Explorer's First Birthday-A Little Late!

It's been a little crazy around here, but I can't believe I never got around to posting about Explorer's first birthday party!!  It was a lot of fun, just a little family get together.

The spread.  Sandwiches, cupcakes, grandma's homemade cookies, grapes, pink lemonade and apple cider. 

My MIL provided all the plates and cups from a benefit basket she bid on.  The table cloth was a 2.00 Hobby Lobby clearance find.

I found this tier stand for $1.00 at a yard sale this summer.  Finally had the right chance to use it!  I made yummy chicken salad sandwiches thanks to Sam's Club :).

I made little ones for Mini Cooper's birthday.  Now, they sell them for 1.99.  Things changed fast in 2 years!

The Pringles were a hit.

I've had this silverware holder for about 10 years.  It comes in handy so often!

The birthday girl!!

The hat went quickly.

.

Made a nice toy!

Cupcake time!

Riding in the wagon that Mini Cooper got for her Bitty Baby.  Fits human babies too, lol!

Checking out her gift from us, Baby Stella.  

We are so thankful to have been able to celebrate our little lady's first birthday.  God has been good to us!!

Updates on Explorer

I have had a few of you wonderful readers inquire about how Miss Explorer is doing.  

If you don't know what I'm talking about, you can read her story in parts here, here, here, here, and here. But, the short of her story is that last year when she was born, her jaundice stuck around longer then normal. At 8 weeks she still had jaundice and the doctor started checking out her liver enzymes.  They turned out to be high, so along came many specialist visits to figure out WHY her liver wasn't doing well.  

Truth is, they never-ever-found out what was wrong.  The doctors could not figure out WHY her levels were off.

What I realized I never told you about is that what they did find was that her Methylmalonic Acid was 10 times the normal level!!  You are asking what on earth is that??  Yeah, I hadn't heard about it until April, and now know more then I could have imagined.

You can get protein from two places, one the food you eat, and two when you have muscles breakdown.  Your body turns that protein into amino acids including 4 specific ones.  These Essential Enzymes combine with vitamin B12 to produce energy and growth.  If your body does not break down the amino acids correctly, you can have Essential Enzymes that can't bind with B12 and can't produce energy and growth.  This can lead to a build up one one or more of the Essential Enzymes and produce health problems.  The same can happen if you don't have enough B12.

Methylmalonic Acid is one of these Essential Enzymes.  And, since Explorer's was 10 times the normal level, it meant hers were not binding with B12.  Either she didn't have enough B12 or there was a problem with the way her Methionine was being made.  

That landed us in the Geneticists office.  With a new round of tests.  

First assumption was that, since she was strictly breastfed, it was because I was B12 deficient and so was she.  Neither of us were B12 deficient.  Theory went out the window.  

Second assumption was that, if she truly did have Methylmalonic Acidemia (the 'name' for this problem), she would not be able to pass the newborn screen test.  But, she had passed it, and running it again she still passed.  Theory out the window.

So, what was next idea?  Wait.  

In the meantime, many many many tests were run.  With this one a bit high and that one a bit off.  Nothing giving red flags, but some razing an eyebrow.  

Side note is that I found out many children with Autism have a high level of Methylmalonic Acid.  Interesting, huh?

So the doctor waited, and we PRAYED!!!  We prayed, our families prayed, or friends prayed, our Bible study group prayed, YOU prayed (thank you!!).

Back when we first found out Explorer was sick, I took her up to the altar at church and held her before the Lord.  I asked for His will in her life.  From that moment on, I was confident that His hand was on Explorer and that He would bring glory to Himself in Her illness and throughout her life.  I will always hold to that assurance.

Our last appointment was in July.  The Geneticist said that she didn't know what was wrong with Explorer.  She wanted to run every single blood test on her again.  If we still got bad results, she was calling a friend the NHS.  She was baffled.  

So, she took the tests.  A week later she called back.  Everything, everything but one lab was NORMAL!!!!  The only high lab is her Methylmalonic Acid.  But, it had been at around 2600 and was now down to 320!!!  

The nurse said-well it was probably a transient vitamin b12 deficiency.  

I love when health professionals have to draw at straws to explain away miracles!  It was obvious to me that God had chosen to heal Explorer!!  We are so thankful!!

We have one last appointment in November to get the official all clear.  We look forward to the good news!!

Thank you all for praying for our sweet baby girl.  We are more thankful then we can ever say!

