Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

No more teasing…

February22

p1020364I mean teasing in 2 senses.  First?  This weekend was gorgeous.  This weekend was the reason we were okay with moving south, away from our family and friends.  In February, we had temps in the 60’s.  And sunshine!  We took the girls to the park (without hats or gloves or coats!) and they had a grand time running around.  Tessa gets so tired of being cooped up that she’ll grab her coat and say “Bye-bye? Bye-bye?” and if I say “No” she starts throwing a little tantrum.  But this weather was apparently all one big tease from Mother Nature.  Today dawned gray and raining.  And colder temps are on the way.  Boo-hiss.

The other tease was mine.  I mentioned a couple of weeks ago something medical that had come up with Tessa but I didn’t get into the details.  Ya’ll know I’m not a secret keeper – I let it all hang out around here.  But my psyche was feeling too fragile to open myself up to well meaning advice and stories.  I just couldn’t do it.  The doctor was concerned at her last well check that she still isn’t gaining weight appropriately.  Her height shot up to the 33%tile while her weight fell to the 3%tile.  He first wanted to test her for Cystic Fibrosis.  I freaked out a little.  I promised myself I wouldn’t google and I wouldn’t spell it out on my blog until I had the results from the test. (Head? Meet sand.)

p1020372The test was on Friday.  I took her to our Children’s Hospital.  Some of my long time readers might recall the memos I wrote after my first experience with that hospital.  I will say that this visit was better than that first one but it wasn’t entirely positive.  I won’t rant about it because I am too relieved that the results were negative.  And Tessa was a trooper.  She tends to have zero patience (no idea where she gets that from) but didn’t complain a bit – even when they hooked her up to a machine that looked like an old shock therapy experiment gone wrong.

p1020386Tessa was a little freaked out by the soft and uneven mulch at the playground.

I am so thankful and relieved that her tests were fine.  But I really don’t like going to the Childrens Hospital.  They try to make it bright and cheerful but the moment I walked in the door I started to cry.  I had tears in my eyes for most of the 2.5 hours we were there.  Some of the tears were because of my fear for Tessa but many were for the other children I saw.  The ones who weren’t going home.  Or the ones who obviously spent a lot of time of the hospital between trips home.  For the parents of those beautiful children who worked hard to smile and be positive but the fear and worry and exhaustion was evident in their eyes.   After our doctor called with the results, I sat down and cried some more.  I was happy for us and so heartbroken for those families who weren’t ending their week with good news.

A little bit of levity – ya’ll know I’m not above making myself look like an idiot for comic relief.

p1020404I got lost in the parking garage.  When we arrived, I had trouble finding the sky bridge that led over to the doctor’s tower.  They said it was on the 2nd floor of the garage.  I parked on the first floor (section 1E) and took the elevator to the 2nd floor.  No sky bridge.  I wandered and somehow ended up on the 3rd or 4th level so I took the elevator back to the 2nd and found the bridge.  When I came out, I went to section 1E.  No car.  I walked around but no car.  I was tired and feeling a little emotionally fragile.  Tessa was fussing.  It was cold.  The car was no where to be found.  I ended up crying in the parking garage because I was lost.  How pathetic is that?  A woman in a golf cart asked if I needed help. It took me a couple of minutes to stop crying enough to tell her my predicament.  She must see  mommas on the edge a lot because she barely even blinked at this crazy lady sobbing in the parking garage.  She informed me that there are 3 sections called 1E in that parking garage.  WTF?  What is the point of numbering and lettering them if they don’t mean anything?  She swore everyone got lost – that is why they have to pay her to drive around and rescue us all.  She told me to take the elevator up a floor and I should find the right area.  She drove her cart up and met me there – then drove away before I got to my car…maybe she was afraid I might start sobbing again.

p1020398

Tessa still has some tests in her future to make sure there isn’t a reason she is slow to gain weight but I am thankful to have 2 beautiful, healthy children.

p1020415

Did you see that?  In this post there are 2 photos with both children! It is so rare that I can capture them both in the frame at the same time.

posted under family
14 Comments to

“No more teasing…”

  1. On February 22nd, 2010 at 1:13 pm Heather Says:

    SO glad its not CF!!! And glad you guys had such a warm weekend too! And seriously…we have the best Children’s Hospital ever here and I have the exact same reaction every time I go! 🙠(although the parking garage does seem to be more straightforward)

  2. On February 22nd, 2010 at 1:26 pm Burgh Baby Says:

    There’s still two feet of snow in my yard so BAH! to you. Ahem.

    Phew! to the test results. Hopefully it’s nothing and she’s just operating at her own special pace.

  3. On February 22nd, 2010 at 2:00 pm debbie Says:

    So glad to hear that it’s not CF ! Sometimes Dr’s freak us out over nothing. I hope it’s nothing.
    Love the pic of both girls on the swings and how their hair is flying. That is too cute.
    We had the same weather here in my state. It was just beautiful, although we did wear coats since my girls have colds. I can’t wait for summer.

