March Came In Like a Lion and Ended Like a More Ferocious Lion

You know that saying, "March Comes In Like a Lion and Goes Out Like a Lamb?" It wasn't quite accurate here. March was a whirlwind, and on the last day of the month, we were in the emergency room with Lily and her broken arm. To top it off, the month ended with the coldest night we have had in weeks, complete with freezing temps and sleet. Yeah...I'm not falling for that saying!

I have so many posts to publish...SO MANY...but I'll just start with the most recent news. Lily fell victim to the dangers of jumping on a trampoline, and ended up with a fractured elbow. Needless to say, my husband is ready to burn that trampoline! My thought? Kids will be kids and stuff happens!

It definitely wasn't the best way to kick off Spring Break, but thanks to our l o n g night at the hospital, all of our kids started their Spring Break one day early. We didn't get home until early morning, and none of the kids slept long enough.  So here we are, shivering from the sudden return of Winter, physically and mentally exhausted, and REALLY hoping that April is going to be kind! Here's the scoop on the second broken bone in our crew...

The Wait Is Over

After 8 long days of waiting, we finally received the results of Liam's biopsy. We have been living in fear since the end of September. The what ifs were continuously running through our minds, and worry took over our lives.  

We were anxiously awaiting and dreading the phone call from Liam's doctor, and it never came in. After 24 hours of waiting to hear from the ENT, I decided to send an email, and we heard back shortly. They were just waiting for their Advanced Specialists Team to review the results as well, to make sure nothing was missed. We were thrilled to hear that Liam does NOT have lymphoma, and that the mass that was removed from his neck is benign! It felt like a huge weight was lifted from our shoulders!

I'm keeping this short and sweet, by simply sharing the best news! Our many prayers were answered, and Liam is just fine. He is 9 days post-op, healing well, and was able to return to school in person today. We can finally put this behind us, and move forward. This year is looking GOOD!

You can read the full story here: The Reason Behind My Absence

The Busyness of a Big Family

I didn't really consider us a big family until baby #5 joined our world. Now that we're officially one year into having five children, I get it. I understand exactly why there aren't very many big family bloggers out there!

The issue is time. Or more accurately, the LACK of time. My day starts at 6 AM, and I literally don't get a break from parenting until my head hits the pillow at 11 PM (or later). And really, it doesn't end. I have a big problem with turning my thought process off so I can sleep!

I miss blogging. SO much. It was a part of my life for so long. I don't want to give it up just yet, and I have so many posts waiting in my queue. I had big plans to post 2-3 times a week, and I was doing so well until the busyness that comes with big family life got in the way. See, over the past 4 weeks, a LOT has come up that threw us off track!

When Sickness Strikes...

The picture above sums up the past week of my life! Taking care of Liam, who ended up getting REALLY sick over the weekend, and preparing for a meeting to discuss inclusion with the school district took up all of my time. Everything else got pushed aside...no blogging, no photography, no sponsored work, no summer fun...and rightfully so. The needs of my family always come first!

Some of you might have seen all the "excitement" unfold on Instagram or Facebook, but if not, I'll sum it up. Liam managed to go 8 months without getting sick a single time, but made up for it in one short week. He got a low fever on Tuesday and it came and went throughout the week. It was odd, because he rarely gets a fever, but he didn't have any other symptoms...and then those Chickenpox popped up! Just like his big brother, he ended up getting a mild version of the virus even though he was vaccinated. Then, on Saturday, he went into respiratory distress, and ended up in the ER. It was truly one of the most terrifying experiences I've ever had with one of my kids!

Here's how the week progressed from a simple fever to an overnight stay in the ER...

Life Lately Weekend Edition - Liam's Hospital Visit, The World's Largest Candy Store & St. Patrick's Day

Happy Monday! Our entire weekend was busy, and there was no time to rest. It kicked off with a VERY long day at the hospital, included a trip to the World's Largest Candy Store, was filled with St. Patrick's Day fun, and ended with a day full of errands. I feel like I need just one more day to recover from the weekend!

The Saga Continues...

I've been MIA all week long.  It was quite a week to say the least!

My last post was about Liam falling on Saturday, going to Urgent Care on Sunday, and getting sent to the Children's Hospital ER in Pittsburgh. The doctors didn't think his nose was broken, but we were supposed to wait and see...

