Doctor's Visit (s)

A few weeks ago, I noticed a bulging spot from Emma's stomach when we were getting ready for bed. We are pretty sure that she had a small hernia when she was younger but every time we addressed it at the doctor, it was playing peek-a-boo so it never seemed like a big deal. I took her to the pediatrician the next day and once again, there wasn't really anything visible to see, but he did feel some separation in the abdominal muscles so he wanted us to see a pediatric surgeon.

I was quite nervous about the possibility of Emma having to have surgery. She hasn't had one in almost four years (praise the Lord!) and I didn't want her to have to go through anything that would cause her pain. My prayer was for the doctor to say no surgery. On Monday, off we went...

The doctor we were seeing came highly recommended from our pediatrician as well as one of the doctors I work for, so that made me feel good.

Emma is the BEST patient. She is always all smiles at the doctor but even more so if she knows "no shots." She was all smiles in the waiting room. I think her shirt says it all. ;)

Still all smiles for the blood pressure check! I told you, she's ah-mazing.

The great news is that the doctor doesn't think we need to do anything right now. He felt the muscle separation and said it is similar to what pregnant women get sometimes when their abdomens stretch out. We already know that low muscle tone is a biggie with Down syndrome, so it made sense to me. He felt what may be an epigastric hernia but he wasn't 100% convinced. He said, in time, if it is truly a hernia it will show itself more and start pinching the surrounding fat and cause her pain. He didn't know why, but often he sees kids around age 14 that have these. So we wait, and we pray!

They told Emma she was such a good patient she could have a sticker....or 6. Haha! I will spare you the excited drama when she saw they had Justin Bieber stickers. Of course I'm sitting there trying to convince all the nurses that she barely knows who he is, meanwhile Emma is saying "Justin Bieber is my boyfriend!!!!" Oh well. Whatever. She was happy. I was happy. All was right with the world.

Mommy decided it was cause for a celebration (and it was dinner time)! So we headed over to McDonalds (do NOT judge me). I ordered her food and we parked in the parking lot.

I let Emma eat her food and her favorite songs came on the radio which turned into a complete "car dance party!" She had so much fun and I did too.

I spent those 20 minutes thanking God for our doctors visit and for my precious little girl who is so full of life and love!

 Who wouldn't want to celebrate with this face???



On Wednesday she had a scheduled appointment with her cardiologist just for a check up since it had been two years. My expectation was that all would be fine...

Waiting...again.

"Mom, I'm BORED and tired of waiting!"

 "Okay, I'll smile anyway..."

 I snapped this one because I loved how she was sitting there with her legs crossed like a little lady.



Turns out, heart wise she looked good (she ended up having to have an ultrasound of her heart done while we were there), however her blood pressure was elevated. Since most all of Emma's doctors are through Duke, the doctor was able to pull up all of her vitals in the past year or so and said her top # has been consistently higher than he would like it to be. So he wanted to do the ultrasound and since everything looked good, he wants to refer her to a pediatric nephrologist  (kidney doctor) to evaluate her for hypertension and to make sure her kidneys are ok.

So our "seeing every type of specialist that exists"  journey is not over...but I am thankful for smart physicians!

2013.

Well hello 2013. I hope you promise to be a good one! My "resolution" is to be more diligent about blogging this year. So, without further ado...

January started off with a BANG! Drew got his permit. Go Drew!

 He took the class portion in August and completed the driving portion at the end of December.

 His drivers ed teacher was so nice and spoke highly of Drew! Drew was terrified to ride with his riding partner, but they survived. :)

 He had to get this eligibility certificate from his school before we could get his permit so the Christmas break put us a little behind since school was closed but he got it his first day back.

So off to the DMV we went. Drew and I had a few laughs while we were there. He took the sign test, then the written test and he passed both! Smile for the camera :)

 Here he is with his permit! I can't believe I have a child old enough to drive now. It is bittersweet. It feels like he should still be tearing through the living room, jumping on the couches. Oh wait, some days he does do that! ;)

 Driving the night he got his permit. I know (and pray) he is going to be a great driver! So proud of you Drew!!!