My Growing Boy!

I still can't believe that Pierce turned 4 months today. It makes me a little sad at how fast he is growing especially when I think that he will be my last baby to say mama for the first time, to give me a kiss for the first time, to say "I love you" for the first time, to look at me like I am the greatest person on the planet. I know most of you will think this is crazy, and I am sure I will too in a couple of days from now (or even when bedtime rolls around tonight), but I am a little sad that I won't be having any more children. I wonder when that baby fever goes away.

I took Pierce to his check-up today and as promised I went with a positive attitude. I went there as if I was meeting the doctor for the first time....clean slate. I felt I owed him a second chance (or 10th but who's counting?). Well, today was the day that the straw broke the camel's back so to speak. I know doctors are not perfect and do not have all the answers, but there is no reason for them to be arrogant and rude. I won't go into specifics but let me just say that my search for a new pediatrician started the second I got home. I would really appreciate it if someone could point me in the direction of a female pediatrician who is also a mother in the McKinney, Allen, Frisco areas.

Back to my growing boy. He has been growing like a weed. He has jumped to the 25% percentile in weight at 13.4 lbs. WOW! I can't believe that especially with the amount he is spitting up. I wonder what he would weigh if he did have severe acid reflux? Just today, I had to change 3 times before leaving for our appointment at 11:30 because he gave me so many milk baths. At least the pain has subsided....thank you Prevacid! He has grown 5 inches since he was born and is now 23.5 inches long. I think that is in the 1oth percentile. He may end up being short like his dad.

Here are some things that describe Pierce these days:

~he LOVES to try and be louder than his sisters

~he is constantly smiling and starting to laugh

~he lets you know when you are not paying enough attention to him

~he gets upset when I walk out of the room

~he prefers to play lying on his back

~he loves his pacifier (I couldn't get my girls to take one no matter how hard I tried...they are thumb suckers)

~he seems to get irritated when Reagan is too loud

~he will FINALLY doze off while in his car seat

~he sleeps through most nights and has been doing that for some time now

~he refuses to nap (I guess I can't have the best of both worlds)

~he likes to sit in the exersaucer and bumbo seat

~he only wants mommy to hold him when he is tired

~he is drooling like crazy

~he is constantly putting his hands in his mouth

~he loves the sound of running water

~HE IS PERFECT!!!

LUCKY x 3

First off, I want to apologize for my extremely long blog the other day. I really went off on a tangent that probably came across very pessimistic. My anxiety about Emerson's anemia showed in the form of extreme frustration that I had to take the opportunity to vent. Strangely enough it helped me relax and look at things from a different perspective. I think that I had just spent so many countless nights unable to sleep because I am so afraid that there may be something more serious going on that we haven't found yet. What a negative way to think, right? It seems like a lot lately I have found myself worrying about things that I have no control over. I need to just have faith that everything is going to turn out okay. And you know what, it always does.

I have come to realize that I can't expect for doctors to know everything. They are human and make mistakes just like the rest of us. Before Emerson started having these issues I really liked my pediatrician. So, I think I am going to give him another chance. I go in Thursday for Pierce's 4 month check-up and I plan on going in there with a renewed sense of confidence that he is doing the best that he can. I will give you an update on Thursday. I think maybe it is just me. A lot of people recommended this doctor to me and I know a lot of other people that use him too that just love him. I need to have a different approach and just relax. I tend to be a little high strung sometimes. I'm sure a lot of you can attest to that.

You know, despite the few minor health issues the kids have had, I am so, so, so lucky to have 3 beautiful, healthy children. Especially considering the high risk pregnancies, I have been so blessed. I consider each of my children my own little miracles. After 7 months of bed rest with Reagan and going into preterm labor with her several times, it is just amazing that she was born full term completely healthy. I follow some blogs of moms who have had micro-preemies that survived but do have lots of medical issues and some who have lost their precious children. I can't even imagine the strength it must take to move on from that. I find these women to be so inspiring. My concerns about the kids are just minuscule compared to some families. I really am so lucky. Not only do I have beautiful, smart, sweet children but I get to stay home with them and watch them grow into amazing little people. I definitely have the best job in the world. And I have my hubby to thank for being such a great father and provider for all of us.

So, I will move forward with the process of finding answers to Emerson's anemia with a positive attitude.

2 Free Hands...Never Ending Co-Pays...M.A.D.D.

I am having trouble finding a time when I am not holding one of my 3 children. Finally, I have a few moments today where I have 2 free hands to type with. Reagan and Pierce are sleeping AT THE SAME TIME!!! For some reason Pierce has decided he doesn't like to nap during the day. Part of it is my fault because it is somewhat difficult to stay on a strict schedule in this house. And who ever thought it was a good idea for preschool hours to be from 9-2? That is right smack dab in the middle of nap time. So every M,W,F I have to wake up both Reagan and Pierce from their nap. Such a pain. Plus, 9-2 just isn't enough time to get much accomplished. If I was sending Emerson just so I could have an easier time at home with 2 kids I wouldn't send her. Not only is it a hassle to get everyone fed, dressed, and in the car ready to leave by 8:40 but then I have to unload everyone and take Emerson inside to her classroom with the other 2 in tow rain or shine, cold or hot. Then once I get home, it is almost as if I am just turning right back around to go pick her up. But, Emerson loves school and it great for her socially. Sorry, I am probably going to go off on a few tangents today.