Well, things took a turn for the worse.

On Monday morning, Liam woke up fussy, which is very unusual for him.  While I nursed him, I noticed he felt very warm.  Sure enough, he had a fever.  I gave him some medicine to bring it down, but he seemed to be "off" all day.  The only thing that made him happy was sitting outside in the sun.

At that point, the swelling from his injury spread above and below his high.  Or so I thought.



Within a few short hours, the redness had spread and his fever was above 105.



I knew something was wrong, and figured he had some sort of infection from his injury.  As soon as my sister picked my nephew up, Liam and I headed to our local ER, which is less than 10 minutes away.  We were taken back quickly, and a doctor was in the room before the nurses even finished taking his stats.

It only took a few seconds before he said he was fairly certain Liam had Cellulitis.

In Liam's situation, it wasn't just a mild case.  It was spreading rapidly, and it was on his face.  There weren't any visible cuts near the area, so the doctor was mystified. The best guess is that when the doctors in the ER were examining Liam's injured nose on Sunday with a scope, which caused his nose to bleed, bacteria entered the cut inside his nose and entered his bloodstream.  It resulted in a very serious case of Cellulitis, and the doctors were very concerned, because it was over his left eyelid.  If the infection got into his optic nerve, it could go into his brain, and the results would be absolutely devastating.

They immediately put in an IV, gave him medication to bring down the fever, ran some blood work, did and xray, and started him on IV antibiotics.



Grant was at home with our kids, but I was very surprised when my dear friend, Steph, walked into the room.  It made the long wait a little less scary!  Grant eventually showed up once his mom came over to watch the kids, and it was a good thing, because we found out we were going to be transferred to Children's Hospital.

Once the medication kicked in, Liam had a few smiles to share with us.  It was temporary. It only brought his temp down to 102,  and the infection just kept spreading.



Once we heard they called for an ambulance, Steph followed Grant home so he could drop off his car, and she brought him back to the hospital.  She stayed with us until after 3 AM, even though she had to wake up at 6.  We were so thankful for her help and support!  She left just as the paramedics arrived.

I rode in the ambulance with Liam, and Grant followed behind in my car.  It's a short drive to the city, and Liam slept through it.  It was my second ambulance ride EVER, both times were with him, and both instances happened within a 3 1/2 month span!



We arrived at the Children's Hospital ER around 4:30ish (honestly, I lost track of time!), and the doctors agreed it was Cellulitis.  They administered more medication, and he ended up getting a CT scan around 6 or 7 AM to check for any fractures in the nose or abscesses under the skin.  Thankfully, he slept through that, too!

They decided he needed to be admitted, and we had to wait for a room.  We were exhausted and starving, so we helped ourselves to the snack pantry, and ended up having Cheetos and chocolate milk for breakfast.  Trust me, it's even more repulsive than it sounds. We didn't go upstairs to a room until after 8:30, and by that point, we had been awake for 26 hours.  Liam had been sleeping since just before his CT scan, so Grant and I tried to sleep.  Within 5 minutes, another doctor came into the room.

Basically, they decided to treat him with strong IV antibiotics every 6 hours, and watch his eye very carefully.  We were told that we couldn't leave until the redness and swelling decreased.  Right after the doctor left, the nurses started another round of antibiotics. 

Grant and I were beyond stressed.  We had a REALLY sick little boy, and the location of the Cellulitis was very unusual and worrisome.



After the IV treatment was done, we managed to sleep for about 2 hours before Liam finally woke up. Grant ran downstairs to pick up some pastries a sweet friend had dropped off for us in the lobby, and to get some caffeinated drinks for us.  I tried to feed Liam, but he wasn't very interested.  His fever spiked again, so they gave him more medication, and he slept some more.



It was a really long day filled with IV antibiotic treatments and visits from doctors and nurses.  During all that, he got moved to another room, and we tried to keep him on a normal routine.



Later that evening my sister, Kelly, came to visit.  Shortly after she arrived, our close friends, Gary and Tracy, came by with dinner, snacks, tons of drinks, and toys for Liam.  They were so sweet and so generous, and it was very much appreciated!

After everyone left, the exhaustion and the impact of the situation hit us.  Luckily, Liam's fever had finally broken, and he blessed us with a smile.



