Update on Elliot

Our poor sick little guy is slowly recovering. Tonight marks the fourth night we'll spend in the hospital, but I hope that it's not too premature to say that the end may be in sight (how's that for a tentative statement!) Boy, this is tough bug and Elliot really got it bad, but I am cautiously optimistic that we'll see his cute little smile again soon. 

On Sunday afternoon he got really tuckered out from trying to breathe on the "low-flow" oxygen therapy and spiked a fever that wouldn't go down so we were transfered to the Pediatric ICU. The nurses are great here since they only have one or two patients to look after versus the four or five on the regular peds unit. They got him squared away in no time. He was put on antibiotics and a "high-flow" cannula that supplies him with warm, humidified oxygen-enriched air that makes it a lot easier for him to maintain a normal blood-oxygen saturation. It's still kind of hard for him to breathe since his lungs are filled with junk but, because he's breathing enriched air he gets the oxygen he needs. His poor little chest rattles and crackles like a coffee percolator. He coughs and gags on all the junk in his airways. And, as if that weren't horrid enough, a couple times a day he gets treated to a "deep suctioning" to remove that nasty stuff. The nurse or respiratory therapist runs a tube (WAAAAAY) up his nose and vacuums the buggers right out. Forget a bulb syringe, this is the Dyson of snot-removal. 

Anyway, one person who has thoroughly enjoyed this experience has been Oliver. He is thrilled to have Daddy to play with all day long (sweet Ryan has been staying at home while I am at the hospital with Elliot). He is so kind to Elliot when he comes by to visit. He says "don't cry baby Ellie, Odiver's here." He thinks the hospital is great fun as you can see from the pictures below. 

The joy of popsicles

Hey, Dad, it's for you!

Spinning

Dancing

Jumping 

Hiding

This picture makes me laugh. Poor Elliot looks like he is really hating life. Oliver is having a grand old time. And Ryan looks like he can't believe this is all really happening. In all seriousness, I am so glad that Oliver hasn't been traumatized by this experience. I know this is physically rough on Elliot but I'm hoping that he is too young to remember. I worried that it would be really scary for Oliver to see Elliot in the hospital but he didn't seem fazed by it at all. I love these three boys and I just can't wait until we can all be healthy and home together. 

Thank you everyone for your prayers and your phone calls, your delicious meals and thoughtful notes. We appreciate it so much and feel so very loved. Thank you. 

Your Prayers Are Needed

Elliot is in the hospital. He has RSV, which is a virus that acts a lot like a bad cold. It is hard on babies because their airways get gunked up and they have a hard time breathing, which in turn leads to a hard time eating and staying hydrated. Elliot started acting sick on Wednesday, we took him to the doctor on Thursday and brought him to the Children's ER at WakeMed on Friday. 

He is doing pretty well so far with oxygen support and extra fluids, but I am getting a little nervous/worried because tonight will be our third night here and he doesn't seem to be getting better. He's not getting worse, which is what I need to remember, and the doctors have said that the virus just needs to run its course, but all the same I thought I would do what I could to spread the word so you guys could all say a little prayer that Elliot will recover quickly. Thank you!

January Pictures

 

 

Twins...separated by 27 months

Without meaning to we have taken two almost identical pictures of the boys...at the same age, in the same cute little Patagonia bunting, strapped in the same B.O.B stroller. We got a major camera upgrade in the past 2 years so the picture of Oliver is not as sharp. But, seriously, aren't they cute!

Eat Dirt!

This morning as I gently dabbed the gunk out of Elliot's crusty pink eyes I thought to myself, I wonder if I am too lax about letting him play with germy kids, put who knows what in his mouth and generally expose him to too many nasty bugs. He has had this string of colds since before Christmas, but each time he recovers quickly and he doesn't seem too much worse for wear. I thought that I would call my wise sister or my pediatrician friend Bianca and ask them if there was anything to the theory that exposing kids to bugs when they are young builds a healthy immune system. I still don't know what either of them would have to say on that subject but I opened up the New York Times this morning (ok, pulled up the webpage, same thing) and read the most fascinating article that addressed this very question. I was going to link to it but I'll just paste the whole thing here since it is pretty short.

Babies Know: A Little Dirt Is Good for You
by Jane E. Brody
Published: January 26, 2009
Ask mothers why babies are constantly picking things up from the floor or ground and putting them in their mouths, and chances are they’ll say that it’s instinctive — that that’s how babies explore the world. But why the mouth, when sight, hearing, touch and even scent are far better at identifying things?

When my young sons were exploring the streets of Brooklyn, I couldn’t help but wonder how good crushed rock or dried dog droppings could taste when delicious mashed potatoes were routinely rejected.

Since all instinctive behaviors have an evolutionary advantage or they would not have been retained for millions of years, chances are that this one too has helped us survive as a species. And, indeed, accumulating evidence strongly suggests that eating dirt is good for you.
In studies of what is called the hygiene hypothesis, researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system. Several continuing studies suggest that worms may help to redirect an immune system that has gone awry and resulted in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma.

These studies, along with epidemiological observations, seem to explain why immune system disorders like multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma and allergies have risen significantly in the United States and other developed countries.