God Bless you :)

Montessori Monday with Explorer!

Yes, you read that right!  It's Explorer's turn for the spotlight this week. 

 When she isn't napping, Explorer joins us in the school room, too.  There isn't a lot she can do since she doesn't sit or crawl just yet.  But, she loves to just be there with us and watch what we are doing.  I have plans to add a baby area to our room, but it's not done (or um, started) yet.

I do try to provide her with an object to Explorer on her mat.  Hopefully, this will help her get used to the idea of working on a mat, and learn about something new.

Last week, I added a mirror to the room just for her.  She LOVED it.  This isn't a new idea.  I have read many times about putting a mirror in a Montessori baby's environment.  She doesn't have her own space anywhere in our house, and likely never will, so I thought the school room would be a great place to put it.

It didn't take long until Explorer was joined by her siblings.  Apparently, mirrors aren't just for babies.  They have been have a wonderful time with this in our room.  It's kept Explorer busy for quite awhile, too!

Thanks for stopping by and God Bless!!

We're linked up: 

Explorer Update

We had our follow up with the GI doctor on Monday.  

It was a BEAUTIFUL 83 degree winter day (yes you read that right) for the two of us to drive our 5 hour-or so-round trip journey.  Explorer traveled wonderfully!  Thank God!!  

We arrived in plenty of time to have lunch and then head up to the office.  We were sent directly to the lab.  They had decided to rule out Cystic Fibrosis, even though she has no other symptoms.  So, she had to have a sweat test.  Let me tell you, that made ME sweat.  Scary looking test!!!

After the sweat test, they drew her blood.  She is too funny.  She cried when the nurse first stuck her, and then grinned at her.  Explorer is VERY friendly.  I'm also convinced that she knows how to say the word "Hi."  She said hi to the lab tech, two nurses and the doctor.  She said it when she first saw each one of them.  I am impressed.  Must be the homeschooling *snort.*

She has gained MORE weight.  She now weighs in at 18lbs 3 oz and is 26 inches long.  She's only 5 months old and was a preemie.  Um, can we say giant? :)

Lab results show that her enzymes are still elevated, but just slightly.  All the other tests have come back negative, so there is still no clear reason why.  I am so thankful that all the other tests are negative, though!!

We will have a repeat lab in 3 months, but we get to go to the local hospital.  No cool hospital and super nice doctor (not that our local isnt nice), but no huge drive so I'm very glad!!

You would never know that there was something 'wrong' with her if you saw her.  She is the happiest, friendliest, and biggest kid ever.  She loves her jumperoo, and is have a great time rolling over and trying to figure out how to crawl.  She is such a joy!!

Thank you all for your prayers!  I'll continue to update if I get more information.

God Bless and Happy St Patrick's Day!!

Explorer's Levels Are Going Down!

I received a great up date from our doctor's office about Explorer!!  Her levels are going down!!!

Her ALT levels had been 78 (I messed up on the last post) and it is now 73.  Normal is 3 to 40.  Her AST was 100 and is now down to 75!  The normal range is is 7 to 56.  

She did have a urine test that showed elevated Alkaline Phosphatase (I think this is what they said).  I have the number of 390, and a normal of 350.  I really don't know much about this particular number and I plan to research it in the next little bit.

Really good news is that all her tests came back clear!  Her thyroid function is okay, her genetic testing came back clear, and she doesn't have Hepatitis A.  

This means that, even though her levels are elevated, there is no reason they can find.  So, she has been diagnosed with Idiomatic Neonatal Hepatitis (AKA infant with inflamed liver and we don't know why).  

Since she doesn't have any threatening diseases, they are taking a wait and see approach.  Her next appointment wont be until March 12th.  If she develops any scary symptoms, I am to call them. But, otherwise, we pray that the levels keep going down.

I am so thankful for how God is healing Explorer!  I am looking forward to a clean bill of health in March.  In the meantime, she is busy growing!!  She gained another 12 ounces between appointments-yep almost a pound in just 2 weeks.  She'll be caught up to Mini Cooper in no time!

Thank you so much for all your prayers!!  There is nothing more precious to me then knowing you are lifting up my sweet little girl.

God Bless you all!!!

Update on Explorer

I want to thank you all so very much for all of your prayers and kind words over the last few weeks!!  I have been so encouraged by each and every comment and email I have received, you are all so wonderful!!

