Meeting Mallory

I am an aunt to a precious baby girl!  My brother, Clint, and sister-in-law, Kristi, welcomed another girl to the family. Mallory Brooke is so stinkin' sweet, and I could not wait to hold her.  I didn't realize that I love newborns so much, and she has a huge part of my heart already.  

Congratulations!!!!!!!

Ridley Claire is here!

Our sweet baby girl has arrived, and she is just perfect.  She weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and was 20 1/4 inches long.  She looks very much like her brother, Reed.  The delivery was the easiest one so far with just a minor epidural issue.  

First picture of Ridley

All cleaned up with her hat on and ready for pictures.

Nana brought Ryland and Reed to the hospital to meet Ridley, but only Ryland was interested in holding her.  He was very interested and eager to get his hands on her. Reed was more reserved.  He is not a fan of hospitals, and he has always gotten a bit nervous acting when he sees me there.  I assured him I wasn't hurt, and I would be coming home very soon.  

I thought this was the sweetest moment.  John Chris and his baby girl.  She has already melted his heart. 

Kidney stones - Round 2

After two days of the pain getting worse, I had a very painful, sleepless night.  I once again visited labor and delivery, and I was admitted for a few days.  I tried to be tough, and the pain quickly got out of hand.  My baby girl is completely fine and this must be a little girl drama.

Labor & Delivery Triage

What a day!  I signed the boys in at school, dropped off a bunch of birthday goodies for Reed's teacher (since I volunteered to be room mom), immediately went to a curriculum meeting for Ryland, ran out to my truck to return a phone call, ran back in the church for MOPS, two hours later, I sped to MiChula's to pick up teacher lunch, and headed back to church to deliver the food.  At this point, I am running crazy, but the pain I have been having over the past two weeks had gotten to a debilitating state. 

Well, without going into details, a potty break uncovered an issue that had to be addressed immediately.  After a conversation with my doctor's nurse, I was told to go to the hospital.  I spent the afternoon, night, and next day at Baylor in labor & delivery.  I had kidney stones.  I could not believe that I suffered through the pain and didn't realize it was something bigger. 

Reed's Surgery

Reed's surgery was early this morning, and everything went well.  He was a little defiant after the happy shot up his nose.  The nurse kept telling me he would relax in about 5 minutes.  About 10 minutes later, she informed me that some children are a little tougher than others.  Duh?  Needless to say, Reed went back to surgery screaming.  He refused to wear the hospital gown, and he would not let them take his shoes. 

 

The doctor came out after about 15 minutes to inform me that he was finished, and it took three stitches.  I was able to comfort him in the recovery room as he was waking, and he wasn't happy.  He threw a fit about the monitor on his toe and refused to drink juice or eat a popsicle.  I pulled a quick one on him and poured the juice in his cup.  He went for it and drank it all.  The nurses were pleased and processed all the paperwork to get us released. Of course when I stood up with Reed, he vomited everywhere. (and twice more in the truck on the way home)

Ryland was a trooper this morning.  He comforted Reed and told him everything would be OK.  He was really sweet and patient.  He is such a great big brother!

Reed gets tubes

Reed got tubes in both ears today, and he is doing well. He was a little fussy when he woke up from anesthesia, but it quickly wore off. We will spend the afternoon relaxing and cuddling. We are hoping the tubes put an end to the continuous ear infections.

Meeting Benton John

Our close friends, Brad and Chanda, welcomed their precious baby boy, Benton John, to the world yesterday. John Chris, Ryland, and myself headed to the hospital to meet him and visit with his parents. Benton is so adorable and sweet. He has long fingers and toes and is already sporting his War Eagle gear.

Welcome to the world, Benton! We look forward to many fun times with you!

Trip to the ER

I received a call from Ryland's school this afternoon telling me that he had a 103.5 fever. I immediately rushed to his school to pick him up and see what is going on. He looked terrible when I arrived, and I could tell he had been crying. We went straight home, and I gave him some Motrin to reduce his fever. Within an hour his fever had disappeared, and he was running around playing like a crazy man.

About 9 the fever started creeping back again, so I gave him a little more medicine. Unfortunately, we did not have the same results this time around. By 10:30 we had put Ryland in a cool bath to attempt to break the fever without success. We decided to head to the ER when his fever spiked again.

