Weekend Update: Presleigh and Infection

Update:
So, it appears Presleigh may have a 3rd ureter. This is the connector between the kidney and the bladder. One side has one, the other side may have two. Alright! Spare parts - anyone need another ureter?
Apparently, this is not so rare, occuring in 1 in 4,000 infants, 90% of them being girls. You'd think, if you're anything like me, two tubes would mean a more efficient system, wouldn't ya? Apparently, if you factor in all of the laws of physics, the second ureter uses the capillary effect (like when the level of soda in your straw is slightly higher than the surface of the rest of the soda) to create backflow or "kidney reflux." Not so good long term.

Long story short:
Presleigh's temp is back to normal - Praise God. Her infection numbers were at 19, came down to 17.6, and are now at 8.6. It's a far cry from 1 or less. But, I'm just going to give God the credit for making her body work the way He built it. Thank y'all, all of you, for your prayers. (Some have even sent "positive thoughts". God knows your heart, even if you don't address Him.)

How Big is your God?
One of my favorite verses of scripture from Paul's letter to the church at Thessalonika is "Faithful is He who calls you and He will bring it to pass." Ain't that the truth?!
1. Not only was I needlessly stressing out about possibly not having quorum for our Board meeting Friday, but a previously excused absentee was able to make it last minute.
2. We were supposed to speak at a retreat this weekend and I'm lying on my face with God telling Him how He's got to reconcile the fact that I need to be with my little baby and relieve Cristine from no-sleep-land. Meanwhile, He brings the only 3 guys to my mind that I would trust to deliver these messages - and one happens to be registered for the retreat!
3. While stressing out like God's all small or something, I get to the board meeting and Brent (the guy who's registered for the retreat) calls me and says "I've got a couple of talks already prepared that cover the topics you were going to cover..." If that ain't a Godsmack...

When God's got a job to do, He sometimes calls the equipped, more often, He just equips the called. And while he sometimes calms the storm, other times He lets the storm rage, but calms His child. Keep Presleigh in your prayers (healing). Keep Mommy in your prayers (sleep). Pray for our daughter, Brianna, that despite all the attention her little sister is getting, she knows Mommy and Daddy love her just as much and Christ loves her even more.

How great, how awesome is He?

Hospital Fun...

Many of you know that Presleigh suffered a febrile (fever-induced) seizure last Wednesday evening after her temp spiked over 102. While it's not life-threatening, it's always a scare with a 7-1/2 month old. We had a brief visit to the hospital that night resulting in a few tests, treatment for dehydration, and a late night for Mommy, Daddy, and Presleigh. Brianna was spared the trip down because of her awesome Grandma, who came to the babysitter rescue!

Throughout the week, Presleigh seemed okay, except that she never really kicked a low grade fever. Well, she surprised us on Monday with her first ever episode of technicolor yawning. (Daddy's famous for making cookies, Presleigh just tosses them... for now.) We followed a strict regimen of Pedialyte that night and she was able to get back to buh-buhs and apples later the following day. Late night for Mommy, Daddy, and Presleigh. Brianna? Zzzzz. Thank God.

Tuesday night was quite a scare for us when Presleigh woke up very lethargic with a serious fever of 104.8 at about midnight. Not gonna lie, I was a touch wigged out. Motrin and Pedialyte helped bring her back down to "jovial" in a few hours. The power of the Holy Spirit brought Mommy and Daddy back down to "calm" in the meantime. You guessed it, late night for Mommy, Daddy, and Presleigh.

After a follow up at the Pede's office, a pale, dry Presleigh tried to muster a smile (above) as we rushed her back to Scottish Rite, where she was eventually admitted and pounded with fluids, Tylenol, Motrin, and love from Mommy while Daddy took photos and tried to get a hug in edgewise. (And Aunt Sarah, the angel, brought Mommy and Daddy some much needed tummy relief from Moe's! THANK YOU, Sarah!!!)

Net-net: an overnight stay plagued by spikes and drops in temp from 101 to 104, little sleep for Mommy, a less than pleasant experience in hooking up to an I.V. bag, and a positive test for urinary tract infection. Today, Mommy and Grandma are still at the hospital with Presleigh, as we wait for ultrasound results on her kidneys to make sure things aren't any more severe than they look.

