GERD

A couple days ago, Cole, my mom, and I headed to the local radiology office for a milk scan. What is a milk scan you ask? Well, it's a test that determines whether a child has reflux (food or liquid coming up from the stomach). It also determines how much reflux a child has and how well the stomach empties.

Cole had to drink some medicine mixed with milk to take the test. He had to lie on his back on the exam table for 1 hour while diagnostic information was gathered using a special camera. Needless to say, Cole did not appreciate the test! But, we needed to do it to find the source of his discomfort.

Today, we headed to the doctor's office to get the results. It turns out that Cole has GERD: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Here's some information on reflux and GERD:

GER (Gastro Esophageal Reflux, a.k.a.“reflux”) is simply defined as the backward flow of stomach contents into the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach). GER is a normal, common process that occurs time to time in almost everyone, of all ages, particularly after meals. It usually involves regurgitation. Almost all babies will regurgitate or “spit up” after some feedings, whether they are breast or bottle-fed. The prevalence of GER peaks between 1 to 4 months of age, and usually resolves by 6 to 12 months. Regurgitation or “spitting up” has been reported in up to two thirds (65%) of healthy infants, but decreases to 1% by one year of age. Babies with GER regurgitate without secondary signs or symptoms of inadequate weight gain, esophagitis, or respiratory disease. Infants with GER are thriving and represent the majority who present to the physician with this condition.

In contrast, GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) is a less common, more serious pathologic process that usually necessitates medical management and diagnostic evaluation. It is also referred to as “Pathogenic GER.” Approximately 1 in 300 infants will present signs and symptoms of GERD. Patients with GERD may manifest persistent regurgitation with other complications, sometimes including inadequate growth, failure to thrive, feeding and oral aversions, esophagitis, wheezing, pneumonia, or sinusitis.

Thankfully, Cole has not really presented any complications of GERD. So - for now - we're going to give him some meds that should help him be more comfortable.

In other news, we also have reason to believe that Cole is allergic to milk and maybe some other foods. We're going to take him to the allergist next week for a formal test. Hopefully, after starting his new GERD meds and determining whether he has allergies, we'll be well on our way to making him feel much better!

Breaking News from Mom’s Weather/Reservations Service

A 3.6 temblor rocked Northern Virginia this morning at 5:04 a.m. waking residents and setting off Abby Cadabby’s wand. New mother, Julia Bergeman, asked her husband “What the **** was that?” on being awakened from a very light sleep.

Earthquakes in the region are not uncommon; however, 3.6 is definitely a magnitude that can be felt. The depth of the earthquake was 3.1 miles, which is shallow compared with the Haiti earthquake, which was 8.1 miles deep. The epicenter was not immediately fixed by the USGS, but reports indicate it happened 10 miles northwest of Rockville, Maryland.

Mom of Mom’s W/R S was quoted as saying, "Thank God Lorraine is not still living under the rock." Angus' Happy Weather Service appeared to have slept right through the big one.

Thanks to the many weather watchers for Mom’s weather service who added to this article.

This article was submitted by Mom (aka Bella Gamma) herself.

Update on Cole

So - for weeks now, Cole's been having all sorts of digestive problems. He's definitely an award-winning puker. After almost every meal, he pukes. He also has episodes when he is completely inconsolable. Anyway, we first discussed the problem with his doctor at 4 weeks. At that point, the doctor asked us to give it some time to see if he might grow out of it. So - we waited and reevaluated at 8 weeks. At that visit, the doctor gave Cole baby Zantac, thinking his problem was probably just a case of simple reflux. Well, Cole's been on the Zantac for 3 weeks now, and things don't seem to be getting any better. In fact, they seem to be getting a little worse. So - we're headed to the doctor's office tomorrow to have a couple radiologic tests run. He's going to have an abdominal sonogram and a milk scan. We're really hoping these tests will shed some light on the problem and help us help Cole get more comfortable! Nothing's worse than a baby who's in pain. :(

July 4, 2010

So - this year, July 4 was almost non-existent. Lorraine got married on July 3, and - unfortunately - we weren't able to make it. The wedding took place in Maine, and the logistics of getting the family there with a newborn in tow were just impossible. So - we stuck around P Springs and didn't do anything super special. In fact, I was actually asleep on July 4 by 8:30 pm - by the time the fireworks started, I was so dead asleep, I didn't even hear them. Not to worry - I was up again several times the morning of July 5! Cole is definitely a cutie pie these days, but it'll be nice when he sleeps through the night and eats at longer intervals! We'll give July 4 a better shot next year.