The last 2 weeks have been a whirlwind of Christmas and New Year's celebrations.  Thankfully, they kept me busy so I wasnt worrying about the upcoming tests for Explorer.  We had an amazing holiday, getting to see all but one aunt and uncle over the course of just 3 days time!!  The children received some amazing gifts from their loving relatives.  Many of them will be used in school, so you will be seeing them here!

Above is a photo of Explorer and my sister.  Explorer is wearing MY first Christmas dress that is *ahem* 32 years old!!  They dont make clothes like they used to!!

Today Explorer and I drove the trek to Children's without the rest of the family.  I have an amazing hubby who held down the fort (and even cleaned it) while I drove 3 hours to the hospital and then turned around and came back.  I'm also so thankful for Explorer who was the best passenger.  She slept all the way there and back!!

So, the positives that we found out at the appointment today:  

Explorer gained 12 ounces in just 2 weeks!!  Exclusively breastfed, too!! 

The test for the Alpha-1 genetic test was negative!!!  Thank God!

Her billirubin levels are back to normal (I might have told you this already).

Unfortunately, as I said before, her liver enzymes were still elevated at the last appointment.  Not only were they still elevated, they had gone up.  *Sigh*

There are 2 main types of liver enzymes (I am not sure if there are others, still learning here!) AST and ALT.  Normal AST level is 5 to 40, hers was 73.

Normal ALT level is 7 to 56, hers was 100.

The doctor said that these are still just moderately high, but he certainly wants to know what is causing the problem.  He checked her over again today to verify that she hasnt developed any abnormalities since he saw her last.  Thankfully, she is a growing, happy, and seemingly healthy baby girl-so she passed that test.  

After the appointment with the doctor, we went for another blood draw.  The dr is testing for a nice long list of things including thyroid function, Hepatitis A, and a virus called CMV.  He also said that he is going to do a genetic testing panel (I think I am saying this right).  The DR let me know that we may never find out what is causing the problem, but if the enzymes dont go down we will keep moving forward until either they go down or the cause is found.  We should have test results in the next few days.

One thing I am really thankful for in all this is the opportunity to see that Explorer is healthy!  They did the ultrasound of all her organs at the last appointment, so I know that they are all currently working well.  It helps to give me peace of mind for the future!

I would really appreciate continued prayers until we get a clean bill of health for Explorer!  I am trusting that we will get it soon.  But, we will wait on the Lord and His perfect timing!!

On another note, we are back to school this week so I will be getting some schoolish posts (and a new printable pack!) up soon.

Even Explorer has been learning some new things.  To lift her head.

And smile :).

Thanks for checking in on us!  God Bless!!

Explorer is Okay! And a Few More Details, too.

Yesterday, Explorer and I headed into the hospital for a day of tests and appointments.

We actually opted to stay the night at my parents house, they live MUCH closer to the hospital then we do.  My mom even dropped us off on her way to work so that DH and the other kids could stay and grandma and grandpas for the day.

  I have to tell you, this children's hospitalt is AMAZING!!  The radiology department was decorated like a baseball dugout and had sports stuff everywhere.  I was very impressed!  The staff is very friendly and helpful, too.

First up, was the ultrasound. The ultrasound went well.  Turns out that our tech was from our hometown.  She was easy going and friendly.  Explorer even talked to her a little bit.  It was cute.

Then came the 5 hour wait between the u/s and her Drs appointment.  Ug.  I spent a lot of time in the cafeteria. It's a beautiful space with atrium windows and a hot air balloon.  I learned that donuts and bacon are the only yummy breakfast foods in the cafeteria.  Dont eat the eggs...just dont. 

I checked out the rest of the place, too.  The roof top deck was so neat, sadly it started raining right after we got up there so we had to leave.  The playrooms, library, parent's spaces-all lovely.  

Finally, it was time to head to the Dr's office.  5 stars for a friendly, easy to understand doctor that explains everything!!  And 5 stars to a great staff.  I found out that Explorer officially weights 14 lbs-double her birth weight-all breast milk.  Go Explorer!!

After talking to him, I found out the real reason why we were there!  I'm so glad we went!!

Okay, ready for some technical stuff???

