Operation "Sleep in Our Own Beds" is a SUCCESS!!

Even though I am extremely thrilled about Emma FINALLY sleeping in her own bed, I'm also secretly kind of sad!  She is growing up so fast!  I really think if I could, I would pause Emma and Madi's age to stay here forever!  I remember the first night we brought Emma home from the hospital, when it was time to go to bed, I asked Nick, "What do we do now?"  He said "Just put her in the bed with us!"  I said "But we're not supposed to...the books so no!"  He was like, "Well, unless you are going to send her home with whoever wrote the book, put her in the bed so we can all sleep!!"  And she's been right between us ever since!  I have attempted to get her out of our bed several times.  She was sleeping in her crib from about 8 weeks-12 weeks, but then she started teething and waking up all night, and not going back to bed unless I was holding her.  So she went back to bed with us.  Then when she was about a year old, I tried again...But her Daddy kept going to get her (while she was still asleep) when he got ready to go to bed and put her in the bed with us!  He said it was the only time she let him cuddle with her!  As time went on, we have also tried the mattress on the floor in our room and me laying down with her in her bed, but nothing has worked.  I even bought a small flat screen tv with dvd player to go in her room so she could watch a movie while she fell asleep, but as soon as the tv went off, she'd come running to our room!  While I was pregnant with Madi, I fixed up the girls a bedroom and turned Emma's room into the playroom.  Emma said that she would need to sleep in there to take care of little sister!  But, up until now, I haven't really wanted Madi all the way across the house from us.  But now she is 4 months old and has been sleeping all night since she was about 8 weeks, so I thought it may be time to send her to her crib and Emma to her bed!  (It has been Madi, me, Emma, then Nick all in the same bed!  Yes, it is a king, but it is so not big enough! Emma takes up the whole bed!)  So we set a goal with Emma...seems like she has to "gear up" for stuff!  I told her she could start having spend-the-night company and spend-the-night with her friends if she'd start sleeping in her bed.  She said she would when she turned 4.  Well, she doesn't turn 4 until December 11, but we already had her "friend party," so for the last couple of weeks she has been trying to sleep in her room with Madi in her crib.  The first few nights, I would lay down with her until she fell asleep and then sneak out.  After about 30-45 minutes she would wake up and come SCREAMING through the house to our room!  She gets in this weird state where she talks out of her head...I'm not sure if she is dreaming or what!  One night I even found this:

She was trying to bring her blankie with her, but instead tore all the covers off of her bed and knocked over their Christmas tree in the process!!  Bless her!!  BUT  for the last 2 nights (and I may be jinxing it!) she has slept ALL night in her bed!!  I am very proud of her!  It has been the best worst-night's sleep I've ever had!  Best because I don't have Emma's knees in back all night and worst because I keep waking up expecting her to come running in there.  And now, of course, Madi is starting to teeth and so is waking up about 1 am, and I go get her and put her in the bed with us...but at least she starts out in her bed...right??  Probably repeating a mistake!  But I also don't want Madi to feel left out or like we didn't love her because we didn't let her sleep with us!  I know...I'm crazy!! 

Emma's School Day Pictures!

Emma looked so cute all decked out in her Chez Ami outfit for School Day pictures!  This is a picture from my phone of the picture, so I know the quality is not the best!

Carroll Christmas Cards!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday with Nick's family!  We first met at PaPa Tony and CeeCee's, because CeeCee wanted to TRY to get a family picture of the whole crew for their Christmas card this year!  With four grandkids, it is definitely geting more dificult, but overall, turned out pretty good!!  Then we all went to Mammaw Carroll's for some delicious turkey, dressing, peas, the works!!  We left Ponotoc and went to Mammaw Nancy's for more good cooking and birthday cake for Nick and Jay!!  Emma had so much fun playing with her cousins all day and it was great seeing everyone! Madi also enoyed her first Thanksgiving, which was also her 4 month birthday!

Such good looking Carrolls!!

Jay, Misty, Caleb, and Layla

Our Family!

The Carroll Grands!

"Voicemail"

Last night I was checking my voicemail because my friend Christy and I had been playing phone tag.

Nick to me: "What are you doing?"
Me to Nick: "Just checking my voicemail"
Nick to Emma: "Emma, do you have voicemail?"
Emma to Nick: "No, I have girl smell...see?!"  and proceded to lift her arm and sniff!!! 

