More Doctor Visits! Are You Kidding Me?

As if we hadn't been to the doctor enough lately- for Addie- now I've gotten to go more- for me.

After that fun little dizzy thing a few weeks ago (see "Dizzy Dame" below), I went back in to the ear, nose, and throat doctor for a little follow-up. He wanted to get my thyroid checked since it felt a little enlarged to him so off I went for 1) a thyroid ultrasound, and 2) a blood test (goodie goodie).

The results showed that my thyroid is a bit enlarged and my TSH levels are off, indicating something isn't quite working right in there, so this morning I got to go see an endocrinologist. (Seriously, I can't keep straight all these doctors! I have to keep a master list!)

He said that I have hypothyroidism, which, to make a long story short, is making me feel fatigued and have some memory loss (i.e. not being able to remember the names of all the doctors). And I just thought it was because my child won't sleep through the night! Seriously, it is a BIG blessing that the ear nose & throat doctor picked up on the fact that my thyroid seemed enlarged and had tests done. The blood test showed that my TSH levels- which indicate a properly working thyroid- were at 58. They should be at about 2, with medication we should get them to about 3! Whoa!

I'll be starting a new medication at the end of the week, after the doctor looks over the results of more bloodwork that was done today to double-check everything. He says I should start feeling "normal" again within a week or two. Are you kidding? I DO feel normal! Having energy will feel so abnormal!

We have a lot to learn about this new adventure in Niki's body. The doctor says it will probably be something I take medication for for the rest of my life. It also might explain a lot of things in my medical past though, which is kinda great and interesting. We'll keep you posted as we learn more!

Can You "Bee"lieve It?!

Saturday night, after a long day out, we were in Old Town Pasadena with Auntie Kimi at Johnny Rockets, having dinner, when BAM! A nasty, evil little attacker bee came right at our darling and stung her! Greg, also known as Super-Daddy, realized what had happened right away and got the stinger out before I even knew what was happening. The first few minutes were terrible! Addie was screaming and we got to sit there feeling helpless waiting to see if she would have an allergic reaction. Thankfully, she was fine. She found great solace in being held by daddy, who is very calming. Before long she settled down and spent the rest of the evening looking traumatized, but sedate.

I will post some pictures of this monumental event when I get them from Kim's camera (our wasn't with us- shocking).

The Beach!

Yeah! Addie finally made it to the beach! It was cold and windy, but we had a great time! Addie isn't as yet a beach person- she just wanted to be held close and kept warm away from the wind.
Kim takes her first step onto the California beach! (though she has been to many many Oregon and Washington beaches, she hadn't been to a California beach yet).

 

Andria's for Fish & Chips

Aunti Kimi & Addie had to be introduced to the greatest fish & chips in Southern California- Andria's in Ventura. Yum yum!









Addie is wearing her new and fabulous sweat suit from Niki's Uncle Stew & Aunt Wendy (soooo cute!).
A little diaper change in the car and off we go to the beach! 

Simply Fabulous Dahling!

Wearing Auntie Kimi's Coach sunglasses I look just fabulous- don't you think?! 

A Big Relief

We got in to see the Pediatric Cardiologist today (a lot earlier than we expected due to a cancellation). He was a very good doctor and put us at ease. He listened to Addie's heart, said he did hear a faint murmur, but not one that alarmed him. Then Addie got a little baby EKG, which was fascinating to watch. The nurse stuck little stickers all over her body, then attached sensors to the stickers and the machine read the information. The doctor said that based on the sound of the murmur and the results of the EKG (which looked great), he feels there is nothing to worry about. She has what is called an "innocent" murmur. What a BIG relief! If she hasn't outgrown the murmer in 6 months, he'll take another look just to be extra careful. We sure appreciated his calming manner and kindness!

As for the screaming and lack of sleep, Addie has really improved over the last few days. She is a happier kid than we've ever seen her. She still protests each nap, but we've come to expect that from her. At least now she goes to sleep eventually, instead of screaming for over an hour. Anyway, thanks for all your concern! Boy are we glad to report such good news!

Easter Sunday

Here is Addie in her TWO Easter outfits.


The yellow dress, which was for Sunday morning at church (thank you Mamaw for making sure I looked sooooo good)....












and the cute floral onesie and pink pants for the afternoon meal. Of utmost importance for the occassion- Addie is wearing her bunny slippers (of course!).

When was the last time you had this much fun?

Grant Kropf- what a cutie!
 

The Gang's All Here

Easter fun at the Kropf's apartment- we had lots of friends from church there! Some of those pictured:

Niki with Kathy Armstrong & Shannon McHenry (whom Addie adores). In the foreground is Erin Kaneversky.




Amy Haddock plays Connect Four with Colter Kaneversky.

