Ten Months Old

To all of Zoe's family and friends,

We come to you asking once again for prayers to be said on behalf of Zoe. First in thanksgiving that we have seen this little girl grow, thrive and accomplish so much in ten months with the difficult start she has had. Second, praising our Lord for giving Zoe and all the medical staff the abilities and knowledge to make it happen. Finally, petitions for the upcoming tests we have regarding Zoe's troubled eating.

We went to the pediatrician's office, Monday, for another weight check and found that Zoe had only gained 1.5 oz in three weeks. This brings her to 12lb 13oz, she should have been over 13lb if she was growing at an appropriate rate for her adjusted age. We had been making the switch in diet and things at home were actually going quite well, till we hit the weekend. Congestion, mucus, eating less than the minimum, we thought possibly a cold but there were no other symptoms let alone a crabby baby. So perhaps the onset of allergies, quite possible especially if you know Zoe's father. We are trying all the home remedies possible and seeing some improvement. However, the doctor has ordered an environmental allergy test and beefed up her formula hoping the lack of eating will be made up with the concentration.

Today, we had a follow up visit with Zoe's GI doctor. He was gravely concerned about her low weight and her continued lack of interest in eating. Of course we relayed the history and the new test order by the doctor and he decided to tack on a food allergy test and an endoscopy for a biopsy of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine. The reason being, he is wondering if Zoe has EE or know by its long unpronounceable name eosinophilic enteropahy, this is an over abundance of white blood cells that begin attacking the body. This usually develops due to allergies, especially food. This kind of diagnosis would require complete diet restrictions and/or medications for the rest of her life, something we do not want Zoe to have to go through. Though as the doctor put it "well we would finally know" we are praying that this isn't the diagnosis and that whatever is causing this ongoing difficulty be resolved quickly.

The tests will occur over the next few weeks and we hope to have definitive answers a couple weeks after that.

We know that whatever comes in the next few weeks the Lord will continue to support and comfort us, he has taken us this far. I am certain he isn't giving up now.

Kimberly & Phil

Another Blog to See

Good Monday! I just wanted to share a link that shares some pics we had taken of Zoe. Many thanks to Emily Ebeling for taking the pics and sharing them.

We especially love the last picture in the article.

Please enjoy and have a great Monday.

http://emandjonebeling.blogspot.com/2010/08/baby-photography-zoe.html

Napping Blues

I do not want to take a nap.

I'd rather play on Mommy's lap.

I do not need a lot of sleep

Even if I cry and weep.

I'd rather play and rub my eyes

And make some noise till I arise.

Mommy gets me in a snap,

Because I do no want to take a nap.

Hot Summer Days

Wow, August is hot. It's a good thing mommy has kept me indoors. Yucky.

I have a lot more exercises to do now that I have had a check up with my physical therapist. I am not as flexible as a baby should be so mommy will be helping me stretch every day. We also keep working on rolling and sitting up. Both are tricky to do but once I loosen those muscles I should be able to do it.

I also have been eating a bit better, mommy insists I grew but we won't know for sure till we see the doctor in a couple of weeks. A girl can't keep her petite size forever, right?

I am being more chatty too, sometimes waking up nice and early talking to myself till mommy or daddy come in and get me out of bed. What are my favorite noises to make, well I love grunting but laughing after being tickled is the best.

I must get going, I need to get washed up for the day and see what fun things mommy has planned. Hopefully they will all include air conditioning.

Just Having Fun

Many Things To Be Thankful For and A Few Things to Try

Yikes, August already. It seems like the summer flew by and I was shocked to see on the calendar that Zoe was 40 weeks old on Saturday. How the year has flown by.

We have just returned from a check up at the doctor's office and had an opportunity to meet with Zoe's new pediatrician.

Zoe has gained some weight, 12lb and 11.5 oz. The doctor said that though this is much lower than he would like, she seems to be following the pattern of growth that full term children usually have, a plateau or slower rate between months 4-6. In addition, looking at her and her development, she also seems great.

In light of this great news and review of Zoe's history of spitting and lack of appetite, we again are making some changes and trying new things. We hope that in a couple of weeks when we go back for another check up, we can see either an improvement in keeping food down or a jump in her weight.

Most encouraging remark from the pediatrician that reminded us of God's power, "If you knew nothing of Zoe's prematurity and medical history, you would never guess by the way she behaves, looks, and moves." God is good.