Dr appointments a plenty

Yesterday we had quite a few doctor's appointments for Derek.  We started the day with an ultrasound to follow-up on his enlarged left kidney.  He did wonderful and slept through the entire thing.  It was strange to me to see inside just him because the last time we were looking at an ultrasound machine, we were looking at him in me.  Then we went to see a nurse practitioner to read his ultrasound.  She said that it is still definitely enlarged and on the rating scale of 1-5, it comes in about a 3.  There are still the two possibilities - first, he has reflux (where some of the urine from the bladder is going back up into the kidney causing the extra fluid) or two, he has a blockage (where there is something obstructing the little tube that connects the kidney to the bladder so the kidney does not drain that well).

We have an appointment scheduled in a few weeks to run the tests to check for the first scenario - the reflux.  They will inject dye into his bladder and monitor it to see if any of ends up in his kidney.  This would be the best outcome of the two, because if he has reflux, he will continue to be on antibiotics and we'll just watch it.  Most kids outgrow this condition.  If it turns out the be the blockage, he would need surgery.

Then later that day, we had an appointment with the ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) doctor to see about his tongue.  The pediatrician mentioned that he might be tongue-tied, a condition where the little piece that connects your tongue to the base of your mouth is very tight and doesn't allow for sticking your tongue out (for example to eat ice cream cone).  The issue with this condition is that he may have a problem down the road with his speech.  The ENT doctor said maybe....and if he does turn out to have it later on, it's a bigger deal to clip it because it would involve anesthesia.  So we opted to have it clipped now.  Mike and I left the room and they clipped it.  He cried for about 5 seconds and promptly fell back asleep.  I'm certain the procedure was harder on me than it was on him.

All and all, it was a busy and exhausting day for everyone.

Home for Christmas

For the first time in as many years as I've been a part of the Nistler family, we planned to celebrate Christmas on/near Christmas. We normally celebrate early in December before they leave or in January after they arrive home from Florida, but this year they decided to post pone the trip to make sure they were here for Derek's birth. So we planned to celebrate the morning of Christmas day, with their flight leaving that afternoon. Chuck, Nancy, and Matt came down Christmas Eve and spent the night and a little extra time with Derek.

Grandpa Chuck

Derek opening his first Christmas gift

Unfortunately, my sister-in-law and niece got sick on Christmas Eve and ended up staying home. So we postponed Christmas until after they get back from Florida. Even after all of the planning and excitement, we'll wind up celebrating it like we always have in the past. It's just one more reminder that once kids are part of the equation, flexibility is key. (I'm starting to see a trend!!)

Sunday we got together with my family to celebrate. Walking into the house I was happy to see all of the decorations and presents - it truly felt like Christmas to me. My family's Christmas was different this year as well. We normally go down to Milwaukee to celebrate with both sides of my extended family and this year we all (parents, brother, and us) all stayed home. This was the first time in 36 years that my parents have not gone down in Milwaukee for Christmas! It was strange, but being all together helped.

Derek loves to snuggle with Katie.

Christopher handing out Christmas presents - in the Packer hat no less.

Grandma Barb and a silly little boy.

Grandma Barb got plenty of kisses from Derek while she was trying to play a game.

(He might have been hungry too.)

And the best Christmas present of all:

Multi-tasking

We've had to learn how to multi-task and do many things one handed so that we can enjoy time with Derek when he's awake and calm him down when he's been over stimulated:

Talking to my mom on the phone.

Reading with Derek.

And one of my personal favorites:

Derek showing off how can wants to grow up to be just like his Dad.

First Bottle

This weekend Derek turns 3 weeks old and since he's been eating well, we decided to try giving him a bottle. We heard that Mike should be the one to give him his first bottle because Derek would be less likely to take it from me when he's used to nursing. So just before his feeding time, I pumped into a bottle and took off to the grocery store alone and left Mike at home to feed Derek. I was fully prepared to rush home if Mike called. As I finished up grocery shopping, I still hadn't heard from them so I called to check on plans for supper and was happy to hear that it went well. Derek took the bottle successfully! I wasn't nervous to leave, but yet found myself genuinely relieved at hearing the good news. We should have more flexibility now and won't have to plan every outing around his feedings. Yay!

Due date

It's crazy to think that today is when Derek was supposed to be born. We have already had so many wonderful days with him. I did stop to think about what it might have been like if I was still pregnant - would I finally have been uncomfortable? Ahhh...all the good sleep I would have had! And our house would have been a little more put together - but I wouldn't trade any of it for our time together.

Here's his new favorite sleeping position:

Insurance

We spent most of Wed, Thurs, and Fri working on insurance. Many calls were made to each of companies and each of our providers, spreadsheets created, and different scenarios run. As it turns out, his birth is considered a life event and allows us to change our coverage retroactively back to the date of his birth. Knowing this, we went with the best coverage and lowest deductible and only had to pay one month of premiums to get it - Derek really helped us save quite a bit of money by being born on the same day we were admitted to the hospital. I'm so proud he's learning these money savings lessons so early in life.

Newborn Wellness Exam

We were originally supposed to have our newborn wellness exam (aka, Derek's first doctor appointment) on Thurs but after his circumcision piece didn't fall off in the alloted 8 days, we called and had the appointment moved up to today.