There are TWO types of bilirubin.  The first type, unconjugated, or indirect, is the kind that you always hear of.  It is the kind that causes babies and adults to turn yellow.  There is also a second type called, conjugated or direct.  Direct bilirubin is what happens to the indirect.  Essentially, the liver breaks down the bilirubin and makes it water-soluble so that it can be excreted from the body in urine.  It is then called indirect bilirubin.  For some reason, if the liver isnt excreting the indirect bilirubin correctly, it can wind up in the blood stream.  Explorer had some elevated levels of indirect (normal jaundice), but she also had elevated direct levels along with elevated liver enzymes.  And, these showed up on more then one blood draw.  Okay, NOW, we have a reason to call special doctors.  I wish that my local Dr had told me, but I understand how that doesnt always happen.

After reading online, I have found out that these levels can indicate problems with the liver, or possibly with the spleen or gall bladder, and lastly the kidneys, which explains the ultrasound of all Explorer's organs.  They all checked out-perfect!!!

The Dr at Children's did run labs after the appointment and is checking her levels again.  He is also running a test for Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency.  Which you can read about here:  http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/alpha1def.htm if you are so inclined.  But, he doesnt think that anything is wrong with her.

I want to thank you all so much for your prayers for Explorer!!!  

The results could have been very different, and I am so thankful for God's grace in allowing a healthy scan.  As I roamed the halls and sat in the cafeteria yesterday, I saw many families dealing with some really hard things.  I know that my God would have been God regardless of the answers yesterday, and that He would have extended enough grace to cover us had we needed more.  But, I am so very thankful that He has decided to answer our prayers with a clean bill of health for Explorer.

So thank you, so very, very much for lifting us up and covering us in your prayers over the weekend.  I am forever grateful!

I pray you are having a fun and healthy week as you prepare to celebrate the birthday of our Lord and Savior through whom all blessings flow!!!

Merry Christmas and God Bless you!

It's Probably Nothing, But...

Wednesday I received two messages on my voice mail.  The first was from our pediatrician.  It said to please call their office.  The second was from another doctors office saying that we had been referred to their office and they could get us in Monday.  Not exactly the kind of messages I like to get.

So, I quickly call the ped's office.  I am told that our Dr is concerned about how slowly Explorer's billirubin levels came down.  They were coming down, and nearly gone, but at a slower then normal rate.  She had called another Dr at the Children's Hospital and together they felt it was best if we took Explorer in to see if there are any underlying issues.  They said it's probably nothing, but they want to be safe.

I'll be honest, I started questioning whether this was necessary,  And, the fact that Children's is nearly 3 hours away and it's the week of Christmas didnt help my reluctance to make the appointment.  I mean, she LOOKS healthy, as the jaundice is gone and she is growing like a weed-already doubled her birth weight.  And, I really didnt want to drive down!

So, I started praying.  Praying that a few phone calls to the Dr.'s office would change her opinion.  Praying that speaking with my husband, he would say that we werent going to go.  Praying that in posting to Facebook I would get enough friends who agreed with me and would give me the courage to say we weren't going.  My prayers were answered...but not the way I wanted.

Calling the Dr.'s office I asked about doing another blood draw in hopes that she was finally in the normal level range.  That's when I found out they were worried about the speed and not the level.  Speaking with my DH, he left it up to me, but was reluctant to say we shouldnt go.  Speaking with my friends on Facebook actually produced my most convincing results to change my mind. I received an email from a high school friend who is now the pediatric hepatology nurse coordinator at another hospital.  In other words, she works in the exact same department as the one we would be going to-just somewhere else.  I dont know about you, but it isnt everyday that I have someone who works in the exact medical field I have questions about pipe up to give advice.  My best bet is usually some article I found on Google (that sends me into a panic attack because of all the 'what ifs' lol).  So, yeah, I am pretty sure God answered my prayers with a "No, you should go."

So, we are going.  Tomorrow morning, bright and early, Explorer and I are headed into Children's Hospital for an 8 am ultrasound.  She cant eat after 4 am-so that out to be interesting.  Years ago I used to volunteer at this hospital at Christmas time (when I lived nearby not in the middle of nowhere).  I went to spread cheer to the families having to deal with health issues during the holiday season.  I never once dreamed I would someday be one of them.  I'm glad I was able to get most of my Christmas preparations done early.

It might sound weird, but I'm a little worried about how everything has worked out.  Apparently, there is usually a 2 month wait to see this Dr.  BUT, the day we were referred there was a cancellation and the receptionist made a point to save it for us before she had even spoken with us.  Again, I'm so thankful about the quick appointment, but a little worried, too.

