What a smile!

It has been a TOUGH three weeks for Cabell (and his sleep-deprived parents). He's had nasal congestion that just will not go away and, in fact, has worsened. With such a stuffed-up nose, eating has been very difficult and he is not even close to weighing what a baby his age should. He was even tested for Cystic Fibrosis last week and, thankfully, the results were NEGATIVE (though we worried and worried for a week!).

Yesterday, we visited Cab's ENT, Dr.Moretz, who is treating him for his reflux. He did one of those video-down-the-nose things and his esophagus area, which was previously red and swollen as a result of the reflux, looked fine. Also, Dr. Moretz found no anatomical problems (such as a deviated septum) that would cause all of his congestion. What he did find, however, was mucous- and lots of it- in the back of his nose, near the eustachian tube. Fortunately, the mucous is clear, meaning that it is not an infection. He suctioned Cab's nose using this handy machine, which we then went to a medical supply store and rented. We hope that daily suctionings will do the trick *fingers crossed*. Dr. Moretz is attributing the mucous to the reflux (apparently GERD causes a LOT of weird symptoms) and it is very nice to have some answers.

One thing that Cabell has been able to eat well is his baby food (eating from a spoon is much easier with congestion than sucking on a bottle or breast). As of now, peaches seem to be his favorite whereas he's seemed the least interested in peas. His spoon-eating skills seem to improve every day.

Cabell's other big feat is standing up! Well, not really, but his leg strength is making notable improvements every day. He can stand up in our laps (with our hands holding him up under his armpits) for several minues at a time. He gives us THE biggest smile when he does this, as though he is as proud of him as his mommy and daddy are (not possible).

I haven't taken many pictures since the last post, but Bradley got these two FANTASTIC pictures of Cabell smiling in his Jumperoo. Where he got the dimples from is anyone's guess! Brad and I both agree that there is NO sight in the world more breathtaking or awe-inspiring than seeing your child smile.

Long-overdue update!

Hi everyone!

It's been a long time since I've updated this blog and so much has happened with Cabell. Babies keep you so busy!

Cabell is now five months old (21 weeks as of today). The things he does now are amazing!

First off, he is starting to eat some solids. He does not eat them as a meal yet; rather, we're slowly introducing foods one at a time to test for allergies. So far, he's had rice cereal, applesauce, green beans, sweet potatos, and squash. The sweet potatoes are when he finally started taking a real interest in his spoon and actually EATING the foods as opposed to spitting them out. He's now enjoying his solids more and more! Next on the list are peas, peaches, and bananas. Here are some pictures of him eating sweet potatos :

While Cabell still hates tummy time (he screams and screams, so we've had very little success on the whole pushing-up-from-tummy thing), he has gotten great at rolling from his back onto his side and ALMOST onto his stomach. His neck muscles have also greatly improved and he can hold his head up on his own. We've started putting him in his Bumbo seat, which is GREAT for helping them learn to sit up on their own! Here he is checking out the view from his Bumbo:

Now onto the health news. We've watched his weight gain decrease. Unfortunately, now he is only in the 19th percentile for weight, meaning that 81% of babies his age weigh more than him. The problem is he has a very, very small appetite and we are convinced it is due to his never-ending nasal congestion, which makes nursing and bottle feeding VERY difficult for him. We have tried pretty much EVERYTHING and are now trying Allegra and Nasonex at the advice of his doctor. We also have several appointments in the coming weeks for a cystic fibrosis test (his pediatrician just wants to rule this deadly condition out, though we will be on pins and needles until we get the negative results), a follow-up with his ENT regarding his reflux (when we'll also hopefully get some answers about his nasal congestion), and a visit with a pediatric gastroenterologist. We just need ANSWERS so we can get our little guy eating and sleeping better! We'd appreciate any prayers you can send his way. Bradley and I estimate now that we've been to doctors with him more than 30 times since he was born- five MONTHS ago!

With that, I'm going to share a few more recent pictures of our little man:

Doing his best DeNiro: You lookin' at me??

