Pumpkin Patch

Delayed Friday Favorites

Jaron and I were out costume shopping on Thursday and we discovered a yummy favorite. Yogutland is a frozen yogurt shop that has a ton of flavors and toppings and you simply pay by the ounce. Up until now, we have not had a good yogurt place anywhere near us. So I chose my strawberry, raspberry, and pumpkin pie frozen yougurt and added fresh raspberries and gummi bears to the cup as well. The cups are huge so it gave me plenty of room to seperate out my 3 flavors. It is also great because you can get as little or as much as you want. Now mind you this is no Golden Spoon (favorite yogurt shop in So Cal) ...oh how I wish I could have a bowl of Mounds frozen yogurt tight now, but it comes in close second. Jaron and I paid only a little over 3$ for both of our yogurts. A yummy find!

Halloween costumes - I have been searching forever and since I never pay near full price for anything I was having some trouble finding costumes. I finally found Riley's at the Goodwill. She is going to be a bumble bee. It is super cute and looks like it has never been worn. I paid $3.50 for it.
Avery really wants to be Snow White. This was a little more difficult since Disney costumes tend to be a bit pricey. I debated making it, but it would still have cost me a bit to make it. I finally found a nice one complete with the requested yellow with red bow snow white shoes on Ebay for about $10.
I really wanted to be the Evil Queen from Snow White, but the costume is really expensive and quite popular on Ebay so I had no luck. Yesterday I quickly ran in the Goodwill in Gilroy and right away spotted a brand new Cinderella costume in my size with the $40 tag still on it. I paid $5.99! I just need a couple of accessories and I will be set.
Jaron's costume is in the works and we will save that one as a surprise. :)

Diagnosis

The results of Riley's GI test came back today and showed severe reflux. Her reflux is significant and the acid refluxes from stomach to the mid-thoracic area causing esophagitis. The results of the GI test gave us enough information that we will not have to do the PH probe test tomorrow!!! Now that we know she has GERD, we need to keep her on pepcid for 1 month and if she is improving, we will continue with that med. If it does not seem to be alleviating the acid reflux, we will need to put her on a stronger med.

I feel so relieved at finally knowing what has been giving her so much discomfort for the past few months, that it is treatable, and that she will eventually outgrow it.

Thank you for all your prayers, loving thoughts, comments, phone calls, etc.. We are so grateful to have amazing family and friends.

GI Test

Horrible.
That about sums it up.
She had to be strapped down and fed contrast through a syringe for about 45 minutes, crying the entire time.
The GI doc said she thinks she got all she needed, but did not give any information out today. Hopefully I will know more when we see her doctor on Thursday for the PH Probe.
As a mother, it was probably the hardest thing I have had to do.

Little Lady

Avery showing off her brand new coat. What a princess!

Harker Picnic

Harker had their annual picnic today and we took part in a few games, creating a beautiful jeweled crown, snacking on popcorn (Riley tried to eat the whole bag), petting animals, and jumping in the castle bounce house. Fun times.

Sunday Savorings

I have not done a Friday Favorites for a bit so I thought I would do one today...Sunday Savorings. My whole life is about food right now so everything on this list is edible. We are trying a little experiment and are now taking gluten out of Riley's diet so Panda Puffs are a great snack for her. Jaron LOVES this cereal and I discovered he ate a whole box yesterday. Good thing I bought two. I also really love Trader Joes Cinnamon swirl bread. I try not to buy it too often since it is addicting. Super yummy!!

I have given up coffee for the most part ( I indulge in an occasional Starbucks run and a cup at church on Sundays) so I have three favorite drinks to take its place. Cinnamon apple spice tea by Celestial Seasonings, Mint Cocoa (recommended by Amy...thank you!!) and Spiced Cider from Trader Joes. I think I could drink the entire bottle of cider in one day, but I am trying to savor it. It is perfect for this fall weather we have been having lately.

Another Test

Riley is now scheduled for her upper GI test which will be on Tuesday. We will take her in at 9 am and she will have to drink yummy contrast so they can xray her insides. I'm sure it will be a hard day. It better be worth it.

Testing

We took Riley in today to see the GI specialist. After reviewing her history, we were given a few ideas on what may be going on, but no real answers. We started off by doing many blood tests and stool samples. Since her stool was positive for blood last time we are re-testing and if it is positive again, she will have to have an upper and lower probe test to determine where the blood is coming from. We also scheduled a PH test in which a tube is placed down her nose and throat and left there for 24 hours. She comes home for those 24 hours and we have to constantly make sure she does not pull the tube out. Sounds like fun. We then take her back the next morning and they download all of the information from the machine to determine if she has reflux. This test will be next Thursday. We are also in the process of setting up her upper GI test in which she will drink contrast and they will xray to see if there are any abnormalities.

