Sharing Success

I wanted to write for a larger audience than bloggers. So I thought about it and decided to join Yahoo voices. Today my first two pieces were published! I just wanted to share the links with some of my biggest supporters that encourage me to write.

http://voices.yahoo.com/inner-demon-jealousy-12031790.html?cat=7

http://voices.yahoo.com/the-trouble-college-12020950.html?cat=9

Small steps still count if they are in the right direction :)

Shunt Scare

We had a pretty big shunt scare yesterday, but luckily everything turned out okay. When we gave Callie her bath Wednesday I noticed her lower back looked a little puffy. It did not seem to be bothering her so we waited until the neurology office was open in the morning. They were concerned that her shunt was not working and fluid was building up on her spine. We rushed to Children's ER at their advice. They also thought it could be a shunt malfunction. Apparently there was no hurry though because we waited almost five hours for an MRI. I tried to maintain my patience, but it is extremely frustrating to wait that long when the possibility of a shunt malfunction is very real when we've been whisked into MRIs for ER visits having NOTHING to do with her shunt. Her ventricles looked stable. They did a shunt series X-ray and it showed no clogs or kinks. So the shunt is in working order (yay!). The neurosurgeon on duty came to look at her and informed us that it is not a pocket of fluid but is more likely a part of irritated tissue from a recent virus. Well okay! We're still getting over RSV (can last 2 to four weeks in some cases) AND she just received her one year shots on Tuesday. Either or both of those things could be the cause. We were released with instructions to keep an eye on the are and to schedule a full MRI with sedation soon.

I am quite thankful, as my mommy guts told me something was wrong and I dreaded the thought of her having surgery. Besides, her hair is finally growing over her shunt and you can barely see it, give the poor girl a fashion break! Now we are just looking forward to the weekend a lot of baby cuddle time.

Big Day

There's a big day coming up soon! My baby girl is going to get her first assistive device. It's called a KidWalk.Tuesday she gets to try one to see if she can fit. We hope she isn't too short for their smallest version. You can see one here http://pinterest.com/pin/4433299603715387/. She has been doing better each day with physical therapy. She still needs a lot of work with her core strength, but we are also requesting bracing. She's getting so good at holding her head up and we are working on sitting up. She still struggles with arm movement and grasping toys but we're slowly improving in that area too.

We've had a great couple of lazy days at home. Just hanging out on the couch and cuddling has been good for us both I think! I also have been thinking a lot about another benefit. I hope we can make it an annual thing with a portion going into Callista's fund and the rest distributed to local SB associations. Ideas for the next benefit are more than welcome, we want a fun day and big crowds! I will also be looking for vendors who want to donate and set up displays. It will be this summer so if you're interested, let me know.

Recovering (all of us!)

We are finally headed down the long road of recovery. Callista from her illness of course, but her daddy and I from sleeping on a hospital couch, cafeteria food, and little to no rest. They released her Monday (20 minutes after the snow started, thanks again) with oxygen for at night if she drops her saturation. They didn't send us home with a weaning plan, but thank goodness for our wonderful pediatrician. We couldn't ask for anyone better to be on her side! He gave us the go ahead to wean, suggested we stop the antibiotics, and said that if he didn't know what Callie had just been through he never would have guessed because she looked so good. Now if we could just get our one year wellness visit it! Apparently you are required to be WELL for that.

It seems as though our little one has started growing and developing like a weed just within the last two weeks. She is now expanding her babbling sounds and I swear we are thiiiiiiiiiis close to saying mama. She talks non stop at this point and is becoming such a big girl! Her head control is developing nicely and she is starting to get some strength in her core. She has started reaching for things and touching things. Her whole body movements have increased by a lot as well. Miss Callista has had a long break from therapy after being sick, but next week she is back to working her little baby butt off. Her grandpa made her a therapy bench so she will not get lazy at home either!