Now Myah has the POX!!!

Poor Myah, on Easter Sunday morning we got up and had a great time hunting for eggs. After we had chocolate and gummy bunnies for breakfast we went to get dressed, that's when I noticed the spots. I knew immediately that it was chicken pox. Both of us were upset about it but she only had a few spots on her back, belly and neck.

I called Jason's family to let them know that we might as well all get together since now everyone but Drew has had the chicken pox. We had a great meal and a really fun day. Myah and Cassandra both lifted to shirts to compare how many spots they had, it was too cute!

I called my sister to let her know about the damn pox and we decided not to get together to celebrate Easter and Jason's 34th birthday on Monday at my place because her kids have not had them yet. The turkey was already thawed so I cooked the meal anyways and had my parents over. We enjoyed the meal and packed up some of everything for my parents to drop off at my sisters house on their way home so they could have dinner even if we weren't all together. Mallory my 3 year old niece called to thank me for the cake and the dinner too.

Last night after supper Myah complained that her throat hurt. I got a flashlight to look in her throat and I gasped at what I saw. There was a giant white glob in the back of her throat the size of a mini-marshmallow. I took her temperature which was 99.8. I called Telehealth to ask the nurses' opinion on what to do. She said to take her to the doctor within 24 hours. By this time Myah was screaming and/or bawling each time she swallowed, she was getting hysterical. Our doctor's office doesn't open again until Saturday so off the the emergency room we went. We called ahead to let the hospital know we were bringing in a contagious girl and they said to come on in.

Myah slept most of the 1/2 hour car ride there and felt a bit better when we got there except that she grabbed her throat or mouth each time she swallowed. Poor thing, I was feeling so bad for her. We checked in with the triage nurse and her temp was 101. They put a hospital bracelet on her nd had her wait in a wheelchair (which she loved) until the isolation room was ready. The brought a dose of Tylenol out to the hall to help her fever.

We were put in the and the doc came in within a few minutes. He looked in her mouth and told us she had a very infected chicken pox in her throat, owwweee! He gave us a prescription for amoxicillin and advised us to give her Tylenol for pain and fever. We got to the hospital just after 7pm and were out by 8:30, it was great I thought we would be there for hours. I guess they didn't want our contagious little girl there for very long.

She is taking her medicine well and her throat is looking much better. She get two oatmeal baths a day and is itching much less today and I don't think she is getting any more new spots. She has at least 500 spots, she is covered. My poor girl, now I just pray Drew doesn't get them. So far he has no sign of them and ER doc said it very rare for a breastfed infant under 6 months old to get them so I am hoping he doesn't. He was supposed to have a renogram of his kidneys on Tuesday but we had to reschedule as he had been exposed. It is reschedule for April 15th, they want to have the results prior to his heart surgery in May.

No one ever said being a parent was easy, I am certainly being put to the test lately. It is amazing how little sleep you can actually live on, LOL!

Easter Hunt & Chicken Pox

Our Easter plans with Jason's family have been reorganized. My sister-in-law Bernice called yesterday to say our niece Cassandra has the chicken pox. We saw her on Tuesday night at Myah's dance class so I really hope my kids don't get them!

I called the cardiologist to ask him if we should still go to Easter dinner if there is chicken pox at thier house and he said "Absolutely not, don't risk it." We just thought we wouldn't go, but Bernice decided to not have Easter at her house. Jason's oldest brother and his wife are going to host it and Bernice and Cassandra will stay home. I feel really bad about it but she insisted that this is what we should do.

I hope you feel better soon Cassandra, having the chicken pox on Easter weekend really sucks!

The annual town Easter Egg Hunt was held today so I took the kids. It was fun! Drew just hung out happily in his stroller which was dreadful to push through the mud and snow. Myah found lots of eggs which the kids then traded in for a bunch of candy. She was thrilled.

She had been talking for weeks about how she couldn't wait to see the Easter Bunny who always comes to the hunt. When we go there she wouldn't go anywhere near him, she was scared of him, silly kid!