She is being testing for absorption issues as well as structural issues so hopefully we are on our way to some real answers.

She is such a trooper and has remained pretty happy throughout this whole process so we are very thankful for that. She also continues to be super stubborn especially when it comes to walking. She has taken a few steps, but knows she can get where she wants to go faster if she simply crawls. She can say mama and doggie, but not much else. She loves to tickle everyone, climb on everything, and nods her head yes when you ask if she wants something. She continues to thrive developmentally, but our peanut just may not quite make the basketball team like we originally thought!

Not what I expected

Riley had her follow up appointment today with her pediatrician. Her throwing up has decreased, though she still has some throw up days. She has been eating well and besides a little cold seems to be much better.
Well, I went into the doctors office and placed naked Riley on the scale and I did not see what I had hoped for. She has lost 4.5 ounces since her last appointment on Sept. 18th. I tried to hold it together the best I could, but my stomach was upset and my eyes were quickly tearing up. She has now fallen off of the growth charts and the doctor is concerned, of course.
Where do we go from here???
She now has to take Pepcid for 2 weeks in hopes that it will help. She was taken off of Zantac because she could not tolerate it so I hope this will be better for her. I do not know the reason why or how this med is going to help her, but we will start it tonight and hope it does something. We are scheduled to go back in another 2 weeks to check her weight and come up with a new plan. Hopefully, she will gain weight and there will be no futher action needed.
Please pray for her and her little body to respond. Pray also for me as I am now getting sick and continue to have great fear for my little baby. Every time I put her to sleep I fear she will not wake up. This of course has been very emotionally draining and I really need to have my heart and mind put at ease.

Sisters

Riley learned how to push her big sis down the slide. The pic below is her reaction after. :)

Pumpkin Art

It's pumpkin art time!! Fall is my absolute favorite season and I get so excited for all the fun artwork Avery and I get to create. Today we made this fun pumpkin family and strung them together. It is hanging above my desk in the playroom. I cut everything out and Avery glued all the pieces together and created the cutest faces. We also made handprint spiders with googly eyes. Up next...placemats and egg carton pumpkins.

Harvest

We harvested all but one of our pumpkins on Saturday. It has been so fun to watch them grow. Jaron was a little disappointed in the size, but I think for our first pumpkin season they turned out quite well. Now that we are experts, I think next year we will open our own pumpkin patch.

Friday Favorites

1. Haagen Dazs Coconut Sorbet. First off, I love coconut. Secondly, I cannot have dairy so I saw this and said why not. This may be the beginning of a 20 pound weight gain.


2. This adorable little shirt handmade for Miss Riley by my lovely and talented friend Kelci. Riley looks absolutely adorable in it and I think it is now my favorite piece of clothing for her. Thanks, Kelci!


3. Tofutti Cuties! These are awesome. Riley loves them and so does Avery. They are a great size for kids and pretty yummy tasting. No dairy!

4. Woody. We had a MOPS swap at church today which is where all the moms bring clothing or toys, basically anything they are done with or the kids have outgrown, to swap. We lay everything out on the stage and it is a free for all. We dig through the stuff and you can take whatever you want. LOVE it! I picked up this Woody doll since Avery loves Toy Story and she did not let go of him all day. She took him to the grocery store and he sat in the fun car cart lovingly buckled up next to her. So sweet! I think he is definitely her new favorite.

The Birthday Princess

...and the prince.

5 pounds later

No, not 5 pounds for Riley, but 5 pounds for her mom who has definitely been eating more than enough for herself and a few others. I don't think I am an emotional eater, but this whole throwing up thing has really taken its toll on me. For a while, I was not able to get to the gym partly because I did not know what was wrong with Riley, and she is super attached to me right now and would scream and scream when I would leave her. I have become this crazy over protective mom who stuffs her face because her child cannot keep anything down. I have become super lazy, totally not me, and I do not know how to get motivated again.
Well, after looking at my reflection in the mirror yesterday, I decided something has to change. I have got to snap out of this funk. Now that I cannot have dairy, I am really limited to what I can eat so hopefully the sweet treat binges will cease.

