Ear Infections are My New Best Friend

        As a mother of five children, I've dealt with my fair share of kid ear infections.  Between the fact that a child won't eat, can't sleep, and is in obvious pain, it is SO not my favorite thing to have to deal with!  That is, until now.  In the case of Flint, there have now been two different times where an ear infection has been music to my ears!
        The first was when he got an ear infection in Idaho while on vacation.  He started exhibiting the tell-tale signs of restless sleeping on Friday afternoon, and by Saturday night he only slept if he was attached to me and even then, he was in obvious pain.  On Sunday morning, we took him to Urgent Care so we could get the ear infection taken care of.  It took all of two seconds to confirm that yes, both ears were infected, but then the doctor said "I'm going to test him for the flu too, because we've had a lot of bad flu cases here lately."  We were glad he wanted to rule out the possibility, but Brock and I were pretty confident that the test would come back negative.  Other than a runny nose (which Flint had had for several weeks) the only thing that seemed wrong all had to do with his ear infections.  Ten minutes later though, the doctor told us that Flint did indeed have the flu and we needed to watch him carefully, but since we caught it early he should be fine.  I'm SO grateful for the ear infections, because I don't think we would have figured out he had the flu until much later, when his symptoms would have been much more severe and harder to treat.  The ear infections exposed the flu, and I'm so grateful for that!
        More recently, we had a REAL scare though, that left us in prayers of gratitude that Flint "only" had an ear infection.  At Flint's 4-month check-up, we were thrilled to see that his height and weight both sky-rocketed on the growth chart.  By sky-rocket, I mean that instead of being way, WAY below the growth chart, his growth curve jumped up to where he is now ALMOST on the growth chart.  YAY FLINT!  We were very excited about this, but also very worried when we saw that his head size also jumped - from the 50th percentile to the 90th.  That jump is definitely not supposed to happen, and with Flint's hydrocephalus, we were all somewhat concerned.  Luckily, Flint had a follow-up appointment already scheduled with the neurosurgeon a few days later.  Dr. Errington felt that Flint was probably just playing catch-up like the rest of his body, and that everything was fine.  Due to Flint's increased head size in the womb, he has a HUGE soft spot, and a tell-tale sign that the shunt is draining well, is the fact that his soft spot is so exposed.  However, Dr. Errington wanted a better look inside, just to be safe, so he ordered a CT scan to double check that the shunt was functioning properly.

Don't those pictures just break your heart and make you so happy, all at the same time?  Sweet baby just laid on the table while they got him all situated.  He got a little frantic at first, but they let me stay right by him and touch him, so he just kept staring at me the whole time.  I don't know if he was looking at me for reassurance, or to reassure me!  Either way, it only lasted a few seconds and we were out of there.

        The next day Dr. Errington called with the results.  The first thing he said was "His ventricles are huge."  My heart DROPPED!  Our brains have 4 ventricles and that's where all the extra fluid hangs out that makes Flint have hydrocephalus.  However, now that he's had the shunt in for 4 months, those ventricles shouldn't be huge, because the shunt should have drained out all the extra fluid.  Dr. Errington went on to explain that Flint's ventricles have always been huge, so he's really more in a state of homeostasis right now.  He's not under pressure and it isn't negatively impacting him, but it could be a problem down the road.  Some shunts are programmable, but the pediatric neurosurgeons in Dallas don't use those kinds because they are also more susceptible to malfunctioning.  If Flint had a programmable shunt, the doctor could just easily adjust the rate at which things drain.  Since that is not an option with Flint's shunt, the only answer is to go back into surgery and place a different shunt.  However, at this point Dr. Errington is not sure that we will have to do that.  If Flint was showing any signs of duress, we would have to operate immediately.  But at this point, Flint is reaching all his milestones, he's eating and sleeping well, and is a happy baby.  Those are all signs that his brain is doing just fine.  Dr. Errington thinks that as Flint's brain continues to grow (like any baby's grows at this point) it will change the pressure inside his brain and things SHOULD start draining better soon.  At this point, the plan is to continue to watch his head size closely, pray hard, and wait to see if things improve on their own before we subject Flint to another surgery.  Dr. Errington ended our conversation by encouraging us to get a 2nd opinion from Dr. Weprin, the doctor in Dallas who placed the shunt, and then told us to watch for signs that Flint is NOT doing well. If he stops sleeping and eating well, becomes extremely fussy, his soft-spot bulges, or he becomes limp, then we have cause to be concerned.  In fact, if his soft-spot bulges or he goes limp, we basically head right to the ER and prepare for surgery immediately.  Dr. Errington told me that with Flint, the signs would probably happen gradually, so I needed to keep an eye on Flint and if I noticed anything different in his behavior I should contact the doctor right away.  

