What did you just say?

   I have a new word for you: intussuception.  Raise your hand if you know this word... Anyone?  Anyone?  Unless you work in the health care industry, you're probably like me and have no clue what that word means.

   Intussuception, or intuss for short according to the nurses, is considered a serious side effect of the Rotavirus vaccine.  Intuss is a condition in which the small bowel folds back inside another part of the intestine, causing a bowel obstruction.

   Matt and I decided to not have Jackson receive all of his vaccines at one time.  Instead, Jackson got his DTAP shot and then we waited a week for him to get the next one of two shots.  Since Jackson got his casts back on, he wasn't able to get the next shot when we went back to the pediatrician, but we did decide for him to go ahead and get the Rotavirus vaccine.  He received this vaccine on Wednesday.

   Jackson was fine all day following the vaccine, but then he became very congested later that night.  It was so bad that I ended up sleeping on the couch so that he could be elevated some in his rock n' play while sleeping.  His congestion didn't improve throughout the night so I was planning on going to get him some nose drops to try and help.  Right as I was getting ready so we could leave, Jackson got a funny look on his face and then threw up more than I knew was possible for someone so small.

   While I was cleaning up the first mess, he got sick again.  I called his pediatrician to find out what could be done.  While on the phone with nurse, Jackson ended up gagging pretty badly.  The nurse heard him and said for him to come in to get checked out.

   I explained to the doctor what had been going on and she decided to test his stool.  She came back in and said that there was a trace amount of blood in his stool and explained that he could have a virus, but needed to rule out a condition called intussuception.    

   The doctor explained that she wanted to rule out intuss because with Jackson's medical history and him throwing up like he was, she didn't want to risk it.  I went from "Are you kidding me" to "This has to be a joke" to finally "Oh my gosh, please be ok."

   The doctor sent us to Vandy to have an x-ray and ultrasound done of Jackson's stomach and intestines.  He did a great during the x-ray, but became very fussy during the ultrasound which ended up taking longer than it should have due to him squirming so much. He was so hungry, but couldn't keep anything down.  Every time he ate, he would just throw it back it.  It broke my heart.

   Shortly after getting back to our room, Matt arrived.  After a little bit of time, the doctor came in with the results of the x-ray and ultrasound.  There was no sign of intussuception - Whew!  While his stomach and intestines looked fine, the doctor was concerned with the fact that Jackson wasn't keeping food down.  Because of that, Jackson was admitted for overnight observation.

So sleepy!  

   He wasn't showing any signs of dehydration at the time of being admitted so he didn't need an IV.  The plan was for him to be observed overnight and as long as he started to keep his food down and didn't become dehydrated, we would be able to go home the next day.  We weren't sure if Jackson would be admitted or not, but thankfully Matt thought ahead and packed a small bag of some of the things we would need just in case.

   Since he was just being observed, the nurse didn't come in very much through the night.  The care partner came in every couple of hours to check his vitals, but that was pretty much it.  We continued our every 3 hour feedings, diaper changes, and snuggles while he digested his food just like we were at home.  Jackson kept down every meal and didn't have any issues throughout the night.  The doctor that admitted him the night prior came to visit and check on him the next morning.  As far as she was concerned, we could go home.  However, Jackson had to be seen by the attending doctor before we could be discharged.  We ended up sitting around the room until 2:00!  After getting the OK from the attending doctor, we got our discharge paperwork and went home.

Ready to go!

   Jackson is still very congested, but he hasn't had any more vomiting incidents.  The biggest thing that we are fighting right now is him not sleeping.  He sleeps for a very short amount of time and then wakes up due to coughing.  Poor baby boy!  Hopefully the saline nose drops will help and help quickly not only for his sake, but for ours too.  :)      

Crystal

2nd Month, 7/11 - 8/11

   Time is moving way too fast for my liking.  I can't believe that Jackson is two months old already.  Please humor me and tell me that time will slow down.  Please tell me that I'm not going to wake up one day and he'll be starting kindergarten.  Please tell me whatever I need to hear so that I don't start crying again over how fast he's growing.  Jackson is doing amazingly and Matt and I are somewhat getting into a routine again.  I figure once the three of us are working great on the routine, Jackson will change it up for us again.  :)