When I arrived at the hospital with Ryland, the ER was packed. I was pretty concerned, and he was getting emotional. After the triage nurse checked us in and took his temperature, we were immediately put in a room. The doctor checked Ryland for all the common problems like ear infections, etc. Everything looked normal, so he wanted a chest x-ray. He saw some fluid in Ryland's lungs on the x-ray, and diagnosed him with bronchiolitis (RSV).

After another round of Motrin, Tylenol, and a lime popsicle, Ryland's fever started coming down. The doctor prescribed a steroid and an antibiotic for 7 days. I asked the doctor about having an infant at home and what precautions we needed to take. He said to keep them apart and wash our hands often to help stop the spread of germs. We headed home about 1:00 completely worn out.

Coming home

We have been released from the hospital, and we were anxious to get home. We loaded up all our stuff in a hurry, and the boys piled in the truck. I snapped a quick picture of the boys in the backseat. It will never be the same again.

When we arrived home, Cooper was quick to check out the new addition. He was very interested and wanted to sniff Reed. Cooper was wonderful, as expected.

Nana had balloons on the mailbox and inside tied to a blue bear. It was a great welcome home for our family. She had cleaned the house, and it felt wonderful to come home. It was one of the first times we had been away since we moved in the house, and it truly felt like coming home.

My dad sent roses and a stuffed animal. Ryland thought the animal was for him, and he enjoyed playing with the balloons.

One of many of the thousands of diapers I can look forward to changing over the next few years.

Leaving the hospital

After being in the hospital a couple days, we were all itching to go home. The doctors came in for our last checks and gave us the good news that we could be discharged.

I snapped a quick picture of Reed after he came back from his "boy procedure". You can't really see what finger he is holding up, but it is the middle one. We dressed Reed in one of his Daddy's old day gowns.

The Allison family is about to go home!

Nanna takes another look at Reed before saying good bye for a week. She helped out with Ryland while we were staying at the hospital, and she will be coming back to visit soon.

Reed gets buckled in his car seat with the help of his big brother.

Reed looks like a little pilgrim in his keepsake bonnet. The tradition is the bonnet will be given to his bride on their wedding day. The bonnet is made of a handkerchief with a blue tie. It can serve as something old and something blue. John Chris snapped this picture of me as I was being loaded in the the wheelchair. I was very ready to go home.

Brothers meet

Ryland and Reed met today at the hospital. We have been talking about "the baby" for a long time and finally today we had one to show Ryland. He was pretty curious, and he had a little gift for Reed. He gave him a little stuffed monkey with a green bow around his neck. Ryland gently placed it on Reed's head. The first picture of our larger family.

Ryland started helping out immediately. He helped Nanna give Reed a bottle. Ryland is a great big brother!

Tubes and adenoidectomy

Ryland is getting tubes today. He may also get an adenoidectomy, but we won't know until the doctor checks them out. He was a sleepy head on the way to the hospital.

He finally decided to wake up a little when we arrived at the hospital. I am sure he was wondering what was going on so darn early in the morning.

Now the little mischief monster comes out. Ryland was very curious about the bed and the hospital equipment. We let him play with it for a little while we waited. He quickly decided that they were all boring. We couldn't give him anything to eat or drink, so things started getting uncomfortable very fast.

After waiting about an hour and a half, it was time. John Chris gave Ryland hugs and kisses, and I took him back. The nurses had prepared me for the Giggle Juice and said that it would calm him down before the real anesthesia. I sat in a dark little room with him while one nurse blew bubbles and another shot the Giggle Juice up his nose. All hell broke loose. Ryland started screaming, crying, and arching his back. I tried to calm him down, but another nurse kept rushing him to go on back. I rocked as long as I could, and he started to calm down. As they wheeled him out of the room, I could not hold back my tears.

John Chris and I sat in the waiting room for about 35 minutes before the doctor came to tell us how the surgery went. Ryland's adenoids were huge, so they were removed. The doctor said everything went according to plan, and he would be in recovery soon.

About 10 minutes later, we were called back to the recovery area. He was barely awake and drifting in and out. When he would wake up, he could feel the IV in his foot, and he would start kicking and screaming. John Chris rocked him while I held the IV and the monitor wires up so they wouldn't pull his skin. I couldn't help but think about the time we spent with Ryland in the NICU. It is so hard to see your baby in the hospital.

Ryland was released with a few prescriptions and some magical ear drops. We headed by the pharmacy and then home. He slept most of the afternoon, but when he was awake, he was acting a little drunk. He stumbled a good bit and laughed a lot.