        I hung up the phone nervous about Flint's shunt but hopeful that with time, the issue would just resolve itself.  The day progressed normally and all was well with Flint and the rest of the kids.  Flint went to bed that night without any trouble, but a couple of hours later, he woke up screaming.  Flint had been sleeping through the night for a solid 12 hours, so when he woke up, I was quite nervous.  I tried to nurse him, but he wasn't interested and still had a hard time sleeping.  We spent the rest of the night trying to keep him comfortable enough to sleep or nurse, but neither thing was happening very successfully.  By the time morning came, he was so upset that the only way I could keep him calm was by holding him and letting him suck on his binky.  Brock and I were terrified!  He was starting to show the signs of a shunt problem by not sleeping or eating, and he was definitely inconsolable.  Brock and I just knew that he was going to have to have another surgery and we were so heartbroken and worried.  Dr. Errington's office doesn't open until 9, so I sat on the couch, holding Flint while he and I both cried.  At about 8:30 I had the thought that I should call his pediatrician and take him in there, just to rule out any other sickness being the cause of his bad night.  They got us right in and we headed to Amarillo, terrified that the day would end with another brain surgery.  

         Imagine my relief then, when the doctor took one look at Flint's ears and told me he had another double ear infection!  WOO-HOO!!  YAY for ear infections!  Seriously, I have never been so grateful for an ear infection in my LIFE!  We called Dr. Errington to fill him in on everything and he said that as long as we saw improvements in Flint's behavior over the next couple of days, we should assume he's fine and that everything that happened was because of the ear infection.  We were so blessed that the medicine and tylenol kicked in quickly and Flint was a happy, happy boy again by the next afternoon.  THANK GOODNESS!

        I remember after Flint's surgery, when we first learned how to take care of him and his shunt, the doctors warned us that there would be a lot of false alarms.  The early signs of a shunt malfunction are the same as when any baby gets sick with anything, or even when a baby starts teething!  They warned us then that this would be the case, so I guess we had our first experience with it.  I think that if it had happened at any other time, I wouldn't have worried so much about it being a shunt problem.  But since I had just had an extensive conversation with the doctor about those warning signs a few hours before he started manifesting some of those signs, I automatically assumed it was because of the shunt.  Oh well.  As the doctors all told us, it's better to be safe than sorry!  I just really hope that Flint is a pretty healthy boy, because every time he gets sick, I'm going to go into panic mode, worrying about his shunt.  As I've said before, one of Flint's main purposes in life is to keep me in a constant state of prayer.  He's certainly living up to that task!

Christmas Recap

       Our Christmas break was wonderful!  We traveled to Utah and Idaho and got to see some of our extended family members who live there.  We had a lot of fun and enjoyed some much needed downtime.
        We left here on Thursday after the kids got out of school and drove through the night until we got to my brother's house in Layton early Friday morning.  The kids did well on the drive, and the only annoying part of it was driving through New Mexico.  I'm sorry if any of you are loyal New Mexicans, but I HATE driving through your state!  We always joke that you know you're in New Mexico because there are road construction signs everywhere, they slow you down to 45 MPH through this supposed construction, and yet there is not an ounce of actual construction going on.  And what's with all the "Safety Corridors?"  UGH!  Drives me CRAZY!  Anyways - we're just glad we got to Utah safe and that the kids did so well.
        Brock and I spent Friday resting while the kids played with their cousins and my parents (Grammy and Gramps), who were also visiting for Christmas.  That night we left the kids in Layton (except for Flint who came with us) and all the adults went out to eat in Salt Lake and then continued down to Provo to attend "Farley Family Christmas."  It's a one-man show that James Arrington puts on and it is hilarious!  We were excited to go and had budgeted plenty of time for travel - or so we thought.  Unfortunately though, there were two major accidents on the highway, and those, added to holiday travel, put us in stop-and-go traffic almost the whole way from Salt Lake to Provo.  Our plan was to drop Flint off at Julie's sister's house, but travel was so bad we knew we'd all miss the show if we did that.  We decided to take our chances on bringing Flint with us, knowing that they may not even let him in and I'd be sitting in the hall with him.  I was worried about having him out in a large crowd anyway, so we thought this was the best option.  When we got to the theater though, they had no problem with a baby coming (it's a very low-key show and there were other babies already in the audience) and it was in a very small auditorium with a small audience.  I just hung out at the very back, away from anyone else, and Flint slept through the whole thing.  It ended up being perfect! We loved the show and had a fun time hanging out with Derek, Julie, and my mom and dad.  
        On Saturday, we had fun Grammy and Gramps dates.  The boys went to lunch and then spent the afternoon playing at Boondocks, while the girls got all fancied up to go to lunch and then to see Ballet West's Nutcracker.  It was a wonderful afternoon, and I'm so grateful the kids got to make fun memories with some of their cousins and grandparents.  I didn't go with the boys, so I don't have any pictures of their excursion, but here's a few of us girls:

