Nov 22, 2008
Nov 20, 2008
Tear Duct Surgery
As if the jaundice for the first week of her life wasn't enough, there was the meningitis at 8 weeks, and of course then the plagiocephaly which led to the helmet. Our poor baby has put up with so much in her short little life. And today it was a needle in the eye. I like to joke that we're still getting all her kinks worked out. This child has had needles in the worst places that's for sure...needles in her tiny ankles to test the jaundice, one in the spine for the spinal tap during meningitis, and today, one in the eye.
Scarlett's tear duct has been clogged since birth. Our pediatrician said they usually clear up themselves by a year, but Scarlett's eye seemed to be getting worse so we were referred to an orthopedic ophthalmologist. A clogged tear duct actually makes the eye water almost constantly and it also tends to get goopy often as well. We decided to go ahead and have it opened up now instead of waiting for it to maybe clear up on its own. The procedure was actually quick. They strapped her into a little papoose contraption and probed her eye with two sharp objects, one being a needle. I was horrified to see that her eye and nose were bleeding quite a bit right after and vaguely remember the doctor telling me this was normal...NORMAL?
We call Scarlett's bad cry her "hospital cry" because we learned to dread this type of cry when we she was in the hospital with meningitis. We haven't heard the hospital cry in a long while, but we sure heard it today. At least the procedure was super quick because just as I was about to lose it myself, it was over and I was able to hold her and console her and wipe away the bloody tears and nose. She actually did very good, and only cried for a few more minutes after it was all over.
I didn't feel so guilty for putting her through all of that when the doctor told us it was one of the most difficult tear ducts to unclog that's he's ever done, and there was no way it would have cleared up on its own. There is a 15% chance it will have to be done again, and knowing our luck, she'll be one of those few, but that decision won't be made for 3 more weeks. For now, she's doing great, sound asleep for the night, and I promise to keep her away from any needles for the rest of the month...well after the flu shot on Saturday that is......
Scarlett's tear duct has been clogged since birth. Our pediatrician said they usually clear up themselves by a year, but Scarlett's eye seemed to be getting worse so we were referred to an orthopedic ophthalmologist. A clogged tear duct actually makes the eye water almost constantly and it also tends to get goopy often as well. We decided to go ahead and have it opened up now instead of waiting for it to maybe clear up on its own. The procedure was actually quick. They strapped her into a little papoose contraption and probed her eye with two sharp objects, one being a needle. I was horrified to see that her eye and nose were bleeding quite a bit right after and vaguely remember the doctor telling me this was normal...NORMAL?
We call Scarlett's bad cry her "hospital cry" because we learned to dread this type of cry when we she was in the hospital with meningitis. We haven't heard the hospital cry in a long while, but we sure heard it today. At least the procedure was super quick because just as I was about to lose it myself, it was over and I was able to hold her and console her and wipe away the bloody tears and nose. She actually did very good, and only cried for a few more minutes after it was all over.
I didn't feel so guilty for putting her through all of that when the doctor told us it was one of the most difficult tear ducts to unclog that's he's ever done, and there was no way it would have cleared up on its own. There is a 15% chance it will have to be done again, and knowing our luck, she'll be one of those few, but that decision won't be made for 3 more weeks. For now, she's doing great, sound asleep for the night, and I promise to keep her away from any needles for the rest of the month...well after the flu shot on Saturday that is......
Nov 13, 2008
Guard Kitty
One of our cats, Vito is very interested in Scarlett. He always wants in her room, and we have to shut her door when she's sleeping so he stays out of there. She LOVES him. Watching him is by far her favorite thing. She's gotten a hold of his fur a few times which he didn't really like since she was pulling and not petting, but he didn't hiss or anything. I think they'll be good buddies one day! Here he is guarding her while she's playing and then guarding her door while she sleeps!
Nov 9, 2008
7 Months
Scarlett is 7 months old today which is impossible for me to believe. Watching her sit up, play, scoot around, and explore is just amazing. We are especially enjoying her curiosity about everything. She is changing so much. We just returned home from a weekend trip to Chris's home town. Scarlett had lots of visitors and it was nice to see everyone!
Ready for a busy day after a good night's rest!
Reading Her Favorite Book with Mimi
Scarlett and her Cousins Jaxon and Emma...playing with them was a highlight for her! She LOVES to watch other kids.
Scarlett & Granddad
Scarlett & Grandmom
Great Aunt Carol
The Family
Finally Back Home & SOOO Tired!
Happy 7 Months Scarlett!
Ready for a busy day after a good night's rest!
Reading Her Favorite Book with Mimi
Scarlett and her Cousins Jaxon and Emma...playing with them was a highlight for her! She LOVES to watch other kids.
Scarlett & Granddad
Scarlett & Grandmom
Great Aunt Carol
The Family
Finally Back Home & SOOO Tired!
Happy 7 Months Scarlett!
Nov 5, 2008
Almost Crawling
Scarlett is so close to crawling. She's definitely mobile already; she knows how to scoot and wiggle around on the floor to get where she wants to go, but she hasn't done a text book "hands and knees" crawl yet. Here she is on the move. I had to use a little incentive...my secret weapon....car keys! (And her plays keys don't cut it; oh no, she knows the real thing from the fake that's for sure!)
Nov 3, 2008
Helmet Make-over!
Apparently the thing to do in the "Doc Band community" is to have them elaborately decorated. Every time we go for our weekly check-up we see so many cute helmets. Here's some pretty amazing examples from their website:
I was going to have hers painted but worried about the time she would have to be out of it in order for it to dry. I'm also weird about things matching so I almost just left it white since I can still put a bow in her hair. But I finally changed my mind again and decided to just decorate it myself with stickers. Mandy did this with London's helmet, and it was super cute. I think it looks much better, and it's not too loud so I think it will still look ok no matter what she's wearing.
I was going to have hers painted but worried about the time she would have to be out of it in order for it to dry. I'm also weird about things matching so I almost just left it white since I can still put a bow in her hair. But I finally changed my mind again and decided to just decorate it myself with stickers. Mandy did this with London's helmet, and it was super cute. I think it looks much better, and it's not too loud so I think it will still look ok no matter what she's wearing.
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