   Jackson has officially found his thumb!  However, he's sucked on it maybe three times and hasn't gone back to it.  He seems to prefer his paci even over his fingers.  From what I've been told, weaning from the paci will be easier, so I guess that's a good thing.  He is becoming more alert and staying awake longer during the day.  He watches you while your talking and loves to "talk" back.  He is starting to track objects and look for whatever is making noise.  He doesn't really enjoy tummy time at first, but seems to tolerate it fine and ends up falling asleep instead of working. :)

   The fur babies are starting to come around to Jackson being here.  When Jackson starts to cry, Aubie will come and check on him.  She has become kind of protective of him and has chased Chevelle away a couple of time.  Chevelle is coming around, but not as quickly as Aubie.  He will sniff at him and check on him every once in a while, but I think he's still waiting for us to take Jackson back to the store.  :)

  Aubie checking on Jackson during tummy time

   Jackson has become quite the escape artist when it comes to his swaddle.  No matter how tightly I wrap him, he always figures out a way to get either one or both hands up and out of the swaddle.  He has earned the nickname Houdini.  :)  

Jackson showing his Houdini skills

   7/23: Jackson got his casts off after 4 weeks.  Dr. Mencio wants to take a break to do some physical therapy and to see how his feet react to not being in casts.  When I changed his diaper later the same day, his feet had turned back inward.  The left foot looks almost as bad as it did when he was born.  When I called the doctor the next morning I was informed that we are going to continue with the plan of stretching and working the feet until our next appointment.  I've already noticed that before stretching, the feet and ankles are very tight.  After, they are loose and can be moved into the "neutral" position fairly easily.  Hopefully this will be a good thing and Dr. Menico will be pleased when we go back.  Until then, Jackson and I have our routine of getting his belly full and then me working on his feet while he starts to fall back asleep.  

  Jackson showing off his feet shortly after getting the casts off

   We had our follow up appointment with the plastic surgeon.  Dr. Braun was very impressed with how well Jackson's incisions healed.  We no longer have to change out the dressings twice a day - Yay!  He took several pictures of the incisions and mentioned that he will be using them and showing them to his residents/students.  I found a picture of a mom and her child that I absolutely love.  It shows both of their scars.  I'm planning on having either Matt or his sister take the same picture for Jackson and I.  I find both of our scars to be beautiful.  I hope that he can be proud of his scar when gets older.  

   After our appointment with Dr. Braun we went across the hall to see if Dr. Bennett and Dr. Carroll were in the office.  Dr. Bennett and Emily were in and they loved on Jackson for a long time.  They both commented on how great he looked and about how much he was moving his legs around.  We also went to see one of the nurses that took care of me after the fetal surgery.  She told every nurse/doctor that walked by that he was one of the fetal surgery kiddos.  She was so proud of him and loved showing him off - sounds like Matt and I. :)  

   8/4: We had our follow up with neurosurgery.  I was full of anxiety and worried that his ventricles had increased.  Matt being the calm, cool, collective person that he is kept me calm.  Jackson had to get a head ultrasound before meeting with the doctor.  He did a great job and didn't cry at all, he was such a big boy.  We met with Haley Vance who is a nurse practitioner for Dr. Wellons.  We would have loved to have met with Dr. Wellons, but NP Vance has been in Jackson's life just as long as him so we were comfortable with her giving us the update on Jackson's head.  According to her, Jackson's ventricles increased a little bit since leaving the NICU, but not enough for it to be a concern at this time.  She classified his ventricles as being STABLE!  While this could change, we are both happy with the current results and are praying that the ventricles are still within range at our next appointment.  As with everyone else, NP Vance was very impressed with Jackson and got some lovin' time in with him during our visit.        

         Jackson in his big boy bed during the head ultrasound

   We've got some big appointments coming up and I'm not too excited about the first one.  First, Jackson will be getting his 2 month shots on the 19th.  Matt and I are planning on doing the extended schedule.  We both feel that Jackson has been through enough and we don't like the idea of him getting all of his shots at one time.  Second, Jackson has his first spina bifida clinic on the 24th.  We have no idea what to expect other than it's an all day process.  Jackson will be seeing all the specialists involved in spina bifida such as the neurosurgeon, orthopedics, and physical therapy.  He'll be getting another head ultrasound and hip ultrasound done.  I pray that his ventricles stay stable.  I also pray that his hip isn't dislocated like the orthopedic thinks it is.   

Crystal