The Cellulitis, unfortunately, continued to spread.  The doctor said he would get two more rounds of antibiotics, and if it hadn't improved by morning, we would have to change the treatment method.  Liam was so feeling much better now that his fever was gone, and decided to stay awake until his midnight IV treatment.



We all fell asleep after the nurses unhooked him from the IV stand.  We got a little bit of sleep before his 6 AM treatment.  He was still asleep, but his face didn't look as bad as it did just 6 hours before.

Sure enough, when he woke up, he was back to his joyful self!  His face was still red, but it was definitely improving! He had some breakfast, explored the room, and played with some toys.



When the doctor finally came into the room, she agreed that it definitely looked like he was improving.  She said she would happily keep him in the hospital and continue IV treatments until the Cellulitis was completely gone, or she would allow us to take him home as long as we picked up his antibiotic and medication from the hospital pharmacy before leaving and were absolutely certain his pediatrician would be able to see him the following day.  She told us that he wasn't out of the worry zone yet and explained what symptoms would warrant an immediate trip back to the hospital, but she was confident he would continue to improve.

We decided that it would be best to take him home and let everything go back to normal.  He would definitely get more rest at home!   When the nurse came in with all the discharge papers and instructions, she was shocked that we were going home.  She said he was the sickest kid on the floor and they all expected him to stay the week, but he ended up being the first child to receive his discharge papers. She said the doctor obviously trusted our judgement. We were all thrilled about how quickly he improved!



It took a few hours, but we were finally able to leave!.  It was SO nice to go home, take a quick nap, and to finally be reunited with our other kids!



Liam looked so much better yesterday! He got a great night's sleep and woke up so happy.   His pediatrician said he made drastic improvement based on the timeline photos, and that we absolutely did the right thing by taking him to the closest ER.  Liam is expected to make a full recovery, with no complications!



We are beyond thankful for all the love, support, good thoughts, and prayers!



Thank God our beautiful boy is back to his healthy, joyful self!

Pod Jumping

We spent our day pod jumping.  In other words, we spent our day at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, running from one "pod" (clinic) to the other. 

Liam had three big appointments lined up, which made for a very long day.  We love the hospital and all the doctors that have taken care of Liam, but today didn't go as planned.

We arrived early, like we were supposed to.  Parking was rough, but we found a spot, registered, and made our way to the cardiology waiting room quickly.  The minutes ticked by and everyone was called in but us.  A baby was lifeflighted in and we overheard a nurse say that one of the doctors was running 4 patients behind.  We tried to be patient and understanding, assuming it was Liam's doctor running behind. 

After almost an hour of waiting, Grant asked the nurse what was going on.  Apparently, the nurses forgot to add him to the round of patients and he was just overlooked.  We finally made it to an exam room an hour and fifteen minutes after our appointment time.  The nurses apologized and gave us a parking pass to make up for it.

Liam was weighed and measured.  10 lbs 6 oz and 26 inches long.  Then we waited some more, because the doctor was doing a test on another patient.  

By the time the doctor made it into the room, it was 2 hours after our appointment time, and we only had a half hour before our next appointment.  He was extremely nice and we were very happy with what he told us.  Liam's heart sounded great and there was no evidence of a murmur, which usually means all holes are closed.

Liam was supposed to get an EKG to check the tag in his artery, but there wasn't enough time.  We have to get that test done another day, and as long as everything still looks normal, we will only have to see the cardiologist once a year for a routine EKG.

Surprisingly, we made it to the next pod with 5 minutes to spare!  Unfortunately, we didn't have any time between appointments as planned, so we couldn't get anything to eat or drink.

This appointment was with his doctor at the Down Syndrome Clinic.  We absolutely love the staff, and once again, it was a wonderful experience.

Liam's doctor went over all his history since the last visit, and did a thorough exam. Liam slept in Grant's arms for the first half of the appointment,but woke up for the exam.  He showed off his big smile and all his skills. Liam's doctor was very impressed with how well Liam is doing, and commented on how smart, aware, and social he is. His weight is still low, but he was pleased to see a consistent gaining pattern.

He recommended we talk to his ENT about a possible sleep study and checking his adenoids. He also suggested we add PT in addition to the OT and Nutrition services we get through Early Intervention in our home. 

We were told to keep up the great work, and sent on our way to the last appointment of the day, with the feeding team.

