RSV is the pits!

Harper modeling the latest in emergency room fashion


Yes, that's right. RSV as in Respiratory Syncytial Virus. Ugh!

Harps started off Wednesday just a little funky. She was pretty sluggish and she was having a bit of a "diva day". By Thursday, she sounded like an 80 year old smoker with a heavy cough and on Friday, we had a nose gushing with snot. After a couple of calls to Dr. McCray's office, we had Harper sleeping on an angle, a humidifier in the room and started her on Zyrtec. Through the weekend, she continued to get worse and by Sunday after church, she was wheezing and throwing up. Awesome.

I made a call to the on-call pediatrician to see if we could wait it out until we could get into Dr. McCray today. No such luck. With Harper's wheezing and throwing up, the on-call doc wanted the Squirrel checked out pretty quickly. Jared was scheduled to play golf with a client who was in town for a hotel show so I made the call to Honey and off to the ER we went.

Now if its been awhile since you've been to an ER, or even better a Children's ER, you can practically feel the germs sticking to you when you walk in the door. There we were, sitting amongst a crowd excellent for people watching, with antibacterial gel and wipes armed and ready. After two hours of waiting, we saw the doctor and Harper tested positive for RSV. We got home, stripped ourselves from every piece of clothing (due to the ER a.k.a. vat o' germs) and scrubbed down to get the germs off. Harps went down for the night around 7pm and then at 7:30pm, my daughter who rarely cries, wailed for two hours straight. M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E.

I got her in to see Dr. McCray today and turns out she's developed an ear infection as well - fantastic! We now have a barrage of supplies that are being shoved in her mouth, nose and ears, including but not limited to amoxicillin, acetaminophen, Boogie Wipes, electric nasal aspirator (if you don't have one of these and you have a baby, get one!), ear numbing drops, vitamins, saline spray, saline mist and Pedialyte.

And to top it off, since the Squirrel hit 3 months, I do a tooth check every day. Due to the recent sickness, I've withheld my finger from her gums. Wouldn't you know it that I scooped a little medicine dribbling down her chin back into her mouth
and, low and behold, there's a tooth coming through! No wonder she's so uncomfortable. You would be too if you had all of that going on at one time. I'm going to start carrying a piece of wood around my neck to have handy for knocking - Jared and I literally had a conversation on Tuesday about how lucky we'd been on her lack of getting sick, unrelated to belly issues.

I'm now reporting this after tonight's meltdown but I think we've numbed her up enough for the night that she can no longer feel her face. I'm hoping we'll start seeing some improvement over the next 24 hours since RSV is suppose to peak after 5 days. Fingers crossed!

And I'm a little late but I'd like to give a big "Welcome to the World!" to Tommy Musselman (congratulations Callie, JB and big brother Sunny) and August Berchelmann (congratulations Lauren, Stephen and big sister Gretchen)!

Choppin' Broccoli

Here comes a bite
Hmmmm, what is this?
Delicious! Success!


I've been making my own baby food for over the last month....or I guess I should say Harper's baby food. Not quite sure why but almost every time that food processor comes out, I get Dana Carvey's "Choppin' Broccoli" stuck in my head. I haven't tried broccoli but I guess its veggies and fruit in general that gets the song stuck in my head.

So far, I've done sweet potatoes, apples, carrots, green beans, mangoes, bananas, avocado and prunes. Bananas (of course one of the easiest of the foods to make) has been a total and complete failure. Who doesn't like bananas? I've even tried mixing them in with other foods with no success. I'm thinking it's a texture thing but she can sniff out the bananas even when completely covered in something else. So I usually end up eating the pulverized, mushed-up banana myself. And no, I'm not really a fan....guess it's a texture thing. Green beans and avocado are a hit when mixed with a little apple. I make the batches big enough that I can freeze it and have a variety of options in the freezer.

Due to our recent adventures in heavy reflux, we're now mixing anything that goes in with oatmeal to coat the girl's stomach. She's definitely cut back on her b-milk intake. When she's decided she's had enough, Harper turns her head, pushes the bottle away with her hands and refuses to even take a sip more. She's still spitting up quite a bit. We've also discovered that prunes must be administered daily, otherwise, we have a serious case of constipation. Now, I have heard from other O moms and adult O-er's that constipation and/or reflux is normal and might, indeed, last through the rest of her life. I guess that's what happens when you have a wonky intestinal track. Its a good thing she's a fan of the prunes and oatmeal or we might have a serious problem.

"She's choppin' brocc-o-leah, choppin' brocc-o-leah-eah-eah...."

