Sunday, November 6, 2011

Cookie Monster

Last night Dennen and I took Finn to see Cookie Monster at Harmons. We weren't quite sure how Finn was going to react... It was a success, he loved him!! After Finn saw him we went to get a drink to buy. Finn kept trying to go back and see Cookie Monster. I'm pretty sure this kid is not going to be afraid of mascots.



























In other news, we have a busy week ahead of us! Dennen flies out tonight to go to a couple of PA school interviews. He has one on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, and one on Thursday in Tennessee. I am so proud of him and know that he will do great!

This next topic I've wondered whether or not I should write about. Something that bothers me more than anything is when people complain about their kids. About how they won't nap, won't eat, and throw tantrums. Guess what? That's a big part of what raising kids is about. Don't get me wrong. I think that it's fine to state facts of life and what's going on. Mixing in humor is always nice too. But when people go off and basically whine about their kids, it drives me nuts.

That said, I'm going to tell you all what's going on with Finn. He has thrown up since the day he was born. On average he'll puke about twice a week. He can only handle foods that are pureed, or carbohydrates that are uniform with no chunks of any sort in them. If he eats anything else, it's a sure thing that he will puke it up 7 or 8 hours later. He has a very bad association with food because of this and does not eat much at all.

He has seen various specialists. From occupational therapists, to dietitians, to a pediatric gastroenterologist . When he was 15 months he weighed 18 pounds. He has gotten a lot worse in the past little while and pukes more and had diarrhea for awhile. Usually Finn is a pretty happy little guy, but we can tell when his stomach just hurts him. His eyes are sunken in and he has been very pale lately. We finally took him to his doctor and he weighs 17 pounds at almost 18 months.

His doctor said it was about time we start taking some major action and do some tests on him. They're testing for metabolic disorders, celiac disease, allergies, his red blood cell count, his white blood cell count, cystic fibrosis, and some others. At some point he might need a feeding tube as well. Tomorrow I am taking him to have a sweat test done to see if he has cystic fibrosis. Although that sounds like that scariest of the tests, I'm not too worried about it because he hasn't really had serious lung infections. Just the GI problems that are associated with cystic fibrosis. On Tuesday I'm taking him to Primary Children's Hospital to have an endoscopy done to see if he has any intestinal blockages among other things.

We really hope that they can figure out what is making Finn so sick. Whether it's serious or not, we just want answers at this point in time. We are so grateful for Finn and that he is relatively healthy. It would be way hard to be a parent and basically live in the hospital 24/7 with your sick child. And sometimes knowing that they would just pass away soon from whatever illness they have. Well, just thought I'd give you all the low down.

Here's a great song that I found recently. I first really liked Martin Sexton in high school. But haven't really listened to any of his new stuff. This song is great!

9 comments:

Ry and Heather said...

Oh man! I'm so sorry! I also hate when people complain about their kids. Being a parent is NEVER easy, but it's so worth it if you can learn to enjoy every stage..even the hard ones! My kids are so not perfect, but I love each one of them and they bless my life in different ways! I know a couple people who have children with celiac disease and when they were FINALLY diagnosed with it...boom! Different kids completely! I'm not going to 'hope' that he has any of those, but I hope if it is it's something that can be dealt with in a way that isn't TOO difficult! Good luck girl! If you guys need anything...let us know!

Gwendolyn Fullmer said...

So neat you were able to take Finn to see Cookie Monster, we went too. Henry kept calling him Elmo's friend. He was a little shy of him. But we got some ok photos. I couldn't agree more on the no negative talk for parenting, its one thing to be humorous about the ups and downs of parenthood but otherwise it shouldn't be so published. Marriage is hard too but its worth it, just like motherhood. Being a parent is a great blessing. I know many women who have not be able to have little ones. I wonder how they feel when someone complains about motherhood? For some of my friends it is something they will never be able to experience without adoption and then they run into women who can't stop complaining about it. It makes me want to smack those ladies and say wake up! I also cannot understand why women have children only to put them in day care all day every day, but that is another topic.

Dan+Alli said...

Cute pictures! Poor guy. Hope you figure out what is wrong. I'm with you on complaining about being a mom. It WAS a choice we made to become one. But to be completely honest, if I was in your shoes I think I'd complain. haha! That would be really hard. You are amazing and such a great mom to have such a good attitude while going through that.

paul & ashlee said...

thank you for sharing about finn. i am a firm believer in the power of prayers. just know that we are praying for you and we think of you often. good luck dennen with interviews and keep us updated on finn. we would love to help however we can!
-ash

The Kynastons said...

Oh my gosh, poor Finn. Those tests don't sound fun, but it's always so much better to just KNOW what a problem is so that you can address it, rather than playing the guessing game. So I hope you guys get some answers. We'll keep little Finn in our prayers!

I love the cookie monster pictures and I'm seriously impressed that Finn liked him. He must be really brave. :)

One last thing - the felt hairbows...they are really easy to make. I sort of just look at ones other people make and figure out how to copy them. For the ones with lots of petals, I just cut out a circle, then cut the circle into a big spiral. Then I cut bumps along the edge of the spiral to make the petals. Then you just start in the middle with the smallest part and start winding the spiral around to make a flower. That probably doesn't make ANY sense! Haha. We should get together sometime or I can even send you pictures of the steps if you want. Just let me know. :)

Maggie said...

I love you guys so much and hope that the answers help you all feel better.

Marie said...

Oh my goodness! I hope everything goes ok and that they can figure out what is wrong with the cute little guy. That's got to be hard to watch him suffer. He is an absolute cutie!

Anonymous said...

We are keeping him in our prayers! You are being so brave. I hope everything goes ok with Dennen's interviews. We will be home on Fri. 11th and will check with you then.
LOVE,
g-jane

Birrell Family said...

We are beyond grateful for this outcome for Finn. I can see a much needed weight gain in his future and hopefully a more rested Mom & Dad. You are all in our prayers. Keep us posted of Dennen's news... I love Tennessee!