4th of July---the first time we have stayed home on the Holiday. Chris and I decided that we could not handle a bunch of people. You see, last year on the 4th, we were preparing for William to have his first cardiac cath on the 5th. So, instead, we hung out at home. The time at home gave us some reflection and freedom to do as we please. Chris found himself doing what he does best...working on a project to keep his grief in check. My backyard and the neighbor's yard both look cleaned up. I did some little stuff around the house but mostly sat back and watched my family just be. The kids played in the pool while I sat in the hammock. Delightful may be just the perfect word. We spent the evening in our Firetruck watching the city of Ottawa's fireworks. Poor Chris and Carson missed them all---our boy needed a bathroom break at the most opportune of times. The boy has been called a Pooping Machine from our old baby-sitter. So...this leads me to the next update on my little man!! This post is all about Carson.
Watch out---here comes a mischief maker for sure!!
Carson--some of you may know a little about our Little Man and his size issues. He was a healthy size baby, but it didn't last long. About 16 months of age, he went from 40th percentile to less than 3rd percentile. We followed his growth closely with our local doc...who we value his opinion and trust his care more than any other doctor we have ever dealt with except Will's doctors who had our baby's life in their hands, literally. But, our doc decided about 2 years ago that Carson was not growing as he should. So, we went to Ready, Set, Grow at CMH--where we were questioned about his diet. And, I know that some might choose one kid over the other to feed but not these parents. We tried to increase caloric intake...hard to do when a certain boy can't tolerate milk products. And, he just wouldn't grow. Then, we had William...and life stood still.
After a while, we decided that Carson was still not growing. And our doctor thought it was best to send us down a different avenue--endocrine. So, we took Carson to the Endocrine Clinic at CMH. Labs--most of which were completely normal, a few a little low growth factors....wait 6 months and see where he is at. Well, June was six months. And, Carson didn't gain 1 ounce and only a grew 3 cms. Then comes a referral to GI Clinic at CMH--and, when Endocrine refers you, appointments come FAST. Way faster than when I refer a patient to CMH GI Clinic! Well, GI Clinic led to GI testing to check Carson's digestive processes and the possibility of Cystic Fibrosis. Carson had a sweat chloride test done. NEGATIVE. Praise God!
Long story short, Carson had an EGD/Flexible sigmoidoscopy at the beginning of August. I am a nurse practitioner in a surgery clinic that does A LOT of GI consults. So, preparing my son for endoscopy was no biggie. I speak the language. And, 4 year olds think it is SUPER cool to eat Jell-O and Gatorade for dinner. I wish my patients thought it was so cool. But, enemas on a tiny 4 year old are just cruel. I felt like the meanest mom ever. And, Carson reminded me how mean I am. Carson has never been at a loss for words...good thing we try really hard not to curse in front of our children. Because I am pretty sure I would have been called every name in the book. Which brings me to the best thing about the prep...."You are being a mean mommy. Did you not read the book on 'How to be a Good Mommy'" I proceeded to reply that, "No, I didn't read the book because I haven't seen the book on Being a Good Mommy. But, I promise that if I do find it. I will READ it!"
His EGD and flex sig were negative. So, no GI reason for his tiny size. Carson is developmentally on track (understatement...ahead of the game on most things except growth). He weighs only 5 pounds more than he did before he was 2...he is now 4! We are waiting on him to grow. But, in the mean time, anyone who knows Carson knows that TINY IN SIZE BUT NOT SPIRIT.
SCARED OF NOTHING---yep, that's him flying high!!