Guess she thought he asked her if she had "boy smell"!

Happy 4 Months Madi!

Madi will be 4 months on Thansgiving Day (November 24)!

She weighed right at 15 pounds last Thursday at her doctor's appointment at LeBonheur.  She is getting to be such a big girl!  She is such a sweet baby and laughs all of the time!  The ONLY time she cries is when she throws up.  You can get the details of her symptoms as to why we had an appointment at LeBonheur from my previous post (Madi's Appointment), but basically she was vomitting everytime she took a bottle and had stopped pooping by herself (without me giving her a glycerin suppository)...I know, I don't see how in the world she was still gaining weight!  Thanks for all of your prayers!  I know that God is the one that orchestrated her appoinment at LeBonheur!  I had originally gotten an appointment with another doctor on Dec 21, but they called me back and said I could get in with Dr. Corkins, because he was new and didn't have an extensive patient base yet.  I was expecting someone within 10 years of being out of school, but was so wrong!  They also told me to call everyday, because they have cancellations all the time, but I never could get in any earlier.  Dr. Corkins is actually just new to LeBonheur...as the chief of staff!  He has 20+ years specializing in pediatric nutrition!  EXACTLY who we needed to see!  I felt like he really listened to me and LoLo and even knew exactly what I was fixing to say next...like he'd seen this before!  He never once made me feel crazy that I was there, even though my baby is 90% on height and weight!  I took the disc of her Upper GI test and he watched it.  He examined Madi very well, and she loved him!  Anyways...he thinks that ALL of her issues stem from her protein allergies.  There are 2 amino acid based formulas on the market- EleCare and Neocate.  Everything I read about them grouped them together, so I just picked EleCare.  She did great on the EleCare formula for about 4 weeks, then her vomitting got much worse and she quit having dirty diapers.  Dr. Corkins explained that Nutramigen starts as milk proteins, but is hydrolyzed so that 90% of kids do not react to it.  Madi was one of those 10% that did.  He says that EleCare actually starts out as milk proteins also, but is hydrolyzed so much that there is only like 0.0001% proteins left in it.  He says he has had 2 babies in 20+ years (a LOT of babies) that still reacted to it, and he thinks Madi is #3!  This means she has severe protein allergies, and we will have to introduce food very slowly and very carefully!  I'm not looking forward to extensive food allergies, but maybe she will outgrow some of it (which he says not likely if she picked up on the teeny teeny amount of protein in the EleCare formula), but we will deal with that when it comes!  Neocate is man-made and is purely amino acids...NO chance for being allergenic!  Dr. Corkins said she may also have a "sluggish stomach", which means she has motility issues, but he thinks even that is because of the inflammation built up in her digestive tract.  So, we started on Neocate Infant formula on Friday, November 18th, and he said we should note a remarkable difference within 1 week, and she should be 100% better within 2 weeks!!  Madi was about the same on Friday and Saturday.  But, Saturday night, I didn't even have to change her pj's!!  That's a first!  I was so excited, because she didn't throw up Sunday morning either, but did vomit BAD Sunday evening.  She also pooped by herself this morning (Monday)!  So...maybe we are on our way!!  If she is not 100% better within 2 weeks, Dr. Corkins is going to put her on a very low dose of erythromycin.  He says erythromycin actually binds to the motility receptors in the stomach to increase motility.  It is my understanding that if we have to do this, it will be short-term and then the Neocate should do the trick!  I am so happy to finally have some answers!!  Hopefully Madi will feel better too...SOON!!

Such a sweet baby!!

Madi loves to sit in her Bumbo!

Madi also loves the Jumperoo!!  She just hollers and sings along with it!

It was actually Emma's idea to put the Bumbo under her so she could reach to stand up in!  Thanks Big Sis!

Madi is still trying to roll over, but hasn't got it just yet.  She doesn't like to lay on her stomach because of her issues...after about 2 minutes, she starts screaming and when we pick her up she pukes everywhere!  Bless her!  Maybe we can get her straightened out soon!

Emma's Thanksgiving Feast at School

Emma's school had their Thanksgiving Feast last Thursday, November 17th!  This was also the ONLY day I could get Madi an appointment at LeBonheur, so LoLo and I did not get to go to Emma's program. :( But, Nick and Mammaw Nancy both attended for Emma, so she was more than fine that I wasn't there!  I made certain Nick took the video camera and actually used it (or else!!!), so I got to see them in action!  All of the kids sang and did the motions to several songs they do at chapel, and Emma's class did a special song that goes like this:
"The turkey is a funny bird
His head goes Bobble Bobble
And he only knows one word
It's Gobble Gobble"
We practiced it everyday leading up to the big production!  Thankfully, Aunt Anna Claire took some pics for me!!

