Me and Mommy
No more umbilical cord! Looks like an inny to me!
After a nice bath!
Tummy time!Saturday, March 29, 2008
More Visitors
Here are some more photos of some of my visitors:
O'Ma and O'Pa came to see me in the hospital! Yeah!!
Although not a visitor, here I am with a picture of my Great Grandma Madelyn (daddy's Grandma)
O'Ma and O'Pa came to see me in the hospital! Yeah!!
Although not a visitor, here I am with a picture of my Great Grandma Madelyn (daddy's Grandma)
In the hospital with Katie & Nick; at home with mommy's friend Kimber
At home with my niece Katie who was up from Sacramento to see me!
At home with my niece Katie who was up from Sacramento to see me!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Home Sweet Home
Yeah!!! We are finally home! We got back yesterday around noon and spent a nice, relaxing day at home as a family. It was nice to be back and I know mommy and daddy enjoyed sleeping (well, occassionally) in their own bed. Hopefully I won't have to be back at the hospital except for the pediatrician appointments.
We got some other good news. One of the original tests that was done when I was born came back positive for a genetic disorder called "Long Chain Fatty Acid Disorder", which would result in my body not being able to break down fatty foods and would mean that I could not go a long period of time without eating. It could also mean that I would have to be hospitalized if I was ever too sick to eat. However, the doctor said it is commonly a false positive. They had to do a second round of tests and send them back east for genetic and DNA testing to double check the work. Our doctor called yesterday and told us that one of the tests is back and it came back negative!!! We are still waiting for results from all the places my blood was sent to, but this is very good news! Hopefully we will get more good news next week when I go to Doernbecher for the VCUG to check out my kidneys and bladder.
Thanks again to everyone for their well wishes and prayers!
Love,
The Foxes
We got some other good news. One of the original tests that was done when I was born came back positive for a genetic disorder called "Long Chain Fatty Acid Disorder", which would result in my body not being able to break down fatty foods and would mean that I could not go a long period of time without eating. It could also mean that I would have to be hospitalized if I was ever too sick to eat. However, the doctor said it is commonly a false positive. They had to do a second round of tests and send them back east for genetic and DNA testing to double check the work. Our doctor called yesterday and told us that one of the tests is back and it came back negative!!! We are still waiting for results from all the places my blood was sent to, but this is very good news! Hopefully we will get more good news next week when I go to Doernbecher for the VCUG to check out my kidneys and bladder.
Thanks again to everyone for their well wishes and prayers!
Love,
The Foxes
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Latest Update
So it looks like I will be out of here mid-day on Thursday.....YEAH! We are all excited to be home this weekend and enjoy some quality time as a family. Dad says we have to watch something called March Madness...sounds kind of interesting.
I won't be going up to Doernbecher until next Wednesday afternoon. The test itself will take only about an hour, but we will have to wait a few days for the results. Between Thursday and the Doernbecher appointment I will have to continue taking antibiotics twice every day orally and then until further notice.
That's all for now....at this point no news is good news. The doctor did stop by today to say that the tests they did on my blood, urine and spinal fluid continued to come back negative and they are not worried about those any more (and haven't been for a while).
Thank you to everyone for their continued thoughts, prayers and well wishes.....they mean A LOT to my Mommy and Daddy (and Grammys, Grandpas, etc.)!!! We appreciate all the love and support we have received these first 2 weeks (YEAH! I am two weeks old tomorrow!).
Love,
Maddie
I won't be going up to Doernbecher until next Wednesday afternoon. The test itself will take only about an hour, but we will have to wait a few days for the results. Between Thursday and the Doernbecher appointment I will have to continue taking antibiotics twice every day orally and then until further notice.
That's all for now....at this point no news is good news. The doctor did stop by today to say that the tests they did on my blood, urine and spinal fluid continued to come back negative and they are not worried about those any more (and haven't been for a while).
Thank you to everyone for their continued thoughts, prayers and well wishes.....they mean A LOT to my Mommy and Daddy (and Grammys, Grandpas, etc.)!!! We appreciate all the love and support we have received these first 2 weeks (YEAH! I am two weeks old tomorrow!).
Love,
Maddie
Monday, March 24, 2008
Chunky Monkey
That is what my parents are calling me now. After checking in at the hospital last Monday at 5 pounds and 9 ounces (down from 6 lbs. 6 oz. at birth - or about 11%) and having everyone worried, I am now back up above my birth weight and then some. Tonight I check in at a sleek 6 pounds and 9 ounces - which means I have gained a whole pound since I have been in the hospital for a week! The doctors say I look great, my temp is still good, I have good lungs and a great sounding heart. They think I am pretty cute too.
We found out today that most likely my antibiotic treatment should end Thursday. Then sometime after that we will go to Doernbecher to have the VCUG done to check my kidneys and bladder. We are still waiting to hear from them regarding the scheduling. Hopefully I can have that done by Friday so I can be HOME in time for the weekend! Mommy and daddy can't wait to have me home again so we can get in the routine of being a family. We will miss the nurses that have been taking care of me, but mommy and daddy promise I can go back and visit.
I hope you had a nice Easter like I did. Grandpa Randy brought us all breakfast (though mine comes in the liquid form a couple hours after mom eats) and that was very nice. Then mom's friend Katie brought dinner for us and we ate in the waiting area/lobby. Katie went above and beyond and brought real china, silverware, salt and pepper shakers and a table cloth! The food was delicious and it was very much appreciated by mommy and daddy! I also got to see Aunt Dian again and daddy snuck me out to meet my cousin Katie face-to-face and she snuck me a kiss.
