The art of sitting

Yes, there is an art form to sitting. Little man has been practicing his sitting technique for the past week. Everyday he is sitting longer and stronger. Blaine was 5.5 months when he finally conquered it, Leelyn just might surpass Blaine by weeks. Brian and I are just WOWED by this little man. Babies sure do develop differently.


Blaine on the other hand is becoming very good at all of the Wii games. He can even beat us at a few. We are waiting to get our hands on Mario Cart - sold out everywhere!

On another note, I have to share my new favorite wine with you all: While doing our weekly shop @ Whole Foods I ran into (literally) a case stack of this and just had to purchase it! Besides the label being beautiful and in my favorite color - the ingredients sealed the deal!
Here is to a rainy, lazy Saturday which I am enjoying before our busy vacation in 5 days, YAY!

Just CHEEKING around

Got cheeks? Why yes, yes we do:I have enough cheeks to cheek around with!
I LOVEEEEEE when they start to grab their feet!
Look @ me ma, I am playing this musical music thingy.

He is really into his movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

Info. from the specialist

The specialist Dr. Cheval who we love and highly recommend called Brian this morning. This is what he had to say:
There was no sign of reflux so it is one of two things. Either it is partial blockage which we DON'T want him to have as this will require surgery, as Dr. Cheval said this will entail us to sit down and "talk" OR it is just developmental variance which needs no further evaluation.

In six months we will have another test called Intravenous polygram (IVP) - a special x-ray of the kidneys, ureters and bladder that involves injection of a contrast agent that fills the urinary tract on the x-ray and helps the doctor to see the organs. The IVP shows how well the kidneys drain urine. If this shows blockage there is one more test they will do called A renal (kidney) scan (MAG 3 with lasix) - This scan provides very sensitive quantitative information regarding kidney function and drainage characteristics. Along with the IVP, it is particularly helpful in identifying and assessing the degree of blockage.
Let's have faith and pray it is developmental variance! Here is to six more months of wondering and waiting! UGH!

Kidney Reflux Results

Without a doubt, today was one of the most difficult days of my life! I had no idea that it would turn out to be so emotional. I can say that in all honesty, I was strong and ready this morning when I woke up. It wasn't until I watched my baby scream in horrific pain and turn beet red once the doctor stuck the catheter in him that my world fell apart. Looking at your husband who has tears in his eyes does not help the situation either! I don't care what anyone says, having your 4 month old catheterized is HORRIBLE and very PAINFUL for them. Sure they might not remember it, but I forever will!

Anyway - the ultrasound did show fluid still around his right kidney. This is the last frame taken via the ultrasound. The x-ray they performed after the ultrasound the Doctor said didn't show any reflux (yay) and we will officially have those results within 24 hrs. from the specialist. The round circle is his bladder and kidneys are above, not that this picture is significant to anyone.

Where do we go from here? It unfortunately will remain a waiting game with more tests in a few months. (PRE CATH - hince my smile)(PRE CATH)
(waiting for the ultrasound) (after US)(PRE CATH) We took no pics. after he was catheterized - we were exhausted by that point.

I will post if anything changes after speaking with the doctor tomorrow, hopefully. A big thank you for all of your warm prayers, text messages, emails and phone calls! The Gourleys appreciate it greatly. Life is so precious and delicate. Time to uncork my bottle of Pinot!

God- Thank you for carrying me through this very difficult day.

Milestones

I have been meaning to post the boys milestones, mainly for the grandparents for about 2 weeks now.
***Hi Papaw, Grammy, Grandma, Grampa and Nana! ;-)***

Blaine: No more sippy cups, or cups with straws! He is officially using real "big boy" cups and I am happy to say with not one accident! I am also happy that I don't have to wash them and buy them for a little while anyway, until Leelyn is ready for them! Also, we have started to teach Blaine how to take care of his own personal hygiene (if you get my drift). He is a little timid about wiping himself, but practice makes perfect! I say he is doing GREAT! I hope to conquer this by 4! Thanks to supernanny for telling it like it is and getting me started on this right away! We start soccer on August 16th and he is super excited. We practice kicking the ball outside everyday. Swim lessons were booked for the summer, so hopefully fall we can get a spot. I have also found a new school for him. At a local church which was imperative for us! Thank God I got that out of the way. He will go 3 days a week, 8:30-1:30 and that makes for a happy happy mama! ha!