         That night, we headed north to Logan for the Lehman family Christmas party.  This party is always one of my favorite parts of celebrating Christmas in Utah/Idaho, so I was excited to get to attend this year.  Most of my mom's side of the family was there, and it was great to see them, eat yummy food, have Santa come for a quick visit, and do a little Christmas program.  When I was little, my mom taught my brother and me the duet from Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang called "Truly Scrumptious", and we performed it often at Christmas time.  This year, I surprised my parents by teaching it to Davis and Duke, and they performed it for everyone at the Christmas party.  It was pretty fun, and Davis and Duke did an awesome job!
          When the party ended, we drove to Brock's parent's house in Rexburg and arrived tired but excited to continue our Christmas festivities.  Greg and Kira's house is SO magical at Christmas time!  Kira decorates every nook and cranny, and the kids were so excited to spend time with their Grandma and Grandpa.  Kira had a ton of fun activities waiting for the kids, so we spent the next few days baking, doing Christmas crafts, watching Christmas movies, playing in the snow, and relaxing.  Grandma and Grandpa made Christmas SO much fun for all of us!  We also went to a couple of really neat live nativities, which was one of my favorite parts of the whole week.  What a great way to focus on the real meaning of Christmas! 
   

         Christmas Eve was exciting as always. After we enjoyed a delicious meal, we had a program complete with our own live nativity and a visit from Elf.  

Somehow, we managed to get the kids nestled in their snug little beds, and then we all got a little sleep while we waited for Santa to arrive. 
          Christmas morning was fantastic!  We were all excited by the gifts we gave and received, and we were so very blessed in every way. 

        Brock was so thoughtful and absolutely spoiled me this year!  He gave me a weekend away with some friends at Time Out for Women, as well as this beautiful opal necklace:

   

He bought the necklace on a trip to Australia as a high school senior back in 1996.  His intention was to someday give it to his future wife, but he forgot all about it.  His mom found it a few months ago, so he wrapped it up and gave it to me for Christmas.  The best part of this though, is that my birthday is in October, so my birthstone is an OPAL!  I think it's pretty cool!

        The best gift I received though, was a book Brock put together for me, with letters in it from many of you.  He contacted as many people as he could reach without me finding out, and asked them to write me a letter.  It was so touching to read through so many letters of love from some of my favorite people in the world!  There were letters from people I've known in San Antonio, Canyon, Amarillo, Ames, Utah, Idaho, my mission in California, and lots of my wonderful family.  It was especially touching to read how Flint's journey has so positively affected so many people.  I shed many tears reading it, and I love to pull it out to be reminded of the wonderful people who have touched my life through the years.  What a blessing!
    

 We spent the rest of the week enjoying our new Christmas gifts, relaxing, and visiting with extended family.  Flint got to meet his one living great-grandparent, Brock's Grandma Rosie.  I have no doubt that Flint knows his other great-grandparents, as I'm sure they have been part of the army of angels watching over him.  It was special to get to introduce him to the one he hadn't met yet.

        The one bad part of the trip was that Flint got the flu and a double ear infection!  Poor baby!  Luckily, we found both pretty early, so some Tamiflu and antibiotics got him back on track and feeling better in no time.  YAY!

       After a relaxing week in Idaho, we headed back to Utah to spend New Year's Eve with my brother's family before heading home.  We ate yummy food, played lots of fun games, and the kids had a blast hanging out with their cousins. We also got to see an amazing movie, "The Saratov Approach," the true story of two Mormon missionaries who were kidnapped in Russia in 1998.  The story is amazing and the movie was very well done.  If it comes to a theater near you, I highly recommend that you go see it! 
        The drive home was long but safe, and we're just so glad we got to go celebrate the holidays with family.  There are always sacrifices that come with making these trips, but great sacrifices bring great blessings.  Growing up, my dad was in the army, so we never lived close to our extended family.  I am SO grateful though, that my parents recognized the importance of keeping extended family relationships strong.  They did everything they could to make the trip "home" once a year so we could see our grandparents, and the aunts, uncles, and cousins who lived in the same area.  These were priceless experiences, and some of my most treasured memories from my growing up years.  The drives were long and hard, (we almost always lived about 24 driving hours from my grandparents) but they were also great bonding times.  My parents would listen to Neil Diamond and Barry Manilow while they drove through the night, and I remember sitting next to them and looking at the stars in the sky while we talked in the middle of the night.  I remember the total excitement and anticipation I felt, as we started to get closer and could see recognizable landmarks that told us we were almost there.  I'm sure us four kids also griped, complained, and fought a lot on those drives too, but the funny things is, I don't remember that.  All I remember are the good talks and the excitement that we were going to see our family.  And that doesn't even begin to count the wonderful experiences we had once we got to our family member's home and got to hang out with them!  THAT was the best part of it all!
        It brings me so much joy to know that my kids are now experiencing the same types of wonderful memories.  On our way into Utah, there was a point in the middle of the night when I was driving, and Duke ended up sitting in the front passenger seat next to me (don't worry - we turned off the airbag!).  We talked about Christmas and all sorts of silly and non-important things, but I knew that that moment was being written on Duke's heart.  There were many times throughout this holiday when I watched the kids with their grandparents or their cousins, and it was like watching myself as a child.  It was pure magic!  I am grateful for extended family and the strength and love they provide.  I'm grateful that my kids have wonderful grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, who make every effort to keep those connections strong.  I'm grateful that this Christmas will live on in my kids' memories for years to come, because of the magic of family.