Madi's Appointment

FINALLY!!  We have been (not-so) patiently waiting for Madi's appointment with the pediatric GI specialist at LeBonheur, and we are finally going tomorrow!  November 17th can not get here fast enough!  For those of you with sick babies, you know exactly what I mean!  I can not stand for either of my kids to feel bad and want so deperately to help them feel better...no matter what!  Poor little Madi has gotten so much worse every week, and now she SCREAMS and CRIES every time she throws up and just looks up at me, like "why can't you do something?"  Breaks my heart!  Hopefully, we will get some answers tomorrow, but I'm not getting my hopes too high...I have a bad feeling that they aren't going to do anything because she is still gaining weight and not "failure to thrive," but I am looking forward to another opinion!  So, in preparation for tomorrow, I am typing all of this here so I can print it off and take it with me.

Madilyn Lee Carroll
0-4 weeks
- On Enfamil Infant formula (concentrate)
- NO spitting up (besides normal "burp spit-up")
- Regular bowel movements (2/ day, usually about 5 am and 5 pm)
- Very red/ splotchy skin (especially on her bottom)
- Never seemed satisfied, even right after finishing a bottle

4 weeks
- Started having terrible diarrhea (very runny and foul smelling)- 3-4 everyday
- Started spitting up her whole bottles
- Dr. changed to soy- Enfamil ProSobee (concentrate)

4-6 weeks
- Skin cleared up
- ProSobee seemed to satisfy her more
- Became extremely constipated with very hard "balled-up" stools following glycerin suppository administration
- Started "colic cry" every night for 1-2 hours
- Obvious stomach discomfort with pulling legs in and screaming
- Dr. prescribed Miralax- gave a little bit in bottle morning and night- would make her have a BM, but seemed to cramp her stomach

7 weeks
-Started back spitting up a lot worse
-Dr. changed her to Nutramigen
- After 3 bottles had extreme diarrhea (everywhere)
- After 4th bottle, broke out in red splotchy rash from head to toe
- Changed her back to ProSobee
- Still screaming for 1-2 hours every night
- After researching milk protein allergy/ sensitivity, I ordered in several cases of EleCare Infant formula (amino acid based)
- After 3 days, no more "colic cry" and she started pooping unassistedly

8 weeks
- Spitting up worse- Dr. prescribed Prevacid 15mg solutabs daily
- Seemed to "wear off" by the end of the day, so I increased her to Prevacid 15mg twice daily after about 2 weeks
- No improvement on spitting up

10 weeks
- Stopped having regular bowel movements
- Used glycerin suppositories to alleviate fussiness and gas every other night- stool was not formed and was very little
- Spitting up worse
- Started adding tablespoon of rice cereal to 4 oz bottles to thicken

12 weeks
- Prevacid not helping reflux
- Seems to get worse every week
- Seems more like vomit than spi-up (smells acidic like vomit and she cries after she throws up)
- Still only poops when we give her a suppository (strains really hard, but stool is very loose)
- Dr. changed to Zantac twice  daily
- I took her to chiropractor (recommended by several friends to help reflux) 2 times-no change in reflux

13 weeks
- Increase in amount and frequency of vomitting
- After 3 days of no bowel movement, I gave her a suppository and only produced a little bit of watery stool
- Started back on Miralax

14 weeks
- Dr. did a stomach/ intestine X-ray to make sure she did not have a blockage- no impaction
- Upper GI scan on 11/02/11 revealed:
              1. Stomach was still filled with fluid 4 hours after eating
              2. Stomach was distended
              3. LES worked perfectly- not reflux
              4. Pyloric sphincter "hestitated" when supposed to open up to empty stomach.  Radiologist said it
                  was not pyloric stenosis, but possibly pyloric spasm.  Sphincter did not open fully and not at the
                  right time.
- Dr. changed her to Axid 15mg/ml- 1ml twice daily- does not seem to make a difference
- After researching pyloric spasm, I stopped adding rice cereal to her bottles- does not seem to make a difference