We were called in almost immediately, but as soon as we walked into the room, I knew it was going to be a bad experience. 

The feeding team consisted of a pediatrician, an OT, a nutritionist, and a speech therapist.  They introduced themselves and asked a bunch of questions.  Liam is finally gaining weight consistently and eating really well, but they wanted to make sure there wasn't an underlying issue with his smaller size.

Just before Liam turned 5 months old, he began fighting his supplemental bottle.  At 5 months old, we introduced solids.  We worked closely with his OT and pediatrician to figure out a way to get the formula into him, so he began to eat organic cereal mixed with high calorie formula twice a day.  He began to gain weight faster than he ever had before!

Our personal OT used to work at the hospital and warned us ahead of time of everything they would say.  She was right!  She told us that we could decline the appointment and I really wish we had.

From the moment the pediatrician started speaking, I felt attacked.  I was stunned, because our previous experience with a different feeding team in October was very positive.

I explained that he was completely breastfed, but they wanted to observe a bottle feeding first.  His Laryngomalacia is only noticeable when he bottle feeds, and as soon as they heard his breathing and saw him fighting the bottle, they insisted he was aspirating.  I reminded them that he had swallow studies done and the results were normal.

Next, they insisted that he needed surgery for the Laryngomalacia NOW because that was causing the poor coordination of breathing, sucking, and swallowing.  About 90% of patients with Laryngomalacia grow out of it without surgery, usually by the age of 2.  His ENT will determine that one, but it is the absolute last resort!

We moved on to breastfeeding, and Liam immediately latched on, and settled into a quiet, calm, perfect feeding.  They insisted he wasn't getting enough breastmilk and that he was burning too many calories while doing so.  They also informed me that any baby that nurses for more than a half hour is feeding improperly. 

Once again, they insisted on forcing the bottle on him, and he continued to fight them. They tried different flow nipples.  They thickened the formula to the point of it being sludge, and he still wouldn't drink from the bottle.

The pediatrician finally told us that I can only breastfeed for 15 minutes because he is burning too many calories and that I will need to top him off with a bottle of thickened formula after he nurses.  We are also to stop giving him solids until he's 9 months old.

The nutritionist was the only helpful one, and offered her advice on how to make his cereal more caloric,and the pediatrician shot her down. I could tell that she was irritated!

At that point, I was ready to walk out and Grant was getting very frustrated.  I'm not a doctor, obviously, but I don't understand how he's going to burn more calories calmly breastfeeding than he is by battling a bottle feeding. He always had trouble with bottle feedings, and I think it's odd that he finally gained more weight AFTER he stopped drinking from the bottle!  He literally will not suck from the bottle so how am I supposed to feed him that way?!?

After all this, they informed us that we didn't need to meet with them again, and to just do everything they said.  I started gathering our stuff before the session even ended, and happily left that room.  It was a complete waste of time, and I felt like they were struggling to find something wrong with him.  He simply can't be skinny, even though he's healthy and growing!

Grant and I walked out those doors and decided to keep following the feeding plan created for him by our pediatrician and OT.  Because it's WORKING. Starting Monday, he will have a nutritionist on his side, too. He has so many doctors making sure he's healthy and thriving, and I put my trust in them. I refuse to put my trust in a team that didn't even treat my child like a person.

Our little man is happy, healthy, and continues to defy all odds! Contrary to what the feeding team said, he IS thriving!

Liam's First Hospital Stay

The past few days have been an absolute whirlwind!

Prior to last week, none of my children have ever had to stay in the hospital. Liam was the one to break the record!

Wednesday started off great!  I woke up to a flood of emails in my inbox.  I couldn't figure out what was going on until someone mentioned that they saw my story on AOL's main page!



I was so honored, and I was brought to tears by every email and comment I received.  I read them all and will be responding to each one!

Shortly after sending the kids to school, I had to meet Dylan at his book fair.  I had to take Lily and Liam with me.  As we were getting out of our car, in the pouring rain, my purse broke, then Lily's umbrella broke. I'm fairly certain we were the entertainment of the day for the office staff.   It was so nice to see Dylan, though!



After running a few errands, we came home for lunch.  Grant came home from work early, and we went to Liam's first appointment at the Down Syndrome Clinic.  The Down Syndrome Clinic is through Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and has two doctors on staff.

