Happy Halloween!

Aids Walk

Our church canceled services on Sunday so that we could all participate in the Silicon Valley Aids Walk. It was a 5 mile walk along a parkway in downtown San Jose. We had a great time and the kids did fabulous! It was fun to be out in the community and hopefully we reflected a bit of Jesus along the way.

Rib Eater

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.