More Updates...

Pictures will be coming soon, but here is a brief bullet point list of what we have been up to

• Caroline has started daycare
• I am back at work
• Austin Kieff has lost both of his teachers at school (new jobs and school) and has a new teacher named Ms. Amber
• Austin Kieff has a new pet, his name is Tom. He (we assume) is a blue beta
• Austin Kieff will be moving to a new daycare in August
• Austin Kieff loves playing baseball...he can actually hit the ball when it is pitched to him
• Austin Kieff is having a pirate party this Saturday
• We went to John Waynes first summer ball game last Wednesday. Austin Kieff loved every minute that we were there. Caroline slept through most of it.
• We spent the weekend in Cullman with David's parents. We spent most of the day Saturday at the Lake where Austin Kieff had a quick boat ride, swam and played baseball.
• Mary Margaret has had her last "big" chemo treatment. She will continue to have the weekly treatments and therapy on her arm. She starts radiation next month

I think those are the main highlights...more in depth details with pictures soon, promise :)

Visit from the Elmore Family

I had a wonderful treat on the 20th of this month, my friend Jamie and her BEAUTIFUL family met us at Family Night at Riddle Pace Field in Troy. Although I had not seen Jamie in over four years, I keep up with her in the blog world. Real life Jamie is so much better!! Talking is so much better than typing messages...email or live chat. We enjoyed the home run derby and fireworks together. Well, two children who will remain nameless did not enjoy the fireworks. Surprisingly, Caroline did not have a problem.

Thanks Jamie and Josh for bringing your family to visit. We had a wonderful time and hope it is not another four years before we see each other again!!

Update One of Many

Well, we have not been online in some time at home because our computer was not working. Thankfully it only took $70 to fix and the great folks at PC Plus in Troy to figure out what was wrong!

So, as for Miss Caroline:

She is doing great! Thanks for all the emails and calls. We had several more visits to the doctor, but her last blood culture did not grow anything out which means the antibiotics did what they were supposed to.

She has since had her 2 month checkup. She was 11 pounds and 22 3/4 inches long! Quite a bit bigger than the 7.5 pounds and 19 inches she was at birth.

Today she went back to see her cardiologist. She was not released, but we do not have to go back until September. The PFO is almost completely closed, but there is another small hole that is allowing blood to go where it should not. It is called an atrial septal defect. Right now we are not going to do anything. She will be monitored to see if it grows larger or just stays the same. The ASD is what is responsible for the enlargement of the right ventricle. This is great news because it really is not too serious and can be fixed if needed.

So, that is the news on Miss Caroline...by the way she was 24 inches long today and 11 pounds 9 ounces!

Caroline

Just a quick update as I am at work...

Caroline's blood culture is growing out a bacteria and therefore we had repeat bloodwork on Friday. They also took a urine speciman via catheter. The bacteria could be contamination, lets pray for that one, but if it wasn't, the antibiotics she has already been on will fight the strand that is growing.

Birth Announcement

hopefully I will get these in the mail soon...Thanks Mrs. Vicki for sharing the files so I could upload to the blog. Check out Mrs. Vicki's website www.vickipopwell.com she does AMAZING work. These are from our second session with her (thanks to the ladies I work with!!). She did Austin Kieff's two year portrait...it is BEAUTIFUL. She and her daughter Laura are so very talented. I definitely recommend them...334-222-2727 :)

Update

Well, with both kids at home and neither feeling well yesterday I did not post an update. Austin Kieff went to bed early Tuesday night which is not like him and woke up around 10 with his face swelling pretty bad. His lips were red and a little puffy when I picked him up from school after Caroline's appointment, but he didn't really complain of anything. At 10 his lips were swollen as well as the area just under his nose. He was screaming that his mouth hurt. We think it may have been a reaction to something he came in contact with at school. Possibly sunscreen because I have a similar reaction when it gets on me. By midday he was feeling much better and quite the handful! He is back at school today.

Caroline is not running a fever. However, she is still not eating well and cannot get comfortable which equates to not sleeping or resting much. Her arm, hand, foot and back are still swollen/bruised from Sunday. Her legs thankfully didn't seem to bother her too much from the rocephin shots on Monday. Between the rocephin she received through her IV on Sunday and the two shots on Monday, I hope they took care of whatever caused the fever so that it does not spike back up. Her urine culture showed bacteria growth, but may have to be repeated depending on how she does today/tomorrow because the nurses were unable to insert a catheter and the sample was possibly contaminated. I will call after lunch and give Dr. Block a status update. BTW it looks like she is getting thrush which is probably b/c of the antibiotics. Round two with that!

Thank you for your calls and prayers!

Caroline

Just a quick note to update everyone...

Caroline did not have to be admitted today and she did not have any more shots!! She is still running a slight fever and a little cranky (of course if I had been poked and prodded as much as she has been lately I would be cranky,too!). So far none of her cultures are growing anything substantial. We call in tomorrow to provide Dr. Block with a status update and hopefully it will be that we have been fever free for a little while!! After tomorrow, depending on how she is doing, Dr. Block will reevaluate her treatment plan. On a positive note, she ate better this afternoon and as long as she meets her minimums on wet diapers and continues to produce tears she will not need to be admitted for fluids.

Current diagnosis: unspecified viral infection/neonatal fever

In other words, we really don't know! I just hope we are not off to the first 2 years being like poor Austin Kieff's...

Caroline Update

No news is good news, right? Caroline continues to run a fever, not eat and is now having dirty diaper after dirty diaper...possibly because of the IV antibiotics and now the two shots of antibiotics she received today. We go back to the doctor at 1:15 tomorrow. If I continue to have problems getting her to eat (as of right now we are still having problems) she will most likely be admitted in Montgomery since it will mainly be for fluids.

She is pitiful. Her arm, hand and foot are swollen from needle pricks and the IV. Both thighs now are sore from the injections today. She has bruises on both arms, her abdomen and both legs from being held down and the tourniquets. Her back is swollen around the three stick sites...she is finally resting after a miserable afternoon...

Here is a quick update on Caroline...

We go back to the doctor at 3:00 today. After over 8 hours under observation in the ER with the pediatrician who was on call we still don't know anything. She had several blood tests and a blood culture. She also had a urine test and culture. She also had her spinal fluid tested. She had IV antibiotics. She is still running a fever and hopefully we will know more after our appointment today.

Thanks for praying!!

Laura