We started the appointment with a weight check. We knew going into the appointment that he was gaining weight (see previous post) but were happy to see that he was up to 7 lbs 1 oz - a whole 2 oz over his birth weight! The pediatrician gave us the green light to extend his feedings to 4 hours at night. I'm so excited - the potential for more sleep. : - )

The nurse also measured his head and checked his length. His length was unchanged (actually she measured him 1/4" shorter than in the hospital) and his head was 13 1/2". So that puts him in the 15% tile for weight, 50% tile for length, and 10% tile for head.

We put his diaper back on and waited for the doctor. The appointment started by getting all of our questions answered. Then we unwrapped him from his blanket and were shocked to see blood on his belly and all over the blanket. His cord stump had gotten caught on the blanket and come off!!

I am incredibly grateful that this happened at the doctor's office because his belly button was gross! She assured us it was okay and cleaned it with alcohol wipes. Had we not been right there when it happened, we would have been calling the nurse line asap (and probably a visit back to the dr) so this saved us a trip. Whew!

He passed his first exam and we go back in when he's two months old. Good job Derek!

Weight Check

We were thinking that Derek has been gaining weight and were wondering so this weekend I proposed that we bring him into the doctor on Monday for a weight check. He just seemed like he had filled out a little bit and had been eating so well. And of course we're extra motivated to get him back to his birth weight so we can start getting more sleep at night.

We never made it into the doctor's office for that weight check because Mike had another idea:

Mike using our kitchen scale to weigh Derek.

Successfully gaining weight!!

At the last weight check on Thursday, he weighed 6 lbs 7 oz. After subtracting the weight from his diaper, he's gaining weight like we thought and now up to approximately 6 lbs 12 oz. Go Derek!!!

Weekend of Visitors

We had lots of wonderful visitors this week and weekend. It was nice to catch up, eat wonderful food and share our cute baby with people. Several people mentioned that I look great and not very tired. That's all due to my wonderful husband and I hope he takes each complement I receive as a complement for him. He is allowing me to sleep through the night and wake me up when Derek is hungry. I am able to sleep well (even if it is short time spans) because I know he is taking care of our little man. I know this schedule will have to change when he goes back to work but I'm enjoying it right now while I can and know that this would be a considerably less enjoyable experience without him.

Thurs night: Grandma & Grandpa Schultz visit

Friday night: Chris & Katie visit

Saturday: Mark &Miranda with their new 3 week old

Saturday: Tae & Steve

Sunday: Uncle Dan, Aunt Heidi, and cousin Sadie

The best visitor had to be my mom. She came down Sunday evening to take the overnight shift since she didn't have to work on Monday. Mike and I got to sleep in the same bed for the first time since Derek was born. It felt wonderful to be wrapped up in his arms again. I still had to get up and feed Derek but Mike got nearly an entire night of sleep uninterrupted. Thanks mom!!!

Pediatrician Visit

Today we went to the pediatrician to follow-up on Derek's appointment from the home heath nurse. His weight yesterday was 6 lbs 4 oz and the nurse was concerned about him losing any more weight. I was incredibly happy to see that scale read 6 lbs 7 oz!!! That's pretty close to his discharge weight and a gain of 3 oz all in one day - just from nursing. We are going to continue to try to get him to eat every 2-3 hours until he is back to his birth weight, then hopefully space out the feedings a bit more at night if he's sleeping well.

After the visit, we took a family outing to Burnsville center for a quick stroll around the mall and to pick up the snow blower we purchased on Black Friday. It felt good to be out and walking around but was completely amazed at how quickly I got tired. Burnsville mall is not very big and after one lap around the second floor I was ready to head home. I did get my ring cleaned and we picked up a cute ornament for Derek from Hallmark.

As long ago as I can remember, I would receive an ornament every year for Christmas. It was something that my grandma Joyce (grandma on my dad's side) started. When she passed, my dad continued the tradition with us. When I moved out, I received all of my ornaments and I think of those great memories every time I place them on the tree. Now that Mike and I are married, I've tried to keep that tradition alive with our family by purchasing an ornament every year that represents something memorable that happened in our lives that year (Trip to Australia, Engagement, Wedding, New House, etc). So in keeping with that spirit, I think the ornament we purchased initially for Derek will actually be Mike and my ornament and we'll have to get him a different one.

Home visit

Today we had a nurse stop by from the hospital for a home health visit. She came to our house to check on Derek and answer any of our questions. I have to admit that the follow-up care from the hospital has been wonderful! When Mike found out that the visit wasn't covered by the hospital, the coordinator of the visit even called our insurance company to get it covered.

The nurse first answered all of our outstanding questions - things like what is the minimum temp he can be because they always talk about bringing him in for a fever, but what if he is too cold? And the labored breathing he has during feeding, is that okay? Then she evaluated Derek. She weighed him, checked for jaundice, took his temp, etc. His birth weight was 6 lbs. 15 oz. His discharge weight was 6 lbs. 7 oz. and his weight today was 6 lbs. 4 oz. She explained that it's okay that his weight has decreased, but we don't want it to drop much more. We are supposed to increase his feedings from the recommended 8-12 in a 24 hour period to 10-12 in a 24 hour period. There are certainly no worries that he is well hydrated though - he is off the charts in wet & poopy diapers for his age.

Tomorrow we see the pediatrician for the first time since leaving the hospital. We're hoping he's gaining some weight!