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Monday, November 29, 2010

coughing and coughing and coughing

So, early in October we all came down with a cold. Charlie never seemed to get over the lingering cough. It was really more of an annoyance than anything else, but October 28th I brought him in to the pediatrician just to have him looked at and make sure it was no big deal. We saw a doctor new to our office and she said she has seen a lot of kids with a cough that sticks around and his lungs sounded fine... no worries.

Days and weeks pass... on the 9th he went for his flu shot and I again mentioned the cough and they said no biggie. It seemed as if he was coughing more and more and it became obvious that he was having more trouble when he was running around playing hard. The cough would also flair up throughout the night. So, I called and made another appointment and brought him back in on the 15th. We saw Dr Gallagher, whom we often see and really like. I relayed all the information I just shared with you, she listened to him really well and deduced that the cough was being caused by excess saliva from teething (His two year molars are coming in on the bottom). We accepted this conclusion and had no real reason to question it since he was acting fine other than an aggravating cough.

Tuesday night before Thanksgiving Charlie spiked a fever and was obviously not feeling well. His temp was up to 102 and he just wanted to be cuddled. SO, we headed BACK to the ped's office and saw the nurse practitioner this time. I didnt even mention all of our previous visits and diagnoses, but he asked me to explain what his cough had been like before that day. I recounted everything I had told at the other visits and he put a whole new spin on things:

(1) what we were dealing with right now - the fever, the gunky cough, and (as he put it) the "snots" - was a cold and we just have to wait it out.

(2) the obnoxious cough we had brought him in for twice before this was probably caused by his reflux irritating his throat. The timing and manner in which the cough flared up points to this. He was already at his max dose for zantac (Dr Ratner had bumped it all the way up in August in hopes that it would curb the problems we were having then). So, we have discontinued the zantac and started him on prilosec. Its more challenging to administer because it is a pill that has to dissolve in his mouth and it is hard to tell if it is working or not, but we will go back and reassess right after Christmas.

BUT, considering all these facts, the "cold" that we are waiting out right now could possibly be the beginning of pneumonia that could have been caused by aspirating something into his lungs during a reflux episode. He had a really bad choking fit just a week before, so this is completely possible. When we were there, his lungs sounded clear, so its just a wait and see game. Last night was rough - lots of coughing and gagging. I talked to a nurse at the pediatrician's this morning and if he doesnt improve by tomorrow they want to see him to take another listen to his lungs.

So, that is our Charlie saga for now! We are hoping for a simple cold and a speedy recovery! The holiday season is off and running and we would hate for him to miss out!

Didnt even cry when he got his flu shot!!


Has been a bit picky with his eating,
but you can never go wrong with blueberries!!


Poor baby feeling the germy blues... :-(

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Thankful...

This year we are thankful for...

- the incredible growth and changes that we see in our little man everyday. He never ceases to amaze us!

- our health. Despite sniffles and sneezes along the way, all in all, we have all been blessed with good health this past year.

- the freedom to spend time together as a family doing things that we love.

- our home that suits us just fine. It may not be big or grand, but it is us and it is home.

- our family who continues to show us love and support day after day. We have thoroughly enjoyed seeing Charlie come to recognize and love each of them this past year and watch their love for him grow.

- the opportunities we have been given to connect with our community, giving us a sense of purpose outside our immediate world.

- our friends who have are an immensely important extension of our family and provide us with more and more reasons to feel incredibly blessed.

- the experiences we have had this past year: traveling and visiting with friends and family.

- the ability to stay home with Charlie every day. We know we are luckier than many in this respect.

- all the CDH families whom we continue to keep in touch with and have such a special bond with. Please know that you always hold a special place in our hearts and are a source of inspiration day in and day out.

- all our blog followers whom continue to lift us up and support us through our every day lives.

- our faith that gives us reason to believe that all is right with the world no matter what we are faced with.

- our love for each other than has been unwavering through our darkest moments. We have been shown that what we have is not typical and cherishing each other and our love is an absolute necessity in life.

- our love for our amazing son Charlie that continues to grow and blossom day after day. Every time we think it could not get any better, it always does.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!

The Peanuts crew at our friends' annual Halloween party


Wolverine hamming it up for the camera
while Charlie Brown looks on, baffled by it all


"hmmm.... lets see what I got... these look good..."


Charlie Brown posing like Joe Cool :-)