Leelyn: About two weeks back Leelyn started to make raspberries and my personal favorite, his fake cough! He coughs all day just wanting attention and of course he gets it! LOL He is also taking out his binky and putting it back into his mouth. He just started to grab the bottle and pull it toward his mouth also. To date he can roll from belly to back, back to belly, stand with all weight on his legs, cough, blow raspberries, laugh out loud, "talk", and he isn't shy about letting us know when he isn't happy! He is also doing great with the rice cereal and we plan on starting strained foods about 5.5-6 months per our pediatrician. My how time flies! Leelyn and I will start The Little Gym come fall also. Babies are so much fun and I am blessed to spend all of my time with Leelyn, and blessed that I am the main influence in their life! LOVE my boys.

Looking forward to our much needed and highly anticipated vacation, only 9 days.

God- praying for a glorious outcome on Leelyns test tomorrow!

Happy 4th, Happy birthday and we got a Wii, finally!

What a wonderful weekend! It was filled with good friends, good food, good fireworks and BIG fun! We started off @ our friends, The Magill's house Friday, of course showing up 1.5 hrs late! It seems like since having kids, it is impossible for us to be on time, so late you can't even claim fashionably late! We are usually out of town on the 4th, but the hubby had to stay in town for the new TAC store that opened last week. We had a blast! I must say the fireworks were awesome and the food was great but more importantly the little kids and big kids (parents) had a FAB time! It sure is nice being around other families that are so similar to yours! Love adult time, fun fun! Here are a few pics. from Friday night:Blaine and Mrs. AnnakaBlaine and Malakai Blaine looking up @ the fireworks. He was so tired, he didn't even finish playing his game on the way home. A big thanks to Annaka and Kyle for hosting a wonderful party!
Happy Birthday babe! The hubby's birthday was Saturday. We ventured out for brunch and then hit Best Buy to walk around and just see if they had a Wii system. We have been looking to get our hands on one for about a month or so with no such luck. Well, TA-DA they actually had ONE left on the shelf! We couldn't believe it! All the employees were talking it up, how it was a GREAT day for us! Little did they know it just happened to be his bday also, HA! Last year we found out I was preggers on his bday, this year he got his Wii, AWESOME! He also got to eat Mr. Crabs! Here are two short clips of Brian and Blaine boxing, LOL Pay close attention to Brian sitting on the couch with a drink out of breath on Blaines video, LMAO....can you say OUT OF SHAPE!? YES, we let Blaine play the boxing game, it is what it is! ;-)
http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k173/nicolegib/?action=view&current=BriWII.flv

http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k173/nicolegib/?action=view&current=blainewii.flv
We ended our Saturday down @ our neighbors annual 4th party. Once again, friends, food, fireworks and a great time! Here are a few shots of that days adventure:waiting to hit the pinata. Liliana enjoying her swing to! Another big thanks to the Jarvis's for hosting a wonderful party yet again.
Happy 4th and a thank you to all the men and women that serve(d) and have die(d) for our country!
God - Keep our troops healthy and safe.

How do you plea? Guilty your honor!

