Drum roll, please ... The urologist said we could finally stop giving Susannah the preventative antibiotic, which she has taken in some form or another since the day she was born! The sonogram showed that the dilation in her kidneys is continuing to gradually decrease. The ureters weren't visible, a good sign because it probably means that they are no longer dilated at all. The odds of her needing any additional surgery are smaller and smaller. We'll go back to the doc in mid-March and if things continue down this path, we will be seeing him less and less in the future. Can I get an AMEN!!!
I have more good news to report: Ben got a promotion! I am so proud of him and so glad that his hard work has not gone unnoticed. Hooray, Hooray, Hooray!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
January Thus Far
First up, technical difficulties. We have some cute videos of Susannah that we took on the Flip camera we got for Christmas. But we can't get them to upload on the blog, which is annoying. If any Flip users have tips, please let us (by that I mean Ben) know. Otherwise we will just use youtube, I guess.
Back to January. We've been having fun. S had another little cold that turned into a respiratory thing, so that wasn't the best way to start off the year, but I think we are getting the hang of what to look out for to prevent it from getting too bad. She had a sonogram and bloodwork on Friday and I am still waiting for the doctor to call me with his thoughts. From what I could see, with my untrained and yet somewhat trained-through-time eye, is that her right kidney still looks really good and her left is the same if not a bit smaller. I could see the kidney tissue on both pretty clearly, so that is always a good sign. In general S has been super healthy and man life is so much more fun when your kid is not sick.
We had a wonderful brunch with Susan and Geoff a few weeks ago at their apartment in the Village. They knew Ben when he was a wee babe in the city and have been so wonderful to us as we navigate being parents in NYC. No pictures of that, I know, I know, but here is S back at home making good use of the toys that Susan picked out for her.
We've also been having playdates. I've gotten to know a couple of families in the building so we have some friends to visit when the timing works out. (Susannah's favorite friend though is probably the doorman, Freddy.) Here she is with Paige, a friend on the third floor who is actually her size.
Aunt Anne Louise and her bf Chris were around this weekend, and we headed out to the MoMa. it was too crowded to get into the Tim Burton exhibit so we were stuck with the usual Picassos and Klimts and Warhols. And a cool mandala-ish thing on the way home. Poor us.
I'm back in school this week with two classes -- both with teachers who have either written or edited some of my favorite nonfiction books. It's intimidating but so fun too.
Susannah's keeping warm, and oh so stylish too.
Back to January. We've been having fun. S had another little cold that turned into a respiratory thing, so that wasn't the best way to start off the year, but I think we are getting the hang of what to look out for to prevent it from getting too bad. She had a sonogram and bloodwork on Friday and I am still waiting for the doctor to call me with his thoughts. From what I could see, with my untrained and yet somewhat trained-through-time eye, is that her right kidney still looks really good and her left is the same if not a bit smaller. I could see the kidney tissue on both pretty clearly, so that is always a good sign. In general S has been super healthy and man life is so much more fun when your kid is not sick.
We had a wonderful brunch with Susan and Geoff a few weeks ago at their apartment in the Village. They knew Ben when he was a wee babe in the city and have been so wonderful to us as we navigate being parents in NYC. No pictures of that, I know, I know, but here is S back at home making good use of the toys that Susan picked out for her.
We've also been having playdates. I've gotten to know a couple of families in the building so we have some friends to visit when the timing works out. (Susannah's favorite friend though is probably the doorman, Freddy.) Here she is with Paige, a friend on the third floor who is actually her size.
Aunt Anne Louise and her bf Chris were around this weekend, and we headed out to the MoMa. it was too crowded to get into the Tim Burton exhibit so we were stuck with the usual Picassos and Klimts and Warhols. And a cool mandala-ish thing on the way home. Poor us.
I'm back in school this week with two classes -- both with teachers who have either written or edited some of my favorite nonfiction books. It's intimidating but so fun too.
Susannah's keeping warm, and oh so stylish too.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Never Too Late for Christmas
Yes, so I am a little behind on the blogging. All I can say is GET USED TO IT. As most everyone who reads this blog knows, we were down in Chattanooga for Christmas, and the festivities began December 23 with the Cranwells.
The only thing better than a baby at Christmas is two babies -- especially if one of them is not yours! We had a lot of fun this year at Dad and Sharon's because Susannah's cousin Willow was there with her parents, Jodi and my stepbrother Brad. Willow and Susannah are only a few months apart and they were great playmates. They didn't pull each others' hair and even shared toys!
Here they are sharing tips on how to manipulate their parents.
The girls with their grandparents -- getting all four to look at the camera at the same time was impossible.
