The Wallitsch Four

Home Again!

2009-08-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

Well it was a long week, sorry to not update, but I didn't have access to a computer and was not leaving her to get it.
Sunday night, Maddie started wheezing on our way home from a family get together. We did a breathing treatment (borrowed some albuterol from Hunter) and put her to bed. She sounded better for all of 5 minutes then progressively got worse. Much worse. About an hour after the treatment we decided to go ahead to the ER. Jeff took her to Baptist East ER, spent 6 hours there and she was no better, so they decided to transfer her to Kosair. Kosair decided to admit her, but no beds were available. They treated her with continuous breathing treatments, steroids and muscle relaxers to try to open her lungs and let the oxygen in. Based on her response to the medications they decided to admit her to the PICU (pediatric intensive care unit). 37 very long hours later we were admitted to the PICU. After a 50 hour breathing treatment (yes, I said 50 hours), they put her on a every 2 hour breathing treatment. From there we went to every 3 and got rid of the muscle relaxer. She continued to respond well and we were transferred out of the PICU to a regular floor. On the regular floor she continued to do well and weaned her to a every 4 hour treatment + steroids.
Let's recap shall we...6hrs and BE, 37 at Kosair ER, 30 at Kosair PICU, and 20 in a regular room. 4 Days and about 12 hours of sleep each, we are home. She is still wheezing a little and also a little labored in her breathing. They do say she should be well enough to continue treatments at home and to follow up with her pediatrician in the next day or so.
Also while we were at Kosair, she was due for an echo and EKG of her heart to check on her heart defects. All the abnormal openings are fully closed and she doesn't have to follow up with them again, unless we start having concerns. YEAH!
Thank you for all your prayers and concern. We love and appreciate you all!

Updates...a little late.

2009-01-24T07:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry for the lag in updates, and thank you for expressing the desire for updates and for following our blog.

So, a quick recall...We moved into Louisville in October, still haven't sold our house in Taylorsville (any one interested...any one?), but we've settled in nicely here. It's great having everything so convenient to the house.

Hunter is still at The Temple and loving it as usual. He is excited about kindergarten though. Can't wait to start a new school. We took a tour with him in November and he was awestruck by the size and all the "big kids". We are looking at Whitfield Academy here in Louisville. Applications are due in a couple of weeks so I will keep you posted on his acceptance status.

Jeff had 3 weeks off at Christmas Eve into January. But he's back in the swing of things. Well sort of. He's had to use quite a few sick days just in the last couple of weeks being back to work. Between sick kiddos (Hunter has RSV and Maddie a little cold) and doctors appts. I've been unable to help him take them to and from the doc, but he's been a trooper about it. What a great husband I have!

I've started my clinicals back and have about 1.5 weeks left. I've been at Frazier Rehab Hospital working with spinal cord injuries and multiple other diagnoses. It's been fun. I was nervous to leave Maddie after being home with her for 9 months, but it's been good. I still miss being home with her, but it's not as hard as it was to leave her. I know she is fine and safe with her sitter. So not too much longer....any one hiring a PTA in Louisville? :-)

Maddie...well Maddie is still small and still as full of spunk as ever. She has had some weight gaining issues the past several months. Fluctuating between 9lb 11oz and 10lbs. Finally she is over that 10lb mark by 5oz...but we are over it. The doctor and us of course are concerned, so we've been doing some blood work. We are currently waiting on the last tests to come in, but I think regardless of the results we will be visiting an endocrinologist to try to get her growing again. She eats like crazy, as much as babies her chronological age do. I don't know where she puts it. She also has developed a leg length discrepency. Her left leg is a tad bit shorter than her right. Xrays reveal that her hips are normal. We will go see a pediatric orthopedist for this. And she will most likely be starting some therapy as well. OT/PT/SLP....I'm not sure...maybe all. But it's a good thing. She is not doing everything a "normal" six month old should be doing so it's for the better.

We went to South Carolina to my parents house for Christmas this year. The kids had a ball. We did to. It was very relaxing and it's always good to visit with Mom and Dad. Dad got a Wii for him and mom and we all had a great time playing that. I think we had that thing running 6 hours one day. Whew!

November already?! 11-21-08

2008-11-21T09:01:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!

