The Bube Tube

Well she's 4 months old and already she is tuned into pop culture. Here she is preparing for her American Idol audition and Baby Einstein appearance. We always said we wouldn't have her watch TV, but she's a huge fan of a few shows. She LOVES music - so Baby Einstein and American Idol are her favorites. Ellen is also a favorite. We watch it everyday while she's eating lunch with Auntie Brynne. I have never seen a baby mesmerized for an hour with a TV show - leave it to my daughter to love TV!

Naked truth

So we have realized that our daughter is the most happy when she's naked! It doesn't matter what the temperature is outside she goes from crying to giggles when she's running around the house in her birthday suit + diaper. Blair is already imagining the talks we will have to have with her about modesty. But for now we enjoy the silliness that naked time brings out in her. Bath time around here is looked forward to by both Blair and I because her smile and giggles are most contagious then. I keep thinking it can't get better than this, but I know it will. But for now I'm content to be where I'm at; loving every minute of being a mom. Thankful that I have a healthy, smiley little girl. We'll deal with the modestly talk later.

Blowing Bubbles

I don't refer to it as drooling yet, although she can soak through an entire outfit in less that an hour. Blowing spit bubbles is the new favorite past time of my little Avila. I thought spit bubbles were reserved for little boys, but from this picture you can see that little girls enjoy it as well. Spit, drool (yes I said it - drool) and all I still think she is the cutest little baby ever!

Getting more fun every day

This is one of my new favorite pictures. She is full of smiles most of the day. Praise the Lord for such a happy baby!

Not so happy here. She's not too excited about watching me garden, but some of her favorite toys kept her busy for a little while. I'm excited for the time when she'll be able to help with the garden! One of my loves passed on to me by my mom.

I just love this little chunker monker!

The past 2 months of fun and milestones

Some of you may remember "little miss sunshine" the obnoxious yellow doll in the picture; well my daughter absolutely loves her. I went to Target to pick up a few things; and just as you're not supposed to go to the grocery store hungry, you also should never go to Target with your cute baby who "needs" a fun toy. Don't worry, I had a gift card! I was walking past the toy isle, not intending to buy anything when I saw this funny doll. I just had to see what it said and when I pushed it my sweet little girl smiled and laughed. I thought it might be a fluke, but she continued to love it. How could I not buy it then!

So now we play with the silly little doll during our tummy time. My mom reminded me how important tummy time is; I think she's trying to have Avila compete in a milestone race with her bosses daughter who is 2 weeks younger. Regardless, she loves it!
Hanging on the couch in our PJ's playing with toys! The day has finally come when Avila will actually play with a toy. Cow was her first love. Little miss sunshine has taken over, but only becuase she makes noise I think. It's so fun to watch her explore the toys. It takes a minute for her to control her hand enough to grap the toy, but when she does she holds on for dear life!
Watching TV with momma. I bad habit we started early. We'll have to break it when she starts to understand what she's watching. No more Grey's Anatomy for her!
Just hanging in her crib. She loves just laying there listening to music and watching her mobil. This is when she reminds me of daddy. Just enjoying some peace and quiet. Then she starts crying for attention and I'm reminded that she's my daughter too.

Being a mom is so fun; I love it!

Priase the Lord

Bright eyed and beautiful; everyone can tell that this little girl is feeling MUCH better. The only way to tell that she is sick is her sad little club of an arm where her IV is.

One more day to go! All 3 of us are so ready to bust this joint and get back to out normal routine. Avila's routine hasn't changed much; she still eats, poops, smiles and sleeps - mom and dad on the other hand are ready to check out of hotel CMH and go home to our other child Maverick and enjoy the ocean while it's still sunny!

Great news upon great news to share! Not only is it wonderful to go home tomorrow, we are bring a perfectly normal, healthy little girl home - no we did not trade Avila in for a better model - the last test came back NEGATIVE and proved the DR.'s assumption wrong; she does NOT have kidney reflux! Still not sure how she got the bladder infection, but Dr. White is going to count it as baby infection and the only followup that is needed will be another ultra sound of her kidneys. The first ultrasound showed that the left side of her kidney was enlarged. He just wants to check it in about a month to make sure it's healed as well.

Praise the Lord for His many mercies! And thank you to all the saints who have been praying for our little girl. We have been encouraged by your prayers, visits to the hospital and phone calls.

Please continue to pray as it looks like she's shaping up to be a little drama queen!

What is Kidney Reflux?

Here is the little mini IV pump that gives her the meds once a day. After it's finished they detach the IV pump and she's free to roam the hotel/hospital room again. They are treating her for a bladder/kidney infection. The Dr. thinks it was caused by a birth defect referred to as Vesicoureteral Reflux (Kidney Reflux). Not too many people have heard of it; I never had until now. So here is a little info on what might be happening in Avila's little body. The Dr. is pretty confident this is the problem; however we will know more after a test she's getting today.

Urine is normally created by the kidneys, flows down through tubes called ureters, and enters the bladder. The bladder is a holding tank. When the bladder muscle contacts and the sphincter relaxes, urine flows down and out of the body through the urethra. Why doesn’t the urine flow back into the ureters when the bladder contracts? The ureters enter the thick-walled bladder at an angle. The long path through the muscle acts as a valve. The ureters close as the bladder contracts -- an elegant system.Reflux happens when the muscle-valve doesn’t work. The path of the ureters through the muscle may be too straight or too short, or the muscle in that area may be too thin or too weak. Sometimes the person has an extra ureter with poor valve function. When the bladder contracts, some of the urine is propelled down and out, but some is ejected back up into the ureters.

How long it is expected to last depends on the severity of the reflux. Reflux is classified on a scale of Grade I to Grade V. In Grade I reflux, the urine flows up a short way through a normal-appearing, undilated ureter. In Grade II, the urine makes it all the way to the kidney, but the structures still look normal. By Grade V reflux, though, the ureters are dilated like elongated water balloons all the way up the kidney, where the normal structures are compressed and pushed out of place.Grade I and Grade II reflux will likely go away on their own. Grade III reflux is more likely to resolve the younger the child is when it is diagnosed. Grade IV reflux may also go away, especially if it is only on one side. Grade V reflux rarely disappears without surgery.If reflux does heal on its own, the average age is 6 or 7.

Imaging studies are needed to diagnose reflux. These are often wise to obtain in young children who have had urinary tract infections. Most will need both a renal ultrasound and a cystogram (a study where a catheter is put into the bladder, some marker is put into the urine, and pictures are taken when the bladder contracts).

*** Note to readers: The above was copied from a medical website. I don't talk or write that "smart".