A Little Bit of Everything

I slept 6 hours straight last night! I can't give that credit to Cayman though, as she still prefers the night owl schedule. Mike got up with Cayman and let me sleep. The only bad part about sleeping so long is the discomfort I have from skipping a pumping. I don't think Cayman will ever nurse. My lactation consultant said that it may be difficult for her to be comfortable because of her large head. And truthfully, I am at ease being able to measure and know the exact amount she is eating. All the doctors watch her weight so closely, and even though nursing would free me up in some ways, in others it would only add more stress. So for now I'm just plugging away at it, feeling like I have 2 feeding times at each session, and reminding myself I will not be pumping the rest of my life.

Cayman went to the Pediatrician yesterday. She's had diarrhea and a very sore, red bottom. The doctor said it was from the antibiotic she was on while in the hospital for her shunt revision. Antibiotics destroys the good bacteria that every person should have in their body. The doctor said not to worry about it and that her body would eventually work out the good vs bad bacteria balance. I never sit easy with just waiting and doing nothing. I always will search for something that can help. That's the main reason for my love for Google. That is how I learned about Stem Cell Therapy that we had done for Cayman at Duke University. Speaking of Duke, the blood results from her genetic test is back. I wrote about this in an earlier post. It was an inaccurate testing because they couldn't draw enough blood from her tiny veins. So this means we have to do it again :o(. I don't know when this will get accomplished. I just hate thinking about it. We meet with the U of M geneticist in June, so we'll discuss it with them. Maybe by then she'll be bigger and it won't be as big of a challenge to draw her blood. OK, getting back to Cayman's diarrhea, diaper rash, and the doctor saying it'll work itself out in time. She's had diarrhea for about a week now and I've been worried that her body might not be absorbing the nutrients it needs for her brain and the rest of her body to grow and it may bring up new health issues for her right now. My intense love for searching out all options has led me to the field of Homeopathic. I have a wonderful Naturopathist that we have taken Cayman to. I enjoy the approach of homeopathic field more than the medical side of things. Homeopathic will treat to prevent where as the medical often treats once the issue is already present. You don't go to the doctor when you're well do you? Sometimes, but often that is to check if you are already "sick" and you don't even know it. A Homeopathic doctor's approach is to prevent you from getting sick. They treat the cellular deficiencies which makes the symptoms disappear because it's resolving the problems at the root. The medical field treats symptoms and often misses the deeper reason why they're there in the first place. Our Naturopathist has this amazing machine called the Body Scan. It's an absolutely painless procedure. Don't talk to Cayman though, she'll tell you it is terrible. It reminds me of those arthritic braces people wear on their wrists and you sit there for 20 minutes while this machine can read everything that is going on in your body...even emotionally, and you can't feel a thing. Don't ask me how it can but it works. For a baby, they put this brace on the leg because their arms are so tiny. Cayman hated it. Her leg is so tiny and even the smallest brace is so big that it wasn't even close to tight. She just fussed. I couldn't believe at how wimpy she was over something so simple especially after showing so much tolerance for larger procedures in the hospital. She's so cute! So again, back to Cayman's diarrhea, rash, and nothing we can do about it. I called my Naturopathist and he told me to get Acidophilus at a Health Food Store. They had one special for children called Primadophilus. It is a probiotic that contains the healthy bacteria. It's in a powder form so I just put the recommended dose into her milk bottle. With just one dose, and within 24 hours I have already noticed a change. Her bottom is less red and her stool is becoming more solid. It's not solid yet. It's still a little liquidity, but before it was so runny her diaper soaked it up as if it was urine and I couldn't even tell she pooped. Now I can. I wonder when Cayman is older and she reads all my postings, what she will think about me writing almost a whole post about her poop. :o) So anyways she's doing better and I'm glad for that. Her head is too. The shunt adjustment that was made last week has worked. Once in awhile her head starts to sink more, then we just keep her laying flat all day and it slows up the drainage enough to bring it back up. Because her shunt is working well for her we have not gone to Ann Arbor this week. I know the weeks not over yet but so far it all looks well.

I've had people asking about Cayman's Benefit Dinner that I briefly mentioned in an earlier post. There isn't an exact date set for it yet. Possibly in June. Once the planning committee for it knows more and relays it to me I'll be sure to post and let everyone know. Thank you for caring and wondering about it! We are so touched by the endless way people are supporting us.

I've also had people wondering about my 1st Mother's Day. Well I had the house mostly to myself because I was too tired to haul Cayman and myself out to join Mike's family at a local Mexican restaurant and Mike was working. I got two loads of laundry done and washed her bottles that I had been putting off. Before you think my day did not sound all that special, let me share with you this face:


I got to stare at this face all day long!! And she was full of smiles for me. I laid her down on a blanket in the living room while I switched my laundry over. She started making all sorts of fussy noises. I ran into the room to check on her and as soon as I got there she gave me a big smile. I loved my Mother's Day.

I also finished a hat for Cayman. It's kind of goofy but that's what makes it so cute. It makes me laugh. Thank you, my readers, for sending me so many blog comments and emails. I really love the support I have from you. Do you realize this journey feels more manageable because of all of you? I love checking my email and seeing my inbox full! Your words filled with encouragement, love, and kindness really helps carry us through. We feel like we are not alone in this journey of ours. Many of you are traveling daily with us by checking in on Cayman. I wish I could thank each one of you personally. Many of you I have never met but I have gotten to know through this blog and you are now forever apart of our home. Thank you for reaching out. It's made a difference.