He can be exhausted, but lay him down in his crib and his eyes pop right open!

He is not, however, opposed to taking a nap on the floor!

Spring has sprung!

Hello all,

Well, spring is in full bloom in Savannah- literally! Bradley has two gardens in our yard- one in our immediate backyard (the site of last year's garden) and one huge one in our back lot. In our smaller garden, we've planted blueberry bushes and cabbage (and a few other things, though I can't remember what). In our back lot, we have every type of pepper you can imagine, onions, corn, peas, beans (including green beans- yum!), tomatoes (we had a LOT of success growing beautiful toms last year), sunflowers....and I'm sure I'm leaving a couple of other things out!

Here are some pictures of the flowers blooming around our house:

It has taken FOREVER go get these foxgloves to bloom, but it was definitely worth the wait (and Dooley agrees!).

Cabell also celebrated his four-month birthday on Saturday. We spent it attending my friend Lauren's son Nolan's first birthday party. Cabell loved watching the other kids and I know he can't wait until he's big enough to run around like they were! Here are a few pictures of Cab at four months. No real big updates on him, other than the fact that he's getting MUCH better at taking objects that are in his hand and putting them in his mouth. Other than his hands (which are still his favorite things to put in his mouth), Cabell really enjoys taking mommy and daddy's fingers and putting them in his mouth as well. We're gearing up for the appearance of his first tooth any day now!

Cabby in mommy's favorite outfit

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Rock 'n roll forever!!!

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'Til next time...rock on!

Chub-chub

Hi all,
Not too much new to report with Cabell, but it's been over a week since I've posted. Don't want to get lazy on you!
Cabell's appetite continues to improve. He ate four big bottles at daycare yesterday and two more after he got home, so we're feeling much better about his eating. WAIT....did I just say that he ate bottles at HOME? Yes...that is the downside. Unfortunately, he has not been nursing well since he started daycare and he's nursing less and less. He'll nurse for maybe a minute or two, then roll on his back and realize what he's doing and wail and wail until I move him or give him a bottle. It's breaking my heart. So we're seeing a lacatation consultant this weekend in the hopes that they can come up with a solution. We're still aiming for at least a year of nursing and I'm not going to let this get in the way!
In other news, Cabell's hand explorations continue. He has now identified just his thumb and decided that he loves thumb-sucking as well as fist-sucking, so he alternates between the two. He's also beginning to be able to grasp toys and bring them to his mouth to chew on. He did so last night with one of his teethers and he really likes doing it with our fingers!
Cabell is also starting to enjoy being pulled up into a sitting or standing position. He can sit up (with us holding him by the arms) for a few seconds at a time and his neck strength seems to get better and better every day. This morning, I also heard him making some squealing noises and realized they were happy (laughing) squeals. Hopefully I can get some video of this soon.
Daycare has been going pretty well so far. We're still not happy with the place that he's at (we don't feel that it's too safe and I don't like how they let the toddlers get so close to the babies...that makes me VERY nervous), so hopefully we'll get the call soon that there's a spot open at the Children's House for him. Please keep your fingers crossed!
That's about it from Cab-world. I'll try to get some pictures and fun videos up soon!

Cabell's First Easter

Happy (late) Easter everyone!

Well, Cabell continues to improve (health-wise) and grow by leaps and bounds. He is such a happy little boy and loves to "talk" and laugh and laugh and laugh. His favorite thing in the world is when you call him a "siiiiiiiiiiiiiiilly billy!" He thinks it's hilarious.

He also loves to put things (mostly his hands) in his mouth. On Saturday, I gave him his seahorse rattle to see if he'd figure out how to put it in his mouth and we had success!

He also (finally) enjoys riding in his swing. Everyone tells me how much their babies LOVED riding in swings. Well, Cabell certainly isn't like most babies as he is just now starting to enjoy his swing at 3.5 months, but better late than never! If only we could get him to take a nap in it...

