So Much About Sierra

Well, I have fallen off the blog wagon again...Sierra has been here for almost seven months now, and I haven't really written about her.
Sierra was finally able to come home on February 22, after I initially received the placement call on February 5, thinking she would be released on Feb 7 or 8.  Thankfully I was able to go visit with her periodically during that 2 1/2 weeks.

Her sleeping has always been difficult.  Initially she was in my room in a bassinet because I didn't want her waking Elmer in the middle of the night, but I quickly moved her to another room because she kept me up pretty much all night.  She would grunt and lightly/briefly fuss and move, often making me think that she was waking up and wanting to eat.  I soon realized that she was just a very restless sleeper and I couldn't sleep well with that.  Now at eight months, she continues to wake 1-3 times a night for comfort; and to eat somewhere between 3:15 and 5:30.

She also has had some eating issues.  Initially something was definitely not typical with her eating. She would not continue eating a bottle consistently - would stop often and would seem to struggle at times. If she was eating well and I would stop to burp her, then she would have lost interest when I tried to feed her again.  Sometimes she would only eat two ounces at once.
She had RSV shortly after coming to me, which affected her desire to eat as well.  The doctor was concerned about her weight gain, so I had to take her in for a weight check a few weeks after her two month checkup.  (Now she is probably 20 pounds and has sumo thighs - no concern about weight now!)
When I tried to start cereal at around 4 1/2 months, she gagged on it.  I pursued because some babies have a hard time at first, but she never got it.  Then I tried squash and bananas, and she gagged on those, too.  I talked with my friend who is a feeding therapist and she gave me some suggestions to have her gnaw on carrot sticks, celery sticks, and/or hard pizza crust to bring her gag reflex farther back in her mouth.  From there, I basically took a path of using baby-led weaning, and Sierra quickly began eating most table foods (except some fruits).  Now she eats better than Elmer some nights!

She has had many ear infections, and finally got ear tubes a few weeks ago.  They are still draining so I think she still has some pain with them, which may be at least part of the reason she still wakes in the night.  (She also has four teeth now, so I think teething is some of the reason, too).

She has met her milestones ahead of schedule - she rolled back to stomach at almost 4 months, got up on hands and knees at almost 6 months, started crawling at 7 1/2 months and is now pulling up to standing at everything.  She went to the NICU follow-up clinic when she was 5 months old and they had no concerns except the possible feeding issues.

Currently she is a very happy baby.  She pretty much never cries if she is being held.  (Of course, I can't hold her just anytime she wants to since I have a 2 year old to take care of, too!)  She thinks Elmer is the best and just laughs with him!  Recently he has started "wrestling" with her - sometimes I think it's too rough and try to tell him to be gentle, but she is pretty much telling him it's okay because she is cracking up, so my words don't sink in.

We have had some legal steps happen, but I think this is enough for one post, so I will make another post about all those things!  Also things happening with Elmer which I need to post about!

Life is Hard Right Now

These two sure can be cute! 

Snack break in their matching swim trunks at the pool

Banging on my bedroom door

But in reality, THIS is a more accurate snapshot of what life is like right now:

Elmer sing-songing "pizza, pizza" on the way home from my friend's house because we had had pizza there for dinner... and PB screaming intermittently the entire twenty minute drive home. 

Overall PB cries and tantrums a lot throughout the day.  He does not like the car - he intermittently screams every minute or two on most car rides, and is usually pulling at the shoulder straps of the seat, or pulling at his shoes when he does so.  I think he was probably rarely in a car seat - whether that be because he never went anywhere in a car, or whether because he was in a car but not made to be in a seat. 

He has no words other than "mama," "ball," and "uh-oh."  (And I am not convinced that he hasn't picked up those last two words since he has been here.)  But even more importantly, his attempts at non-verbal communication are virtually non-existent.  For example, we were at brunch yesterday and I took a fork out of his hand.  Just to get it out of the way, not because he couldn't have it.  He did not resist my taking the fork... but he did turn around in his seat and start screaming and having a tantrum.  Obviously he wanted the fork. But he made no attempt to communicate that before having a tantrum.  Most kids would first resist the fork being taken, then reach for the fork, then maybe fuss about it, and finally have a tantrum if they were still not getting the fork back.  He just jumps right for a tantrum.  Maybe in the past that was the only way that he ever got anything.  Maybe he knew that if something got taken away, he was never going to get it back so he might as well have a meltdown. 

If PB doesn't get what he wants immediately, or if I provide any direction whatsoever, he screams and throws out, including at times jumping, throwing his head back (and hitting it on the floor if I don't protect his fall), head-banging, or throwing himself into a wall.