All the positive things that we heard about the Down Syndrome Clinic were true.  The doctor and the coordinator are simply amazing.  They both have family members with Down Syndrome.   They were so personable, and I don't even think there could possibly be a better doctor out there to oversee Liam's care.

The entire appointment was so positive.  The doctor had a great outlook on Liam's future and had personal experience to back it up.  The doctor said Liam looked great, but he was concerned that he hadn't reached his birth weight yet.  He weighed in at 7 lbs 10 oz, which was 1 oz below his birth weight.  He asked the coordinator to schedule a swallow test and an appointment at the ENT for Liam.

I was surprised at how much time the doctor spent with us.  He eventually left to look at Liam's growth chart that was faxed over from our pediatrician, while the coordinator came in to talk to us.  She was just as wonderful as he was!

When the doctor knocked on the door and came back in, I had a feeling things were going to change.  He explained that Liam was still at the exact weight he was 6 days ago, and there should have been a slight gain.  He thought it was better for Liam to be admitted to the hospital, because he would get a bunch of tests done quicker than he would if we had to schedule them individually.

He apologized repeatedly, but said he thought this was the way to go so we would be able to get answers quickly.

All of our plans for the rest of the week instantly changed.  We rushed home to prepare for our hospital stay.  I packed bags for Dylan, Lexie, and Lily, kissed them goodbye, and sent them to my parents house.  Grant and I packed our bags, loaded up the car, went through the drive-thru for some dinner, and drove to Pittsburgh. 

As soon as we got to the hospital, we went to admissions, and just waited for our room to be ready. A sweet older man came down to get us, and as he stood up from talking to Liam, he walked right into the glass panel. We felt so bad for him, because he hit his head HARD!  After that excitement, we finally made our way up to our room.

Liam was stripped down to a diaper and wrapped in a blanket.  The doctor came in immediately and examined him. He gave us a general idea of the game plan.  The first thing they wanted to check were his oxygen levels throughout the night.  The nurses hooked him up to an oxygen monitor and left us alone to get settled in.



Grant immediately turned on the Tigers/Red Sox game.  He eventually ran down to the cafeteria to get us snacks.  The night dragged on, and nurses stopped in the room every half hour. Just after midnight, we attempted to go to bed. I thought Liam was going to refuse, because I had to hold him the past few hours, but he fell asleep quickly.



Sleep didn't happen for me.  I woke up every time a nurse came into the room.  At 3:00, when Liam woke up to eat, I just decided to wake up for the day.

Early that morning, before we could even eat breakfast, a doctor from the ENT Clinic stopped in to see us.  He had an appointment scheduled for Liam for a scope in the clinic.

Shortly after he left, transport came to get us to take us down to the clinic.  It was pretty awful.  I had to hold Liam tightly in my arms while a nurse stabilized his head.  The doctor went through his nose and down his throat to check to see if there was any blockage.  I stared at the ceiling or monitor, fighting back tears, as Liam cried and gurgled.

Based on what they saw, they decided that they needed to take him into the OR and put him under general anesthesia for a deeper scope.  That was the last thing I wanted to happen, but we signed the consent forms, and went back to our room to wait.



The wait was awful.  He wasn't allowed to eat for 6 hours.  He slept for a few hours, then woke up to eat.  Unfortunately, we couldn't feed him, so it escalated to a scream fest.  During the scream fest, we had to take him down to get x-rays, so it made him even angrier.



Thankfully, our dear friend, Amber, arrived with lunch and she was able to get him back to sleep. 

Another doctor came in around the time they told us he would go into the OR.  She examined him, and realized that they hadn't put the IV in yet.  He needed fluids before going to the OR, so the nurse came to get him, and took him for an IV.  That procedure obviously woke him up, and he was even angrier than before!

The only thing that made me smile during all this was a surprise text from one of my closest friends, Steph, telling me that her baby girl had arrived on her due date!  I had just talked to her 3 hours before, and she had a few contractions far apart, but nothing else was going on!  The excitement helped keep my mind off what was going to happen.

Finally, transport came to get us and take us down to the OR.  As we walked into OR, I began to cry.  I have never had to hand any of my children over to be put under anesthesia.  Horror stories kept running through my head, and I just wanted to take him and run out of the hospital.

