"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future".
Jeremiah 29:11

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Day 176- Tater Hater

Recap:
Thursday night Rowan was able to celebrate at another birthday party! She munched on black beans and tore up plates and decorations.




Sunday she enjoyed a large cup of potato soup from mcalisters.


It was so delicious we had more potato soup at Jason's deli the next day!



The high chair cover was in the wash and I completely forgot.... So, Rowan sat sans cover in the chair and it made me all nervy! I cleaned the seat with tons of hand sanitizer several times during lunch. (thank goodness our cover is all clean and ready to go- I can't handle that again)

We have been keeping our food log, skipping on yogurt, and staying away from fruits and veggies..... Until I had a conversation with someone who mentioned they were supposed to eat potatoes for their LOW potassium?!?
A quick check of the world wide web, and it was confirmed! Agh!! Potatoes are HIGH in potassium- great:/

I called to chat with our Houston dietician and she sent me a list of food for our "NO" list.
1. Potatoes
2. Avocados
3. Black beans
4. Mushrooms
Hahaha- if you follow the blog- all of Rowan's favorites!

Why didn't we get this list earlier?! It was all typed out with high, med, and low potassium foods. Seemed a lot more efficient than the "no fruits and veggies" message we got last Wednesday.

So, back to the store to get: Yogurt!



Yum!!!! The entire cup gone in 5minutes!

We also found some strawberry applesauce and it was a hit too!

The Prograf causes Rowan's potassium to be elevated, so that is why we need to limit the potassium in her diet- although it looks like we did a great job making it doubly high.

Today we went to Austin to see the damage and get labs drawn. It was another one stick day! Not even a cry!

Haven't received a phone call today, but you never know what that means... I will be calling again tomorrow for results.

So, enough with the food chatter.

Ro has more teeth!!!



You can kinda see the two big front ones here.... But just add another on each side of those big boys. Grand total is 4 up top and 2 down below.

Here's another toothy pic from tonight- great way to cool down after a hot walk.








And I thought this picture was funny only because I think I make this face:



Notice our cover... I'm smiling, guess it was too early and Rowan didn't really care. (chick fil-a after labs this morning)

Pulling out my crystal ball again, I suspect Rowan is going to be just about walking when her birthday comes in a few weeks. She is pulling up on everything!
There isn't a time of day (or night) when we go into her room and she's not standing up waiting for us!

She has been a great tag along on all of our adventures lately- good shopping buddy, and she even had a good time at the parade of homes.

She can make a cat sound when you ask (even though it doesn't sound like a meow), stick out her tongue, give high fives, wave, dance, shake her head no, and just continue to amaze us every day.

It's still unbelievable how blessed we are with such a spirited baby girl. Today I thought and prayed a lot about our angel donor- love you!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Day 168- Say What?!

Say What?!

SUPRISE!
Check out these beautiful pictures at JuJu's suprise birthday:







Monday we went to Austin for labs and a check up. It was a one stick day!

Rowan had a great time with Dr. Rangwalla:






We got a call later that afternoon letting us know Rowan's potassium was 6.6!

Too high! (3.5-5) Unfortunately, we had to wait a day for the pharmacy to get the kaxelate in stock. And, please can I brag? The child who once spit out alllll of her medicine, fought us, screamed, gagged, and threw it up took 30mL of the most disgusting chalky crap like it was no big deal!!! 30mL---crazy!!!
(currently we are waiting for it to come out the other end and take the potassium with it)
So proud of this baby!

Received another call from our Houston team to stop ursodil, and asprin. Are you serious?! And to decrease the Prograf dose to 2.5ml twice a day.

Ladies and gentleman: this means Rowan will only be taking ONE medication twice a day!!!

Say what?!?



We are now to keep a food diary of everything Ro eats; however, fruits and veggies have been eliminated as well as her very favorite yogurt to see if there is a food link to this high potassium level.

We will keep you updated on the progress- lab recheck is on Wednesday.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Day 160- Mother's Day and More

Proof that nearly anyone can use an iPhone:
Rowan made the last blog post:)
Seriously- all by herself.

Next thing you know, she will be getting an iPhone for her 2nd birthday- Ha!

Another early advancement:



Rowan is learning to drive:)







We have found a new food that she looooooves- mushrooms!









And- spinach artichoke dip!



Chance and I really only got a few bites of this...



Mother's Day Lovin on my Baby




More crawling...












Annnnd- The top two teeth have finally come in! Happy Mother's Day to all of us! Thank goodness because Ro's bloody gums were making me feel so bad for her.
It's hard to get pictures, but that will be my next mission.




Love the empty medicine bottle as a bath toy:)

The very best mother's day present was holding my sweet, precious Rowan. We were thinking of you angel donor and your family too because they probably had a hard time this weekend without you. God- wrap your arms around them and let them feel your comfort. Thank you again for the gift of life.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Day 158- Rock Climber

Preparing to rock climb later in life:

YouTube Video


This little girl is a dare devil. She will try to jump off the couch, chairs, bed- anything... You always have to be watching!


Everyone says, "They grow up so quickly."
I am finding this to be more true every day.

Before Rowan's transplant, it seemed as though each day was an eternity. Medicine all the time, fussing, feeding, going outside because it was the only way to make her stop crying, hospital admissions, lab draws, procedural testing, uncertainty, picc lines, tube feeding, TPN, yellow, getting worse, my poor sick baby, pain. THAT seemed like years.

Healthy, happy, post-transplant Rowan has changed our lives yet again. Time is literally flying. She will be one year old next month! (yes- party preparations have begun).

Prograf is so easy to give now, sometimes I can't even remember at the end of the day if she got her dose--- (no need to panic: the alarm is set EVERY day and she NEVER misses a dose (except once when the Prograf busted all over the floor and we had to wait for our refill)).

So only ONE missed dose ever:)

What I am getting at is the whole ordeal is so easy now, it's becoming routine, and it's hard to recall the exact details of the morning medicine event at the end of our busy days.

On another note: the top two teeth have finally started to really come through, but those sharp suckers are still wrecking havoc. Rowan's gums are practically bleeding. Orajel to the rescue--

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Day 157- turtle races and daddy day care

Saturday we went to a Turtle Festival: a first for everyone in our family.







Petting zoo:









I think we made a few folks a little jelly: there really weren't any people allowed inside the cage.
The owner of the animals must have had her eye on our Robaby because she asked if Rowan wanted to come in and play :) so we took her up on the offer.




BBQ afterwards- yum!


Momma went to work the next day and look at how happy Rowan was to see me go---








Dad must be too much fun!


Monday:
Check out how exciting it is to stand up in your carseat:






Gooooood times! So in love with this girl-