Cheer Banquet and Cupcakes

Last night we had Jarika's final cheerleading banquet! She won the "I can do that" Award. She won the award because even though she had a fractured elbow she kept saying "I can do that!" and a couple weeks post second ankle surgery they were working on stunts and dance and Jarika kept saying "I'm okay I can do that!" I think it was a very appropriate award for her! Her coaches made her a really cute scrapbook of her school cheerleading days, including Junior High. She and T were the only two seniors this year, here they are looking at them. Jarika got all teary! I'm so proud of her, she lettered Varsity Cheerleading all four years of high school and was nominated for All-American every year she was at camp! She also made it every year but one! She's so talented I love watching my girl!



Tonight I decided to make Rainbow Cupcakes, aren't they cute!?!?!

Calgon, take me away!!!!!!!!!

Okay, so last week Jake was diagnosed with strep. Yesterday Jarika says she's had to go to the bathroom constantly and Cooper had a headache. Get message about Addy's bacterial overgrowth and start her antis. Well, let me re-phrase that! I fully planned on starting the Flagyl, but as I was hooking her up for her 7pm feed. Her button was clogged. No food would go in at all. So I call Mr. Mechanical and he investigates. Sure enough, the little "nub" that closes the button has come off inside the button, therefore, no food is going in. GREAT!!! I call Dr. Surgeon's office, he calls right back and says she'll be fine until 8am when he wants me to bring her in to the hospital for a new button. Hmm she last ate at 3pm, how many of you are real happy when you haven't eaten for 17 hours??? I don't have a spare button but I do have the foley for emergencies. I managed to get about 4-5 ounces in by pushing them slowly with a syringe so I knew she would be okay but I was still stressing! So this morning I made Jarika an appointment to see if she had a UTI and went to Springfield with Addy to the hospital. Addy was happy as a clam when she woke up and was a little ray of sunshine at the hospital, waving at everyone and awing the nurses with how well she looks and how far she's come since they last saw her in February of 09. You might remember, she looked like this:



So fast forward to 1:15pm. I get a call from Cooper's school. "Hey Cammie, it's Nurse Kathy, Cooper is in the office and has a temp and a headache, you need to come pick him up." Okay so I go get him, bring him back to my classroom and work on paperwork till the end of the day. I was planning on sending Jarika to the doc by herself but fortunately he could fit Cooper in with her so I met her there, poor girl was so confused! As we are waiting for the doctor Addy's nurse called to let me know that she woke up with a 99.5 temp and wasn't acting right. She is usually 97. something so ... I'm thinking great! 4 for 4!! Ends up Cooper has strep (shocker) and Jarika definitely has a UTI so now all four of my kiddos are on antibiotics! Addy seems absolutely fine now so I'm just hoping she was just hot from her nap, it was pretty warm here today. So I plan on keeping an eye on her, please pray that she can fight off her siblings gunk!!!

Bacterial Overgrowth

This is actually a pretty good pick of her distended little (big) belly! No she had not just eaten and yes it ALWAYS looks like that!

Dr. Tummy's office called from Kansas City today and Addy's Upper GI and small bowel study from 2/22 showed that she has an area of bacterial overgrowth. What does that mean? I have no clue! I just talked to his nurse and she didn't say. She just told me that he ordered her to be on Flagyl for 10 days. I have no clue if there's a follow up or what. So I went and picked up her med and one for Cooper then realized once I was in the car that hers was in tablet form. So back I go into the pharmacy and the pharmacist told me that Flagyl isn't made in liquid form. Which I find quite odd since she's been on Flagyl at least three times for C-Diff and all three times it was liquid! He said they probably made it special for her in the hospital pharmacy. Probably, that is where it came from. He did tell me that I can crush it up and dilute it in water and send it through her g-tube so hopefully we are good to go. Now only if I can find my pill crusher!

Just Cause She's so Darn CUTE!

Strep

It seems almost daily I'm reading someone's blog about how their family is dealing with strep. Well now it's our turn! Jake has been fighting a cold for well over a week. He hasn't run a fever or complained of a sore throat. He's just been congested and coughing. On Monday he came to my classroom after school and the congestion was pretty bad so I called for an appointment. They could get him in Wednesday afternoon. That was fine, he wasn't really uncomfortable, just snotty and coughing some. So I pick him up at school yesterday and he said "Mom, I've been freezing all day and sometimes I feel like my chair is spinning." I'm thinking, great he now has a fever. Yep, we get to the doc and he has a temp of 103! I feel like mom of the year! Sure enough his throat culture is positive for strep. I feel so bad I didn't take him in earlier but I'm pretty sure if I had I would have been told that it was viral like everyone else had done. His teacher told me that she's had several out this week sick and he wasn't the first with strep so at least he wasn't the first one to expose everyone else! He hasn't had a temp since 7 this morning so hopefully he will be still be fever free in the morning so he can go to school. He has a basketball game tomorrow night and is then staying with a friend since Scott and I are taking Jarika on a college visit on Saturday. Pray he is much improved tomorrow!

Addy's Little Walker

Addy has been using a standing frame and gait trainer for over a year. Her PT decided to go ahead and discontinue these since she is now pulling to stand on her own and cruising. She brought over the cutest little walker! It's just your basic old lady walker as my mom would say it! Addy LOVES it! It is extremely light so she can maneuver it really well! She pulled up on it on her own tonight and was cracking up as she walked across the living room! She is such a stinker, if her PT puts her at her walker she acts like she's being tortured! As we all know, Addy will do anything when she decides it's her idea!!Addy is also about to get new AFOs, she is finally outgrowing hers. When she has them on she won't do any gross motor activities on her own, she'll just sit and crawl a bit, so they are staying off for now. We're hoping that she will graduate up to some Sure Steps, they aren't as bulky!(Please ignore the slobbery and exema covered face!)

Upper GI

Addy had her upper GI and small bowel study this morning. Once again not much info was found. She does have an area of distention that the radiologist believed is from her duodenal atresia and subsequent surgery to place colostomy and then take down. She did have some significant reflux and air in her abdominal cavity. She is swallowing a lot of air, which we knew. What we do about it, I don't know yet. I'm so hoping we find something to help!