McKenna Kaneversky hams for the camera with Grant Kropf.









Niki is her animated self while enjoying a chat with Archie Fukishima.











Archie and Jim Davis also chat it up.

Baby/ Parent Dedication

An exciting Sunday morning for us! Today was the Baby/ Parent Dedication ceremony at church (aka: show off your baby Sunday).

Here are some shots of us with Addie. Next to us in some of the shots are Chris & Brooke Kropf with their son Grant.

Some Health Updates

Well there has been a lot happening here since the last post- so a quick upsate seems to be needed!
Addie had her 4 mo. check up this week. Mom got to ask a lot of questions and Addie got her shots. Yuck! She was in true Addie form- screamin' and hollerin' the whole way through. Though LOUD, it was helpful for the doctor to see why I was concerned about how much crying our little girl does. Doctor agreed that on the greater spectrum, Addie is more towards the "problem child" side of things (her words, not mine) than the average kiddo. Sounds bad, I know, but encouraged me- at least I don't have to wonder if she screams so much because I am just doing something wrong.
The doctor also thinks Addie may have some reflux issues going on, a good start in an explanation for why she can scream and scream, and perscribed Zantac for her. So Wed. we started her into the world of Zantac, which has a nice minty flavor that Addie thinks DOES NOT suit her.
We also found out at the doctor's office that Addie has cut her first tooth. Why didn't we know this before? Because it was a molar! Those teeth aren't suppossed to appear for a loooooong time still. It was hiding out way in the back! This also explains some of the screaming and yelling.
Unfortunately, starting Wednesday, Addie's behavior became quite strange and she began screaming even louder, then being a zombie, waking at odd times, acting hysterical. We had some very unhappy overnight times and by Friday she basically went 7 hours without taking a nap. We were suspiscious of the Zantac, but the doctors were thinking probably the reflux was to blame.
Finally we got to take her back to the doctor on Saturday morning. (we are getting to know everyone there very well now). The doctor asked a lot of questions and really put on his thinking cap. He ruled out a lot of easy explanations (virus, flu, ear infection, etc.) and basically still thinks it's the reflux, with a possible reaction to the Zantac of a headache, but we're just still not sure. So we're watching our girlie closely while we keep giving her the medication. Saturday night and Sunday morning seem to have shown some improvement, we just need more time to tell.
The big revelation that came from our Saturday visit and seemed to distract us from the reflux issue was that the doctor found that Addie has a heart murmur. Since this hasn't been found previously, since Addie's behavior lately is pretty strange, and especially since Niki's sister had a serious heart defect that required open-heart surgery during childhood, the doctor wants us to take Addie to a Pediatric Cardiologist. We know that most heart murmurs are not serious and are outgrown, so we are trying to hold back from worrying until we see the cardiologist and know a little more. We will call the office Monday and make an appointment and of course keep you all posted when we know more!

Love is in the Air

Here is me and Addie. This is her new favorite way to be held and she will almost rest her head on my shoulder. I love it! 

The Swaddling Saga

Alas, our stubborn little daughter just won't go to sleep if her arms aren't swaddled. BUT she now wants to put her fingers in her mouth also. So she cries if swaddled, cries if not swaddled. In desparation, we are trying to train her out of needing to be swaddled to go to sleep. Our present state is to swaddle her half-way (shown) and let her cry herself to sleep. ***sigh*** This battle is exhausting for Mommy & Daddy! 

Outside in the Sunshine

A nice warm day gave us the chance to get outside in the fresh air a little bit. Here we are in the courtyard of our apartment building with Grant Kropf- who was prooving his masculinity by eating dirt! 

I'm standing!

With a little help from Daddy, here is Addie getting her legs under her.

Every time I see it I hear a phrase from a movie in my head-- "Sure I'm sure, I'm STANDING aren't I?" Just for Auntie Kim who watched this movie with me a lot- can you name that movie????
 

Highchair Time!!!

In preparation for solids- coming soon we think- we have gotten Addie a highchair and started spending time in it. We think this chair is the coolest because it attaches to our existing chairs! (We don't have a lot of room for some behemoth highchair in our kitchen).

Caught in the Act

It seems we have a hussy on our hands!

On Sunday at church Addie was sitting on the floor next to our friends' baby, Dylan. We looked over to see the two reaching for each other and grabbing hands. Well, Brooke and Grant were over the next day and while I was relating this funny story to Brooke, we looked down to see Addie and Grant doing the same! (this picture is our attempt at recreation of the event, the toy was not there before).

I'd like to blame these forward young men, but it seems the common denominator is our little girl. 

Timmy Knows How To Get What He Wants

When Timmy wants to be petted, he'll try anything. These are some shots of him trying to get Addie to pet him! If she so much as sticks out her hand, he'll be there rubbing under it!