Next one; last week alone I spent $100 in co-pays for the kids. And, I will probably getting some bills in the mail for my 20% of labs, tests, etc. What is the point of medical insurance if you are going to go broke anyway trying to keep a family of 5 healthy? I should just start going to Parkland (the county hospital) and get treated for free. I mean, the whole reason we have a messed up insurance system is because we are picking up the slack for people (most not even US citizens) who don't pay for health care. Maybe I just need to move to Canada. If you haven't seen the Michael Moore documentary "Sick" I highly advise watching it. VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING AND MADDENING AT THE SAME TIME.

The never ending co-pays leads me into my biggest frustration I said I would get into. M.A.D.D. aka Mothers Against Dumb Doctors. If you a doctor reading this I apologize. I am referring only to doctors I have had experience with. In fact, I absolutely LOVE my ob-gyn, she is awesome. For those of you who don't know we have been trying to find out why Emerson is severely anemic. To go back almost a year, I started noticing (along with her teachers) that Emerson was becoming very lethargic and not looking at all healthy. She has always been a very picky eater and eats very little of the foods she likes. She is very petite, at almost 4 she still wears a 2T and some of those are too big. However, no one but me and my family seem to be concerned that she isn't gaining weight. I suggested to her pediatrician that I think she may be anemic because I am also anemic. He totally disregarded my concerns and said that it was highly unlikely because it is very rare for a toddler to be anemic. He wouldn't even test her. So, a couple of months pass and she develops pica, a condition where you eat non edible things due to mineral deficiencies or mental disorders. She literally destroyed our walls because she would take bites out of the corners and eat the dry wall. So, I take her back in with my concerns and research on pica. Still, he doesn't think it is anemia. He thinks she is acting out because of the upcoming arrival of Pierce and to bring her back after she adjusts. If it continues he would refer us to a psychiatrist. Well, I was not okay with that answer and I insisted on a blood test. It is so simple, they do it in their office. All it entails is a finger pick and a drop of blood to test for a hemoglobin level (just like checking your blood sugar). When the number came up as 9 (it should be around 13) the nurse said, "oh I must have left alcohol on her finger, let me do it again." With the second reading being the same, she brings in the dr. and he is shocked. ALWAYS TRUST YOUR MOTHERLY INSTINCT. So he put her on iron drop supplements. We had to give her 6 times the daily value you are supposed to have to bring her levels up. He wanted us back in a month to check her levels again. After 4 weeks we come back and have her levels checked. They rose to 11 (still somewhat low but better). He told us to continue the iron for 1 month and then stop and that would be the end of it. There was no question as to WHY she was anemic especially since it is evidently so rare. There was no checking her levels again before stopping the iron. There was no checking the levels again to see if her body was retaining the levels without the supplement. I am not a doctor but that just seems careless. AND IT WAS. Literally a week after we stopped the iron, the systems returned. We end up going to a gastroenterologist because there is concern she is losing blood internally. She is then scheduled for a colonoscopy and endoscopy. He said there is no reason (other than medical) why a toddler on an "American junk food diet" should be anemic. Well, he finds nothing but tells us to put her back on the iron and he will check her levels again in a month. Same story, a month later her levels are back up and then he tells us to stop cold turkey...the end. Wait, what? Haven't we already gone down this path? Didn't you say there is a medical reason she is anemic? Shouldn't you refer us to someone else to find the answers? There needs to be a next step. I just don't get it. I have completely lost faith in these doctors. It seems like half the time they have no clue what they are dealing with, so lets just IGNORE it and HOPE that it goes away. Or, is this a ploy to keep bringing you back until they get it right so they can make more money? I just don't get it. COMMON SENSE. Maybe I should just become a pediatrician myself and treat my own kids. Needless to say, I am now doing my own investigating and will be taking her to a hematologist (blood specialist) in hopes he can lead me in the right direction.

You would think that was it, but it is not. Now I am having to deal with Reagan. I have been concerned for some time that Reagan isn't talking enough. She is only 19 months and I know every baby develops differently but Emerson was way more verbal at that age. And I used to work with children with disabilities including speech delay so I have seen some red flags. Again I brought up my concerns about her language to her pediatrician and he dismissed them again. Be patient, it will come. Did he ask me or remember that she has had recurring ear infection? NO! Well, after this last ear infection last week and a week full of antibiotics I saw some slight improvement in her attempts to say words. Coincidence? I don't know. Anyway, I took her to an audiologist and the tests were concerning. Right now they are showing some damage in her right ear (the ear with all the ear infections). Is is permanent? We don't know. Could that be affecting her language? It is hard to say. Again, ALWAYS TRUST YOUR MOTHERLY INSTINCTS and pursue every avenue. I'm sorry I rambled on forever but this just infuriates me. We go to doctors in hopes that we can trust them with our precious children and then to be dismissed because we don't have a medical degree is insulting. We know our children better than anyone. They need to take that into account. I am in the process of finding a new pediatrician who is also a mother. I think that will make a BIG difference. Mothers understand other mothers.

