Dylan Danger

On March 25th, 2010 at 4:27am, I became an Aunt for the very first time. My brother Brandon, and his spectacular girlfriend, Kodie, welcomed their first child, Dylan Danger, yesterday. This little boy wanted to join us on this earth three and a half weeks before the calculated due date, but he is happy and healthy and should be going home soon. He weighed six pounds and nine ounces at birth and was 20 inches long.

Here is Dylan Danger's first blog debut at only 4 hours old:

"Danger is my middle name!"

Lucy and Dylan Danger, met for the first time yesterday. She has been anticipating his arrival for months now, and frankly, I am glad he is finally here! She talks about him every single day, asking typical toddler questions in repetition...

Danger is in Kodie's tummy? What happen to Kodie's belly button? When will Danger be out of Kodie's tummy? Who will give him mommy's milk? Will I be giving him mommy's milk? Will Kodie be giving him mommy's milk? Can she hold him now? Is Danger a baby for her? Is Danger going to be her cousin? Will Danger be a girl like her?

So many questions for one little girl to ask about one little boy! She is so excited to be a big cousin and I know she will teach him all the ropes to living life in this world! The big cousin and Dylan Danger had there first meeting, and she showed all the tenderness and loving nature that I hoped she would. And I am so elated to finally begin my Auntie duties! They begin with lots of kisses!

A Quickie

Just a quick update on Lucy and her new enzymes...

Lucy went to see Dr. Grumpy on Tuesday where he checked out her belly button and gave us a few sample bottles of a new pancreatic enzyme called Zenpep. It hasn't been on the market for very long; it came out to the public at the end of 2009.

These different brands and types of enzymes are so very similar but work differently in different people. It is like comparing Pepsi and Coke. They are both a Cola, but they have slightly different formulas that make them taste different, and everyone has one that they prefer over the other. This is the same for all the enzymes. They are all taken from a pig's pancreas and formulated to replace pancreatic enzymes in a human, but they are made slightly different and work differently with every person.

Lucy has been taking Zenpep for 3 days now. There has been a reduction in her stomach's bloating, but her poop has actually gotten worse. They are looser than before and all together, clear the room, FOUL! These are classic showings of not absorbing and digesting properly. I will only wait 2 more days, and give Zenpep the benefit of the doubt, before switching Lucy back to Pancrecarb, and asking Dr. Grumpy what he thinks the next step should be. (I can't wait until her real doctor, Dr. Perez, gets back from maternity leave! I miss her!)

Lucy's belly button is still protruding a little bit but it has not gotten any worse. I will continue to keep my motherly eye on it but not worry too much about it.

Piper's Gettin' New Lungs!!

Piper, the fabulous CFer from New York who has been on the transplant list for a new set of lungs, just got the call this morning! She had inspired me to write this blog on positivity. You can read all about the early morning call she got this morning by clicking here.

EVERYONE should be signed up to be an organ donor. Someday Lucy may need a new set of airbags, so sign up and save a life. It is easy and fast.

Mothering Passed Down

Yesterday, I was at my grandmother's house looking through picture albums and found a photo of my 23 year old mother breastfeeding newborn baby ME in 1981. Healthy nurturing habits must be passed down through the generations, one generation teaching sons and daughters how to peacefully parent their own children. It begins early on in infancy.

My mother, in 1981, was laying the groundwork and foundation to my own parenting styles today. I must say that I learned from the best, and I hope to pass down my own natural ways of parenting to the next generation. This photo is of 26 year old me breastfeeding Lucy while she was in the NICU. The acorn doesn't fall too far from the tree.

Protruding Belly Button

A few days ago, I noticed that Lucy's belly button was sticking out, sort of protruding a little. It was sticking out enough for me to take notice since she normally has a cute little "innie" belly button. It really looks like she has an "outie" now, but still odd enough to be concerned about it, especially with all of her prior GI issues (five rectal prolapses in a year and meconium ileus at birth.)

The small lump is hard to the touch, but there is no pain involved in it. She never complains about it. I was thinking it may be a small hernia, and I made an appointment with her CF doctor to make sure it wasn't too serious. We will be seeing Dr. Grumpy on Tuesday, where we will also discuss changing her pancreatic enzymes once again! She is still having frequent poops that are loose and greasy, and she is still straining to go despite the full cap of Miralax everyday.

I really want Lucy to be referred to a GI specialist to really dig deeper into her bowel issues since they so frequently happen. They have been putting off the referral because we always seem to remedy the problem for a few months before the issues come back again. I think I will be asking and pushing a little harder this time to get to the bottom of things once and for all. Yes, the butt puns were intended!