Yesterday was Cabell's first Easter. I got him all dressed up in the outfit that grandma bought him and took him to church at Asbury Memorial UMC. I thought bringing him into the church for the sermon was a bad idea (After all, that's what church nurseries are for, right??), but grandma said he'd be fine in church. Well, you know how there's always that ONE baby that won't be quiet during church? That's my Cabell! He started fussing early on and was alternately noisy and talkative for the first hour. After trying my best to take him out and calm him down, we eventually had to leave church early as he was a bit too "animated" for the people of God. His daddy joked that Cabell enjoyed being in church about as much as he does (which is not at all!). We didn't escape without taking a few pictures, though.

Cabell napping as we arrived in church. Too bad that didn't last long!!

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Sitting on his proud grandma's lap ------>

Beneath the "living cross" in the Asbury courtyard.

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After church, we met up with daddy and went to his Meme's house, where they do a big (and very yummy) lunch for the whole family. All of the grandkids were there and Cabell watched as Mary-Cass, Gatlin, and Bradley hunted for Easter eggs, knowing that next year he'd get his turn as well. We had a great time until Cabell started to get very fussy. That's what happens when 3p.m. rolls around and he hasn't napped yet! The really neat thing about this day is that Cabell got to spend time with BOTH of his great-grandmothers. Lucky baby!

<---Cabell and his first Easter basket! (He got several that day!)

Cabell and his Gigi (great grandmother)

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<----All smiles for cousin Lacey (he loved her!)

Talking to Gigi and Papa ---------->

<---Dooley inspecting the swing that Meme and Papa bought for Cabell. He has to make sure that "his" baby will be safe in it!

Today Cabell started back at daycare after an almost three-week hiatus. We kept him out an extra two weeks after his hospital stays in order to get him healthy again. Let's hope and PRAY that he stays healthy and doesn't pick up any more awful cruds at daycare!

The Easter Bunny and my pretty little...GIRL???

Hi all.

Cabell's health has improved by leaps and bounds! Gone is that raspy chest breathing, though we are continuing nebulizer treatments a bit longer. His appetite is back (with a vengance!) and so are his cute little "biscuit cheeks." Below is a picture of him getting his first nebulizer treatment at home the FIRST time we returned from the hospital. As you can tell from the picture, he had lost quite a bit of weight when he was sick and it really shows in his face:

Last Saturday, I took Cabell to have his picture taken with the Easter Bunny at the mall. We practiced smiling all morning and Cabell did a great job of smiling and laughing on cue...until he got on the Easter Bunny's lap of course! While he didn't fall apart into hysterics or even get upset at all, he didn't give mommy a smile either, the stinker! He was cute nonetheless and here is a picture of the Cab-Man in the precious Easter outfit that Grandma bought him:

Since Cabell has been recuperating from bronchitis, we were not eager to put him back into the lion's den (AKA daycare) right away. So Grandma and Daddy took turns taking care of him last week and Grandma, Meme, and Daddy all took turns this week. On Tuesday, Cabell was at Grandma's and apparently had a LOT to eat because he pooped through both the outfit he went over in AND his backup outfit. So, mom had to dig around and find something suitable for him to wear as it was very cold that day. Well, she managed to find an old 3-6 month outfit...of mine. I warned Bradley when he went to pick him up that he may want to bring a change of clothes or risk having his little boy out in public dressed like a little girl. Well, Bradley couldn't get the outfit off fast enough, but not before Grandma snapped a picture of him dressed in his mommy's old outfit. The following is what I call baby blackmail GOLD:

Here is a picture of him taken earlier in the day at Grandma's, looking much more like a little boy, albeit an unamused little boy:

Well, I'm off like a dirty diaper. Until next time!

Cabell's Health

Hi everyone,

It's been a very rough week in the Stewart household, especially for the newest member.

We took Cabell to the ENT last Monday (3/23) for another video endoscopy of his throat. Cabell HATED the tube going down his nose (Who wouldn't??), but fortunately he was fine as soon as the 40-second procedure was over. His LES was still red and swollen, consistent with reflux. The goal is to see that redness and swelling go down over time as the Prevacid does its thing. He goes back for another one in May.