So much to talk about! First, Leelyn had his 4 month check-up today. He is weighing in @ a whopping 15.1 lbs and a mere 24 1/4 inches long, WOW! (Blaine weighed 15.11). Growing like a weed that he is. His stats are right in the middle, whereas Blaine was always in the 90%.
Poor Leelyn had to receive FOUR (4) shots today! They were out of two vaccines on his last appointment so we had to make up for them today! As it stands, Brian and I are on the fence with vaccinations anyway, so it was extremely hard to get through this appointment for all of us. Blaine cried so hard once Leelyn started to cry, then I cried! AHHH! It is DONE and I am happy. I will never forget the look on Blaine's face when he saw that they were "hurting" Leelyn - he was NOT happy to say the least. I love that boy! I love both boys! lol

PRAYERS NEEDED PLEASE Leelyn will be going in for his Vesicoureteral Reflux
test on July 9th, next Wednesday.
What is vesicoureteral reflux?
Vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) is the condition in which urine travels backward from the bladder toward the kidney and may affect one or both ureters.
In most children, reflux is a birth defect and is caused by an abnormal attachment between the ureter and bladder with a short, ineffective flap valve. In some children, an infrequent urination pattern may cause reflux to occur.
When the "flap valve" malfunctions and allows urine to flow backward, bacteria from the bladder easily enters the kidney. A child with reflux is more likely to develop a kidney infection (pyelonephritis) that can cause kidney damage. More severe reflux is associated with greater kidney damage. When urine back flow is more severe, the ureters and kidneys become large and distorted. Although reflux can have these serious medical consequences, it is a "silent" abnormality, that is, reflux does not cause pain, discomfort or problems with urination. Only occurs in 1% of children. How is vesicoureteral reflux diagnosed?
Reflux is diagnosed with a test called a voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG), which is an X-ray of the bladder. A thin plastic tube called a catheter is inserted into the urethra. Fluid containing an X-ray dye is injected through the tube until the bladder is full, and then the child is asked to urinate. Pictures of the bladder are taken to see if the dye goes backward up to one or both kidneys. The VCUG usually takes 15 to 20 minutes. In some instances, the test is performed with fluid containing a tiny amount of radioactive tracer and the test is monitored with a special camera. Infection related to using a catheter for these tests occurs in a small proportion of children, so the urologist may recommend that antibiotics be given before and after the procedure.
Ways to ease discomfort and anxiety related to inserting a catheter should be discussed with the doctor. A few children become upset and need to be held during the test. (YA THINK?) Performing the test using general anesthesia may cause incomplete testing because it is important to observe whether there is reflux when the child is urinating.
If reflux is found, a isotope renal scan may be done to check how well the kidneys are working and to look for kidney damage. In some cases, a kidney and bladder sonogram may be done to check the size of the kidneys.
How is vesicoureteral reflux measured?
Reflux can be measured or graded. The doctor looks at an X-ray of the urinary tract to determine the reflux grade. The reflux grade indicates how much urine is flowing back into the ureters and kidneys and helps the doctor decide what type of care is most appropriate.
The most common system of grading reflux — the International Study Classification — includes five grades.
Grade I results in urine reflux in to the ureter only.
Grade II results in urine reflux into the ureter and the renal pelvis, without distention (hydronephrosis).
Grade III results in relux into the ureter and the rnal pelvis, causing mild hydronephrosis.
Grade IV results in moderate hydronephrosis. (This was his last result grade)
Grade V results in severe hydronephrosis and twisting of the ureter.

YES - he will need a catheter for the test on Wednesday. Pray for Brian and I also, PLEASE! As some of you may know, we have been watching his kidneys since he was in utero.

I also had a couple of doctor appointments. While chatting with my PCP, she asked me if I have been getting any breaks.......HA! That was HILARIOUS for me to hear! A full time SAHM who's husband works 55 hours a week that has no family in town.....ya, what is a break I ask. So she started to share ways for me to get a 5-15 break: Run to the corner store, purchase magazine and sit in car for a addt'l 5-15 mins. to give myself time to "read", LOL....GUILTY! Stay in the shower for an addt'l 5-10 mins. and act like I needed to shave....GUILTY! Tell the hubby my nail polish is chipping so I can eescape to the spa for some needed RnR...GUILTY! I love my OB and PCP! Here is to going out to dinner with the hubby ALONE tonight. Thank you MaryJo and girls! XOXO

God- praying for healing, strength and courage.