San Antonio, Texas

Drew took his first flight Thursday to San Antonio, Texas with Dan and me. I had a meeting to attend as the President of the Georgia Speech-Language Hearing Association. Needless to say, I was very nervous about taking Drew through the airport, going through security, and actually making it through the flight without screaming the entire time! My worries were for nothing--Drew was an angel and security was better than I thought.

Once we got to San Antonio and my meetings started Dan became "Mr. Mom". Poor guy, I'm not sure he knew what he was getting in to. Traveling with an infant with reflux is no easy task! You can't just lay him in a crib provided by the hotel because his head must remain elevated at all times. It's also difficult to ignore his little noises when he sleeps or let him "cry it out" when it's nap time/bedtime. You have to think of all the others in the hotel. So, Drew's schedule was a little off, but I am still impressed with how well he did. He suckered Dan in to feeding him on and off during the day instead of waiting his normal 2 1/2 to 3 hours between feedings. In three nights, he only had one bad one due to issues with his reflux and gas. So all in all, Drew did AWESOME. He must secretly know that he will be flying two more times in the near future!

Happy Mother's Day!

Celebrating my first Mother's Day was AWESOME! God has blessed our family with a wonderful baby boy and I couldn't be more thrilled! I have so much more respect now for my mom and all she did for me growing up now that I have my own child. Being a mom (or a parent) is not easy, but it is so REWARDING! Lack of sleep, being thrown up on, dealing with fussiness, etc. is all worth it because I get to watch Drew grow up.... and I am going to enjoy every minute of it!!

REFLUX!

Wow! I must say as a therapist who treats babies who suffer from severe reflux, resulting in feeding difficulties, I never thought I would be dealing with my own child and reflux. I did think that if I ever had to face the situation where my own child had reflux, I would be calm, cool, and collected and would definitely know everything that needed to be done! WRONG! It's different when it's your own child I guess. You want to instantly remove the pain you see on your child's face or take away the frequent vomiting episodes that result in screaming. Well...reality hit and I couldn't fix these issues instantly. As his reflux worsened, we spoke with Drew's pediatrician. We put him on Prevacid one time per day and purchased a nap nanny (the best thing ever!) to help battle his issues. The Prevacid helped his pain and the nap nanny gave me comfort during Drew's sleep time as his head would remain elevated in case he vomited, but as the vomiting episodes increased I felt helpless! I wanted so bad to help my little man, but there was nothing I could do.

So...I called the pediatrician and he ordered an Upper GI series. An upper GI series uses x rays to help diagnose problems of the upper GI tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. The duodenum is the first part of the small intestine. He had the tests done this morning. He was a champ too, especially since he was unable to eat from 4am until the tests were completed. He guzzled down that barium and according to the Radiologist his structures looked great. After Drew, suckled down the barium the Radiologist waited several minutes to see if he would reflux it. Of course, while the Radiologist was present in the room he didn't, but as soon as he left and the tests were over, Drew vomited all the barium! Go figure! But the good news is that his structures are fine and that he just has severe reflux. We are doing everything we can for him and hopefully he will outgrow it soon! So as a person who is used to helping people "fix" their disorders and difficulties, I will just have sit back and know that I am doing all I can to help Drew and pray that his little tummy outgrows this reflux soon!

Our Newest Addition!

In early August 2009, Dan and I discovered something very exciting! We were we were PREGNANT and thrilled! First we celebrated together and then we told our parents that we were expecting! Of course they were elated...our baby would be the first grandchild on the Chatelain side and the second grandchild on the Carstarphen/Huff side. After telling our parents, we anxiously awaited our first doctor's appointment in September to hear the heartbeat and learn that everything was ok with the baby. We wanted to ensure things checked out before sharing the news with our extended family and friends. The first doctor's appointment could not come soon enough--the heartbeat was strong and the little "peanut" looked great! Of course after the appointment we blew up our phones calling friends and family to share the news...we also posted the news on facebook and it spread like wildfire!

So....fast forward 9 months...Drew Daniel Chatelain arrived on April 5, 2010 at 9:08pm. He weighed 7lbs 4oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. He couldn't be more perfect! Dan and I are so lucky to be blessed with this wonderful gift! Drew is growing so fast and changes daily! Tomorrow he will be 1 month old. Time is flying and we are just trying to enjoy each day.