A lot of his screaming centers around food.  If he sees food and is not getting it (like when I am trying to put leftovers on a plate and heat them up for dinner), he screams.  Or if I give the boys a snack in the car, PB devours his quickly but then gets mad and screams when he sees Elmer still with food and doesn't have any.  I assume that he probably didn't get food regularly, so when it was available, you better eat it fast because you never knew when the next meal was coming.

I have tried to take them outside, but it is stressful for me and usually not safe.  PB will run away and think it is funny when I try to get him (even if I just walk casually over to where he is rather than chase him).  And he is FAST, so it is not ok to let him wander too far just to see how far he would go, and I do usually end up having to run after him by the time it is all said and done.  (He was taken into DSS custody because he was found wandering, so I really don't think he would care about where I was, and would just keep going without any regard for me.)  And then when I go to get PB, Elmer usually thinks it is funny to run in the opposite direction.  I live in a townhouse so there is no fence, so it is just not safe to have them outside when they do that. 

Bedtime is rough.  I used to be able to just put Elmer down and he goes right to sleep.  But PB does not self-soothe well, and screams off and on, while tossing and turning for usually 20-30 minutes, and usually ends up crying straight for several minutes and I have to go up and help him situate himself before he can go to sleep. 

And they fight!  But not just toddler fighting over toys.  PB is very aggressive - bites, pulls hair, and/or tackles to get the toy he wants.  (I am realizing Elmer is pretty aggressive, too, but not to that extent.)

PB has had upper respiratory congestion pretty much the whole time since he arrived, and has coughed so much in the night that he has thrown up at one point.  Other nights he has not been able to go back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night, for up to 2 hours.  And the two have woken each other up at times (because of the coughing or otherwise).  Sleep has been hard to come by pretty much the entire last two weeks.

Things have already started to get a little better in some areas, and I'm hoping that as he is here longer, things will start to smooth out even more.   

PB

Last Wednesday at around midnight, I received a voicemail for a placement of a 1-year old and 5-year old.  I called the placement worker back on Wednesday morning and said that I could take the 1-year old if she hadn't found placement.  She had found someone to take them for the night, but was still looking for a permanent place for them.  She said the plan was for me to take the 1-year old if she couldn't find a permanent place for the two together, which she ended up being able to do. 

But when another one-year old came into care on Thursday, I think I was probably one of the first people she contacted since I had just said I would take a one-year old the day before.  I said I could take him, and around 5:45 that afternoon, "PB" (for "Peek-a-Boo" because he loves to play peekaboo and just laughs when he does) arrived from a county 1 1/2 hours away.  He is three months younger than Elmer but just as active. 

When I was getting the boys ready for bed, he climbed INTO the pack n play, which I figured did not bode well for him staying in it during the night.  And when it was bedtime and I walked out of the room, as suspected, he immediately climbed out of the pack n play and tried to open the bedroom door.  I did end up getting him settled that night into the pack n play, and he slept all night, but decided that even though he was only 17 months old, he would have to go into a toddler bed the next night.  One of my patients' moms had just given me a toddler bed a week or two before, so I was able to get it set up the next day.  He has mostly stayed in the bed, although getting to sleep has been a little rough (he usually tosses and turns for about 20-30 minutes, and often cries off and on as well). 

The boys have gotten along pretty well.  The first few days, they REALLY fought over toys, including some pushing, hitting, hair pulling, and biting; but this has improved in the last few days. 

PB didn't cry (except for bedtime) for pretty much the first two days.  Now he cries A LOT!  He is very easily frustrated and angered when he does not get his way (or even when he does not get something he wants IMMEDIATELY when he wants it), and jumps and throws himself on the floor.  This morning it was because I made him back up a little so I could get the gate open at the top of the stairs for us all to be able to go down them.  He doesn't say any words, other than "mama," so I'm sure this has something to do with his frustration level. 

He is really really cute, and smiles and laughs at times (especially when playing peekaboo), but is also very emotionally labile (totally as expected for this age). 

This Tuesday, PB coughed in his sleep so much that he ended up throwing up a little, so on Wednesday afternoon I took him to the After-hours pediatric clinic.  They said there was fluid on his ears, but no infection - yet.  (And then when we were at the pediatrician's office this morning, he said the ears were "about" to get infected so wrote a prescription for antibiotic.  Elmer was also checked on Wednesday (because he had had a low-grade fever on Tuesday afternoon), and both ears were infected again! First in 2 1/2 months, but still very frustrating.  So we have had a rough couple of nights sleeping-wise!

Overall, we are settling in!  I talked to the caseworker today, who doesn't have a whole lot of information.  But I have a feeling he will be here for a good while. 

