The Specialist

Sean saw a pediatric pulmonologist today. After looking at his x-rays, he determined there is no foreign body in Sean's lungs. We were afraid they were going to have to scope him to see his lungs better. He listened to Sean and didn't hear a lot of wheezing but said he was very congested still. He thinks because of the eczema and longevity of the congestion, it could be an allergic reaction to cats or that the cat dander is making it difficult to recover. This sounds terrible but I would be okay with getting rid of the cats. I love having pets but if one of the kids is reacting to them, sayonara! My only worry is that the cats are getting old (Lolo is 14, Pepa is 13 and Quique is 12) and we would have a hard time finding homes for them. Anyway, we go back to see the pulmonologist in a few weeks to see if Sean is any better.

On a happier note, both Sean and Evan are really starting to "talk" with repetitive sounds like da da da, ba, ba, ba, etc. It's very cute. I'll try to post some video of it soon! They don't roll over very often and they are getting better at sitting up but not on their own yet. Evan is exactly one pound heavier than Sean (we think Sean did not gain as much because of all the illness). Though Sean is about two inches longer than Evan. Growing boys!

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Sean and the Wheeze

I got into a car accident on Friday the 6th with both Sean and Evan in the car. Everyone involved in the accident was not injured but I agreed to go to the ER because I wanted to make sure the boys were okay. They determined right away that they were not injured but they heard both babies wheezing. So.... They gave them albuterol breathing treatments to see if it would improve. Evan sounded better but Sean did not. Sean's blood oxygen was too low to release him so he had a chest x-ray that indicated a lot of congestion and viral pneumonia. They kept Sean for five days treating him with several different steroids (to reduce swelling in the lungs) and breathing treatments. He is not wheezing a lot but it's still there as well as his coughing and vomiting due to coughing. Because the x-rays were questionable and he did not improve much, we were referred to a pediatric pulmonologist to see if he can determine the issue. It's possible that Sean has a milk allergy or sensitivity (he is on soy now). It's possible he aspirated something into his lung (like food or a small object give to him by his sister). We're not sure. Monday we see the pulmonologist and hopefully get some answers. Thanks to everyone who posted nice things on Facebook, those who have emailed me and those who read the blog. We will update it next week after we see the specialist!

Winter Blahs

Have not had much time to post - even this post has been a work in progress for a few weeks. The months after Christmas have been laden with a series of winter illnesses. Between the five of us, we have been cycling through one cold or two colds or three colds in our house. Someone has a cough at any given time. Gretchen had green snot and a cough for weeks before and after Christmas. She was better and then this week the green snot is back. Poor Sean has been coughing for two solid months. Although the boys have been getting RSV vaccine shots every month, Sean has had some wheezing and two RSV tests in the last four weeks; luckily, they have come back negative. We are doing breathing treatments on him but they do not seem to do much to alleviate the cough and vomit cycle. Evan has been the most resistant against the colds but it caught up with him the last week or two. So....

Although we have not felt good or 100% in what seems like an eternity, we are getting a little more sleep. Sean and Evan are sleeping from 8pm to 4am or so. We started them on solids about a month ago and I definitely think it helps their sleeping. They have rolled over from back to front once - both on the same day! Sean wants to roll over in the worst way and gets very close every time he tries. I just know I am going to find him on his tummy one morning. Evan is also trying but seems fond of the crescent shape he makes with his body.

The boys are getting so big – Sean is wearing 9 month and 12 month outfits. Evan is still in 6 month clothes but his little arms look like Popeye arms (I will have to post a picture of him in his diaper!). They are at the 18 pound mark but Sean is longer than Evan. Their personalities are showing already. Sean is very happy go lucky but adapts to new people and situations at a slower pace than Evan does. If Sean gets upset, he usually bounces back very quickly. Evan on the other hand adapts to new stuff very quickly but does not budge from his moods. If he is upset, he stays like that for a while. Developmentally they are a little behind but seem to be gaining ground every month. They should be sitting up soon (and rolling over more consistently).

Things are not feeling quite "back to normal" yet. Our house is still a pigsty. Even though they are sleeping more, it does not give us very much time in the day to clean. On the weekends, we do what we can but since we are still getting up early, both Steve and I just want some sleep. There are so many things that need to be done and so little time to do them that I feel overwhelmed at times and just want to pull the covers up over my head.... I know that our lives are so blessed so I am not saying I am not happy, just tired!

We have lots of pictures up on my Flickr page. Here are holiday pictures and Winter 2009 pics.

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4 Months Old

Sean and Evan are doing good. They celebrated their four month birthday a little while ago. Last week they had their doctor's appointment where Evan weighed in at 13 lbs and 9 oz (22.5 in long) while Sean was 14 lbs 13 oz (24 in long). They are a little behind in length but their weights have caught up. Their cheeks look nice and healthy! Developmentally they seem to be progressing - lots of smiles, cooing, grabbing at the jungle gym... Evan even laughed this past week (sweet music to our ears). They may be teething already as well. We are very happy and relieved.

With the onset of colder weather, our entire house has been fighting a cough at the very minimum including the boys (who are the most healthy ones right now). Since they were premature and it's cold season, Sean and Evan get RSV vaccine shots every month to ward off that icky virus (Gretchen had it last year and it was miserable). I have never washed my hands so much.... Poor Gretchen is not allowed to touch the boys until she washes her hands and then if she coughs we make her wash them again. I'm not a germaphobe but I don't want these boys to get sick! I don't think I can do any more hospital visits this year!

Thanksgiving was really nice - we have got the turkey down to a science. We had Steve's cousin and his family in addition to his mom, sister and aunt. It was very festive having more people at dinner - a tradition I would like to keep every year. We're looking forward to Christmas. Gretchen is really into this year and her enthusiasm is contagious. We decorated the house the day after Thanksgiving and started the Advent calendar to help count down the days! We're going to try to do a letter to Santa this week now that Gretchen wants everything for Christmas!

Thing 1 and Thing 2

For Halloween Gretchen was the Cat in the Hat and the boys were Thing 1 (Evan) and Thing 2 (Sean). They were so cute!