On Monday night, Cabell had a hard time breathing as he had a very wet, chesty cough all night long. Bradley took him to his pediatrician on Tuesday afternoon, who immediately admitted him to the hospital. They thought it could be either pneumonia or bronchitis. Before going to the hospital, Bradley had to give Cabell a breathing treatment using a nebulizer, which Cab understandably did NOT like.

I met them at the hospital just after they checked in and we spent the next couple of hours watching our baby get poked and prodded. He was really dehydrated and had to get on an IV. It ultimately took THREE TRIES before they managed to get the IV in his foot. They wrapped it up into a little boot to keep it in place.

We ended up staying in the hospital Tuesday-Thursday. Cabell spent his 3-month birthday laying in a hospital crib :( His pediatrician saw him early Weds. morning and said he could be discharged later that afternoon, but Bradley and I insisted on a doctor seeing him right before discharge. Another doctor from the practice came over and wasn't satisfied with his oxygen in blood content, so she said we should stay another night. I'm so glad we insisted on seeing a doctor again! We were ultimately discharged Thursday morning and Cab took a nice long nap when we got home.

Well, after returning home, his appetite still had not improved and we were so worried about ending up in the hospital with another IV. So I took him to see Dr. Shelly, the on-call doctor at his pediatrician's office, on Saturday morning. Dr. Shelly didn't like how Cabell sounded, so he ordered him back to the hospital for another 24-hour observation. By Sunday afternoon , he not only sounded better, but he was eating better. We think his food strike was due to his nasal congestion, which has been eased with the use of liquid Claratin.

In the two days since his release, his appetite has remained steady, which is a GREAT thing. He also sounds a lot better, with the occasional cough and raspy breathing. We will continue using the nebulizer (which he now loves- he tries to lick the gas!) until the bronchitis has completely cleared (which could take 4-6 weeks!), but HOPEFULLY the worst is behind us.

On a more fun note, Cabell continues to develop at a rapid pace. He is beginning to put toys in his mouth and drool more, which means that teething is just around the corner. He is also a smiling and laughing FOOL and loves nothing more than socializing with people. In the hospital, he managed to charm his fair share of doctors and nurses :)

We didn't take any pictures during Cabell's hospital stays (our mental images are more than enough), but I will try to get some pictures of Cab playing with his nebulizer up soon!

Some new pictures

Well, Cabby and Daddy and I have had a nice weekend. Cabell has had a couple of naps (he's taking one now- yay!), which makes me believe that the meds are starting to work because Cabell hardly EVER napped prior to this.

Babies with reflux need to be kept upright for about half an hour afer eating, so yesterday I put him in his vibrating papasan chair and he went to TOWN chewing on his hands! It was too cute, so I've included them below. I've also included some pictures of him in his cute shamrock outfit that Meme and Jeannie bought him. He had so many St Pat's outfits that we had to make sure he wore them all this week since he'd never be able to wear them again!

Tomorrow we go back to Dr. Moretz. This time, he's going to take a video of Cab's esophagus. Unfortunately, this involves another camera down the nose. Thank God Bradley will be with us for this one. The goal is to get a better view of any damage the reflux may be doing to his esophagus and to track the progress that the Prevacid may be making. Please keep Cabell during your prayers tomorrow afternoon!

Now, without further adieu, new pictures!

2 cute 4 daycare

Shamrock bootie!

Snuggle time

Almost as yummy as milk- almost.

Trying to talk and suck at the same time

The night owl naps!