I am having Easter and Jason's 34th birthday party for my family on Monday. I have a lot to do to get ready but I am looking forward to having everyone over.

Have a great Easter everyone!

Ped visit & shots

Drew & I went for a well baby visit to our paediatrition yesterday. Drew weighs 15lbs 10oz and he's not even 4 months old yet. The doc called him a tank. He is getting so many chubby rolls and dimples now it's so cute. Myah was always such a skinny baby this chubby baby thing is new to me. Drew's head is growing well and he has grown over an inch in length this month. I am always proud that he is growing so well, I am still exclusively breastfeeding which the docs were sure I would not be able to do because of his conditions. We are showing them, my little guy is so strong.

He had to get his RSV immunization and his regular 4 month shots, so 3 needles. Before the doc gave him the shots he explained to Drew that he was doing this to help keep him healthly and that he was sorry he has to be poked so much. It was really sweet, he only cried for a about 10 seconds and the doc was quick with the shots.

Drew is getting a small flat spot on his head so we have to give him more tummy time and have him sleep on his right side so it doesn't get worse. He also has a bit of eczema on his forehead and arms. I will use some hyrdocortisone cream and Aveeno to try to clear up the rash.

We go back in one month for another RSV immunization, the last one. The doc has seen a lot of cases this winter so I am glad we got him immunized as the results could be tragic if he got it with his weaker lungs.

Our next appointment is on Tuesday, March 29th to have a renogram. This is a test to see what is happening with Drew's kidneys. They will insert an IV and put some dye in it and watch it's path through his system. The results should tell us what the problem is so we can come up with a plan of action to monitor or correct the issue. I am not looking forward to this test, I hope it doesn't make Drew too uncomfortable.

More tests and surgery

Drew continues to do better than expected. He has not had blue spells or breathing problems which we were told he would have. I am always prepared for problems but I am so glad I have not had to experience any. He gets all the regular vacines and the RSV immunization just as a precaution because we can't risk a chest infection in his weakened lungs.

His weight gain has been wonderful, he now weighs over 16 lbs at 3 1/2 months. He has big chubby rolls all over.

On March 29th Drew will have a IV dye test where the docs will follow the flow of the liquid through his body and see what his kidney problem might be. They think it is either a blockage or so physiological malformation. Poor kid, I hate seeing him get stuck with needles all the time!

I received a package in the mail last week that had all of Drew's open heart surgery information in it. We go to Toronto (3 hours drive from home) on April 27th for an ECG and echocardiogram for his surgeon. We have our pre-op appointment on May 2nd and the surgery is scheduled for May 10th. I am soooo nervous about this surgery. A doctor with his giant amazing hands is going to open my sons chest and fix his heart. Apparently this is a routine procedure but not when it is my son's heart!! The risk is very low and Drew is so strong. I pray that he comes through it well and this is alla distant memory for us. He will never remember any of this.

I am worried about being away from Myah. We can't take her with us as we will have our hands full dealing with Drew. We might be at the hospital for 2 weeks. Both sets of grandparents are happy to watch her and mine will even bring her down to Toronto for a visit or two. I'm sure she will make it through but it will be more stressful on her than on Drew!

Can't see the eye chart E

While the new year has come and we had enjoyed Christmas as a family of four. We have been in denial a bit about Drew's diagnosis because he is growing and seems perfectly healthy. I had been noticing that the vision in my right eye had not been good but I had been ignoring due to everything else that had been going on in our lives. I have always had 20/20 vision so I assumed now that I was almost 30 I would need glasses.

I finally called the eye doc and said that I needed to get checked out. She checked my left eye and I could see way down the last line of the eye chart. Then she checked my right I, and I couldn't see the giant E! I was shocked that it was that bad, my left eye had been compensating so much that I really didn't notice how bad it was. She looked in my eye and said "I don't want to tell you this but you have a serious problem. You need to go immediately to the eye institute." The doc knew what I was going through with Drew and that I didn't need anything else to deal with. When it rains it pours as the saying goes.