Using Uncle Dakin as a play gym.
S and Uncle Brad
Cutie pie cousins
S patiently waiting for her turn on the cellphone.
December 24 was spent at the Collins, where Susannah, as you can see, had a number of wardrobe changes and ALL the attention.
Girl never says no to a banana.
Tell me more about this Santa guy please Moonpie.
Is that a picture of me in there?
She's good at throwing crayons, not so much drawing (yet).
Christmas morning we started at the Aplins with Jill's fabulous brunch. Clearly, mom hasn't had her coffee yet.
This is what S looked like after she finished her second breakfast of the day. (And to think, this time last year she hardly ate anything!)
checking her text messages.
We finished the day with Christmas at the McDonalds. I'm sad to say that our camera never made it out of the diaper bag though I am certain that someone somewhere got a few shots. Nevertheless, here's S with her great grandmother, the inestimable Mimi.
Though Ben and I got many great Christmas gifts, the best one came a few nights later, when, for the first time, we left Susannah with a group of her grandparents and spent a night at a beautiful spot called Gorham's Bluff, about an hour away from Chattanooga. As you can see, it was pretty awesome.
The only thing better than a baby at Christmas is two babies -- especially if one of them is not yours! We had a lot of fun this year at Dad and Sharon's because Susannah's cousin Willow was there with her parents, Jodi and my stepbrother Brad. Willow and Susannah are only a few months apart and they were great playmates. They didn't pull each others' hair and even shared toys!
Here they are sharing tips on how to manipulate their parents.
The girls with their grandparents -- getting all four to look at the camera at the same time was impossible.
Using Uncle Dakin as a play gym.
S and Uncle Brad
Cutie pie cousins
S patiently waiting for her turn on the cellphone.
December 24 was spent at the Collins, where Susannah, as you can see, had a number of wardrobe changes and ALL the attention.
Girl never says no to a banana.
Tell me more about this Santa guy please Moonpie.
Is that a picture of me in there?
She's good at throwing crayons, not so much drawing (yet).
Christmas morning we started at the Aplins with Jill's fabulous brunch. Clearly, mom hasn't had her coffee yet.
This is what S looked like after she finished her second breakfast of the day. (And to think, this time last year she hardly ate anything!)
checking her text messages.
We finished the day with Christmas at the McDonalds. I'm sad to say that our camera never made it out of the diaper bag though I am certain that someone somewhere got a few shots. Nevertheless, here's S with her great grandmother, the inestimable Mimi.
Though Ben and I got many great Christmas gifts, the best one came a few nights later, when, for the first time, we left Susannah with a group of her grandparents and spent a night at a beautiful spot called Gorham's Bluff, about an hour away from Chattanooga. As you can see, it was pretty awesome.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Feeling Better
Week in Review (12/07 - 12/12)
7 atomic diapers
3 projectile vomits
5 calls to the pediatrician
2 visits to the pediatrician
3 loads of laundry
2 sheet changes
2 new prescriptions
80 viewings of Baby Einstein's World Animal Adventure
1 baby finally feeling better
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
On and On
Grandma Moonpie letting me reach for something I am probably not supposed to have.
Cruising the hallway at Pat and Peter's on Thanksgiving
Checking out my auntie's boyfriend
Making myself at home with the hors d'oeuvres
Getting into the one kitchen cabinet that mom doesn't want me to get into.
Now I can rock a ponytail, sort of.
Well I wish I could say that we've been too busy to update the blog because we've been having too much fun, but the fact is it has been a rough around here lately.
It didn't start out that way. Mom was here the weekend before Thanksgiving, and Susannah recovered from her UTI went shopping and had lots of fun with Grandma Moonpie. Thanksgiving Day we had a fabulous dinner with Pat and Peter on the Upper West Side. Susannah was a total rockstar and stayed up til nearly 10pm. We snoozed and played and enjoyed a completely stress free weekend.
that Sunday though, S came down with a runny nose and by Monday morning her chest just didn't sound right. One doctor thinks she has asthma while the other thinks it is too early to tell. At any rate, now we have a nebulizer at home and Susannah was on all kinds of medicine for several days. A week later she seemed much better but her appetite was still down. Then she started having some diarrhea, which I thought was just her body expelling the mucus, but then she threw up last night and this morning and so I was back on the phone with the doctor.
She seemed better by the end of the day and hasn't thrown or had anymore diarrhea, and she was able to eat some breads and fruits. So I think whatever this is is on its way out, at least that is my fervent prayer.
People, I don't know what to tell you. I really miss the fun, robust, eating everything Susannah. My nerves can't take much more of this.
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