Today is my 40th Birthday...

...there, I said it...

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I said it out loud...

...hmmm? I admitted it...and nothing disastrous happened...

...my admitting it didn't seem to usher in the Apocalypse...

...so, I guess it's okay...

So, dear blog friends...I was wondering if you would de-lurk for me on the occasion of my 40th birthday? I have seen other blog friends do this and to be honest, I am dying to know who out there may read...or openly mock...the writing on this blog. So, as a huge favor to me...if you ever read this blog would you let me know who you are and how you came upon it?

...and if you are a regular reader...will you assure me that age 40 is really the new age 28?

...thanks so much. I am totally excited to see who comments...

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...even though I am a little worried that you will think I am completely narcissistic for even asking...

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It's Good to be Queen

This post is going to come across as completely and totally random. You see, I have this problem...I set these unattainable expectations for myself and if I can't be perfect at the task I am trying to achieve, I sort of jump ship and abandon the project all together. I began this post nearly two months ago and have come back to edit and re-edit it repeatedly. The original title was, "Overall Medical Update" but as John grows, his medical status changes slightly, so I kept trying to update..and then I got overwhelmed...and then...well, I abandoned ship.
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So, as Queen of this blog I set forth this royal decree...(heh, heh, heh, "a decree"...it's so good to be Queen of something.)
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I am hereby taking all pressure off of myself to update the blog on Little John's medical status in its entirety. I now decree that I will post his medical status in increments.
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Boy Howdy, I feel much better. I like being a Royal.
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(Oh, for pity sake, I just mentally heard my brother Frank say, "Yeah, a Royal Pain in the rear end." Why do you haunt me so, Frank?)
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Also, I hereby decree that I am absolved of all guilt that posting about my children may not be fair or equal for the next several weeks. I cringe when I post about 1 child more than the others...but, NO MORE, as Her Majesty as decreed any posting will be guilt free.
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Oh, and these pictures are in random order...but Her Highness had decreed that, well...that's okay, too.

Here is a random picture of what we have been dealing with as of late. John has taken to ripping his oxygen cannula free from his nose and sucking on it. I get really discouraged when Little John does this but my sweet Adam said, "It's okay, Mom...he is still getting the oxygen he needs...he is just swallowing it!" How could I ever get discouraged with Adam around?
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I simply cannot believe that John has turned 1 year old. It has been quite a year for him and for our family. I have wanted to blog all about his birth story for months now, and I have a goal to do so, but first I wanted to bring the blog up to date on his medical status...in the aforementioned royally decreed increments.

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When a child is born prematurely they can have a myriad of medical problems and overall health issues. We have been very blessed that John, as he develops and grows, has left a lot of his original, "preemie problems" behind.

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I mentioned many posts ago that John has to regularly see an opthamologist that specializes in retina detachment surgery. Preemies are at risk of having their retinas detach because, firstly, the oxygen can cause detachment because of the pressure it can put on the eyes, and secondly, when a child is born prematurely the blood vessels in their eyes often do not grow straight, but instead, "bunch up" and cause pressure that forces the retina away from the rest of the eye. If the retinas reach a level of detachment that the eye surgeon called a grade of 3B, eye surgery has to be performed to prevent blindness. The retina detachment in John's eyes got to a grade of 3A and I feared that he would have to have surgery. But, the week after that diagnosis his eyes began to heal. The surgeon had us come in weekly to check his progress and each week the detachment appeared to be healing. When the healing had reached a level of detachment of only a 1B the doctor had us come back in once a month. I held my breath every time we went back in....and during our last visit the doctor said, "They look normal." I asked him to repeat himself, as he is a man of few words and I wanted to make sure I heard him correctly...and he said simply, "Normal...they look normal." I wonder what he would have done if I had bear hugged him after he told me that...because I was so relieved that is what I felt like doing.

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John still has what the doctor calls, "Reflux" in his right kidney. Basically the bladder kicks urine back into the kidney (refluxing the urine) instead of releasing it normally. He has to take an antibiotic daily to keep infection from forming in his kidney. If this condition does not clear on his own, he will have to have surgery to correct the angle of his ureter ( "a muscular duct or tube conveying the urine from a kidney to the bladder" as defined by dictionary.com) on his right side so that the reflux will stop. The great news about his kidneys is, he used to have swelling in both kidneys (hydronephrosis) which has cleared entirely on its own. Also, his left kidney used to reflux, too but that cleared on its own, as well.
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John is still given a series of medications twice daily...but her majesty will post that list in it's entirety, later, and will feel no guilt for not doing so at this time. (Sorry, you missed me waving my royal scepter...it was very regal, let me tell you). He currently takes two daily doses of Zantac and Prilosec to help him with his reflux problems.