I cannot believe it is already November. We've even had some snow fall here in Louisville. Fall is almost gone and Winter is well on its way.

I hope you are all well and ready for the holidays. I know we are. Hunter is excited about Christmas. He is becoming impatient about it to. We will be traveling to my parents house in South Carolina for Christmas this year. Maddies first trip. Wish us luck, LOL! We are all very excited about that.

We've had a fairly busy month. We've finished painting most of the house. Living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway and basement. It seemed like it would never end. We'll probably put most of the other painting and remodeling on hold till sometime next year. But who knows, I may get bored one day and start working on it some more. It's amazing what paint can do. This doesn't even feel like the same house. Already its starting to feel like home to us.

Hunter and Maddie were dedicated earlier in the month at our church. It was great to have our families there to witness. Hunter has been taking water and putting crosses on Maddies head and pray over her since then. It's really sweet.

Maddie is 7 1/2 months old now, she weighs 10lbs and is 22in long. She is eating some baby foods-sweet potato and applesauce. We just have to take the food thing slow to ensure no digestive issues. We've had her metabolic screen repeated yet again and there were still a few numbers off. The doctor thinks that 2 of them are fine and normal but the thyroid number was off and she would like to recheck that one alone. We are deciding to err on the safe side with Miss Maddie after all the craziness in the beginning.

We visited Blackacre Nature Preserve a couple of weeks ago. Its here in Louisville. They have horses, donkeys, mules and goats. Also a really cool barn you can climb around in and endless trails. The property is beautiful. We had a great time and took some family pictures.

Well, I will officially be returning to finish my last four weeks of clinicals on January 5th next year. After that I will take my boards and hopefully be working starting in March. I'll of course keep you posted on the job hunt.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Jacks 10-20-08

2008-10-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

Well Fall is upon us. The leaves are changing and the weather is getting a little chilly. I love this time of year. Pumpkins, caramel apples, and soon turkey!
The pictures above are from this past Sunday. We discovered a new pumpkin patch (new to us), called Happy Jacks. It is in Frankfort. It is a small family farm with cows, buffalo, horses, goats, veggies and of course pumpkins. They had some of the best pumpkins I've seen. It was hard to choose. We ended up with 4, one for each of us.
Hunter had a great time, and even though Maddie is crying in this picture I think she had fun to. We took a wagon ride and made our way around the pumpkin patch till we found just the right pumpkins.
We have settled in to the new house. Paint projects are under way. I LOVE being so close to everything. I'm not so sure Jeff likes me being near all the shopping though. Hahaha...
Hunter has met a little boy on the street that is pretty close to his age. I think they will have fun together. There are some more kids in the area, so hopefully we will be meeting more of them soon.
Maddie is doing well. There is no more apnea monitor in our life. And we are a lot more calm than you might think. She is even out of our room and sleeping in her room now. We are all sleeping better. She is up to 9lbs 12oz and 21.5 in long. So still growing. The doctor is pleased and says she is following her growth curve nicely. We had to have another metabolic screen done because of all her transfusions in the hospital. The results came back and they want us to repeat. The doctor said that two of the levels were off and that she thinks that it was because of a collection error. So hopefully when the results come back from the repeat everything will be normal.
Jeff and I are concentrating on schools for Hunter this week. We plan to visit several this Wednesday and Thursday night at Hunters preschool they are having a meet and greet with schools, public and private. So hopefully we will come to a decision soon, or at least narrow it down some.
That's about it, things are starting to settle down for us. We've listed the Taylorsville house (anybody looking to buy give me a call ;-) ) and are settling in here on Downing. Hunter is as goofy as ever and Maddie is growing. Time to get ready for the holiday season!

We Have Moved 10-4-08

2008-10-04T07:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know it has been a long time, but we've been busy. I haven't even had my computer on in the last week (thats a really long time for me).

We moved last Saturday. Downing Way, here we are! It's been a busy week, my parents were in town, we had 2 visits from a plumber, 2 from and electrician/handyman, carpet installed, a session with an interior decorator (who'd have ever thought...) and a trip to Bowling Green. Whew! And to top it all off Maddie is teething, and we know how teething babies are.