Harps hanging out while her mom makes her baby food - she LOVES the jumperoo now

Steaming the beans

Prunes in the making

Looks appetizing, doesn't it?

Prunes ready to be frozen. Each cube is 1 oz.

Weekend naps are the best

Goodbye old friend

Dear Magic Chair,

How can I even begin to thank you for your time and commitment over the last 4 months? From the minute we got home with Harper, you were always there to help out and give my tired arms a break. Your gentle rocking, soft music, cushiony seating and bouncing overhead lambs have soothed our little girl time and again. And the dinner time distraction that you offered night after night, allowing Jared and me to sit down to a meal together - words can not express my appreciation!

But the time has come for us to move on to bigger and more interactive means of distraction. Really, it's not you, it's me. I fear that with Harper's surprisingly strong grip, your sweet little lambs will be ripped down and gnawed to pieces. And if I must be completely honest, your gentle sway just won't do the trick anymore.

So alas my dear friend, we must say goodbye for now and retire you to the closet along with the 0-6 month clothes, level 1 and 2 bottle nipples and the bassinet. But do not fear for there will be a time in the future when we will meet again. I'm sure you will one day help soothe another little Baby Meabon. Until then, goodbye.

Many thanks for your time and effort,

Brooke

Happy National Gum Drop Day

So I've never been a big fan of Valentines Day. Maybe it dates back to the boyfriendless years of high school when those friends (you know, the ones that ALWAYS had a date on Valentines) would gush over the oh-so-romantic things that their boyfriend did for them....a romantic dinner at Joe's Crab Shack, a Teddy bear hugging a single rose, the heart necklace from James Avery. Oh, how sad a high school girl can be, left at home to listen to Tori Amos and the Cranberries' sad, droning music and write poetry in my journal. Thank God those days are behind me!

Fast forward to a thirty year old with a husband that travels EVERY Valentines Day - no, I'm not still bitter. But as you can tell, V-day has never ranked too high on my list of favorite holidays. So I'd like to wish you a very Happy February 15, otherwise known as National Gum Drop Day and National Susan B. Anthony Day!

In observance of yesterday's holiday, I will post the pictures from the SADC Valentine's Playdate on Sunday afternoon.









The Group








Another group shot








The moms setting the scene








Bellie in a bucket








Field and Harper looking like they're on their own date








The Davidson Girls and Elizabeth having so much fun








Callie and Sunny with #2 joining them on Wednesday








Courtney and Ella








Lisa and Field








Megan and Elizabeth








Natalie and Sam

Omphalocele Update

***Warning: omphalocele picture below

We made a trip to Houston this week to see Dr. Cass, Harper's surgeon. We've figured out that the trick is feed her right before we load her in the car and to leave just as she's suppose to go down for an afternoon nap. Harps fell asleep about 30 minutes into trip and woke up about 10 minutes before we got to our hotel. I think this goes back to the fact that she'll nap anywhere except her crib...of course.

Jared had some work to do in Houston so we ended up being there for a few days and got to have lunch with my camp friends Amy and Sarah. Sarah's little girl is about to turn one and Amy is having a baby girl in about two months. I see V-day reunions in our future!

Our appointment was early on Wednesday morning and Dr. Cass was very happy with Harper's progress. He liked that beautiful pink skin! We're going to continue the compression wrap (and will until she has surgery) but since she has so much new skin growth, we can stop using the silvadene. Instead, we'll apply over-the-counter bacitracine until the skin is complete and then we can just use an ace bandage to wrap her. We'll head back to Houston in early June and we should be able to schedule surgery for early July. Surgery will consist of repairing Harper's abdominal wall and then making her a belly button. Since her skin has most likely adhered to her liver, they'll also have to detach it during the process. Should her new belly button need some cosmetic repair, she might need to have surgery again later in life but this wouldn't be until she was 6 or 7. Otherwise, we should be set after July! We were putting on the bacitracine tonight and Jared read the label - "for minor cuts and burns". I am so thankful that her exposed wound is now "minor". God is good!

Here's Harper's O tonight:








We were also able to meet Elisabeth, a fellow O mom who's son Lincoln was born just before Harper. While I hate that we had the chance to meet since Lincoln is back in the hospital, it was nice to be able to hug the neck of someone whose story I've followed so closely. I ask that you continue to keep Lincoln in your prayers.

We made it home through a nerve racking drive in the freezing rain on Wednesday. We weren't as lucky to drive over nap time but the girl did pretty well on the way home.