So, if any of you reading this knows of a great female pediatrician who also has children of her own let me know. Anyone in the McKinney, Frisco, Allen area. Also, please keep Emerson in your thoughts as we try to get to the root of her anemia. We have been off the iron for about 10 days and I am already noticing signs her levels are dropping again. There is no way I will be taking the doctor's advice and waiting 4 months to recheck her levels.

Next week is going to be busy. Reagan has another appointment with the audiologist and Pierce has his 4-month check-up. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? He will be 4 months on the 29th. Wow, where does the time go. And then of course all the Halloween festivities!!! But after that comes the dreaded Christmas shopping. I can't believe that time of year has come again. Have a great weekend everyone!!!

The Sun is Back but the Lunas Aren't

The crew: Kenlea, Cade, Emerson, Jace and Reagan

Our family has been passing around a cold with one another over the past couple of weeks. And I am its latest victim. Just when we finally get a beautiful weekend we are stuck inside because both Reagan and I feel crappy. I can't believe how much it has rained in the month of October. So much so that we had a very muddy adventure to the pumpkin patch on Thursday. Let's just say we were covered in what could only be called a mixture of mud and most likely cow dung. Fortunately I was able to salvage our shoes after a good 30 minutes of washing them outside and then in the washing machine. I would have been just sick if Emerson's brand new tennis shoes from Stride Rite (they were $45 which is expensive for kids shoes) were ruined. Luckily they look good as news. Emerson is such a tomboy. She loved every minute playing in the mud with her best buds Cade and Jace. Yes, her best friends (really the only friends she ever talks about) are boys. Her teachers at preschool say that she only plays with the boys. Jamie better watch out because we may be having lots of boys over to our house as she grows older.

Anyway, back to the cold. On Friday night I had to take Reagan to Acute Kids because she was screaming for hours to where I couldn't comfort her. It turns out she has a nasty ear infection. Her pediatrician must have missed it because she was in with the same symptoms just last week. More on my frustration with doctors in another post. Well, I was feeling okay (just a slight sore throat) until Saturday morning. When Pierce woke up and wanted his bottle I wanted to crawl under the covers and stay there all day. I felt and still do feel horrible. Unfortunately the days of resting to recover are a thing of the past. I have 3 very dependent children to take care of. Lets just say the weekend has seemed to drag on forever. And as most of you know Jamie works all weekend so I literally had no relief. My mom did take Emerson to her house for a few hours but I was still left with a very sick and cranky toddler. And to top it off Pierce was unusually fussy yesterday too. Even though we are not 100% at our house I still feel really lucky that none of us have the swine flu because that has been a huge anxiety for me lately. I am so worried that if Emerson catches H1N1 that her little body and weak immune system won't be able to fight it off. I have even contemplated taking her out of school during the flu season but was reassured by my pediatrician that the chances of dying from H1N1 are just the same as the seasonal flu. I wish the media would quit blowing this out of proportion so paranoid mothers like me can sleep a little easier at night. There is so many confusing, contradicting information out there that it just gets to be too much. I just have to have faith that we are all going to be okay. Plus Emerson just loves school and I really think it is important for her developmentally.

I am hoping that I can feel better soon so we can all enjoy some of this beautiful weather before it rains again. I really hope it doesn't decide to get too cold too soon because I haven't had time yet to buy winter wardrobes and coats for the kids. I guess I better hurry up and do that pronto considering we never know what this Texas weather is going to do. Next post I fill you in on why I have decided to start a group called M.A.D.D. (Mother's Against Dumb Doctors). I am not really starting a group, just being sarcastic because I have completely lost faith in doctors as of late.

A WORK IN PROGRESS, WELCOME!

Hey everyone. My blog is still in the beginning stages as I am still learning how to navigate this site. I am mainly starting this blog to give me an outlet to express the joys and frustrations of being a mom. As a mother of 3 children, all 3 1/2 and under, life can get pretty chaotic and I am hoping that this blog will give me some release at the end of the day. I also think it is a neat way to chronicle life's happenings through an online scrapbook. With things so busy around here, the time flies and I don't want to forget any precious moments with my children. They are growing up so fast, way too fast in my opinion. In fact, I just realized Emerson is going to be turning 4 in 3 months from today. That makes me so sad but at the same time I am so happy and proud of the beautiful, caring and sweet little girl she has grown into. I have found that I really enjoy reading my friends' blogs so I thought I would jump on the bandwagon. Hope you like it!