HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

me, Mason, & Daddy/PawPaw
Mason & Grandpa ... Happy 1st Father's Day as a Grandpa to Gary
Matt's 1st Father's Day...on our way to Texas Roadhouse!!

Trial & Error...

Okay, so this is my attempt to share with our family & friends what is going on in our lives… really it will mostly be about Mason :)…and maybe in the process it will relieve some of the weight on my shoulders, but knowing my “worry wart” self probably not!

Update on Mason’s meds/treatments – He is now on enzymes to help him digest nutrients. These are bead like and we mix them with applesauce before EVERY feeding. That means even at 4 AM! He will most likely have to take these all his life with everything he eats. So, yes, my 2 1/2 month old is already eating applesauce! Just might be a pro when the time rolls around when most babies start eating solids! He still hates taking his salt everyday (& who can blame him), BUT luckily we have been able to mix it with his applesauce & it is not such a heart wrenching process!

At his CF Clinic appointment on June 6^th, the doctors started him on Prevacid. I believe this is pretty normal for all CF patients, I think it helps the enzymes do their job. We give this to him every morning, dissolved in about 1-2 ml of water in a syringe. The first day he had it he took VERY well! He even was smiling at Matt while he squirted it in his mouth…I think it must be strawberry or cherry flavored! We were told to try to give the Prevacid to him about 15 to 30 minutes before he ate anything, but if we couldn’t wait that long it should be fine. NOT! One of the side effects is vomiting, and unfortunately Mason is one of the few who is apparently affected by this. After eating his first meal of the day (just after Prevacid was taken) he would vomit. This happened 4 different days in the first week since beginning the med. I finally decided that this wasn’t just reflux. I contacted his nurse & informed her what was going on, the pharmacist advised to wait the 30 minutes recommended to see if that made a difference, otherwise we would have to change the medication. This morning I waited the 30 minutes…everything was going smooth, he was happy & smiling at us & we loaded him into the truck to go to “school”. 2 minutes later he vomited. Crazy thing is before & after he does this he is happy!?! Now I am again waiting on a call back from his pharmacist…

On a lighter note, daycare or “school” as Matt & I like to call it :) seems to be going well. I started back to work last Tuesday (BOO!!) and Mason had his first day with Miss Paula. I think he had a better transition than I did…I was terribly sad the first few days :(. Once he and Paula got to know each other, and she learned all his idiosyncrasies (like that he likes his bottles almost HOT and you dare not interrupt him while eating otherwise you must start the whole process all over again!) the days went a lot smoother! He seems to be happy there…he has much more to keep him interested than at home with boring ole Mommy! We are truly blessed to have found Paula – she genuinely cares for all the kids & luckily has no problem giving him his meds & even doing extra breathing treatments for him if needed.

I hate that I have to work, wish I could stay home with him, but at the same time I secretly almost like that I have my time away from the house…which also makes me feel guilty for feeling this way! SHEESH I am such a worry & guilt ridden person!

I am still breastfeeding Mason – goal is to keep this up for the first year. This is really important to me especially since he has CF because it is healthier for him and should keep his immune system stronger. So this means I have to pump at work…kind of awkward, but I am getting the hang of it & I luckily am blessed to have such an understanding & flexible job.

WOW - I wrote a book, so I think I will stop for today!