Ear Infections

February 17, Elmer had his first appointment with the ENT, after his eardrum ruptured the day before.  The doctor gave him antibiotic eardrops, in addition to the oral antibiotics he already had, and told us to come back in two weeks so he could get a better look at the ears when they weren't infected. 


At that appointment on March 2, the doctor said the ears were no longer infected but still had fluid in one ear.  He said to come back again in six weeks - if there was still fluid in the ear, he would do ear tubes; if Elmer got another ear infection before then, he would do ear tubes. 


Elmer is pretty much always congested to some degree.  But the weekend of March 5th, he started wheezing and coughing more than usual.  After four or five days of this without much improvement, even with nebulizer treatment, I made an appointment with the pediatrician.  "Well, his lungs sound a little wheezy but not nearly as bad as I was expecting based on his cough... but both of his ears are infected."  Oh, geeeez....


I called the ENT office and talked with the nurse.  She talked to the doctor, who said he was okay with proceeding with tubes without seeing Elmer again.


So that is scheduled to happen in a few weeks.  I'm hoping that will decrease some of the random crying and/or waking up at night that Elmer is doing most nights. 

Four Months with Elmer

I am planning to do a series of more detailed posts on the following items, but I wanted to go ahead and give a quick update since I have been a bad blogger lately. 


A couple of days ago marked four months since Elmer was placed with me, and three days longer than I have had any other baby. 


Developmentally, he is doing GREAT.  He is ahead of his age with pretty much all his milestones.  He belly laughs all the time! 


Medically, he has still struggled with ear infections and just last week, the doctor decided to proceed with ear tubes in a few weeks.


As far as the case goes, I am hoping to be able to adopt him.  Bio Mom was not offered a treatment plan, and has been to court during which she agreed to this.  Bio Dad did not show up to that court date in January, nor to the previous court date that was held before Elmer was placed with me, so he still has not had his merits hearing.  They have to have that before they can recommend termination of parental rights... I'm not sure how many times Bio Dad has to not show up before they move on without him. 


He is so happy now - always smiling.  And he is so chill - he hardly ever cries unless he is tired or hungry.  I long ago fell head over heels in love with him.  He's such a sweet and fun baby to have around, and I hope things stay that way forever. 

Friday Favorites (on Sunday): Our Crazy Week

Linking up a little late this week, because, well....

From Sunday to Thursday this past week, Elmer and/or I were at doctor's offices four out of the five days.  This week my FAVORITE is antibiotics! 

We ended the week with matching Amoxicillin prescriptions.  The Friday before, Elmer had gotten his four-month vaccinations and ran a low-grade fever on Saturday but I didn't think much about it.  Saturday night, he woke up every 3 1/2 hours, right before he was due for more Tylenol; he started pulling at his ears; and was obviously in pain.  So Sunday we went to the local peds after-hours clinic, where the doctor couldn't see his eardrums, even after irrigating them (and causing the happiest baby ever to become a screaming mess for 15 or more minutes).  So she decided to do nothing since he already had an appointment on Wednesday with the ENT.  Well, we didn't make it that far because Tuesday morning Elmer woke up with a bloody ear, which the pediatrician confirmed that morning as a ruptured eardrum (along with an infection in the other ear).  Wednesday, we went to ENT.  All the while both of us not getting much sleep.  Which led to (I'm sure) my immune system being weak, combined with germy doctor's offices three out of four days, and a trip to Urgent Care on Thursday for me with a diagnosis of strep throat. 

It's been a crazy week for us, but those antibiotics sure have made both of us feel SO much better!

Tank Update

The doctor said on Wednesday that both Tank's ears still looked very infected, so he got an antibiotic injection for three days in a row.  On the third day, he also got the flu shot and his second round of preventive shots (he had not had any before he came to me).  He literally did not cry at all for the first two shots in his right leg, and stopped crying immediately when the shots were done in the second leg.  Best. Baby. Ever.   I'm waiting on the ENT to call to set up a follow up appointment. 

Tank's caseworker was here on Friday (the first time she has set foot in my house since he has been here).  There is a court date set for January, and I originally thought this was because mom should be finished with her treatment plan by then (based on a conversation I had with the GAL) and that Tank would likely go back with his mom at that time.  The caseworker said that although Tank's mom is making good steady progress with her plan, there was no way she would be finished with everything by then.  She also told me there is another family member that just had a home study completed to have Tank placed with her.  Apparently the person completing the home study has not written up the report yet, but sounded positive about the outcome; and said it is possible Tank will be moved there in the next week or two. 

