We hit the motherload!

WARNING: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE YET TO EXPERIENCE THE JOY THAT IS A CHILD, PLEASE PROCEED WITH CAUTION. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE, START NODDING YOUR HEAD IN EMPATHY NOW....

On Sunday, Jackson started with a bit of diahrrea. (Sorry, but it is what it is.) So Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and some of Wednesday went like this: Change a diaper, wipe him down, change his clothes and repeat. Interject a bath, a change of sheets, and a load of laundry here and there. Now after switching to a lactose free formula, things seem to have settled down a bit.

Tuesday morning after the first round of changing (his clothes AND mine) I noticed that his button site looked a little "crusty". So I did my due dilligence and cleaned it faithfully with a hydrogen peroxide and water solution. Wednesday morning I noticed that little blisters had appeared around the site. Thursday morning they were still there which warranted a call to the pediatrician. (Poor Dr. M! Sometimes I wonder if she just shakes her head whenever she sees our number on her caller ID...)

Dr. M confirmed what I suspected - it is likely a Staph infection. Boy did we hit the infectious disease lottery this week! First a lovely GI bug then on to a Staph infection. Now that's some Karma. So now we've begun oral and topical antibiotics in an effort to nip this quickly. The only problem is the anitbiotics will likely make the diahrrea worse....lovely. And Dr. M was quick to advise that we've got to keep a close eye on him to make sure the blisters don't get any bigger. If they do we're off to the pediatrician for some fun cultures.

Think happy thoughts people.

MORE!

For the past six months or so, we've been trying like the dickens to teach Jackson some signs. Really basic signs like Mommy, Daddy, eat, more, and sister. It seemed that we weren't making any progress and was getting a little frustrating. Especially since it is clear that Jackson has plenty to say, he just can't quite communicate yet.

Well, this weekend while giving him one of his daily small taste of baby food we got "more"! And this evening it looked like we got an "eat" as well. And he's repeated the "more" sign several times. VERY VERY exciting! MORE!

RE-FOCUS!

This morning, we a very long and arduous appointment with Jack's Genetic Neurologist, Dr. R. Six months ago we had our first visit with Dr. R and his initial impression was that he was unsure if Jackson truly had any neurological issues. During our visit today Dr. R observed Jackson, his behavior, his movements, and his communication skills. And after some discussion Dr. R confirmed what we have suspected for some time now. It is apparent that Jackson does have some neurological problems. The degree to which these problems will affect his development is unknown. And what the diagnosis is of the collective problems is and will probably remain unknown for quite some time.

During our discussion, Dr. R made a really important point. We have to focus our efforts on supporting Jackson, through his therapy sessions, through interactive and repetetive play. We need to put less emphasis on the actual diagnosis or lack thereof. It is not as important from a treatment standpoint to find a name for his issues as it is to help improve Jackson's day to day functions. And while after the appointment Jackson did have another blood draw in order to further analyze his chromosomes, it is highly uncertain and somewhat irrelevant if that testing will shed some light on the core and/or cause of his neurological issues.

So we go on. Day to day, trying our best to work with Jack to help him grow, strengthen and progress.

Those D@#% Tubes!

Really. Those freaking tubes. "They make a remarkable difference", we were told..... Um yeah, not so much.

So this is the second ear infection which has so thoughtfully made its way down into his lungs. He is coughing now during sleep and requiring nebulizer treatments throughout the night. Yeah, what a difference.

The ENT checkup provided us with the following information: his hearing is borderline normal. If he continues to have ear infections (especially ones without obvious drainage) we need to let the ENT know as soon as possible.

Great. In the meanwhile, we wait. What a phenomenal idea, because we haven't tried that before.....

Don't mind me, I'm just ever so slightly tired, and oh so remotely disillusioned.....

Those Darn Tubes!

When Jason picked up the kids from daycare on Thursday, Jackson's teacher commented that he was running a low grade fever and was pretty cranky most of the day. Friday morning his fever spiked, so off to the pediatrician we went.

I explained to Dr. T (Dr. M was on vacation), that I just wanted him to check his ears as a precaution because I knew the fever could just be a viral thing. He peaked in Jack's ears and before I could even finish the sentence he was shaking his head. "Nope, it's not viral." In his right ear the tube was actually clogged. Unbelieveable. So more Omnicef and Ciprodex for Jackson.

I suspect that at his ENT check up tomorrow, the doctor might suggest removing his adenoids in order to help his drainage. In which case, my personal feelings are to just take his tonsils as well. Just clean him out - the less obstructions in his airway the better off he'll be. But hey, I'm not a doctor.....

Shiny new toys....

A couple of weeks ago we got a new MacBook. And while Ainsley has had a lot of fun with the built in camera feature, I suspect Jason's new toy has brought him much much joy. Just like a kid on Christmas morning......his eyes glazed over with glee and amazement.

Signed, sealed, delivered....

Thank Goodness for Dr. M and staff! After what I am sure was less than easy research, it was determined that we could go to another Hopkins lab for Jack's testing - and not pay anything out of pocket. (Insert Halleluiah Chorus here)

So today, on the coldest, windiest day of the month, we trekked downtown to the Hopkins Outpatient center and had Jack's blood drawn. Signed, sealed, delivered.

Now we wait.

tick.............tock............

No really. We wait. Go do something useful already. ; )