  4. On February 22nd, 2010 at 2:26 pm amy2boys Says:

    I’m so glad about her results! I understand the upsetting nature of going to Children’s. I have to go on Shark’s field trip there in March – how am I not going to cry in front of the kids?!?

    Our weekend does indeed make this week’s weather a cruel thing. And the parking garage has three sections with same letter/number combos? I’m with you-W.T.F.?

  5. On February 22nd, 2010 at 5:23 pm Kim Says:

    1. So glad Tessa’s results came back negative.

    2. Also don’t understand the garage with sections with the same letter/number combo – that doesn’t make sense.

    3. And so proud of you that you got two pictures of the girls in the same frame – but does the swing picture really count? It’s not like they could move out of the frame. 🙂

  6. On February 22nd, 2010 at 8:21 pm KimN Says:

    My ped wants Ellie to be tested for CF too. She is very slow to gain weight (she’s only 13 pounds at 8 months old which is in the “less than 3%” category). Plus she had a very loose marker for it during my zillions of prenatal u/s. I’m not going to do the test yet though. The thing is, Ellie doesn’t gain weight because Ellie doesn’t eat enough calories to do so. In fact, as I explained to the ped, the fact that she gains weight at all in spite of that is amazing.

    Has your ped made a stink about her weight gain all along? I’m curious because Ellie’s ped is always all over me about it to the point that she makes me a nervous wreck all the time.

    PS – I hate the parking garage at our children’s hospital as well. Plus, I always have to go up and down just to find a spot.

  7. On February 22nd, 2010 at 9:20 pm Stephanie Says:

    Glad things are good so far. Hospitals give me the heebee jeebies too and I’m in them alot for work!

  8. On February 22nd, 2010 at 10:46 pm dana Says:

    I’m so happy to hear the news about Tessa. She looks like she is just a petite little girl. She does NOT look sick in any way shape or form. Parking garages always make me tense. Every floor seems the same and then to have 3 sections with the same number/letter? Who came up with that? Sabrina and Tessa both looked like they really enjoyed the weather. Sabrina seems to be so full of energy and Tessa just seems so sweet and cuddly. I always love to see new pictures of them along with reading your commentary.

  9. On February 23rd, 2010 at 6:37 am Bobbi Says:

    Let me say that I am glad you have a thorough doctor, BUT this child is rarely sick, she is happy and developing on target. To me, she doesn’t look THAT small. Maybe, just maybe she is going to be petite!!! You are going to have to send that Dr your hair coloring bill for all the gray hairs this has caused!!! But, I am so glad for you that it was not CF and she is healthy.
    I cried at your parking garage story. It must have been so hard!! I know how you feel being in the hospital. Being there twice recently with Reese has made me realize how truly lucky I am and pray I continue to be!! It is very emotional.

    Now, as for the numbering of the parking garage. Who got paid the big bucks for that one?!?!?!

  10. On February 23rd, 2010 at 9:00 am Sonia in MO (FTC) Says:

    Wonderful news on the test results! I think Tessa looks perfect, btw:) She will probably be this tiny petite little thing for a while longer then suddenly shoot up without warning. Then she will want to share Sabrina’s clothes and the battles will really begin 🙂

    I envy you your warm weather… here in southern Missouri our winters are normally very mild but holy cow it’s turned into Alaska-Down-Under here. I am SO sick of the cold!!

  11. On February 23rd, 2010 at 2:46 pm Deanna Says:

    Whoo-hoo, so glad for the good news…here’s me taking a deep breath! Although, I couldn’t imagine any other outcome, still as a mom and your friend, big deep breath let out…
    We still have snow, but it is melting…so happy for you I won’t even begrudge you the warm weather I have been pining for recently (always)!

  12. On February 23rd, 2010 at 5:14 pm Kim Says:

    The parking garage definitely needs some help. I probably would have cried too. Don’t you think it would be cheaper to renumber the garage than to pay someone to drive around and rescue people? Really.
    Glad to hear that she’s healthy. Em can’t gain weight either, but the Dr isn’t worried. He actually lost weight during the last 3 months because he got sick for 2 weeks, even though he was eating. I actually had a nutritionist tell me to start putting cheese sauce on his veggies to try to get him to gain. Really, thanks but no thanks I’m not starting bad habits since he loves his veggies without cheese sauce thanks.

  13. On February 24th, 2010 at 10:45 am nora Says:

    So so happy that you had a positive outcome on Tessa’s tests. When we were in the PICU for 5 days after Amalia was born, I became so much more thankful for what I have. It is still one fo the hardest places for both DH and I to walk into. The Walls of Gratitude that they have in ours almost do me in completely.

    We have some weigth gain problems at our house – Amalia. She is happy to eat a variety, which I am thankful for, but its the quantity and interest that she has in eating for very long (i.e. if she can’t get it in her mouth in 5 minutes she gives up.)

  14. On February 24th, 2010 at 8:16 pm Brigid Says:

    That parking garage is AWFUL. I have been lost there more than once. Once I thought the car must have been stolen. And it’s always when I’m a mess from some tests or stressful appointment. But I’m glad to hear Tessa’s test results came back good.

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