Riley's stool sample results came back yesterday as positive for blood. Her doctor said it is probably because of the dairy allergy. We will re-test in a few weeks along with all the blood work. She did throw up this morning after her morning nursing session so I just really have no clue what is going on. I do think taking out dairy is working, but I do not know if that is the full answer. She is a medical mystery...at least to me.

I think we have a winner

We have finished our 4th day of being throw-up free! Hopefully the infection has run its course and Riley will begin to fatten up. She will be eating a good amount of cake and sherbert this week since we have a few birthday celebrations for the little peanut. Here are a few pics from her pre-birthday celebration with Grams and Papa.

Blood Test Results

We received all of Riley's blood test results today and most everything was within the normal range. Her allergy test (IGE) was normal, which means no allergy. So why has the throw up stopped? The white blood cell test results were not normal. Her lymphocyte count was very high, 90%. The normal range is 20-70%. Her neutrophil count was 5%. Normal range is 16-60%. Of course when I read this I started thinking of leukemia, but I was trying to not do any research or thinking until I talked with the doctor. When she called, she said these results make her think Riley has some sort of virus. Dairy products can definitely irritate the body further so maybe that is why taking the dairy out has made a difference? I really do not know. At this point, she has not thrown up for 2 days! Yahoo! We are going to keep dairy out for the next few weeks and keep an eye on her and if everything looks good and she gains weight, I guess there is nothing more to research. If she worsens, then we will re-order the upper GI test (we can skip this for now!) and talk again.

I still feel like I am constantly watching her and am still a very over-protective mommy, but I did feel myself relax a bit today. She even had some coughing episodes that produced nothing so I am hopeful we are closer to the end of this nightmare.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. We are thankful for wonderful family and friends!

A throw-up free day and a dairy-free life

After a terrible day for Riley yesterday, I felt like I really needed to be a bit more pro-active in discovering why she is constantly throwing up everything she puts in her little body. We saw another pediatrician today, her ped is out of town, and talked about what to do. Her weight had dropped 2 ounces from one week ago, which is now even more of a cause for concern. She decided that we should do blood work, order an upper GI test, and after consulting with a GI specialist, decided we should start by taking dairy out of not only Riley's diet, but mine as well since I am still breastfeeding. The GI specialist thought it sounded like a food allergy so we are on the road to discovering what that allergy might be. After a full day without dairy we have had a day without throwing up! I cannot remember when the last throw-up free day was, but it is quite lovely to not have that smell hovering around. I am continuing my food journal and waiting on the blood test results, which should show if there is an allergy present. We will keep you posted.

Swinging

My parents bought the girls a new swing set and we spent yesterday putting it all together. It was delivered on Monday, but we waited until yesterday to start putting it together, which was pure agony for Avery. It took us about 6 hours from start to finish. The girls both love it!! I know we will be spending many hours enjoying it. Thanks Dad and Mom!

Should I just hook her up to an I.V. full of cream???

I took Riley in for her 1 year appointment today. I have been a bit concerned about her weight for a few months now. She is not a picky eater and eats well, but she chokes and coughs during meals and 3 out of 4 times she throws up her entire meal. In March, she was in the 70th percentile for weight. In June, she was in the 45th, and today she fell down into the 14th. She has gained 1 pound in 3 months. I feel like I am constantly thinking about her intake of calories and offer her a ton of food. This is SO unlike Avery who has always been in the 95th percentile. (Riley weighs what Avery did at 6 1/2 months!) This has been so mentally exhausting for me. I do feel that because she is so happy all the time, sleeps through the night, and nurses well nothing too serious can be wrong. Her pediatrician is not all that concerned, but wants another weight check in a month. There is a possibility of reflux, which can be helped with medication so I need to do some reading and watch her for the next week or so. We will keep you updated. Here are some pics of the "starved" peanut. :)

This is a pic I took right after I cleaned up her throw up. Pizza does not smell nice coming back up. I already have a hard time with the smell of pizza since it was a food that grossed me out when I was pregnant. Obviously, it does not bother her that much!

I can't stand it!

I thought of this pic by my friend Mel when I was making this playdough today. Doesn't it look beautiful? It was so hard for me to give it over to Avery though. I am a bit obsessive compulsive and the thought of this beautiful playdough becoming one big clump of yuck unnerved me a little. No, I am not nearly as bad as Kate (from John and Kate plus 8) and I have actually gotten better now that I have kids. I still love the smell of fresh laundry, the dishwasher running, vaccuum lines on the carpet, and a clean playroom every night, but I have learned how to let things go and relax. It is still hard for me to sit still, but I have come to truly enjoy the chaos my lively and beautiful children bring to my life.