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Here is a series of pictures of his last, "Swallow Study" at the hospital. John's pediatrician ordered the tests to make sure he wasn't still aspirating when he swallows. When John aspirates fluid is forced down into his lungs because he isn't swallowing correctly. His pediatrician was concerned that his lungs were still very weak and wanted to rule out his swallowing incorrectly as a possible reason.

I love this x-ray technician. She is so kind and patient with me. When John had to have what they call a VCUG (a horrible procedure that is done to evaluate the child's bladder's shape, size and capacity and examine the urethra, that John had to be catheterized for) I burst into tears before laying him on the huge and scary table. She was so kind and grabbed me tissues and waited until I had myself under control before she proceeded. I agonized when he had to have the catheter put in place.

Here he is with the radiologist as he sets up the swallow study.

He started whimpering so I tried to play peek-a-boo with him as the technician and radiologist readied the enormous X-ray machine. Baby was not buying into the game of peek-a-boo. I am not joking...he looked at me like, "You've gotta be kidding, lady."

All done with the big scary machine. I have to admit...I think the little bitty hospital gowns are pretty darling. Still though, I'd prefer John never have to don one again.

This picture was taken so that I could capture on film how mean that that big brother Evan is. Sometimes Evan will, "speak for" John by, *ahem* gently helping his mouth move. Strangely, all of the things that Little John says with Evan's help serve Evan's personal agenda. For example, with Evan's assistance, John will, "say" things along the lines of, "Momma, I think you need to buy me some chocolate ice cream when you go to the grocery store...or, Mom, my big brothers don't need to go to bed...I want them to stay up late." Evan actually learned this trick from my sister Stephanie. When John was first released from the NICU...and then 1 week later had to be re-hospitalized, Stephanie came to the wilds of Georgia to help me. When John came home from his re-hospitalization I was crying as I held him one evening because I was thrilled that he was home but petrified that he was so fragile. As I held him I just kept feeling completely and totally overwhelmed. I coo-ed to him something along the lines of, "Oh, John, you are so sweet." and to make me laugh, Stephanie, pulled down his little chin slightly and said in a sweet little high pitched voice, "No, Momma...I'm mean." It made me burst out in laughter...which I really needed to quell the fear that was ever present inside me those first few weeks that Little John was home.

Somebody thinks is is acceptable to attend family scripture study practically nude. Indeed! (John had just vomited all over himself so I had stripped him down while everyone took turns reading. He was taken directly to the bathtub after family prayer was said. Mike was helping Brian sound some words out when I took the picture.

Grandma and Grandad Marshman came to visit over Spring Break 2010. John would not leave their poor dog, Crissy, alone. Crissy was very patient with him, thankfully. (Hey, Jaime...do you recognize that outfit? *sniff*...

Here we see a forlorn Davy Crockett returning from a Luau. Adam was dressing John up one afternoon and I thought he looked so cute that I tried to get a picture. For the longest time, whenever you put a camera in front of John he stopped smiling and stared at it like this. I promise he really wasn't upset. The faux coon skin cap and faux Hawaiian lei make me laugh.

I started playing peek-a-boo with him and was able to capture the King of the wild Frontier smiling, this time. I declare, he is the cutest little faux buckskin buccaneer, I ever did see.

Helping Daddy make tie blankets for Christmas presents.

Christmas Day 2009 proved to be too much excitement for the little man. He kept falling asleep wherever we put him to enjoy the festivities.

John Daniel: The Christmas 2009 edition.

I know I should mend these pajamas...but every time I see that sweet little toe poking out I laugh.

Here is another out of order, random picture.Brian begged me to take this one. He had wrapped John up in this blanket and yelled, "Mom, I dressed John like baby Jesus!!!"

My camera died and my sister Stephanie mailed me her old one! Well, what is it they say at used car lots now? The cars are never, "used" anymore, they are, "Previously Owned"...Stephanie sent me her, previously owned, camera. I was so giddy and grateful when I got it. In this picture I hadn't learned how to turn off the flash yet so I am blinding poor John with it. I wonder why I fret so much about the oxygen and prematurity possibly rendering poor Little John blind...when I single handedly blind him with a camera flash all on my lonesome. Poor little guy.

And thus ends her majesty, The Queen's, random, out of order pictures, post.

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