Hoop Star

Endoscopy

Thursday was Willa's endoscopy. We had to be at UNC Hospital at 630am and the procedure was scheduled for 730am. It was a fairly painless morning (I hope Willa agrees). Willa was all smiles for the various nurses, anesthesiologists, and doctors. She showed no fear. Also, there was a TV in our room so Willa go to watch Peppa Pig while chilling in her hospital gown and super big socks. The doctor let us know that the procedure would take about 10 minutes and we would be updated shortly after.

The short versions of the results is everything was normal. The medical findings are as follows -
1. No gross lesions in the entire esophagus.
2. No gross lesions in the stomach.
3. Diffuse mucosal flattening was found in the duodenal bulb.
All three areas were biopsied and we are awaiting the results. The final pathology report should be back by the middle of this week.

I went back to recovery to get our little girl. She did wake up crying and didn't like the IV that remained in her hand. We did some singing and drank some apple juice. I think most of Willa's crying was to get attention from the hospital staff.

We were released and headed home just before 9am. Willa handled the anesthesia so well that we brought her to daycare and Daren and I headed to work.

We have yet to speak with our GI doctors about the findings of the endoscopy. Nothing found during the procedure explains Willa's frequent gagging and throwing up. I'm not sure what the next step will be but we will keep plugging away and trying to keep Willa's weight gain on the upward swing.

I have some more cute photos to share from this weekend. We've had lots of rain in North Carolina so our plants (and weeds) are very happy.

Mother's Day

I had a fairly uneventful Mother's Day. Went for a run at 715 am with neighbor Kathy (this is our routine on Sunday mornings) and then headed to church with the family. While driving to church I mentioned to Daren that it would probably be packed at our service. Boy was I right…I think almost every seat was taken and extra chairs were even brought in. Need to remember the craziness for next year and get to church extra early for 2015.

We tried to take some pictures of Willa sitting in an old rocking chair of Daren's but Willa still needs to work on sitting still. Maybe we need to take more pictures and give Willa some more practice. We had a family afternoon nap and then took a trip to Sam's Club once Willa woke from her 3+ hour nap. The goal of our shopping trip was to buy Willa a water table. We were successful and pictures will hopefully be taken this weekend.

It wasn't exactly a perfect weekend. We had some major struggles with trying to get Willa to eat. The only thing we got Willa to eat all weekend was hummus. That is not an exaggeration. There was also plenty of puking. Tensions ran high. Hoping to get some answers on Thursday when we head to UNC Hospital bright and early for an endoscopy.

This little girl often makes me want to pull my hair out one minute and overflows my heart the next. Is this the part of mothering that people forget to mention?

What is Happening Now...

Remember how I was super stressed out when we were told that Willa needs to get 900-950 calories per day for weight gain? Well, it isn't quite as tough as I thought. We are surpassing 900 calories about 3-4 times per week. That calorie mark plus all her magic potions which increase Willa's appetite/add calories had little bean gaining one pound during the month of April. That is a HUGE weight gain for us and Willa is now over 19 pounds at 18 months of age.

Last week I had a root canal. It wasn't awful and it made me realize how much I favored the left side of my mouth. Thankfully, Willa took a brief break from giving me "love pats" to the cheeks.

Do all 18 month olds think that anytime is the right time for a somersault?

Willa loves to be outside (we need to get her saying this on video). The pinwheels purchased from the Target $1 bin might just be my best buy ever. We've had them for at least three weeks and Willa still loves to play with them. More than likely if  she is outside running wild there will be a pinwheel clutched in her hand.

Easter Pictures

Willa and I made an impromptu stop to see the Easter Bunny at the mall after a quick trip to the pediatrician (had to get a second medicine for that pesky ear infection). Willa got very excited as we walked up to the photo area. She even started woofing at the big bunny. I plopped Willa down on the bunny's lap and was waited for a smile to break out across Willa's face. Nothing. I waited for Willa to try and tug on the bunny's face or bow tie. Nothing. Would she cry? Nope. She did nothing.

After Easter service we did a family photo session around the yard. Big thanks to neighbor Kathy for taking our family picture.

55 Goldfish

Fifty-five goldfish. Fifty-five stinkin' goldfish is a serving. Who the heck can eat that many cardboard like snacks?

For the past three weeks we have been very focused on calories and serving size because we are tracking Willa's daily calorie intake . Usually Willa is getting between 675 - 750 calories per day and has surpassed 800 calories on four occasions. I felt like those  800 days were a cause for celebration…until this morning. I sent an email to the nutritionist at UNC to find out what our daily/weekly caloric goal should be for Willa to gain weight. Her response made my heart drop -

Hi Shelly,

 

I’m glad you are tracking Willa’s caloric intake.  She needs 900-950 calories per day to promote catch-up weight gain.  Hope that helps.

 

Elizabeth

Does anyone know how to set up a direct line of bacon grease or ranch dressing? Maybe we need to visit cousin Regan so she can teach Willa how to dip all foods in ranch. Trying to put weight on a toddler is a tougher than trying to lose weight as an adult. Also, I'm sure it doesn't help that Willa is always on the go. Walking has been replaced by running. The one time she isn't exerting calories is when riding her buggy. No calories are being burned because Daren and I are the ones making the car move across the room. She has us well trained. 

because he MATTers to me

The entire Streett family joined in for the fun at the 2014 Triangle MS Walk. We are a part of Team Habib to support our great friends Matt, Erika and baby toddler Brooklyn.  Matt was diagnosed with MS in the summer of 2010. We had 40 team members and raised just over $1300! TEAM HABIB!

The Triangle MS Walk isn't a small event. It is a fun filled family extravaganza! In total, there were over 4,000 participants, a live band, tons of dogs and tailgating fun. I know Willa had a tough time deciding what group she wanted to hang with because she was running from tent to tent the entire time we were there. I'm hoping next year that Willa will be content with chalk and bubbles like the other children in our group.

I think the Team Habib pictures do a better job of describing how much Matt matters to us more than any words I could type.