Daddy was sent home because whatever Presleigh had, he got the 24 hour version. He's feeling much better this afternoon with the help of Pepto-Bismol and some Tylenol.

If you're a prayin' (wo)man, keep Presleigh lifted up for good results on the ultrasound. Keep Mommy prayed for in the "quality sleep" department. And, keep Daddy prayed up that he's well before tomorrow's board meeting. Prayers of praise to God that things aren't worse - by the looks of some kids coming in and out of Children's Hospital, we could be in a whole lot worse shape. Plus, Presleigh's temp has been over 102 for two days now (off and on) and she hasn't had a repeat of the fever induced seizure! Win or lose, God gets the glory. We're just grateful that it's "win"!

AP

What Can Happen in a Month?!

As we stand outside of her looking in, closely observing, adoring, and wondering about her, she's growing in so many ways. She's now twice her birthwieght and 4 inches taller. Yes, we're still amazed. Yes, I'm obviously a proud, first time Dad. Not a day goes by that we don't notice something new. If you don't have children yet, this is a warning - they grow quickly. Take lots of photo and video.
A month ago, when we tried to get her to sit up, she'd fold in half and fall over. Today, while she can't do a sit-up, we can sit her up and count on her playing independently for at least five or ten minutes before growing tired of the whole affair. Stronger... bigger... whoa...
Last month, she mostly batted at things with her hands. This month, she has nearly mastered "grabbing". God, help us... She's even gotten to the point where she can hold onto her bottle while drinking. (Not for a full feeding, yet, but wow!) You can actually see the makings of hand-eye coordination unfolding in front of you if you observe her for an hour or so.

Picking things up that rattle, shaking them, and putting them in her mouth is a new past time. Alright, putting anything in her mouth is a new past time. We're thinking she may grow up to be an excellent food taster/quality control officer for Food TV or something like that. "Emeril Lagasse and Presleigh Pina Present... BAM! Taste THIS!"

About this standing and walking thing... This girl has been just itching to walk since she was 6 weeks old. I'm serious. Ever since she could grab my fingers, she's been trying to hold herself up. (Okay, she was really wobbly in the beginning, and now she's just mildly wobbly...) But, lately, we've been experimenting with leaning her up against a wall or the couch so she can enjoy the new point of view and stand - no hands, Daddy - with only the support of what she's leaning on. Assisted sitting, assisted standing, totally unassisted gabbing!!!

Can you imagine a Pina who doesn't run off at the mouth? Neither could we, until Presleigh came along. Fortunately, last month, she began vocalizing and putting a few letters together (none that exist in the English language, but they seemed familiar to her). Her conversations have consisted mainly of "raspberries" and glottal run-ons, but she's mastered the letter "m" the letter "ahooahooawwwwoooouh" and the digraph "thththththth" (both voiced and unvoiced for all of you linguists out there).

A couple of weeks ago, Presleigh showed off her first gymnastic move, which was a tumble from the seated position to a prone position, where after a few moments of frustration and some whining, she planted both hands on the floor in front of her and began lifting her head and torso a bit. Now, she's proven herself to be a capable roller, rolling from her back to her tummy, but uncertain what new move to add to the combination. America's Best Dance Crew is back on MTV, so perhaps we'll let her get some new ideas for her routine.
Maybe next month, she'll start pop-locking...

She still thoroughly enjoys showing off all the cool clothes she got from uncle Jeremy at Christmas, including a cute, hooded number she wore to her four month checkup. Hopefully, she won't associate the pain of four needles in her leg with the cute outfit. As with all of her clothes, she's decided it tastes great. She was a champ and didn't cry for more than 10 seconds after the shots, though. She's tough like her mom.

Mommy's still pushing to get her on food, but the doc says it's not going to make much of a difference. If she's sleeping through the night now (which she is 5 to 10 hours) adding the solid food isn't going to make much of a difference. We're stocked up on formula, so we might as well use it, you know? Besides, with all the things she's putting in her mouth, we wouldn't want to distract her from her new favorite delicacy - her toes!