Endoscopy Results

The GI doc called today with the news that the biopsy results were normal. There are no signs of damage or allergies. This of course is good news, but puts us back to not having any clue what is wrong. More to come after we see her new pediatrician on the 5th...

A Family Christmas

This year it was just the 4 of us on Christmas. My parents left for Costa Rica early that morning and we were celebrating with Jaron's family later in the week. We really had a wonderful time not having a schedule. We started with presents, of course and then went out to the movies to see Madagascar 2. That evening, Jaron cooked a prime rib dinner, which was delicious.

Riley with her new plush Dora backpack

Avery's ruby slippers

The Christmas Angel

Santa delivered Avery a late Christmas gift...a lump of coal! She kept teasing Jaron that all he was going to get this year was a lump of coal. I guess teasing your daddy puts you on the naughty list.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we went to church and then out to Black Angus for dinner. Jaron received a gift card from his boss...sweet! We then drove around to look at some Christmas lights before heading back to open one gift. Avery was so excited and had picked out her gift earlier in the day. She opened a gift from Aunt Kari and Dave...the Kung Fu Panda DVD. Riley also opened a gift from them...a boat filled with animals for bathtime fun.

After gifts, Jaron read the Christmas Story to Avery out of her Childrens Bible. We then watched the Nativity Story DVD, which we had never seen. We enjoyed some great family time and were looking forward to the following morning!

First Christmas

We celebrated early with my parents and uncle on Dec. 21st. We had a tasty brunch followed by presents. The girls received wonderful gifts. From my parents, Avery got a kids digital camera and has not stopped taking pictures since and Riley received a baby leapster with a few books to go with it. They also got some Dora instruments. My uncle got both the girls some fabulous wooden puzzles and games and a beautiful velveteen rabbit and book for Riley. She also got her first piggy bank. :) It was a very relaxing and enjoyable way to start the Christmas celebrations!

Riley's endoscopy

Riley had her upper endoscopy with biopsy this morning. She did great. She had to get an IV and general anesthesia, but the procedure was only about 15 minutes long. We were home by 10:45am and she is eating, drinking, smiling and watching Dora the Explorer. The doctor saw no abnormalities during the procedure, but the lab results on the biopsy will take a few days. She did weigh in under 18 lbs, which means she lost some weight again. That's not great news, but we weren't surprised since she has been a little sick for the past week or two. (That makes her cough, gag, vomit more frequently)

The Nutcracker

My mom took Avery and I for a very special day out yesterday. We headed to San Francisco for a very yummy lunch at Citizen Cake and then walked over to see the Nutcracker Ballet. Avery had been super excited and loved getting all dressed up for the event. It was family day so she got to take pictures with some of the performers. She loved the flower fairy, but would not go near the Mouse King. He was too scary, she said. We had wonderful seats and Avery was able to see everything. She was so well behaved and had a spectacular time. Thanks Mom for a perfect day!

Scrunch

Riley makes the funniest face when she needs her nose wiped. When I say, "Do you need a kleenex?" She scrunches up her nose in preparation.

Wedding

My cousin Lacey got married yesterday and the wedding was simple, elegant, and beautiful. Avery was the flower girl and did a great job. The weather was very cooperative and though it was cold, there was no rain. We had a wonderful time and are so happy for Lacey and Brandon!!

Harbour Boat Cruise

On Saturday, we were able to hang out with good friends. We had a yummy dinner then headed out on a boat cruise around the Huntington Harbour to look at Christmas lights. It was so great to have time with friends on our ultra short visit to Southern Cal.

Cookie Making

Creepy Clowns

Just for the record, I hate clowns. I think they are super creepy. My dad let me watch scary movies when I was little and I think my fear of clowns came from watching Poltergeist. Who would not be scared of a clown coming to life and pulling you from your bed?

Anyways - I was looking around at jewelry on Etsy.com and came across this necklace. Who would buy this?? Ahhh!

If you want to remain my friend, you will never buy me a clown or anything to do with them.

She gained 8 ounces!

Half of a pound is a big deal around here. Yesterday, Riley weighed in at 18 pounds 5.5 ounces. It felt so good to see it! I was not optimistic on our way in as she has still been throwing up. We also scheduled her endoscopy for Dec. 22nd. She will go in the morning and the whole procedure should only take about 15 minutes. I feel calm about the whole thing now, but come that Monday morning and I think I will be a stressed mess of a mommy. Does that sentence make sense?
She will be put under general anesthesia and that makes me a bit nervous as well. Our insurance will be changing January 1st so we thought we might as well pay only 20$ at Kaiser to have the procedure done. We will start with a fabulous pediatrician (so I have heard) on Jan 2nd. Jaron has already consulted with him a few times over the phone and he has been great and given us so much information. He is not taking new patients, but immediately said he would take her. We feel very good about the decision.
Overall, Riley seems to be doing better. Today is day #2 with no throw up, which is always so nice for me. :) Se did have fall into the brick fireplace on Wednesday and suffered a fat lip and bloody mouth. I mean, really, can I get a break???
I am always in awe that she is ALWAYS happy. Her smile and goofy faces always keep us laughing and when I think of how tired, irritated, and frustrated I am with the whole situation I look at her beautiful sparkling face and realize if she can have all this going in inside of her and be so joyful then I should be just as joyful. She really has something about her that draws you to her. So many people have told us this. God has given us a precious gift in our Riley Elizabeth.

Grandpa

Walking...finally!

Sorry it is sideways. I forgot I cannot take video this way.