Maddie also got her first taste of food yesterday. I cooked her up some rice and pureed it. She didn't quite know what to think, but once she realized it was food she ate it up.

Hunter went to the St. X/Trinity game yesterday with his Uncle Scott and his Papa. Scott dressed him up in St. X clothes and had his face painted...this did not go over well with the rest of the men in the family since they all went to Trinity. Hunter needs some serious de-programming after last night. This is a big high school rivalry, Scott went to St. X and everyone else went to Trinity. They play the game in Papa Johns Cardinal Stadium, where the Louisville Cardinals play. It's a huge deal here in town.

Wind Storm 2008

2008-09-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

Welcome to those who still have power!

Louisville just suffered the effects of Ike. If we only just brushed the outer part of the storm and had 400, 000 without power, I can only imagine what Texas is feeling right now with a full hit. Luckily out here in Taylorsville we never lost power. The mayor said to prepare to be without power for 10-14 days!

I did panick momentarily yesterday when my Mother in Law called to ask what I wanted to do with all my breastmilk. You see, I have about 500-600 bottles (pumped during Maddies hospital stay) stored in a deep freezer at her house. Well without power they would only last so long. So I cleared out freezer space, asked a neighbor for some space in their deep freeze and my brother in law happened to have power so he was able to take some to. It was all saved. I would have been so upset. There was a lot invested in that freezer.

Well Hunter's birthday was a success. He had about 16 friends over (chaos!) and of course they all had a great time.

Where has the time gone?

2008-09-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone...that is if anyone is still reading this. I'm getting really bad at regular updates.

Things have been busy around here. We've been cleaning house, getting ready to move. It's amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over the years. We've already had 2 yard sales, taken a van full and a U-haul trailer full to goodwill and I still have more to take.

Well, Jeff told me yesterday that it looks like the 1st of October when we will get to move in to the new house. So not that much longer. We're ready!

Hunter is having a birthday this weekend. I cannot believe he's already 5! Time flies! He is very excited about his birthday and party. Every day he asks if it's the 13th yet. LOL!

We are also working on learning to ride a bike without training wheels. He's doing pretty good with it. He just needs a lot of encouragment to keep his frustration levels down. I think he'll have the hang of it soon.

Madison is 5 months old today. We weighed her at Mimi's house and came up with 9lbs! She's a big girl now. She has been rolling over, grabbing for toys, putting them in her mouth, smiling and laughing. We continue to be amazed every day by our little miracle. To think of where we started....

Week One and Counting

2008-08-22T07:46:00.000-07:00

Well, Hunters first week of school is coming to an end. He had a great time and made some new friends as well as reunited with some old ones. Getting back into the swing of things has worn him out. Every night he has welcomed going to bed and has not fought to stay up like he usually does. This I'm sure will be short lived as he adapts, so we will enjoy it while we can. :-)
Maddie and I braved the crowds earlier in the week at this awesome consignment sale. It takes place twice a year and there are well over 1000 consigners. They fill a large basketball gym with everything from clothes and toys to furniture for infants to teens. We walked away with an arm full of goodies. I may still go back before it is over on Sunday. You can view their blog at http://littletreasuressale.blogspot.com/ for more info if interested.
Jeff and I have been working on getting the house ready to list. So, anyone looking to buy in Taylorsville you know where to go. ;-) We've been cleaning out the basement, consolidating all the stuff you accommodate over the years, touch up painting and just finishing up little odds and ends stuff. I'm getting excited about moving in to town. I've never lived anywhere when it only took 15 minutes to get to most anywhere. It will be a nice and welcome change. We may even be able to get away with driving only one vehicle to, which will be nice since they are both gas guzzlers. Speaking of gas, I can't believe I was excited to fill up for $3.55 yesterday. It's pretty sad when you get excited about that. I remember gas being $.85! There has been some serious inflation over the last 10-15 years. Makes the future a little scary....

A New Era for Blogging

2008-08-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
After the success of Madison's Blog I decided to continue the blogging but expand the subject matter. Maddie is doing so well at home it is hard to update with "new" info regarding only Maddie. So welcome to The Wallitsch Four. This blog will be about not only Maddie but all of us and then some.
I hope that you will enjoy this blog as well as my last.
Thanks for reading!