Better

Kaitlyn is almost better now. She still has increased secretions, which we are still trying to figure out the cause. It seems like she should be getting better from her cold, but the extra secretions could also be her teeth. She hasn't had any choking spells the last couple of days. We have been able to carry her around on our shoulders again, and she tolerated her bath tonight without suctioning. We have also been able to hold her again, this is huge for Kaitlyn because she LOVES to be held.

Daddy indulged her Dora fetish over the weekend, he actually let her have Dora DVD while doing her morning breathing treatment.





They don't look much like twins, but sometimes it's priceless how much these two have similar facial expressions and interests.

All's Quiet

Everything is still good with us. Kaitlyn has had a bit of residual chunks coming out but so far she's continuing to do better every day. We still can't sit her up for very long or she'll choke. We don't seem to be suctioning her near as much as long as she is laying flat. Funny how when they get sick it's always two steps back. She is so happy and has rediscovered how to turn her head from side to side over the last few weeks. She just thinks that this is the funniest thing, especially when we say "Kaitlyn Anne what are you doing.....Your not supposed to be able to do that..." She laughs and laughs. It's funny how she can turn her head but she cannot swallow or even manage secretions very well.

Thank goodness all she wants to do lately is watch Dora..Dora..Dora. Which she can say plain as day. Between watching Dora and her brothers she has been pretty content to lay on the couch.

Telling MaMa a Story:

On the Mend

I think that Kaitlyn has finally seen the worst of this cold. We still pulled a bit of chunky stuff out of her today but overall not too bad. She was much more vocal today!! I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad..(just kidding). When she is sick or dealing with increased secretions she gets quiet. She had no trouble hollering at her brothers today to get out of her way while watching TV. They like to stand right in front of the TV set. She is asking to go..go..go.. again, and hollering at Daddy for attention. She was in a really good mood when she got up this morning. Kaitlyn had a good play on the couch this morning with her twin brother Alexander. I've included a couple of pics.

Lingering Colds Grrr

Well we are still dealing with a lingering head cold, but I think that Kaitlyn may finally be on the mend. She didn't require near the suctioning today and the secretions were thinner than the last few days. We aren't celebrating yet, but I think the end might be near. It will be so nice to sit her up again.

Kaitlyn's pediatrician called today and said that the lab at our children's hospital couldn't process her culture. I'm not to sure what happened, but I would like to know why the sample couldn't be processed. It's not the first time that we have sent in a culture, so I know that we did everything right. Anyway I decided not to send another unless she gets worse or doesn't get any better over the next couple of days. Our pediatrician is awesome and on call if we need anything.

Thank you everyone for the wonderful comments we greatly appreciate all your support.

Cultures

I called Kaitlyn's pediatrician today for a requisition for a sputum culture. Kaitlyn is not getting any better and in fact is getting worse. Her secretions are fairly thick. There is nothing in her lungs at this stage she is beautifully clear. Her sats are holding at 98 and above off Bi-pap. It is definitely a head cold. Her heart rate is up a bit and she had a fever for a day but is currently gone. We had the culture done because we are concerned also about her colonized pseudomonas. If it seems at all like she may be having a flare up she will have to go back on antibiotics again. I didn't want to treat with antibiotics as Kaitlyn has recently had yeast. The poor thing has been on a lot of antibiotics the past few months. Everytime the yeast seems to get worse and worse.

If the sputum culture indicates a pseudomonas flare up we will have to treat with antibiotics. Pseudomonas is pretty nasty stuff. One day Kaitlyn is fine and the next she is 24/7 Bi-pap with O2. Hopefully this is just a lingering head cold, that will soon start to get better.

It's a Cold!

Kaitlyn has increased secretions today, needing very frequent suctioning. So far there is only the increase in secretions, and mostly from the nose. Hopefully we are dealing with a head cold. Alexander started with an occasionally runny nose only yesterday. Owen seems just fine. So far nobody is coughing or really acting very sick at all. Alexander is still a little wet at the nose , but no new symptoms. We will have to watch Kaitlyn pretty close for the next few days as we see where this virus will take us.

Cold...?

I still am not sure whether this is a cold or not. Owen still sounded a little hoarse this morning, but better than yesterday. He has no other symptoms. He ended up going to school. Alexander started sneezing this afternoon and once when he got upset about something he needed his nose wiped and this is unusual for him. I am still not sure because if it is a cold the symptoms are really mild. If we weren't always on the watch we might think nothing was wrong. We are keeping the boys away from Kaitlyn as much as possible. This is hard when they love her sooo much, are extremely affectionate, and I am only one person.

Possible Cold!

Tim and the boys travelled home to the grandparents this weekend. (Two hours away, so Kaitlyn and I stayed home). When they got home Owen's voice was quite hoarse. He sounds like he might be coming down with something. It hasn't even been a full week since Owen started school. Perhaps it is just allergies we will see what he is like in the morning.

Nursery School

Kaitlyn's big brother Owen started Nursery School today. He absolutely loves it! He seems to thrive on all the attention and activity. We are now on the watch for viruses. We make Owen change his clothes as soon as he gets home. Owen has been told to wash his hands at school, and we have told his teachers about his sister. I know that we can only do so much to prevent illness, but we will do our best.