Health Update-April 22, 2015

It's been a while since I've given an update, so here we go. . .

We received the news yesterday that my liver looks normal-WAHOOOOOOO! The GI doctor seems to think my elevated liver enzymes (which were only slightly elevated) comes from the medication I'm on for my kidneys. He suggested I just have them checked periodically and let them know if I have any more crazy stomach issues. Praise!

I'm still feeling well and taking the medication for my kidneys in hopes that it keeps working. My next appointment is in a little less than a month, so we will go from there. Hopefully it will be great news and I can get off this stuff once and for all! 

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and warm wishes! Please keep them coming for the next bit as I'm still not completely out of the woods yet:-)

Weekend Visits

This past weekend we ventured up the road to Raleigh to visit with some friends and introduce Amelia Grace to one of our favorite cities. 

This being our first time taking her with us longer than an hour away we planned to follow thru with the regular bedtime routine and then pop her in the car so she could sleep on the way there. Well, she was so excited NOT to be getting in her crib she did her little "dance party" routine (picture arms and legs going crazy as fast as she can make them go) for the first 15 minutes we were in the car. She eventually settled down and dozed on and off. She was a trooper and settled in pretty well once we got there-whoooooo!

Friday morning we wandered around town in betweens naps and showed her some of our favorite places. That evening we regrouped with our friends for a fabulous supper at a local Mexican restaurant. 

Saturday included more wandering and the opportunity for our fabulous hosts, Steve and Caroline, to babysit a bit. Hopefully she didn't scare them off of wanting their own kiddos;-)

That afternoon we hit up the Blues and Cue Festival in downtown Raleigh where we enjoyed delicious local brews, fantastic BBQ, and awesome Blues. Aside from the cuckoo amount of people when we first got there, it was a lot of fun. And Amelia Grace is definitely a Carolina girl who loved her first taste of Blues music and BBQ. 

Sunday morning found us back at our old church, Vintage. They have since moved locations, but other than that it was like we had never left! 

While we didn't get to visit as many people as we would have liked there will be plenty of time for that later. Until then we will remember this stellar weekend and look forward to the next!

The fam minus Daisy. 

Kisses from Auntie Caroline. 

David was rocking it. 

 You have a baby. In a bar.

AG loves Bark Boxes just as much as the dogs do!

The Hair

If you've seen a recent picture of our daughter it's likely you have noticed something about her. . . the hair.

Our little love has been gifted with a unique mane, one that prompts random strangers to strike up conversations. I'm not kidding when I say every.single.place.we.go someone says something. It cracks me up! I should start making bets with people when I leave the house-I'd be a millionaire in no time!

Sometimes of the things I hear. . .

Has your baby been playing with a balloon?

Look at that hair!

Did your baby stick her finger in a light socket?

Her hair is so crazy.

Did you electrocute your child?

Mama, look at that baby's funny hair.

Did she just get out of the bath?

And the list goes on. Does it bother me? Not in the slightest. I find it quite humorous, to be honest! Poor kid comes by it honest-my hair was a hot mess until I was almost two. Looks like we're in for the random comments for a while longer;-)

Health Update-April 13, 2015

Last week when I posted I mentioned how icky I was feeling because of my new kidney medicine. Well, I am pleased to say your prayers are working because I feel almost completely back to normal! The nausea comes and goes, but I am so thankful to report that it's going more than coming. Praise!

I also had an appointment with my nephrologist last week and it looks like that same medication is working! Praise! She said my lab numbers are moving in the right direction and things are looking food. She's hopeful that I'll only have to take it for 8 weeks versus the 12 weeks we originally talked about. She's also continuing to wean me off the prednisone while this is going on. 

Lots of good news!

Tomorrow morning is my liver biopsy to see if the GI doctor can pinpoint why my liver enzymes are elevated and if I actually have PBC. We are continuing to pray this is all cautionary and the elevated numbers came from that pesky gallstone. In the meantime we are remembering this. . .

Easter Rewind

I know I'm a few days late, but I still wanted to share some of our wonderful Easter weekend with y'all!

Friday started off a little different than most Fridays in that we got to have a playdate with our baby friends! The school was on Spring Break so we were able to hang out with some sweet mommas and babes for a bit. It's so much fun to see them toddling around and really getting into things. Gone are the days of quietly meeting in a coffee shop!

They were not having it when we asked for a picture!