Tank is now crawling and is getting into everything!  He's pulling up to his knees on short surfaces, so I'm sure it won't be long before he is pulling up to standing.  Now that he is so mobile, he is not happy to be contained in the exersaucer anymore (or even really to be held much).  I am in trouble now!

Sickness Abounds

Since my last post about sickness, we have had never-ending sickness around here.

I ended up with a fever, mild aches and fatigue, and some nausea on Thanksgiving night.  And then the exact same symptoms a week later - which turned into a stomach virus about 24 hours later.  Evie got the stomach bug, too... but thank goodness for only about six hours, and that it didn't start until I was on the upswing with mine. 

Tank woke up at 4:30 am last week with a 103 degree fever.  A trip to the doctor's office (during which he was all smiles) revealed a double ear infection, plus wheezing.  He ended up with another fever of 102 today, but when I picked him up from daycare, all he did was smile and laugh at me.  I suspect the ear infections have not cleared up, but we will see tomorrow. 

I can't believe how sweet and happy that little guy is, even with a high fever and infected ears!

I have a feeling we are headed for ear tubes.  I just hope we can curb all the sicknesses for a while!

(I added the label "Sickness."  We have had so much of it, that it deserves its own label.)

Twin Update

Twin was released from the hospital yesterday.  She is still trying to get 100% well, but she is doing ok. 

I also realized when I made the last post that there are now more reasons why Twin is such a great blog name for her.  She is almost the same age as Tank (a month younger), and their names rhyme! 

Prayers

The pinkeye plague was not the worst to happen today.  Please pray for TT's foster daughter, Twin (who is a month younger than Tank), who was admitted to the hospital today; and for her SWEET Mama who is taking care of her. 

Germs, Germs, Go Away!

After Tank's second ear infection a couple of weeks ago, we have not gotten away from the illnesses.  Evie got a fever of 101 Sunday night so didn't go to school on Monday.  It was still 99.5 on Monday morning.  She was wheezing and had some nasty nasal congestion, too, so we went to the doctor.  Of course by the time we got there at 11, she was bouncing off the walls and had no fever at all.  They did say she was wheezing and to give the inhaler every 4-6 hours rather than as needed.  She spiked another fever of 102 after her nap, so had to stay out from school again on Tuesday. 

Tuesday morning we went back to the doctor to recheck Tank's ears from the previous ear infections; all was clear.  I had to take Evie to that appointment as well since she couldn't go to school. 

Today both kids ended up with goopy eyes, so off to the doctor again we went this afternoon... for the third time in three days!  Diagnosis: pinkeye.  I dropped off the prescriptions to the pharmacy as soon as we left and was told they were running 2 1/2 hours!!!  So I could pick it up at 5:30.  5:40 we arrive and they said the drops for Tank were ready but they were still working on Evie's and would page when it was done.  Then we got called up to the desk to be told that they don't have that in stock.  I surely did semi-flip out on them and tell them I wished I would have known that THREE hours ago, and that they better find somewhere that had it!  So we trudged to the next pharmacy, with Tank screaming his head off for about half the way until he fell asleep, because it was getting close to his bedtime by this point.  We got to the next pharmacy and they had put a rush on the medicine but we still had to wait about 15 minutes in the parking lot. 

Happy Thanksgiving to us!  I would like to NOT spend the next two days in the doctors' office!

Photo Journal

I loved this football onesie/baby legs combo!  Of course it didn't stay cool enough to wear it the whole day.  And of course Tank's legs are too *wide* to be able to wear them again!

 

I opened the car door to this cuteness one day:

I've spent a lot of time with Tank at the doctor's office in the last week.  First for shots (we finally figured out that he had not had any since birth, even though his mom said he was "up to date").  Then this day for a fever which turned out to be an ear infection in the other ear. (Even with a fever and sleeping almost all afternoon, he was still laughing with me in the waiting room.  I can't believe what a good baby he is.)  Then back a few days later with a cough and wheezing. 

Evie turned 5, and she got birthday cake pancakes for breakfast. 

And this balloon she had been eyeing every time we went to the grocery store for weeks before-hand.

And a little birthday party at the park.

My nephew came over and we all went to the Miracle League game (a baseball league for kids with special needs, that I helped coach for years) and made monster eyeball cookies.

 



Mother's Intuition

This morning I took Tank to the doctor to have him checked out.  I almost didn't go, because he was in such a good mood this morning.  But for three of the previous four car trips, he had cried for a good portion of them (and he usually falls asleep in the car - either immediately or after happy talking).  And for a baby who really NEVER cries unless he is hungry or tired, I just felt like something was going on.  Turns out he has an ear infection.  Mother's intuition.