This n That

Puffy foot update: after reading the MRI, Doc says that the foot is simply filled with fluid, probably lymphatic.  There are no tumors, growths, or other weirdness.  All blood vessels look good.  They are confident that it's not going to hinder the development of the foot.  They are happy to "wait and see" if it resolves on its own before taking action.  Great news!

Grandma Joyce and Grandpa Mike were visiting this long weekend and one activity we did was to drive to the top of Mt. Evans.  Travis hopped out at Summit Lake (around 12,800') for a short hike to bag Mt. Spalding and then walk the ridge to Mt. Evans.  I got nervous about my stamina and the windy conditions and being away from Andrew, so I bailed on the hike.  I'm now even more motivated to get in shape and get some confidence back.

On top of Mt. Spalding

At the summit of Mt. Evans, we all climbed up the summit pile to the top.  I'm so proud of my parents for getting out there and braving the altitude.  Andrew came too, in the Ergo, for his first excursion above 14,000 ft.

Mt. Evans Summit: 14,264'

All bundled up for the windy weather

On Sunday evening, Grandma and Grandpa babysat Andrew so Mom and Dad could go on a date (putt-putt and BBQ).  Grandpa worked hard to give a fussy Andrew his bottle.  He didn't like it too much, but they got it done:

On the one hand, I'm glad that he prefers nursing to the bottle.  On the other hand, we definitely need to practice more with the bottle in preparation for going back to work.

Puffy foot: MRI at Children's

I have mentioned in passing before that Andrew was born with a puffy right foot.  He came out this way, which freaked the midwives out a little bit.  His foot hasn't really changed since then.  He's been examined by 4 doctors, including a pediatric orthopedic specialist, and many nurses who all have said the same thing: It has great circulation, all the proper reflexes are in place, the legs and footpads are symmetric, it doesn't seem to cause him pain, and he is able to stand on it/kick with it equally with the left foot.  We're not sure what is wrong, exactly, so we should just wait to see if it resolves on its own or if he grows out of it.

Our pediatrician originally surmised that it had fluid in there, as most swollen things do, then the ortho guy suggested that it was vascular - either blood vessels or lymphatic vessels that grew extras for whatever reason - and now we're back to thinking that it's fluid again.

Fascinatingly, it appears that Travis also had a puffy foot when he was born - his left.  His dad thought he remembered this, but we were able to confirm it in Ohio last week when we uncovered Travis's baby books and albums.  It turns out that Travis's mom wrote in a day planner *every single day for Travis's first four years of life.*  (Makes me feel like a slacker for keeping a mere blog.)  So here are a few entries from 1978 with regard to the foot:

Feb 6, 1978 (just over two months old): "We will go to Doctor's Hospital to get X-Rays taken of his left foot."

Feb 8: They saw the specialist, who recommended one of those orthopedic braces we all had with the bar between the shoes.  (This didn't have much to do with the foot, more with the "legs turning out."

Feb 18: They got the brace.  "Travis did good with his new shoes and bar on.  He did keep kicking them off - especially the left foot that is still swollen from birth."

March 6 (just over 3 months): They saw the specialist again.  "The swelling on his left foot is practically gone."

So Travis's seems to have resolved on its own.  Even more interesting, now we are hearing that there are family stories of a great-great-grandfather who had puffy ankles his whole life and a great uncle who had disproportionately large legs.  It's fascinating - this seems to be a genetic, inherited thing.

At any rate, Andrew's pediatrician decided it was time to take a look in there and see what's going on.  And because it appears to be a soft tissue thing, MRI was the tool of choice.  And because one needs to hold perfectly still for an MRI, and we have a squirmy worm, he had to be under general anesthesia for the procedure.

So yesterday, we, along with Grandma Joyce, headed over to The Children's Hospital for an MRI.

First they took his weight:

Then they took his history:

Took his blood pressure on his leg:

But he was so squirmy they needed to take it again on his arm:

 Then his pulse ox from his toe:

Then he flirted with Nurse Holly:

We met the anesthesiologist:

 He had to wait to eat because of the anesthesia, so when he started to get hungry, Grandma rocked and put him to sleep:

Then it was time to take him away.... and Mommy cried a little.  (God help me if he ever needs to have a serious procedure or surgery done.)

Grandma and I poked around the first floor of the hospital.  As hospitals go, Children's is a pretty fun place to hang out.  Then we sat in the cafeteria to wait for our pager to go off that he was in recovery.

