.  I immediately weaned Logan off of breast-feeding, as I could not handle both. 

With the blink of an eye, I was 20 weeks pregnant, ½ way through my pregnancy and going to my first “big” ultrasound.  Brian did not want to find out the sex  (the route we went with Logan), but I was adamant about finding out.  I remember telling him that he could or could not come to that ultrasound, but I was going to find out.  We reached an agreement, thankfully!

Baby girl measured perfectly and everything was fine except she had a “two-cord” umbilical cord instead of three (the norm).  This translated into a lot of extra ultrasounds.  I had to have one every four weeks.  They were not the fun ones but rather very technical and very measurement oriented.  It kinda took the fun out of the actual ultrasound.

Around 28 weeks, I took my blood sugar test.  Failed.  Went for the three-hour one and threw up everywhere.  Called in sick to work that day because I still thought my stomach was coming out of my throat.  Re-took the test 4 days later and again, threw up everywhere.  The cleaning lady at my OB’s office was like, “Sugar, are you ok?”  Clearly I was not as I was lying on the floor vomiting in a public restroom.  I managed to say I was fine, just catching my breath.  So, after speaking with my doctor and tracking my blood sugar for a week, I was diagnosed as a gestational diabetic.

At this point, I only had 10 weeks left so how hard could a diabetes diet be??

Well, I am here to tell you, when you are pregnant, 3^rd trimester in the Texas heat, the ONLY redeeming factor is eating whatever you want when you want it.

I was put on a high-protein diet that progressed to a no-carb diet.  I wanted to cry some days, as all I wanted was sugar and LOTS of it.

Anyway, we (Brian put up with my mood swings like a champ) got through it and the night I delivered Catherine…I honestly had a dozen donuts brought to me at the hospital.  I was pretty drugged from the epidural but I do remember offering my nurses and doctors a donut and they all declined…. And I just mumbled on that they had NO idea what they were missing.

Nice thing about gestational diabetes is that it almost always goes away the second you deliver, and thankfully, for me, it did.

The only other odd thing about Catherine’s delivery was the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck twice.  It was totally freaky and I thought she was dead.  I also thought I was going to pass out during labor because I was so weak from my protein-only diet.

Anyway, baby girl made her debut around noon on July 30, 2011.  We were so happy to have her, healthy and beautiful.

The next day, the pediatrician was doing his rounds and came in asking who were the parents to this beautiful red head.  I looked at Brian like, am I missing something.  We both were confused (well off the sugar high from the donuts and not nearly enough caffeine to wake us from sleeping in a hospital).

Well, sure enough, there was our daughter, with the beanie cap off, and a “faux-hawk” of red hair.  We were a bit surprised to say the least!

As every parent says (and it is SO true), you cannot even imagine life without your baby in it.

7 months pregnant

Logan was all about Catherine (in the beginning)

Headed home