Obsessed

For the last few days I have been sucked into a world of letters. I love to read, but sadly have the time to get fully engrossed in the world of reading. I recently finished The Shack, which I enjoyed, and was ready for something a little more lighthearted. My mom passed this one on to me after she read it and from the moment I opened it, I was hooked! This book of fiction, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, is a collection of letters written by/to Juliet Ashton, an author writing a book on the German occupation. Any book having to do with WW2 immediately has my attention. The format is wonderfully different and I fell in love with the characters. If you are looking for a fun and lighthearted read, pick it up! I am sad that I have to leave this world behind. I guess it is time to dive into another...maybe The Friday Night Knitting Club??

Talking Crazy

Avery Lynn says the funniest things. I thought that I better jot a few down before I forget and then later wish I had.
- Avery talks in her sleep a lot and sometimes she will sleepwalk. The other night she appeared next to the bed at about 4am. I asked what she was doing and she just stood there for a minute and finally said, "I just need to give you a hug and then I will go back to bed." So, she hugged me and off she went.
- A couple weeks ago she sat up in bed and said, "I want some pizza." She then laid back down and went back to sleep.
- Her new phrase is, "Ahhh, turtle!" This is in replacement of shoot, bummer, Ahh, nuts, or insert your favorite word. Who knows where she got this phrase from.
- Every day she stands up tall and touches something...the counter, a point on the wall, the top of a drawer and states, "Mom, look how tall I am today!"

That is all I can think of at this early hour so I will add more as they come. I need more coffee.

Update: twirl skirt complete

Let me start by saying I am super proud of this skirt. I have never made clothing before so to complete this skirt I had to learn a few new skills. I absolutely LOVE the way it came out and Avery wanted to put it on immediately. I used fabric I already had and I love the way they all work together. It was a bit labor intensive because of what I had to learn and because I had to use my seam ripper a number of times, but that is the learning process. I am sure it won't take me as long next time. I cheated a bit in that I did not surge the edges...too much time because I do not have a serger. I actually sewed this using my old machine because the other one needs service. Because of that I also had to put in gathering stitches by hand because the old machine does not make a long enough stitch and the thread kept breaking. All in all, a super cute skirt for a super cute girl. I am now debating on making another one for her halloween costume. She decided she wants to be Strawberry Shortcake. I figure I can make the skirt with reds, pinks, and a green gingham, find some green and white striped leggings for underneath, and a white apron over a red shirt. I am also going to make a mob cap with strawberry shortcake fabric. Let's hope I can get it all done. Thanks Jona for an awesome pattern that made me so happy to sew!!

Friday Favorites

Is it really Friday? Days seem to creep by when it is so hot that you cannot do anything but sit still. I am so ready for cooler weather.

1. Edith twirl skirt pattern by Jona Giammalva. This is the cutest skirt ever and I am so excited to make it for Avery. I have already started so I will post a pic when I am finished. The pattern is $10 and is a pdf pattern so she emails it right to you. Love it! I found Jona's blog and fabric store, fabritopia.com, through my dear friend Kelci.

2. Amy Butler's new bag pattern - the Birdie Sling. My aunt Shawn sent me the pattern and I received it today. I cannot wait to make one for myself. The hardest part is picking out what fabric to use.

3. Avery's new haircut. Pic in the previous post.

4. The Eden baby wrap. I have struggled to find a sling/baby carrier since Avery was born. Nothing seems to work perfectly. I loved the baby bjorn when the girls were little, but that can only hold them for so long. I then went to a larger wrap sling, but I found that Riley kept slipping in it and I did not feel she was very secure. It also took a lot of effort to get it on. I have tried a peanut shell sling and a hotsling, but they hurt my shoulder and back after about 10 minutes. Then I saw this awesome Ergobaby carrier ( if you can afford it, get it) and really wanted it, but it is 90$. I have been searching for a carrier that I can use to have her on my back. I just cannot justify spending that much on anything unless it is so fabulous and awesome...like my dansko shoes. Anyways - I just took a bunch of Riley's outgrown clothing to a consignment store and chose to get store credit for my payment. All of their carriers were 50% off and I saw one for $25 (12.50 after discount) and it can be used to carry her on my back. I thought...why not? Well, it is awesome. It is an Eden Mei Tai carrier. I since found out it retails for $88 bucks so I got an awesome deal. It is pretty easy to get on and super comfortable. I hiked at Point Lobos with her in it and she loved it. I can carry her anywhere now and I would recommend it to anyone. Here is a pic of the one I bought...purple velveteen.