I need to schedule time to breathe...

Okay... since work is staring me in the face this week I thought I better think my schedule through pretty well... this is what my usual day will look like during the work week from now on... it's a good thing that I'm a highly organized person and I like making lists of useless info instead of sleeping :) Here's what's in store for me...

5:25 a.m. - Wake up, pump
5:35 a.m. - I shower and get ready, Derek changes and feeds Addison
6:15 a.m. - Get bottles ready for daycare, get Addison dressed, get lunches ready to go, pack car
6:45 a.m. - Leave for work
7:15 a.m. - Get to work, Addison off for daycare from the school
7:20 a.m. - Pump and then get to work...
11:15 a.m. - My planning period - pump first, then grade papers, make copies, and have lunch
3:00 p.m. - Pick up Addison from daycare, head home
3:30 p.m. - Pump
3:45 p.m. - If Addison is asleep: do housework and chores or workout. If she's awake it's playtime.
5:00 p.m. - Bottle
5:30 p.m. - Make dinner, housework, make lunches for next day, thaw milk for daycare, pack diaper bag
8:00 p.m. - Derek gives Addison a bottle, I pump
8:45 p.m. - Bath, jammies, snuggle time...
9:30 p.m. - Put Addison down for the night
9:35 p.m. - Get online stuff done - pay bills, check email, etc.
9:50 p.m. - Pump
10:00 p.m. - Bedtime

My cleaning schedule...

Monday: Clean master bedroom and bathroom, wash sheets and towels
Tuesday: Clean Addison's room, guest room, hall, guest bathroom, and dining room, wash any towels, sheets, or table linens
Wednesday: Clean kitchen, take out all garbage
Thursday: Clean living room, laundry room, and entry, wash blankets and kitchen towels
Friday: Pick up, wash clothes
Weekends: Yard work

Then and now...

Wow... I can't believe how much Addison has grown in just the last two months! This first picture was taken on October 1st and the bottom one was taken this morning... two months makes a big difference!

Children's Hospital Update

We made the over-and-back trip to Seattle today for Addison's appointment at Children's Hospital. It went really well and I think that Derek and I will both rest a lot easier now that she's been seen by a specialist. Here are the details - they are opting to not do the biopsy for Hirshsprung's as of now because it's invasive and carries a lot of risks. Addison only meets a few of the criteria for it and as long as things don't get any worse they will spare her the painful test. The doctor did find a "dimple" in her butt-crack (oh, someday she'll hate me for posting that online) that they want to check out a bit more. Apparently there is a (very small) chance that the spinal cord didn't fuse properly and that the nerves in that area aren't working which would cause constipation. She said they see the dimples a lot and most of the time it's nothing but she wants to have it x-rayed just to be sure. We'll have the x-ray done here in town because we didn't want to wait around for three hours to have it done there. The barium enema that we had done last week ruled out a lot of possibilities - no obstructions or anything like that. As far as the pooping (or lack thereof) she told us to continue with the laxative that she's on - it's not a strong prescription (basically just sugar) that keeps fluid in the intestines. If it's helping, keep giving it. We're also supposed to give glycerin suppositories every day for a week to get things moving and then just as needed from there on out. The thought is that once we introduce solids and she starts getting fiber she'll grow out of this phase and start pooping regularly. It was a long trip just to hear that everything is probably fine but I feel better knowing that we pursued it and that she was seen by the best. I would have felt awful if we'd ignored it and then it turned out to be something serious. I'm calling to schedule the x-ray tomorrow and once we hear back about that I'll post an update again...

10 Week Pics..

Addison and Sawyer hung out on Friday night... Addison did her aerobics routine and Sawyer lounged around and watched :)

Tonight she tried out her new jumpy toy... it was fun until her neck got tired and she bonked her head. I guess we need to wait a few more weeks before she plays in it... bad mommy.

Update

The test yesterday came back "inconclusive". Whatever that means. So the doctor is referring Addison to a GI specialist at Children's Hospital in Seattle. It could take a while for us to get in - they're supposed to call with the appointment date/time this week. The next step in diagnosing her would be a large intestine biopsy but we want to make sure that the test is necessary before we put her through that. Please keep my baby in your prayers...

One thing you never want to see...

is your baby in a hospital gown.

Addison had her barium enema today to check for Hirschsprung disease. She couldn't eat for four hours before the procedure so I woke her up at 4am for her morning feeding. We got to the hospital at 8:45, checked in, and headed to radiology. They put her in a little gown, put us in lead suits, and then proceeded to stick a tube the size of a pencil up my daughters bum. Once they had it in and secured with what looked like an entire roll of medical tape, they brought in the doctor and pumped her full of the barium solution. The entire procedure took an hour and the whole time Addison was screaming and crying and Derek and I could only stand there and watch - it was the most awful feeling ever. Once it was over and we got her cleaned up, dressed, and out into the waiting room where I fed her the bottle she had been wanting. We got home and it was like all of my energy ran out at once - I think the stress and anxiety took it's toll on me as much as it did her! We all crawled into bed and slept for a few hours before her next feeding. Now we have to wait around for a call from the doctor to tell us what, if anything, they saw. I'm hoping it's nothing but at the same time I want it to be something that we can fix so she isn't so miserable. I'll post more when we know more...

Fall Family Photo Shoot...

Special thanks to my friend Kristin for taking such beautiful pictures of our family. Enjoy!