Here are some pictures of me in my Easter dress as well as my new IV in the top of my head:
Love, Madelyn
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Photos from hospital
Here are some photos from my hospital stay so far. The first row are pictures of me all wired up. I had an IV in my left arm for 6 days, but it got switched out today and now it is in the top of my head! When mom and dad aren't holding me I sleep in this fancy bed and my heartrate and breathing are montiored. I am taken good care of - daddy helps feed me, mommy loves me SO much and Grammy is always willing to get some Maddie time! I even got a nice bath and look how cute I look!
Back in the hospital
For those of you who may have been wondering where I have been the last few days I was admitted back into the hospital on Monday, March 17 (yep, St. Patty's Day) when my mom and dad noticed something was wrong. During the mother-baby follow up appointment my temperature was down to 95.5! They immediately ordered a blood test and we found that my white cell counts were really low. I was admitted immediately and had to go through a battery of tests that first night: a lumbar puncture (fancy name for spinal tap) to test for meningitis (NEGATIVE!), urine analysis (found infections) and blood cultures (ALL NEGATIVE). The doctors wanted me to stay for 48-72 hours to make sure I was okay. After all the tests came back negative (including a later urine test) they decided to do a renal ultrasound of my kidneys. During the review of the ultrasound they found out that I had "hydronephritis", which is basically an inflammation of the kidney where water (urine) pools due to poor flow to the bladder. It can be caused mainly by either urine being blocked on the way to the bladder (more common in icky boys) or by reflux where the urine goes back up to the kidney. I most likely have this and it is then called "pyelonephritis". It is all doctor talk to me, but my mom and dad were really worried.
The doctors have said I need to be in the hospital for 10 days of treatment with antibiotics, which means I will be in the hospital until March 27 at least. Once I am discharged I will then need to go to Doernbecher Children's Hospital to have a VCUG. The doctors will place a catheter in me and pump dye into my bladder. Then with a big, fancy scanner they will look to see how the dye flows to check the severity of the problem.
We don't know what the long-term prognosis is, but it could be as small as needing continual antibiotics for the next few years until I grow into my ureters (the place where urine flows between the kidney and the bladder) since they are a bit over sized right now. I may need surgery down the road to correct the problem, but lets hope not!!
Mom and dad have been great....especially mommy! She has spent EVERY night at the hospital with me (dad spent the first 4 nights there with me too) and barely gets out. She makes sure I eat every 3 hours and then has to do stuff to get ready for the next feeding. Dad changes a lot of diapers, feeds me my bottle supplement of formula, holds me, reads me the paper and talks to me about sports. I really like spending this time with them, but I can't wait to be home. The nurses here have been great and they fight to see who gets to take care of me when their shift starts. They have been very nice to mom and dad as well! I have also had some very nice visitors as Grammy Pat has spent a ton of time with me and Grandpa Randy has come by as well. I got to meet my Aunt Dian and cousing Katie as well. My parents' friends Shawna and John also stopped by to see me and bring lunch; mom's friend from work, Joy, also stopped by one night and brought Thai food.
Thank you to everyone who has been thinking about us, praying for us and sending good thoughts and vibes our way! Even though mom and dad can't reply to everyone, they want everyone to know that every text, voicemail and email is VERY MUCH appreciated and have helped them cope with seeing me in the hospital. They continually tell me how blessed we are as a family.....and I agree.
Happy Easter!
Love,
Maddie
The doctors have said I need to be in the hospital for 10 days of treatment with antibiotics, which means I will be in the hospital until March 27 at least. Once I am discharged I will then need to go to Doernbecher Children's Hospital to have a VCUG. The doctors will place a catheter in me and pump dye into my bladder. Then with a big, fancy scanner they will look to see how the dye flows to check the severity of the problem.
We don't know what the long-term prognosis is, but it could be as small as needing continual antibiotics for the next few years until I grow into my ureters (the place where urine flows between the kidney and the bladder) since they are a bit over sized right now. I may need surgery down the road to correct the problem, but lets hope not!!
Mom and dad have been great....especially mommy! She has spent EVERY night at the hospital with me (dad spent the first 4 nights there with me too) and barely gets out. She makes sure I eat every 3 hours and then has to do stuff to get ready for the next feeding. Dad changes a lot of diapers, feeds me my bottle supplement of formula, holds me, reads me the paper and talks to me about sports. I really like spending this time with them, but I can't wait to be home. The nurses here have been great and they fight to see who gets to take care of me when their shift starts. They have been very nice to mom and dad as well! I have also had some very nice visitors as Grammy Pat has spent a ton of time with me and Grandpa Randy has come by as well. I got to meet my Aunt Dian and cousing Katie as well. My parents' friends Shawna and John also stopped by to see me and bring lunch; mom's friend from work, Joy, also stopped by one night and brought Thai food.
Thank you to everyone who has been thinking about us, praying for us and sending good thoughts and vibes our way! Even though mom and dad can't reply to everyone, they want everyone to know that every text, voicemail and email is VERY MUCH appreciated and have helped them cope with seeing me in the hospital. They continually tell me how blessed we are as a family.....and I agree.
Happy Easter!
Love,
Maddie
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