We are hoping and praying for an improvement with ear infections, and we are so happy things went well.

Renal scan

Ryland had the renal scan his pediatrician ordered last week. I looked up renal scan online to see what exactly the process would be.
First, tie off his arm.
Second, rub a numbing cream on his lower arm.
Third, inject a radioactive liquid in his lower arm.
Fourth, untie arm to allow the liquid to move to the rest of his body.
Fifth, take a scan while he lays completely still.
The radioactive liquid sounded pretty scary to me. I continued to read the article about side effects. Drink lots of fluids to cleanse the liquid out of the body. Duh!

When we were called back for the test, I found out it was just a sonogram. Hooray! Ryland isn't going to be radioactive after all! Needless to say, Ryland thought the sonogram was terrible. All he had to do was lie still while she rubbed the wand on his belly. He screamed bloody murder. He screamed, kicked, arched his back, and threw a fit. The technician had to call another nurse in to help me hold him down. After about 10 minutes that seemed like an hour, it was over.

We will have the results tomorrow when we see the pediatrician for Ryland's 12 month well visit.

Emergency Room

We had a major scare tonight with Ryland. John Chris and I had gone to the reunion dinner, and Ryland stayed with the family to play. An hour after we left, we got a phone call that Ryland had a fever of 103. Our food had just come out, but I decided to leave to go check on him. It only took about 10 minutes for me to get there and his fever was at 105. We immediately left for the emergency room. We were immediately seen at the hospital, and they began giving him meds to bring his fever down. They tested for swine flu, RSV, and pneumonia. They all came back negative. The conclusion was that he had a viral infection, and we were to take him home and wait it out. I called his pediatrician and told them the symptoms, and they were sure it was a kidney infection. Thank God!

Scottish Rite Hospital volunteer placement

I went to my first meeting for my new JLD placement tonight. I am very excited about the upcoming year at Scottish Rite Hospital. The hospital specializes in care for children and all of the services that they offer are 100% free to all patients. Some of the members of this placement have been volunteering at Scottish Rite for up to 9 years in a row. They all say it is an awesome placement that will be very special and rewarding. I can't wait to get started!

2nd PKU test

Ryland had his second PKU test today. He was a trooper until they pricked his heel. He then screamed like a little girl! I hated to hear him scream and cry, but I know that it was necessary. After they took his blood, the nurse put an adorable Garfield band aid on his little foot. No news is good news on this test, and we should have results in about 6 to 8 weeks.

Ryland is released from NICU

Ryland is going home! After his bath, he was decked out in his going home outfit. He wore a special gown that was worn by his daddy as a baby. John Chris and I are beside ourselves with overwhelming joy and excitement.
The nurses in the NICU were amazing! They were full of helpful information and knowledge. They were a great source for John Chris and I, and they spent time showing us how to care for Ryland. Before he came home, he got a bath. He was not very excited or happy, but he his so darn cute.

So fresh and so clean, clean!

Another day in the NICU

Ryland is still in the NICU, and we continue to visit every chance we can. We have "touch times" at 3, 6, 9, and 12. At these times, we are able to hold him and change his diaper. He currently has a feeding tube in his nose, an IV in his head for medication, and several different monitors. He looks so sad, but he is strong.
John Chris loves to hold Ryland. These times are so special, and we hope to take our little man home soon.

We should be getting some test results soon, and we are praying for negative results. This time is very hard and emotional for us both, but we just keep our heads up and pray for the best.

Ryland goes to the NICU

Our precious little Ryland is having some breathing problems, so he is going to the NICU. The doctors are concerned because I ran a maternal fever during delivery and his breathing is extremely fast. When he breathes his chest has a retraction which is an indention between his ribs. The doctors will run a few tests and get a chest x-ray to see what is going on. The lab test for an infection takes 48 hours, so it looks like we will be staying around the hospital for a few extra days.

Ryland Christopher Allison has arrived!

We are excited to welcome Ryland Christopher Allison to our family.

He was born on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 at 3:05PM. He weighs 7lbs 14oz and is 20 1/4" long. We are very fortunate that he arrived safely, and we are truly blessed to have him.

The labor took a little over 12 hours, and I had some complications with a fever. I tried having an epidural, but unfortunately I dilated so quickly it could not catch the pain. Everyone says you forget the pain. I don't know about that, but I only truly remember the overwhelming love.