That evening my mom came down so David and I could go out on a date. What he didn't know was we weren't going home! While we kicked off the evening with drinks at Carolina Ale House I surprised him and told him there was a suitcase in the back of the car and we were staying the night at his parents' condo on Lake Wylie! He was so excited and we completely changed gears for the night. Instead of a quick evening out Carrabba's and Babies 'R Us (whoooooo), we headed to NoDa to hit the breweries and chow down on some delicious food. We even snuck over to the new outlet mall for a wee bit just to wander around. Gotta love when you're not tied to a baby's bedtime!

The next morning we woke up and ventured over to IHOP for breakfast. David has been talking about getting a stack of their pancakes for about a thousand years so I finally caved. After he drowned them in syrup and thoroughly enjoyed them we returned home to our babe and a busy day of visiting with my side of the family. We've recently discovered all the neat breweries that are pretty much in our backyard! Okay, so maybe they're like 10 minutes away, but that's close enough for us. My dad, brother, and sister-in-law joined us for the trip around town before we all ended up back at the house for supper and yard games. 

The next morning we awoke early and headed to church to celebrate the glorious day! Every Easter Sunday our church comes together for a delicious Easter breakfast and this year was no different. Afterwards we all roll ourselves into the auditorium and fight to stay awake with our full tummies;-) There is always an Easter egg hunt following the service and this year was no different. Amelia Grace even "found" an egg! What that really means is we sat her down next to egg and she picked it up. Hooray! Haha. 

Amelia Grace's first Easter!

After service we headed to the Mobley's for Easter lunch and visiting. We all enjoyed more delicious food and had a great time catching up. 

It was a busy weekend, but a great one as well!

Me on the left in 1989 and Amelia Grace in 2015 wearing the same dress!

Health Update-April 6, 2015

It's that time again-your weekly look into my cuckoo body. . .

So last week I told y'all we were headed back to the GI doctor to find out the official results of the MRCP. I was crossing my fingers it was something fairly routine like gallstones. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case. After more review of MRCP and the corresponding labs the doctor is concerned I may have another autoimmune condition called primary biliary cirrhosis or PBC. This is characterized by a constricted bile duct (which they saw on the MRCP) and elevated liver enzymes. 

I don't really have many of the symptoms, but there is a possibility I could develop them later (jaundice, itching, extreme fatigue). Most patients with PBC don't really have symptoms until they are very sick. We won't know for sure if I have this until they complete a liver biopsy, which is scheduled for next week. 

While autoimmune conditions are not hereditary, PBC may be related to PSC (primary sclerosing cholangitis) which is what my sister has. We think that's why the doctor is ordering all these tests and being careful. We are fervently praying that this is all a fluke and the doctor is being extra cautious for no reason at all!

All of this is going on in conjunction with my kidneys still doing their own thing. I have an appointment with the nephrologist this week to see if the cytotoxin is helping at all. I sure hope it is because it is wrecking havoc on my body! Some days are better than others, but I've been very nauseated and very tired recently. Love it when I can coordinate a mommy nap with a baby nap;-) I've also been very "out of it". So, if you're talking to me and I seem to zone out or can't do simple math, bear with me! Haha. 

Thank you for your continued prayers-they are what's getting me through! Your support, prayers, and well-wishes have been very comforting and I reread them when I'm feeling icky, so thank you!!

8 Month Update

Happy 8 months, little love!

 What's this thing you've got on my head?

I'm too excited to sit still!!

Doll babies make excellent peek a boo tools.

 I'm gonna get you!

Who? Me??

Height/Weight: Still not sure on this one. I'd say she's around 18-19 lbs, but we'll find out officially at her 9 month check up next month. She's super long too! Her legs go on for dayssssss.

Clothes: Still hanging out in the 9 month clothes with a few 12 month items for length.

Likes: She loves being outside and now that the weather is nice we get out as much as we can. She loves to clap and smile and play. Such a happy baby! She also LOVES to eat. She would sit in her high chair and eat all day if I let her.

Dislikes: She is definitely getting much more of a personality and will let her know when she doesn't like something, but overall she is a very happy baby. We thank God every day for the blessing that she is :-) I will say she is not a big fan of yogurt unless I mix in pear puree, but only pears. She ate a whole pear herself last week!

Milestones: She is clapping about anything and everything! She is also feeding herself like a champ these days. She has tried all sorts of foods and aside from the yogurt really hasn't opposed much. We also have officially stopped nursing :-( She seemed to be weaning herself and would only sit still for the first feeding each day, so the timing of the medicine worked out well.