When Babies Blog

Hi to all my adoring fans!
Mommy thinks I'm at daycare now, pooping and burping and napping. But what I am REALLY doing is blogging (they start us on computers at a young age now!).
I wanted to update everyone on my icky reflux (known as GER). I'm responding well to the Prevacid so far. I only spit up once at daycare on Weds and none at all yesterday. I'm nursing a little better, to mommy's delight, and my cry is getting a bit stronger.
The ENT doctor called mommy today and told her that he wants to do a video endoscopy next week to look at my throat and maybe my lungs. Mommy is so scared about them putting that tube down my nose again, but she and Daddy will be there to hold me and comfort me if I cry. The doctor said the video endoscopy will be helpful in assessing any potential damage caused by the reflux and help us estimate when I can stop taking Prevacid. Plus, I'm sure I can convince Mommy to buy me a new toy or two out of the deal!
I'm trying not to let this go to my ever-growing head, but a lot of people on Tuesday commented on how strong I am. When you put me on your shoulder, I rarely rest my head; it's constantly up and looking around. I've had pretty good neck strength and control from week one. Mommy thinks I'll make a great athlete one day.
My latest craze is putting things in my mouth- the early stages. I can take my seahorse rattle and put it in my mouth and I REALLY like to put my clothes and bibs in my mouth. I'm also much more into my papipiers (pacifiers) now. I like to tuck-tuck-tuck on them all day and all night, especially when I go to bed.
OK, the nice daycare ladies have come to change my dipey-doo, so I must go. Until next time, I guess I can trust my Mommy with keeping you up-to-date. Mooches!

Reflux and St. Pat's

Cabell had quite a day yesterday. Grandma took him to Doctor Ben for what we THOUGHT was an ear infection. Dr. Ben was concerned with how he sounded (he thought Cab may have an obstruction of some sort) and immediately sent him to an ENT. Mom called me and said I should get out there right away (I was at work), so I hauled butt in the pouring rain, just freaking out over what could be going on.

By the time I arrived at ENT associates, they had already performed the endoscopy (when a camera about the thickness of a piece of spaghetti is put down his throat through his nostrils), which Cabell did NOT enjoy). I wish I could have been there to comfort him (though I think seeing that would have been very difficult), but I am SO glad his grandma was with him!

The ENT was very nice (but SO young-looking; I swear he looked like he's my little brother's age!) and said that there was redness around his esophagus and that he has pretty bad reflux (known as GER). He said it's common in babies his age and, with proper treatment, should go away by around 7 or 8 months. He said a lot of the symptoms Cab has shown (spitup, refusing to nurse sometimes, his weak, pitiful cry lately) are all related to the reflux. He said he wanted us to go back to Dr. Ben the next morning (St Pat's) to start an "aggressive" treatment. We then realized that Cab was going to miss his first St Patrick's Day (a big deal here in Savannah), but what mattered most was taking care of our little guy.

We managed to get an early morning appointment with Dr. Ben and started him on his reflux treatment right away- baby Prevacid. We crush up half a pill in the morning, mix it in a dropper with a tablespoon of water, and feed it to Cabell. He took his first dose like a champ and I just pray that it kicks in soon. Dr. Ben said that if he went undiagnosed much longer, he could have aspirated into his lungs. He also said that Cabell's weak crying is a result of strain on his vocal chords AND that reflux can cause heartburn in babies, both of which just broke my heart. Please keep Butterbean in your prayers!

Well, we were done early enough that we made it to the parade. Cabell was a hit and had a good time once we got him out of the sun. Mr. Houston's truck was parked at the site and had dark-tinted windows, so both Hilary (a friend of ours whose son A.J. is just a month older than Cab) and I were able to nurse our babies nearby in privacy, which was great. Cabell hardly napped at ALL at the parade (maybe 10 minutes total), but he seemed to enjoy himself. After the parade, we made it over to the Houston's for the annual post-parade party and a great time was had by all. The highlight was definitely when we laid Cabell and A.J. down together and they seemed to have a GREAT time looking at each other.

Now the part you've been waiting for...PICTURES!

<---Hilary and I with some hot men we picked up at the parade.

The Sims and Stewart families (and a crabby Cabby)

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Snugglin' with Uncle Bubba ------->

<---The future's so bright, we gotta wear shades!

---> Chillin', a little bit of illin'

Best buds -->

This is what it's all about!! Erin go braugh!