I know that there is probably nothing, and that is what everyone has said, but, I would still appreciate your prayers that Explorer is the healthy little girl that we think she is.  Either way, I am thankful that the Lord seems to be making it obvious that He is going before us in this situation.  I know that He is in control and that He will be glorified no matter the outcome!    

I pray that you are all having a great Christmas season and are getting ready to celebrate the best gift of all, our Lord Jesus.  

Merry Christmas and God Bless!

Explorer's Birth Story

Wednesday evening the 28th, my water broke, but hadnt really had contractions yet. A few in the morning, but they pretty much all stopped as soon as my water broke. I decided to stay home and try to get labor started since I had this happen with both Charger and Mini Cooper and I knew I didnt want to have pitocin or an epidural. With Charger, I didnt try to do anything and when straight to the hospital where they hooked me up to the pitocin right away. With Mini Cooper, I had stayed home, walked around, did a lot of stuff and got to the hospital in labor. With her I had no pit and no epi and I was happy.
So, Wed night I walked, used my birthing ball, took a bath, etc, etc....nothing. I only had contractions when I layed down. I tried all night. Thursday MIL was great and came to watch the kids so we could go to the hospital. We-DH, my mom and I-even stopped over at Walmart to buy a car seat to take Explorer home in (our old one was expired) and STILL no contractions.

Got to the hospital which was CRAZY busy. So busy that my first room was literally the size of a closet. Apparently they never even use the room and all the nurses were apologizing that I was in there and promising me another room as soon as possible. As expected, they hooked me up to the pitocin as my water had been broken for about 16 hours at that point. We all suspected it would just take a few hours and Explorer would be born, as the others had been pretty quick once I was at 5. I came in at 3, so we figured getting to 5 would just take a few hours and then it would be an hour or 2 passed that. HA, little did we know.

The pitocin drip was started somewhere around 2:15 and shortly after they moved me into a HUGE room. The nurses kept increasing the pitocin, but I was feeling hardly any contractions. They increased it by 2 for 12 hours until at 1 the next morning I was receiving 20 ml (per hour I think),the max dose they will give, and had not really felt ANY contractions. And I had no cervical change to speak of.

I was scared at that point that I was going to have a c-section because it had been 28/29 hours since my water had broken. I had a terrible melt down, knowing that the hospital has a no VBAC policy and I didnt want to worry about that then. The doctor decided to turn off the pitocin drip, leave it off for 2 hours and then start again. So, that's what they did. I got to take a hot shower and relax for about 2 hours.

When they hooked the pitocin back up, my hand immediatly started to burn like crazy. The nurse decided to take off that IV and start in another. I think that was a miracle that I really needed!

Once the IV was moved into the other arm, it only took a few minutes to start feeling the contractions. I progressed to 5 within an hour. The doctor wanted me to have the epidural since there was still the chance I might need to go for a c-section, but mostly because he thought it would relax me to dilate faster. I knew that could be the case, plus I hadnt had sleep in a LOOOOOOOONG time by that point and agreed to the epi. And being on my 2nd bag of Pitocin natural birth was waaay gone anyways.

Thankfully, by 7 AM-pretty much the 'cut off time' I was at a 7, and they were no longer talking c-section.

Explorer was FINALLY born at 9:23 am on Friday the 30th, 37 hours after my water broke, and after nearly 19 hours of attempted induction, but only 6 1/2 hours of active labor. I only pushed twice.  She weighed 6lbs 15oz and was 20 inches long, even though she was born at 36w 4d.  God has truly blessed us again!


We are loving our new little lady!  There are many fights over who gets to hold her and she is nursing well.  The jaundice is down to a safe level, so we are done with the Billi-blanket.  I'll blog more about that soon.  

God Bless you!

She's Here!!!!!!!

I am so excited to introduce to you our newest little lady!!

Miss Explorer was born Friday, September 30th at 9:23 am.  37 1/2 hours AFTER my water broke.  Needless to say, her labor was nothing like I had planned or imagined, but I learned a lot and prayed a lot and by the grace of God she was born healthy and vaginally.  It was crazy, but oh so worth it. 

I hope to get her birth story and more pictures up later this week.  We are dealing with a bit of jaundice so I wont be around much this week. 

The give away for Gabby, God's Little Angel will still end tomorrow, October 4th, at midnight. So, dont forget to enter.

Have a great week & God Bless!!