Chaos and Cupcakes

There are some things going on in our lives right now that are emotionally draining and it has taken a lot of the joy of blogging away for me.  So I will be taking a blogging hiatus.  Plans for the other blogs are on hold until I get back to a place where I feel motivated to blog again.

In the meantime, I keep our photo gallery updated on a regular basis and will continue to do that.  I just put some new pictures on last night.  Andrew lost his first tooth and there are some pictures of his proud foray into “big kid” status on there.

We just got in from Parker’s doctor’s appointment and from picking up prescriptions.  Just as I suspected, he has a nasty double ear infection.  The lump on his head is called a cerebrohematoma.  It is soft now but will end up calcifying and will probably be a permanent bump.  So no future buzz-cuts for this kid.  He weighed in at 13 pounds– below the bottom line on the chart by a lot.  He is in the 2nd percentile for height and head circumference.  So the doctor asked how much and how often Parker eats.  When I told him that Parker was an absolute piggie he got very worried.  Seriously, Parker eats like there is no tomorrow.  He nurses at least every 2 hours, gets bottles to supplement that, can easily put away a whole can of Gerber Puffs in a day, gobbles up everything else we offer him, etc.  The doctor said if the only thing was that he just didn’t gain weight well, he wouldn’t be worried.  All our kids have a difficult time gaining weight.  They are always skinny, little babies.  They are toothpicks now.  But… the doctor said Parker has an abnormally tiny soft spot (it’s actually already closed up now, but previously was really tiny).  He said that, coupled with the weight issue, can signal a rare thyroid problem.  So we get to go to the hospital on Friday for blood tests (he wanted us to get this done ASAP but I need Jared to come home to help first).  Poor little guy.  He also had to get a flu shot today and will have to get another one in 2 months.  Also, Parker’s heart murmur becomes more apparent when he is sick and I don’t really know what implications there are with that other than for it to be another thing to keep me awake worrying at night.  Last night I laid awake all night with my hand on his chest worrying because it felt like his heart was working so hard that it was going to end up jumping out of his chest.  So if you have a minute to spare, prayers for Parker would be greatly appreciated!

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It is after midnight and I am up with a very sick Parker.  He is sleeping in my arms, but it is a very fitful sleep.  He is obviously feeling very sick and I feel helpless watching him.  He is burning up with fever and I can’t get the fever to come down so he can be more comfortable.  He’s had a cold for a couple of days and I am certain he has an ear infection.  He doesn’t have an appetite right now (he’s usually a piggie) and this baby can’t afford to lose any weight.  But what’s got me panicked is that it has been 10 days since his tumble and subsequent trip to the ER.  And right where he fell there is a huge, fluid-filled goose-egg.  10 days later!  So now I am freaking out that he has had some sort of slow leak of spinal fluid or something.  We have a doctor’s appointment already scheduled for tomorrow (his 9 month check-up) and I am just hoping we can hold out until then.  Jared is out-of-town this week and I really don’t relish the thought of a middle of the night ER visit.  So we’ll play this by ear and see how the night goes.  I’m sure I’m in for a sleepless night and I have a jam-packed day tomorrow with the doctor’s appointment, school, ballet, and soccer.  Jared, if you are reading this, COME HOME!!  Tell them your wife is seriously about to lose it!

…Halloween, that is.

“There are three things I have learned never to discuss with people:  religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin!”

–Linus in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown