Savannah's First Stroll

Matt and I took Savannah strolling around the block for the first time. We decided it would be a great way for the both of us to get some much needed exercise, and Savannah could get some fresh air. She seemed to really enjoy it a lot. We stopped by our neighbor's house, so they could see her. They were both getting out of their vehicles when we went by their house. I think they both enjoyed finally getting to see her, and Savannah even got another gift. A set of 5 bodysuits which were the perfect size for her to wear now. She actually needed some more of these bodysuits, so we were happy about that.

We strolled to the end of our street, and Matt ran around the corner to the Movie Gallery (to take back a movie). I slowly strolled Savannah back towards our house while waiting on Matt to catch up. Savannah fell asleep on the way back home. I have always dreamed of taking my own child out in the stroller, and today it finally happened. I enjoyed it very much. It was great spending quality time as a family without a television or a computer. I enjoyed being able to have a conversation with Matt while we were out strolling. It was just so nice in so many different ways.

Weather permitting and barring nothing else comes up (baby sick, etc), we are planning to do this everyday. Tomorrow we are taking a different route. We will be strolling by some of our other neighbor's house (so they can see her), and we will make that block and head home. I can't wait!

Savannah Discovers Her Hands

Savannah found her hands for the first time today, and she is just so fascinated with them. She is really funny to watch. She constantly has them in front of her face. She moves them, wiggles her fingers, and just keeps looking at them. She will even do this while I am feeding her a bottle. I would LOVE to know what she is thinking when she is looking at and examining her hands. SHE'S SO CUTE!

I guess she will find her feet and toes next. That should be a lot of fun. I love watching her reach all of her milestones. She's so much fun and a joy to have around. She's such a blessing. I love being a mom, but I love being Savannah's mother the most. She is so precious to me, and I am so thankful that God chose me to be her mother. I am truly honored.

1st Laser Treatment

Savannah had her 1st and hopefully last laser treatment this morning. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I had myself so worked up over this, and it really wasn't THAT big of a deal. They tested the laser on my hand and on Matt's, so that we would know exactly what it felt like before the baby went through hers. I couldn't even feel it. It felt like somebody blowing air on my hand, and the sting I was supposed to feel was barely even noticeable.

Anyway, Matt stayed with Savannah during the procedure, and I waited out in the hallway. I wasn't sure how she was going to react to it all, and I couldn't handle the idea of watching her go through it. I opted for the hall while Matt stayed with her. I felt like the worst mother in the world for not being able to stay with my baby, but I hate watching her go through these things. I stood at the end of the hall and cried while I waited for the doctor to let me know how it went.

It was less than two minutes, and the Dr. came out carrying the car seat and the diaper bag. Matt was carrying Savannah, and she was fine. She wasn't crying or anything. The doctor said she did great and to continue the antibiotic and vaseline like we have been doing until our next appointment.

We went to the lobby on the first floor, and tried giving her a bottle before heading home. It was time for her to eat, but she was too interested in all the waterfalls and other scenery. We finally gave up and headed for home. Matt decided to go to work for the rest of the day once we were home.

Since we have been home, I have changed her diaper twice. Once it was a wet diaper, and once it was a dirty diaper. She didn't cry when she wet and/or pooped her diaper, and she didn't cry when I changed her. I am so grateful that diaper changes appear to no longer be miserable for her.It has been a night and day change since the laser treatment. We were told we wouldn't notice a change right off, but we have. It was immediate for her, and I am so very thankful for that. She is a much happier baby now, and the changing table isn't a nightmare anymore.

Her next appointment is June 14. They will decide then whether or not she will need another laser treatment to finish healing it. She will also have her 4 month check-up, and I am not looking forward to that. I hate the shots. The laser treatment is nothing compared to those awful shots. On the bright side, it will be interesting to see how much she weighs now and how long she has gotten since her last visit.

I am counting my blessings and praying for a good report from both doctors.

1st Laser Treatment Tommorow

We are taking Savannah tomorrow to have a laser treatment on her hemangioma. I talked to the nurse at the Dermatology Clinic at Arkansas Children's Hospital regarding the treatment with the topical antibiotic we have been doing for a little over a week now. It just wasn't healing well, so they recommended we bring her to the clinic tomorrow to have a laser treatment done.

I have researched the laser treatment for this sort of thing, and it's obviously the best way to go for this type of problem. It is supposed to seal off the open area that is ulcerated and help promote healing. I will do anything to make her life (exspecially during diaper changes) easier.

I am very nervous about the whole laser surgery thing. I don't want to see her go through a lot of pain, and I don't really know what exactly she will have to endure. I am just praying it won't be bad at all.

Hemangioma Update!

Oh my goodness! I located a specialist for Savannah's hemangiomas, and I am so thrilled.

I received a response from the support forum regarding my hunt for a good specialist in and/or near Arkansas. I hit the jackpot because this specialist is not only in Arkansas, but she is also located at the Children's Hospital. I am going to call her just as soon as school is out in the next two weeks and try to make an appointment.

I love my dermatologist, but I think I would feel more at peace with this whole thing if somebody who specializes in this would take a look at her too.

I am posting the information I received about her, so I will have a back-up copy in case I lose the one I attached to my refrigerator. I also plan to take some pictures of both of her hemangiomas for documentation purposes. I will post those in a later entry.

Here is the information regarding the specialist:
Dr. Lisa M. Buckmiller,
MDPediatric Otolaryngology
Cleft Lip/Palate & Vascular Anomalies
Arkansas Children's Hospital
800 Marshall St.Little Rock, Arkansas 72202-3591
(0)501-320-1696
(F)501-320-4790
Email: buckmillerlisam@uams.edu

Lots of Laughs

Savannah laughed out-loud again today!

I went to daycare at lunch to check on her like always, and she was in such a good mood. I put her in my lap facing me, and sang a little song which ended with me snorting like a pig. She thought it was the funniest thing. She is always squealing, but this is the second time she has actually laughed out loud. It was actually the first time she had ever laughed out loud that much in a row. It was absolutely the most wonderful sound I've ever heard, and I could never express in my journal just how awesome it made me feel. Her laugh is the most beautiful sound in the world, and I can't wait until I get to hear it more often.

I still can't believe that Matt has never heard her laugh out loud yet, and I can't wait until she does it for him. I've tried everything I can think of to get her to laugh out loud at home for her daddy, but she just will not do it. One of these days, Matt will finally get to hear her laugh and experience this joy with me. I can't wait for that day.

I couldn't sleep last night. While I was awake, I used adobe photoshop and made a new signature picture to use on the baby forum. I thought it turned out cute, so here it is!

Hemangioma

I finally was able to talk to the nurse at the dermatology clinic at Children's Hospital. She prescribed a topical antibotic called mupirocin for Savannah's hemangioma. I am supposed to use it with each diaper change, and I am also supposed to use vaseline on top of that. I was given the option of laser treatment if the antibotic didn't heal it up.

After doing a lot of research online, it has become very clear that the laser treatment is the way to go if the antibotic doesn't work. I am not at all thrilled about putting her through that, but if it will stop her from being so miserable with the diaper changes, then it will be worth it in the long run. I guess time will tell in this case.

I am a member of a support forum that I found online as well. I have posted on there regarding a specialist near Arkansas. I hope I can locate somebody because I really want Savannah to see a specialist for a second opinion on things.

It's not much longer now until school is out, and I am so relieved. I finished my last annual review today, and that made me very happy. Summer vacation will be here in a few weeks, and then I can enjoy having Savannah home with me all day.

11 days of school left until summer!

First Laugh

Savannah reached another milestone when she laughed outloud for the first time today.

I always go to the daycare at lunch to check on her, and today wasn't any different. I was holding her in my lap facing me, and I was baby-talking to her telling her how precious she is to me when she just belted out a laugh. She did it several times. It was the cutest thing ever, and the best sound I've ever heard in my life. There are no words that can describe the joy I felt hearing her laugh. It was awesome!

The rest of my day was fairly easy today. I had annual review conferences this morning, and the afternoon off to prepare for next weeks conferences. I managed to get a lot accomplished despite having to travel room to room trying to find a computer I could use to do my work. Conferences were being held in my classroom, and the Due Process Clerk took her computer with her to the other school. I managed to use a computer in one of the computer labs, and I got a lot done.

Savannah visited my classroom for the first time today. It was after school, and I was staying a little late to get some work done. Matt came home early from work, and brought Savannah to the school to see me. It was so sweet. She brought me a little flower picture holder and a card with her handprint on it that she made at daycare today. It was for Mother's Day on Sunday. The handprint in the card is priceless because it is the only handprint I have right now. I love it.

Viral Infection

This morning started out like always. Matt waking me up and then taking Savannah out of my arms, so I can get dressed. Savannah and I have a special time early in the mornings before I have to go to work. If she wakes up in time, I always feed her the morning bottle, and then we sleep together in the recliner until I have to get up and go to work. I love this mother-daughter time with her, and I know one day she will be too big to sleep in the recliner with me. I want to cherish these times while she is a baby as much as I possibly can, because I know that time is precious and it will fly by fast. It's already been three months which just seems so surreal. She's growing and changing so fast.

The day started as always. Me running around the house trying to get ready as fast as I could. I have to put on my make-up, do my hair, pack the diaper bag, dress Savannah, and fit breakfast in there somewhere. While dressing Savannah, I took her temperature because she felt a little too warm and flushed. It was 100 degrees, so I gave her a dose of tylenol. I just figured she must be trying to teeth or maybe she is still running a fever from her shots back in April. Somebody told me they can run a little fever after the shots, and sometimes it lasts this long. That didn't make sense to me, but then again I am a new mother still learning. She's been running a little fever on and off for the past few weeks, so I didn't think much of it.

Naturally, I took her to daycare and went to work like always. I received a call at 8:30 from the daycare telling me I had to go get her because she couldn't stay if she was running a 100 fever rectally. So for the first time, I had to go pick my baby girl up from daycare because she was sick. She definitely acted like she wasn't feeling good when I picked her up. I decided I better take her to a doctor to get her checked out just to be on the safe side. We saw a lady doctor in a town 30 minutes away, and she was really good. After examining her, she said that everything looked great, but a low grade fever, decrease in appetite, and her fussiness were key signs that she had a viral infection. I was told to continue giving her the tylenol for the fever, and that she should get better in a few days. If not, she was to come back to the doctor.

The worst part of this appointment was discovering that she has an ulcer forming on her hemangioma that's on her butt. It looks really bad, and it's got me worried. I was told to call the dermatologist and let him know because she might have to be seen. I tried calling the dermatologist's nurse all the way home, but no such luck. I will try again tomorrow. This is really stressing me out, and I want to get it taken care of immediately.