Happy Birthday Super Grandpa!

Grandpa's birthday was actually yesterday, but better late than never. I love you!

Family

We are so thankful my Grandma was able to come down and visit. I especially love that the girls were able to have the time to spend with her. Riley never did let my Grandma hold her (well once to get a quick picture then throw up all over:) but she did give her kisses everyday which was special. Avery was hot and cold, but did love spending time reading with her. We are blessed with such a wonderful family.

Miss Ella

Last week I started watching our friends Glenda and Bob's baby. She is so sweet and precious. The girls absolutely love her and look forward to her coming everyday. It takes me at least a half hour to get them to stop kissing and hugging her when she gets here! It really is a great situation all around and we are happy to see her smiling face 5 days a week!

1 ounce

Back to the doctor today and the number on the scale was 17 lbs 13 oz, a weight gain of 1 ounce. Riley is in the 1st percentile. I should be happy for a weight gain, but it really is not enough. Her meds do seem to be doing their job, so we will continue this regimen for another 2 weeks in hopes of a greater weight gain. If we do not see it on the scale, our next step is an endoscopy. I have stopped breastfeeding her, which has seemed to cause an improvement in her so maybe she was allergic to me.

Busy Busy

My grandma is visiting from Oregon and yesterday we ventured down to Pacific Grove to see the butterflies. Unfortunately, it was too cold and they had their wings closed so we really could not see them well. They blended into the trees, but if we looked closely we could see thousands. I imagined them all flying around and having multiple butterfies landing on us. Too bad this was not the case. :(

We did enjoy the beautiful homes and gorgeous ocean scenery. We also had a wonderful lunch at Bubba Gumps.

Yahoo for a new camera

Riley has been on her new meds for a week now and the Reglan seems to be working well. She is still throwing up, but it seems like she is not losing as much food. We see the doctor in 1 week for another weight check.

This is the only place I can sit Riley down to eat. She has developed a hatred for her highchair.

Avery was an amazing helper for Daddy in stacking the firewood.

Update

We took Riley to se the GI doctor again today for a weight check and to discuss her meds. We felt armed with information and questions after consulting with another doctor outside of Kaiser (thank you, Steve!!!). Unfortunately, Riley's weight has dropped further, 17 pounds 12 oz, her exact weight at 6 months old. (she is now 13 1/2 months) After much discussion we are down to a few options. We are starting her on 2 meds today. One is prevacid, an acid blocker which will help protect her esophagus from getting damaged by the stomach acid. The other, Reglan, is a med to help move food through her stomach at a faster rate so that hopefully if she does throw up, the food has already moved through and into the intestines.We are also mixing a calorie supplement into her food. We will try this for 2 weeks then return for another weight check.
At that point if the reglan is not working there is another med we can try for 2 more weeks. After 1 month if things have not improved she will have a scope to biopsy her intestines to check for allergies or other conditions that could not be picked up in a blood test.
These are our last options before a feeding tube would be necessary. Please pray for weight gain. Riley is definitely not getting the calories she needs and it is very noticeable in her daily activites. Please also pray for Jaron and I to be strong advocates for Riley.
Through this I have felt enormous peace that can only come from Jesus. I know He loves this little girl and we will continue to trust in him for her care.

The beginning of walking

Riley has slowly been working toward further independence as she has started to walk. She is very good at cruising and in the last few days has started taking more and more steps on her own. She has done 5-6 at a time, but is still pretty lazy. :) I am ready for this phase of development and ready to use less stain remover on the knees of her pants.

Potpourri

Such a weird word...but I do have a potpourri of information so here we go.
I am miserable. It has been so long since I have been sick, but here I am with a sore throat, achy body, and feeling so tired I have no motivation to do anything. The girls got it on Thursday and are getting better, I think they are over the worst, but I got it on Sunday and I think I am at my worst. It is such a bummer to be sick and also have sick kids. I have no patience and neither do they. Yuck!

Update on Riley - everything seems to be the same. She is still on the pepcid and still throwing up periodically. It takes 4-6 weeks to really see a difference so we are just waiting it out. It is very hard to be patient. Emotionally, I feel great, but it is still hard to watch her feel bad and it is really bad to smell like throw up all the time. It is a good thing we do not pay for water as we have been doing mountain loads of was over the past few months! We go in to see her GI doc on Thursday. We will check her weight and discuss her meds. She has been having diarrhea off and on, but I do not know if it is related or not. Look for another update on Thursday or Friday.

Yesterday in my sickness stupor I knocked the digital camera into Roger's water bowl. Today when I went to take a pic of my "I voted" sticker, I realized it has bit the dust. Great. The only good thing is now we will get to invest in a better camera, but the bad thing is we do have to pay for it. Not sure when that will happen, but I do hate being without one. I am a picture-taker-aholic. :)

A poopy diaper is calling my name so I guess that is it for now.

Halloween Part 2

Avery and her friend, Katie. Katie and Avery play together at least 3 times a week and are great friends. Katie is 5, but Avery is just a bit taller. She is a giant!

Our neighbor kids.

My daredevil husband! He has been wanting to be Evel Knievel for years and this year we finally got the costume together. Yes, I sewed it!! I was up until 2 am the night before Halloween and then back up at 730 am to finish it before he headed off to work. Totally worth it. I am super proud of how it came out.

Avery and her stash. We went over to our church Halloween festival even though both girls were sick. Thankfully they both had naps. They had a great time trick or treating at all the classrooms and playing games.