Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice: A long week

First an update on Emily, as some of you know already Emily had been very ill last week. She is feeling much better now, thanks to some antibiotics. To fill everyone in on what has been going on with us, on Dec. 9th Emily woke in the middle of the night as usual but this time was very fussy and just not herself, she felt very warm and had a temp of almost 101. She started with some cold symptoms later the next day and I just figured it was all related. Well the cold symptoms cleared up after a few days and the Fever even broke for part of a day, but then returned. After a few trips to the doctor and having her blood taken twice, the doctor needed to find the source of the fevers. Emily was now on her 7th day of fever. At that point the doctor checked a urine sample. It looked like Emily had a UTI (urinary tract infection) this was confirmed a few days later after a final culture was back. Emily was started on an antibiotic to fight the infection and since has been feeling much much better, her fever broke for good in the early afternoon on Dec. 16th (almost exactly 24 hrs. after starting the antibiotic).

Due to the concern for any underlying cause of the UTI some additional tests need to be done though. Next week we will go into Mercy Hospital for these tests. They are to check to make sure kidneys and ureters are functioning normal and no urine is refluxing up the ureters from the bladder to the kidneys. This urinary reflux can cause the infections sometimes, and with someone so young it is abnormal to get an UTI and we just have to make sure nothing else is going on. If this reflux is found it means a daily antibiotic for a year to help prevent infection and then the tests are done again at that point to see if the condition still exists. Most of the time kids have grown out of it after a year.

I am glad that Emily is feeling better, and we found the source of the fevers and were able to treat it. I am concerned about her though, and just hope that everything checks out ok next week. We have had our fair share of "issues" with our little girl, and I really hope we get a break on this...I would not change anything though, everything we have gone through has made us a stronger family and has made us love our little girl that much more and it really makes you realize how special little ones are. Truly a gift.

Emily is now 12 weeks old and changing every day. Emily is talking more and more, and has started to squeal a few times I think she may start to laugh any day now. She loves to read books, and gets very excited when we read together. She still loves music and also get excited when we sing to her. She is starting to reach out and grab onto things and will hold onto a toy for awhile. A few times she has even brought objects up to her mouth to suck on, and will put her pacifier back in her mouth when it slips out. She always has to have something in her mouth to suck on, you will usually find her with a pacifier, fingers, or blanket in her mouth. She knows who her mom and dad are, she is better about letting others hold her now but keeps her eyes on us at all times. She lights up every evening when Paul comes home and give him a big smile and tells him all about her day when he comes home. Paul has these little games that he plays with her and she loves them! Emily has always enjoyed bath time, but the last few times she has had a blast in the tub, she kicks and splashes and really gets moving in the tub!

We are looking forward to our first Christmas with Emily, and celebrated Christmas with the Jorgensen family this past weekend. Emily got to meet some family for the first time and had fun with her cousins. We will celebrate on Christmas Eve with my parents and immediate family and then plan to travel to visit Paul's family after Christmas. We are looking forward to visiting with everyone and feel blessed to have the best gift of all - our Emily.

Some pictures from the last week or two. Emily is about 10 pounds now by the way.