Off to the clinic I go with my hubby (and Drew) because they would be doing eye tests and I wouldn't be able to drive. We checked in and they sent us to a different location saying our appointment was at a different clinic and then after a quick check back to the first place. This infuriated me! A few of the tests couldn't be done because I am breastfeeding. So the head of the department made the diagnosis of Ocular Histoplasmosis Syndrome. This would need surgery to correct. It was schedule for 10 days later.

I spent that time pumping milk because I would not be able to breast feed for 24 hours after the meds givin for my surgery. I was awake during the procedure and I was glad I couldn't see anything. They actually drained my eye of all the "jelly" to do the work, ewwww. The stiches ON MY EYEBALL itched for about a week. The worst part is that I would have to spend 3 days FACE DOWN!! Talk about impossible. My husband and family were great they helped out so much. Drew was a wonderful and took the bottle like a pro! It was long three days and nights. Sleeping face down on lactating boobies is not a comfortable adventure! It took some very creative pillow positioning!!

It is all over with now my eye is still red two months later but my vision is coming back. It is not back to normal yet and it may never be but it is getting better. I go for a check up in early May.

Cute Kids!

Here is a recent picture of Myah & Drew.

Drew's TOF diagnosis

The day after we left the hospital with our new baby boy I took Drew to Children's hospital to see a pediatric cardiologist. My husband stayed home with our daughter, I was sure there was nothing to worry about; boy was I wrong. Drew was hooked up to an ECG machine and the tech was friendly but very reserved, I started to worry. The doc listened to Drew's heart with a stethoscope and said to me "I hear a very abnormal murmur, we need to do more testing but I think we are in for a long talk this afternoon." Now I was really starting to worry.

They did an ultrasound of Drew's heart for 2 hours and no one really said anything to me except for small talk. They talked in medical terms to each other but it was nothing I could understand. I did my best to keep my 3 day old infant calm while they did the testing by this time I was crying knowing there was a serious diagnosis coming my way. After they were through the doc, a nurse-practioner and I went to a room where they explained to me that our perfect looking little boy has Tetrology of Fallot (TOF), a congenital heart defect (CHD) with four problems in the heart, it is the most common CHD.

I was shocked and I lost it, I was 3 days post-partum and I think I would have bawled if they told me he was healthy after the day I experienced. It was awful hearing that he would need open heart surgery and would start turning blue and may have life threatening "tet spells". I did my best to absorb all the information they were giving me and the staff treated me with the greatest care. They gave me print out of all the info they discussed with me.

I got myself together and called my husband to tell him the awful news, it was so hard. He was very supportive and wanted to know if he should drive to get me, but I insisted I would be ok to drive home. I got home and we hugged and cried together for a while, then called some of our family to tell them. I must say we have the most supportive and wonderful family, friends, on-line buddies and co-workers. People have been there for us no matter what we need whether it's a hug, encouraging word, help with our daughter, food or help around the house. I am so glad we live close to our family and in a small community where people really reach out to help one another. (Thank you all, your help will always be remembered and appreciated!!!).

We now have this serious heart problem to deal with but we still have to figure out what is going on with our little guys kidneys. Just before Christmas we took Drew for an ultrasound of his kidneys and a catheter test where they inserted dye through a tube in his penis and watched to see if they was any kidney reflux. It was determined that there was none further testing would be needed. We have to watch for any fever which could be a sign of infection and make sure there is no decrease in urine output.

Drew's birth

I was 3-4 cm dialated at my 39 week appointment so my doctor decided to induce me on my due date. I was already having contractions when I arrived at the hospital so they started pitocin to get things moving and turned it off a 1/2 hour later because I was in active labour. The contractions were intense but I was moving along quickly so I managed to get through them.