He was still sleeping on the gurney when we got back, with his chin propped up and a nasal cannula helping him out with some oxygen:

This was the little face mask they used to give him nitrous - enough to relax him to get in the IV with the main anesthesia:

He slowly woke up and tried to nurse, though he was a little drunk and uncoordinated:

After a quick diaper change, we were good to go.

On the way home, as he woke up more, he realized he was super hungry, so Grandma soothed him by letting him give her finger a hickey until we stopped for a nursing break.  We finally made it home in spite of a monsoon that hit during rush hour and having to drive all the way across town.

Andrew was a champ and had a good evening and a good night in spite of the traumatic day.  We'll get the results of the scan soon...

Ohio

This weekend we flew to Ohio to visit Travis's family and friends in Orrville.  The flights there were extremely delayed in both Denver and Chicago due to thunderstorms.  We arrived into Akron/Canton just after 2am and got to bed just before 4am.  Luckily, that was the worst part of the weekend.  The rest was a busy blur of visits and fun.

This wooden cradle has been in Travis's family for over 150 years.

On Friday, Andrew met Jon (our tax guy and family friend), Rita and Raymond (very good friends of Grandma and Grandpa), Great Grandma Sarah, and Great Uncle Sid and Great Aunt Karen.  Uncle Sid and Aunt Karen came over for pizza, fried chicken, and six-handed euchre.  A good time was had by all.

Rita and Ray.  Ray also showed us around his machine shop and some of his current projects.

With Great Grandma Sarah in the nursing home, who brought her own baby doll.  It's not clear that she knew exactly who we were, but she smiled at Andrew, said his name, and stroked his legs.  Andrew has now met all of his living great-grandparents.

Great Aunt Karen is a natural!

Uncle Sid and Aunt Karen

On Saturday, after trips into Dalton for breakfast and down to the famous Lehman's Hardware for some shopping, we visited with Susan and her family.  We got to meet baby Perry for the first time.  It's hard to believe that he's currently four times older than Andrew (8 months), and yet in a few years he'll be "the same age."

In the evening, Josh came over with two of his boys, Max and Micah.  Josh was a teaching protege of Grandma Mary Ellen and a mentor to Travis.

Grandma rocks Andrew to sleep after his big day

On Sunday, we went to church with Grandma and Grandpa, where we met up with Gladys and Ray.  Gladys made Andrew some very thoughtful gifts, including a quilt featuring all the activities we love stitched on to each square.

Gladys.

Ray, Gladys, and the lovely quilt.

After church we headed down to Holmes County (Amish country) for a trek on a rails-to-trails path.  We hiked the four miles from Fredericksburg to Holmesville.  It was extremely hot and humid, but we were buoyed by Powerade and the novelty of the lush green countryside.

Amish buggy - the trail has a "buggy" side

We stopped to nurse at this bridge.  The guardrail provided a nice place to sit as well as some privacy.  

Before we headed to the fireworks we stopped in on cousin Big John and Joella.

We then staked out our spot for the best fireworks display in the tri-county area.

Tummy time

Grilling brats

"Fire in the Sky" championship softball game at Orr Park

Superman ride at the midway.  Note the Amish girls in front.

Andrew got really freaked out by the firecrackers going off right behind us, but he enjoyed the main fireworks display.  He watched the first 10 minutes or so from Daddy's lap, and then drifted off to sleep.

On Monday, we spent the morning going through Travis's baby books and baby photo albums.  Boy, does Andrew look EXACTLY like his dad!!  I'll have to scan in some pics and post them for comparison.  Grandma kept exceptional records.  She has journals in which she jotted down a few notes *every single day for Travis's first four years.*  This makes me feel like a slacker with just a blog and a baby book.  We found valuable information in those journals about Travis's "puffy foot" that he had at birth.  (More on the foot situation later this week.)

Grandma and Grandpa got to execute their first two diaper changes before we left for the airport:

The flights home were uneventful and on-time.  We're getting the hang of timing feedings around airplane schedules and running through airports.

Andrew's first international configuration - ORD-DEN on a 777 in Business Class

We also had a ton of fun playing with the overhead reading lights.  When we turned them on, Andrew would squint.  When we turned them off, he would open his eyes wide in this shocked expression.  It's sort of hard to see on the video, but trust me -- hours of fun for everyone!!