Unfortunately, Harper's had a huge reflux flare over the last week and a half. She's always been a big spitter-upper but it's never bothered her before. She's now clearly bothered by the reflux and has started cutting back on her milk intake. We're working with our pediatrician to see if we can get it under control. Since she has a funky gastrointestinal system as it is, Dr. McCray wants to see if we can avoid meds but I have a feeling meds are in our near future. I am not a fan of hearing my baby's stomach growling but seeing how the solution to the growling hurts her. I'll keep y'all updated on that fun situation.

0 1/2 years old

Well, well, well, look at who's 6 months old. That's right - it's Harper Elizabeth Meabon! Can you even believe it???




We had our 6 month check up today and here's the low-down:

Head: 59th percentile
Length: 28" and 60th percentile
Weight: 13lbs, 12oz and 11th percentile




We are now accepting volleyball scholarship offers from Harvard, Yale and Princeton because this girl's going to be long and lean. Dr. McCray was very happy with how she's looking. We had another round of shots but the Squirrel faired a little better this time thanks to the early administering of Baby Tylenol.




In physical therapy news, we've been given clearance to come to therapy once a month since Harper's ON TRACK for a normal 6 month baby. Go Harper, go, go, go Harper!!! Can you see me dancing? They don't want to release her altogether since they anticipate a little set back post-surgery so we'll continue until then.

Harper happenings at 6 months:

- Full of babbles. The girl could talk all day.
- She is reaching for everything. Once she gets her hands on an object, if it doesn't go in her mouth, she'll swat it back and forth before throwing it across the room.
- The Squirrel can let out a belly laugh at the most random times. Unfortunately, most hard giggle sessions give her the dreaded hiccups.



- Harps is still sleeping like a champ at night, going to sleep around 7:30pm and sleeping 12 full hours. No more paci replacement trips in the middle of the night.
- Naps...well, still working on them. We've bumped the afternoon nap time up to 1:30pm. She'll have a few days of great naps in her bed and then completely blow it and need a couple of days of snuggle napping. I know, I know, we're suppose to be tough and let her cry it out but Jared and I just aren't made that way. I can let her lay there and don't mind some whining but when she's crying so hard she can't catch her breath? Sorry, no can do. I know what you're thinking - they are going to be in trouble later on! But I promise to toughen up over the next year. Okay?
- The girl loves her some orange veggies and fruit. She hates green veggies. And this is where I am tough...really! The peas and green beans are definitely on the hate list. She actually holds the bite in her mouth and will spit it out when the spoon is far enough away to catch the aforementioned bite. Either that or gag reflex after a few bites - I think the gag reflex was inherited/learned from Honey. A little dramatic if you ask me. And no, it's not because she's full because she'll happily scarf down apples or bananas after rejecting her greens. But me (insert very tough mommy), I make her finish those greens. Good practice for waiting it out at the dinner table when she's in elementary and refusing to eat her broccoli.
- Harper-do-scious is starting to sit up on her own. Granted, she's got a serious lean going but we'll take it. Those core muscles will kick in at some time.







- Still no signs of teeth or hair but who needs teeth and hair? Bald is beautiful and gums are, hmmmm, gorgeous?



- The squeak of Sophie the Giraffe can be heard across the room and can illicit extreme excitement and Harps can't wait to shove Sophie in her mouth. If you have a baby and don't own a Sophie, get one!








As for the parenting front, I don't know if it's too much Pandora "Toddler Time" Radio or the fact that a song can get a giggle and smile out of my favorite girl but I've found myself turning EVERYTHING into a song. One of these days, I'm sure you'll hear these hits go platinum on the charts. My latest Harper songs are:
"Harper-do-scious, You're Not Atrocious" (the nickname is Jared's latest creation)
"Suck That Paci, Suck, Suck That Paci" and similarly "Wash That (insert body part) Wash, Wash That (insert body part)"
"You Like To Doo Doo In The Morning" (I think this one will need to subside when the girl starts talking but I must say she is quite regular! Something tells me a teacher wouldn't be thrilled with this song coming from the angelic lips of a kindergartener)
"You're My Girl, My Squirrely Whirl"
"Hush, Hush, Hush My Little Girly"

And last but not least, I've gone all crafty. I've taken over my mother's sewing machine and am trying out complete and utter domesticity/channeling my inner Martha by trying to make the Squirrel some apparel. So far, I've been successful with a couple of burp clothes (straight lines), not so successful with a couple of hats (its those dang curved edges) and am now attempting a dress (that could also turn into a burp cloth if unsuccessful). So if you see my child with a sleeve where her neck should be, do me a favor and just say, "Oh, cute dress!"