I opted to deliver naturally as I had with Myah because I didn't want to our baby's kidneys to have to deal with any extra medications. After 7 hours of labour Drew Thomas Cadman was born at 10:02 pm on December 5, 2004 weighing 8 lbs 1 oz. He looked beautiful and we were thrilled to add a baby boy to our family.

I was worried about my little one before he was even born, we knew he would have kidney problems but we were confident that they would not cause him any problems long term. After he was born his "plumbing' was working just fine he pee'd all over and we were thrilled. He went right with us to our room and was very alert for about 2 hours. He fell asleep and we both got a great night sleep. When the pediatrician examined him in the morning he heard a heart murmur I was taken aback but not overly worried. I had heard of lots of people with innocent heart murmurs and I assumed everything would be fine after our cardiac check up. We were released from the hospital on December 7th and we were a bit nervous taking our baby home. He had to take oral antibiotics once daily to prevent any kidney infection. He takes the medicine through a bottle nipple and never gives us any trouble.

Loved and lost :(

James Thomas
On April 22, 1995 Jason's younger brother James died suddenly at the age of 22 of complications of the flu. We still talk of James often and we know he is watching over us. I can't believe he has been gone for 10 years already. Drew shares the middle name Thomas in honour of James and of my great-grandfather.

Curtis
When I was pregnant with Myah our dear nephew Curtis died very suddenly at 11 months old. Curtis was the 3rd child of Jason's brother and his wife. He had an undiagnosed rare genetic condition called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome - Vascular Type 6. We miss him dearly and every June we have a memorial walk to raise money for research into rare genetic diseases in children. We have raised over $65,000 dollars in the past 4 years. Curtis is our special angel and I know he always with us!

Grandparents
My mother's parents Peggy and Earl have both left us in the past few years and both died far too young. I spent a lot of time with my granparents when I was young, they were wonderful and sp special to me. My sister and I were lucky enough to each have a great-grandchild while they were here to love and enjoy them. I really wish they had the chance to meet Drew on earth but I know they sent me this special boy because we would take good care of him.

My other grandfather George died of cancer when I was 12. I enjoyed lots of good times on his farm and I have great memories of him. He would be thrilled that Drew's middle name honours his father. My Grandmother is 82 and is currently being treated for ovarian cancer. She is fighting hard and the prognosis is good.

Having children

We got married young so we wanted to wait a few years before we had kids. We thought it would be neat to have a millennium baby; we started trying and got pregnant right away, unfortunately we had a very early miscarriage. We got pregnant shortly after and had our beautiful daughter Myah on September 7th, 2000 weighing 6lbs 2 oz. I had a great pregnancy with some morning sickness in the beginning but nothing too bad. I gave birth naturally and though painful was an empowering experience.

When Myah was 3 we thought it was time to add to our family. It wasn't as easy as we thought it would be and we had 2 more devastating miscarriages. Finally we were pregnant again with a baby that seemed to be sticking. At our 17 week ultrasound they discovered that our baby (we waited to find our the gender) had an enlarged renal pelvis. I got plenty of ultrasounds during the pregnancy and the kidneys continued to be enlarged. Our beautiful baby boy Drew was born December 5th, 2004 right on his due date weighing 8lbs 1oz. Drew pee'd all over everyone right after birth which was a relief to all knowing that his plumbing was working properly. The pediatrician examining Drew heard an abnormal murmur when listening to his heart and sent us to a pediatric cardiologist. You'll find out more about Drew by reading this blog.

Our beginnings

Jason & I met in 1990 at a hockey dance, we were teenagers and have been together ever since. Jason proposed to me on my 20th birthday just after I graduated from college. We got married August 24, 1996; I was 21 and Jason was 25. We bought a home in a small town in Ontario, Canada. We still live in the same house and we are very happy here.

Jason works as a heavy machinery operator at our local municipality and I work for our county library as a computer trainer. I am lucky enough to get 1 year of maternity leave which I am enjoying now.