My anxiety only got worse as the anesthesiologist went through the list of the could-happens.  He could end up paralyzed.  Kids with DS are more likely to go into cardiac arrest under anesthesia.  He could end up coming out with a breathing tube. He could end up in the PICU.  I could only imagine the worst.

Handing my baby over and walking away was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do.

Grant and Amber did their best to keep my mind off of things in the waiting room, even though they were nervous, too.  Steph sent a picture of baby Violet, so that was a nice distraction. Mostly, I prayed that everything would turn out okay.

And it did!

The doctor came in and told us that everything looked good.  He had Laryngomalacia, which is basically floppy airways, and reflux.  The Laryngomalacia should resolve itself by the time he is 18-20 months, and Zantac 3 times a day will help his reflux.

We have been so blessed that Liam is in good health and is strong.  Other than a few physical traits, you would never think he had Down Syndrome right now.  We were so relieved to hear that he just had conditions that would go away over time.

The nurse led us to the recovery room.  Another nurse was feeding our sweet boy some Pedialyte.  She smiled at us across the room and told us to take our time, because she didn't want to give him up. I, however, was very anxious to have him in my arms!

After a few minutes in recovery, we were able to return to our room.  I was so happy to have Liam safely in my arms!




Amber eventually left, we made phone calls to our family, and we ordered dinner from the cafe. We settled in for another night in the hospital.



Grant watched the Tigers game again, then we headed to bed around midnight.  After less than 3 hours of interrupted sleep and a very emotional day, I was exhausted.  Apparently we both were, because the doctor came in and completely examined Liam without waking us up!

The next morning was off to a slow start. We met with another doctor, I cuddled Liam, ordered my meal, and ate my breakfast.



After I ate, the feeding team showed up to observe a nursing session.  Grant, of course, felt uncomfortable, so he left the room for a while.  They also observed a bottle feeding.  They decided that they needed to do the cookie swallow test to make sure he wasn't aspirating.  Once again, I had to starve my poor baby for a few hours.

He was content for a few hours, but then the hunger pains kicked in and he was miserable.  Grant and I took turns trying to soothe him.

 


Transport finally arrived to take us down for the cookie swallow test.  The doctors fitted us with vests, propped Liam in a seat,  and took x-rays as I fed him different bottles.

Thankfully, he was NOT aspirating!  I almost cried when they explained that I would have to stop breastfeeding if he was.  Surprisingly, it was more difficult for him to bottle feed.  They even tried different flow nipples and thickening his formula. 

He returned to his room much happier than before.  It also happened to be his 2 month birthday!  His stats were 7 lbs 10 oz and 21 3/4 inches!




He took a little nap while we waited to see if we were going to be released.



Finally, a doctor came in to talk to us.  He was officially diagnosed with failure to thrive due to Laryngomalacia, reflux, and feeding difficulties.  Thankfully, they were all issues that would get better with some time and some work! 

She quickly got the discharge paperwork ready, and the nurse came in to take out the IV and unhook him from the oxygen monitor.  We were so relieved that our hospital stay was over! 



We gathered our stuff, and happily loaded up our car.  We stopped at the pharmacy and stopped to have dinner out with Grant's family on our way home.

We had quite the homecoming!  Dylan and Lexie ran out to the driveway screaming.  Lily screamed my name from the top of the stairs.  She was so excited that when I picked her up, she peed all over me!  Dylan and Lexie made us a pizza and had the table set for when we got home, and they both rushed to scoop up their brother. 

We eventually convinced them to go to bed, and we finally enjoyed some peace and quiet with our sweet baby boy!



Our hospital stay was unexpected.  It was stressful, emotional, exhausting, and disruptive to our normal routine.

BUT...I can't say enough great things about Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. They make sure that the entire family is well taken care of during your stay. The entire staff is amazing, from the doctors to the nurses to the janitors to food service to the transporters.  Prior to Liam's stay, we had only been there on an outpatient basis.  I can honestly see why it's consistently voted one of the best children's hospitals!

As for Liam, he's doing great other than his (lack of) weight gain.  He will be taking his medication for reflux, and the floppy airways should improve.  An occupational therapist and a nutritionist will be coming to our house once a week.  They will help him learn how to feed more effectively.  He will get weighed then, so I won't have to make the weekly trek to our pediatrician's office anymore!  And hopefully, HOPEFULLY, he will reach his birth weight and start to gain!