First clinic back after Boston, and other updates

We made the trip to Nashville today for Spina Bifida clinic, the first one since Nate's last surgery in Boston. Nicole went with me and Nate, and Nate was a very good boy.

We started by going to urology for a renal ultrasound and were seen there by the urologist. His kidneys look great as usual. We found out when we were in Boston that Nate has a hypospadius, so the uro checked that out. It's a urological issue, and it's a little surprising that none of the urologists who have seen Nate since before birth had noticed until a catheter-gone-wrong incident, but really it's not a big deal and nothing needs to be done about it.

We started talking about potty training, and I told them we were just done with the miralax routine. We've been trying it on and off since he was 2, and it has never worked well, and I don't think he can be continent with just miralax. The uro and his nurse both scrunched their faces as if to say they disagree, but they had to agree it wasn't working for Nate. They asked if we had seen GI (gastrointerology) yet, and I told them that I am actually making an appointment for Nate at Cincinnati Children's Colorectal Center. (I have had a heck of a time getting his records there, but we should have an appointment there soon.) The nurse said, "You should go there. They are better at this stuff than we are." What! You don't hear that very often! I noticed the doctor didn't really concur but didn't disagree.

We grabbed some lunch, and hung out in the clinic waiting area chatting with people. Next we saw the neurosurgeon. This was the first time Dr. T had seen Nate since before we went to Boston. I told him all that happened (Dr. Warf said he personally called Dr. T to explain all that happened, but Dr. T acted like he hadn't heard this before). I told him about Nate's ICP (intracranial pressure) numbers, and he agreed that Nate must have had high pressure without a shunt or ETV, but obviously it didn't hurt him cognitively. Then I was telling him about how after they removed the external drain that was draining extra fluid out, that he showed signs of hydrocephalus (bad headaches, throwing up, lethargy) for a couple hours and then they stopped. He said it just took some time for the fluid to start routing through the ETV instead of out of the drain. It wasn't until I was on my way home that I thought about it this way. Dr. T wanted to do a temporary shunt, for maybe 6 months. But Dr. Warf warned me that if the brain gets used to draining fluid in an easy route like a shunt, other little ducts in the brain can start closing off and the brain can become dependent on the shunt, even if it wasn't before. So I thought if Nate's brain got dependent on the external drain during that 5 days he had it in, think about how it would have gotten used to a shunt. I don't think he would have been able to lose the shunt after 6 months, and he probably would have always had it. Anyway, that was just further confirmation that I think we did the right thing with the ETV. I do think he needed it, and God just orchestrated all this in the right timing.

Then the ortho doc came in and had no concerns. He was asking about everything, so I told him about going to Boston. Then he asked if we had any bowel/bladder concerns, and I told him we were headed to Cincinnati to see their specialists. He said, "Well, it sounds like you all are going all over!" Yep, we're going to go where we think Nate needs to go, and not be afraid to leave our clinic.

On the way home, with every.single.song. that came on the radio, Nate said, "Mama, i like this song!" Every single song. The kid loves his music, and I also think he likes to annoy me.

Other updates:
I'm about 14 weeks pregnant now. Out of the first trimester-Yay! Poor Blake, you would think he would remember by the 3rd pregnancy that I am a tired blob during the first trimester. He kept wondering why I was just sitting on the couch and not helping with much housework for like 10 weeks! But I got my energy back, and this weekend our house got some much needed attention. :) I have an appointment this Friday, and I'm hoping the doc will get my specialist appointment scheduled so we can get a level II ultrasound of this little one. I'm sure he or she is healthy, but I want to know if he's a he or she's a she! At this point, I would be thrilled with either. I would slightly prefer a boy because I have a boy name I really want to use, but if it's a girl, we are in trouble in the name department. I research names all the time, and I can't find a single girl name that even compares to how much I love Georgia's name.

This baby is no fun and doesn't like junk food or sweets. Just salad and fruit and good cheese and healthy foods. I didn't even want cake on my birthday! My pregnancy with Nate was sort of the same--I did like junk food, but I mostly craved fruit. With Georgia I craved chocolate all the time. I remember one time craving brownies, and I made some and ate them, and I felt Georgia doing flip flops in my belly! To this day "choc-yat" is her favorite food.

Georgia is her sassy little self. This weekend she found some alphabet flashcards on her book shelf that used to be Nate's. I took out the "A" card and asked her what letter it was, and she smiled and said, "I don't know, what?" Oh, poor thing. She's smart as can be, but I haven't sat down and worked with her on this stuff like I did with Nate. At 2.5, Nate knew all his letters and could count to 10 and knew his colors and shapes. Georgia's got none of that. With Nate, I was home with him. Plus I was constantly watching for signs of him being behind or on target. With Georgia, I just know everything is ok with her so I haven't worried or stressed over her nearly as much. Now it's showing. :) I'll work more with her. But she's a smart little cookie and will pick it up fine.

That's about all that's going on. We had a great weekend. The kids are happy, the parents are happy. What can I say, life is good!