Sunday, March 28, 2010

Melody Update


Check out my two teeth!

At 6 months old, here are some things I like to do:

- Eat rice cereal, squash, and peas. I even ate a whole jar of green beans for dinner tonight.

- Drink bottles, yum! I can even hold it myself and grab for it.

- Chew on anything I can get my hands on. Everything goes to my mouth. See?:

- "Talk" - I mostly make the "ah" sound.

- My pacifier! I take it out and chew on the side. More teeth must be coming.
- Laugh at my siblings, especially David.
- Go on walks in the stroller. I babble the whole time I'm so excited.

- Move my hands. They are going almost constantly. Check them out:

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Pee Pee Day

Today I wondered, what makes someone become a Urologist? I mean, really, who decides to spend their life with pee and bladders. But, I am thankful for those knowledgeable doctors who made that strange choice.

Today Melody had a test called a Cystometrogram (CMG) which is a measurement of Bladder Pressure. The test itself went very well. Melody must not have very much sensation as the sensors and catheters didn't seem to bother her a bit.

The results were what we had been told to expect with spina bifida, especially with Melody's level of lesion. However, I must admit I was holding out hope that they would find nothing wrong with her bladder.

We will continue the intermittent catheterization program she has been on since birth. This will continue for life, barring a miracle or medical advancement. She will also begin to take a medication called Ditropan. Melody's bladder contracts much more frequently than normal. The medication will relax it, allowing it to contract less frequently. Her "pressure points" (the point as which she releases urine) are higher than they'd like. The medication should help address this issue. Instead of contracting often, it should contract less often and void more each time.

So, there is your urology lesson for the day. More than you ever wanted to know, probably!

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

On the Market and Medical Update

I'll have to confirm with Kevin, but I believe today our house went on the market. We think we may already even have an interested buyer. We are trusting God to provide an offer that we can accept. We still have some cleaning out to do in the garage and kids toys to clear out of the yard. Oh, and I should probably put the polyurethane final coat on the bathroom cabinets. But, other than that, I think we're finished. We are still settling in here, however. Each day is an adventure to find something, or declare it "in storage" and quit looking.

Tomorrow I take Melody for a bladder study. I am interested in what that will reveal about her level of bladder function. Also, as a result of her last hip ultrasound, her doctor thinks her hip is not dislocated, but rather "unstable." I'm not really sure that is any better. The current plan is for her to remain in the Pavlik Harness for 3 more weeks, and then have another ultrasound so they can compare the two. I was very encouraged that her hip no longer moved in and out as it did before we began with the harness.

Today we stayed home, and that was wonderful. We are slowly settling, trying to catch up on all the things that got put to the side while we moved, and keep the kids moving forward in their studies. It has been a chaotic few weeks to say the least. Joel and Melody have also been quite sick, so that hasn't helped. I have lots of pictures to post, but it is late. I did however, locate the camera and appropriate cords today, so I am a step closer for tomorrow.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Are We Done, Yet?

Some things seem endless, and this move is one of them. How I long to say we are "done." However, there is still more work to do. Monday the storage company will pick up the 5 storage containers on our driveway. We have to have all the items we hope to store for the next few month in there by then. Most of the furniture is here at our new home or in the containers already. We mostly have the garage to finish up and some furniture to give away. Tomorrow Kevin will go and finish packing the containers. Hopefully, he'll have a few friends to help. Monday I will meet several friends there to clean up the house. Most of the work it done and the painting was to be finished today. I need to do a couple more coats of varnish on the bathroom cabinets and some yard work, too. We still plan to list the house Thursday. So, by next weekend I'm hoping to say we are DONE. Of course, we're still unpacking, settling here, but we're getting there. So far the kids are adjusting great and not missing any of the things we packed or got rid of. I'm starting to think maybe there is a light at the end of this tunnel after all.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

6 months old and Moving Update

Today Melody turned 6 months old. Though it has been a busy 6 months, in some ways it has flown by. Yesterday Melody ate her cereal for the first time with gusto. She is ready for solid foods. I'm hoping that translates to dropping the 3am feeding! She also had a hip ultrasound last week to see how the Pavlik Harness is doing with her hip displasia, but I am waiting to see the Orthopedic doctor for the results. The tech did tell me the pictures showed the bone is not in the right location, so I'm not sure we'll be hearing good news.

The sale of our house and move have moved into high gear. If I survive the next week, it will be a minor miracle. Last week the outside of the house was painted. Today new lighting was installed in the kitchen and the shower in the master bath was demo'd. Tommorrow we anticipate new counters in the kitchen and new tile begun in the master bath. Baseboards may also begin to be replaced.

I am trying to pack around all the remodel chaos, still get a bit of homeschool in, and keep up with the needs of our family. Needless to say I am a stress case most of the time and tired, too. We anticipate storage pods arriving Friday and packing them over the weekend. We will store a couple of them until we buy our new home. We need to have the house emptied of furniture for new painting and carpeting to begin next Tuesday. One week from today.

For now, we will be moving in with a couple from our church. They own a home here in Riverside, but he is currently working in Bakersfield, so they are only here on the weekends. The have generously allowed us to use the upstairs which includes 3 bedrooms, 2 bath and a loft/living area. We'll share the kitchen and the best news for the kids is that they have a pool and cable TV. They also live just across the street from a large park and library, so that is nice as well. We are humbled that they would bless us in this way. It will allow us to save for a down payment and also not be tied into a lease. As soon as we close escrow on our house, we'll start looking to buy, but we anticipate it being fall before that might happen.

In January Kevin said he thought there was about a 10% chance we could sell. So many things had to fall into place for that to happen. We have seen God's hand over and over. A huge hurdle was finances. We needed to have enough to do remodeling as well as for the actual move itself. Kevin has worked very hard and God has blessed tremendously. He has been the top closing agent at his Keller Williams office for the last 2 months. He has just hired an assistant as he has more work than he can handle, so that is very exciting as well. I am very proud of him.

So, if you don't hear from me for the next week, you'll know where I am. Packing, sorting and hopefully staying sane.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Things I Heard this Week (That I Wish I Hadn't)

"I missed the toilet."

"My sock is wet, I stepped in pee!"

"SORRY!"

"Where did you throw up?" "I don't know, just feel around."

"Mom, can you clog the toilet?"

"I can't get the bathroom door unlocked, HELP!"

"Mom, the bidet is leaking."

So much for no potty talk!