The End of an Era

Back in 2003, I landed an interview with a little company called Argon Engineering. Even at the time, I remember thinking that it was an incredible opportunity, and I worked around the clock for several days preparing for the interview. I even remember listening to music on the drive to the office to psych myself up for the interview.

Seven years later, I am proud to call myself an employee of Argon ST. I've seen so many changes along the way. When I first joined, the company was called Argon Engineering and had just 300 employees. Since then, they've acquired a handful of companies, changed their name to Argon ST, and have more than 1000 employees. When I first joined, I worked in the training group. I learned all about the systems we sell. Then, I moved into HR, and for the last five years, I've been recruiting employees to work at this awesome company.

Argon gave me tremendous opportunities; I learned a ton about our industry, the corporate world, and even myself. I've met and cultivated friendships with amazing people and was given the opportunity to continue working from home even after Tom and I started our family. I mean, really, what company says, "Sure - go ahead and work from home 7 hours a week! We'll see ya when we see ya!" I couldn't be more thankful and appreciative for the mutually beneficial relationship I have with this company.

Today, Argon ST was acquired by Boeing. The company as I know it will be changing and because I just had a baby, am full of hormones, and more than a little bit weepy, I figured it was worth a blog post. I think this is good news for Argon ST, and I am excited to see what happens next.

Cole's Schedule at 8 Weeks

At this point, I've pretty much decided I'm worthless at scrapbooking or any other non-electronic form of record taking. For that reason, I went ahead and ordered a copy of the blog from last year and had it printed into a book. I'll do the same thing each year, and our family will have a record of what happened during the year. It's not exactly like a baby book, but I guess it's as close as I'm going to get.

Anyway, Cole's on a decent schedule now, so I think it's time to get it posted. Then, in the future, we can look back and see how much progress we've made.

6:00 Wake-up, feed, and diaper change
6:30 Playtime
7:30 Nap
9:00 Wake-up, feed, and diaper change
9:30 Playtime
10:00 Nap
12:00 Wake-up, feed, and diaper change
12:30 Playtime
1:00 Nap
3:30 Wake-up, feed, and diaper change
4:00 Playtime
4:30 Nap
5:30 Wake-up, feed, and diaper change
6:00 Playtime
7:30 Diaper change, feed, and bedtime
2:30 Diaper change, feed, and bedtime

It's an exciting life we live - don't be jealous.

Busy, Busy Day

Wow! Today has been an incredibly busy day, and it's only 2:00 pm. This morning, Grandma B came over to pick up Syd. They headed off to the playground and library, while I took Cole to the doctor's office for his 8-week check up. It turns out that he is gigantic! At 8 weeks, he's 12 pounds, 6 ounces and 24 inches long. His head circumference is 16 inches. Wow! And - all that growth comes despite symptoms of what we think may be reflux. So - the doctor sent us on our way with some reflux medicine and a bunch of vaccines. Boo!

On the way home, I picked up the prescription while scheduling my preoperative interview. I have another kidney stone surgery coming up next week, and I got to schedule this one ahead of time (the other two were emergency surgeries). Anyway, it turns out that when you schedule surgery ahead of time, there are a bunch more details to work out. For example, I had to get some blood drawn today, and I have this interview on Friday. I'm really crossing my fingers that this is my last surgery for a long time.

Once I got home, I returned a call from a general contractor who will be visiting to give us an estimate on moving the dirt pile from the front of the house to the back. They'll also be moving some wood chips from the next door neighbor's property to ours. We will get that playground finished before the end of the summer!

Sydney just woke up from her nap. We're going to watch Cinderella for the first time! Can't wait!