16 weeks
- Madi is now 16 weeks old and is gaining weight, but does not seem to get full after a bottle.
- Has not broken out on the EleCare formula- takes 4 oz every 3 hours during the day
- Usually sleeps well at night
- Screams and cries hysterically every time she vomits
- Vomits anywhere from immediately after taking a bottle up to 1 hour after- Smells like stomach acid and most of the time is clear (sometimes looks just like it went down)
- Shows signs of other allergies (environmental/ dust)- red, watery, itchy eyes- Taking Ed Chlor Ped D 0.25ml twice daily for sinus/ allergies
- Takes Axid twice daily
- Takes 0.6ml Mylicon drops with every bottle
- Takes Miralax every morning
- Bowel movements inconsistant.  This week, I have had to give her a supposiroty after no bowel movement for 2 days.  Stool is still very runny and not formed. 

This is a picture of Madi before her Upper GI scan on 11/02/11.

Still looking stylish, even though she has to wear that gown!

Soccer Game #6

Emma had her last soccer game of the fall last night!  She was very excited about it and did a great job keeping up with the other girls!  She "assisted" Olivia making a goal, so she was very proud of herself!  We can't wait until our next 6 games in the spring!

Emma's teammates!

Vera, Olivia, Stella Kate, Brylee, Emma, and Jessie



Go Emma!  We were playing the purple team, which is Margaret Ann's team (#1)!

Kicking in the ball!

 

Go Emma!   I think this is when she kicked it to Olivia, who then scored a goal!

Coach got them trophies!

Emma was very proud of her new trophy!

Thanks PaPa Tony and CeeCee for making the last game!



Oh Christmas Card, Oh Christmas Card!

Each year mom and I attempt to get the perfect family picture for Christmas cards!  It is definitely getting more difficult with the addition of the grandkids, but I think they turned out pretty good!

My sweet little family!

LoLo, PaPa, and the girls!

The whole crew! 

LoLo, PaPa, and the grands!

This one of the kids is my favorite!  It will definitely be making an appearance on LoLo's card!

(Just wish Madi had been looking up, but you can't expect much more from her!) 

Can you tell how excited Emma and Thomas are getting??!!  As Chase said last year..."Christmas is FUN again!!"

Happy (early) Birthday Emma!!

I can not believe that Emma is about to be FOUR!!!  Her birthday is not until December 11, but we decided to have her and one of her bff's (Fayth) birthday parties together!  We invited 12 little girls to Little Divas for some make-over birthday fun!  All 12 little girls got to come, and judging by their smiles, all 12 had a blast!  Emma and Fayth have been going to Harrisburg's MDO for the past 3 years together, so have a lot of the same friends.  They were super excited about their brthday party and so glad that all of their friends got to come!  Every girl got a punk-rock hair-do, nails painted of their choice of color, and make-up!  I apologize for ALL the pictures, but they were just too cute not to post!!

The Birthday Girls before their make-over

Lilly, Fayth, Emma, Elise, and Bailey

The girls got to pick out the princess dress they wanted to wear!

Thomas even got to dress up as a pirate!

All of the girls were so patient waiting for their turn!

Emma getting beautified!

Pretty Girl!

Thomas and Emma

Time for nails!  Emma chose pink polish with purple glitter!

Letting her nails dry

Sweet Madi!  Emma told her since she didn't have any hair, that she could wear a cute hat and bow!

Getting her hair "punked"

Fayth looking so pretty!!

Bailey and Emma

Presents!!!!!!!!!

Autumn and Emma

The MDO crew!

Emma, Elise, Fayth, and Autumn

Playing ring-around the rosie

Pretty birthday girls!

Emma, Fayth, and Elise

Elise, Fayth, Emma

Autumn, Aubrey, and Shelby

Elise, Fayth, Emma, Mary-Evelyn

Autumn, Aubrey, Shelby

Bailey

Showing me their nails!

I told them to strike a pose!

Aubrey, Elise, Fayth, and Emma

Thomas joined the girls!

Time for Cake!!

Birthday Girls!

Emma and Fayth telling me how old they are going to be!

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Fayth!

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Emma!

Make a wish!

Elise, Lilly, and Emma

Each girl got to take home a bowa (spelling?) and a microphone as their happy!

Emma was more interested in putting on a concert than taking pictures!

Birthday girls after their make-over!

We had so much fun!!  We are going to have Emma a family birthday party the weekend of her birthday, since this was her "girls only" friend party!