Training the Immune System
“What a child is doing when he puts things in his mouth is allowing his immune response to explore his environment,” Mary Ruebush, a microbiology and immunology instructor, wrote in her new book, “Why Dirt Is Good” (Kaplan). “Not only does this allow for ‘practice’ of immune responses, which will be necessary for protection, but it also plays a critical role in teaching the immature immune response what is best ignored.”

One leading researcher, Dr. Joel V. Weinstock, the director of gastroenterology and hepatology at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, said in an interview that the immune system at birth “is like an unprogrammed computer. It needs instruction.”

He said that public health measures like cleaning up contaminated water and food have saved the lives of countless children, but they “also eliminated exposure to many organisms that are probably good for us.”

“Children raised in an ultraclean environment,” he added, “are not being exposed to organisms that help them develop appropriate immune regulatory circuits.”

Studies he has conducted with Dr. David Elliott, a gastroenterologist and immunologist at the University of Iowa, indicate that intestinal worms, which have been all but eliminated in developed countries, are “likely to be the biggest player” in regulating the immune system to respond appropriately, Dr. Elliott said in an interview. He added that bacterial and viral infections seem to influence the immune system in the same way, but not as forcefully.
Most worms are harmless, especially in well-nourished people, Dr. Weinstock said.
“There are very few diseases that people get from worms,” he said. “Humans have adapted to the presence of most of them.”

Worms for Health
In studies in mice, Dr. Weinstock and Dr. Elliott have used worms to both prevent and reverse autoimmune disease. Dr. Elliott said that in Argentina, researchers found that patients with multiple sclerosis who were infected with the human whipworm had milder cases and fewer flare-ups of their disease over a period of four and a half years. At the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Dr. John Fleming, a neurologist, is testing whether the pig whipworm can temper the effects of multiple sclerosis.

In Gambia, the eradication of worms in some villages led to children’s having increased skin reactions to allergens, Dr. Elliott said. And pig whipworms, which reside only briefly in the human intestinal tract, have had “good effects” in treating the inflammatory bowel diseases, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, he said.

How may worms affect the immune system? Dr. Elliott explained that immune regulation is now known to be more complex than scientists thought when the hygiene hypothesis was first introduced by a British epidemiologist, David P. Strachan, in 1989. Dr. Strachan noted an association between large family size and reduced rates of asthma and allergies. Immunologists now recognize a four-point response system of helper T cells: Th 1, Th 2, Th 17 and regulatory T cells. Th 1 inhibits Th 2 and Th 17; Th 2 inhibits Th 1 and Th 17; and regulatory T cells inhibit all three, Dr. Elliott said.

“A lot of inflammatory diseases — multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and asthma — are due to the activity of Th 17,” he explained. “If you infect mice with worms, Th 17 drops dramatically, and the activity of regulatory T cells is augmented.”
In answer to the question, “Are we too clean?” Dr. Elliott said: “Dirtiness comes with a price. But cleanliness comes with a price, too. We’re not proposing a return to the germ-filled environment of the 1850s. But if we properly understand how organisms in the environment protect us, maybe we can give a vaccine or mimic their effects with some innocuous stimulus.”
Wash in Moderation
Dr. Ruebush, the “Why Dirt Is Good” author, does not suggest a return to filth, either. But she correctly points out that bacteria are everywhere: on us, in us and all around us. Most of these micro-organisms cause no problem, and many, like the ones that normally live in the digestive tract and produce life-sustaining nutrients, are essential to good health.
“The typical human probably harbors some 90 trillion microbes,” she wrote. “The very fact that you have so many microbes of so many different kinds is what keeps you healthy most of the time.”

Dr. Ruebush deplores the current fetish for the hundreds of antibacterial products that convey a false sense of security and may actually foster the development of antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing bacteria. Plain soap and water are all that are needed to become clean, she noted.

“I certainly recommend washing your hands after using the bathroom, before eating, after changing a diaper, before and after handling food,” and whenever they’re visibly soiled, she wrote. When no running water is available and cleaning hands is essential, she suggests an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

Dr. Weinstock goes even further. “Children should be allowed to go barefoot in the dirt, play in the dirt, and not have to wash their hands when they come in to eat,” he said. He and Dr. Elliott pointed out that children who grow up on farms and are frequently exposed to worms and other organisms from farm animals are much less likely to develop allergies and autoimmune diseases.

Also helpful, he said, is to “let kids have two dogs and a cat,” which will expose them to intestinal worms that can promote a healthy immune system.

Did you read that last part Mr. Halverson??? OK, I'll pass on the cat, but here's one more reason to get a dog!

Change I Can Believe In

The economy may be in tatters but I woke up this morning with a smile on my face. No, not because Obama is at the helm, although that does make me smile, but because I DIDN'T wake up at any point in the night to comfort a crying child. This miraculous event has occurred for five nights running so I finally feel like I can write about and I won't jinx it. Our secret? We put Elliot to bed in the sensory deprivation chamber (our walk-in closet) and we leave the hall light on and the door wide open to the boys' room for Oliver. This seems to work wonders for both of them.

In other positive news, it has been weeks since Elliot last spit up all over me. No more stinky cheese smell, no more stained shirts, no more gross puddles on the floor and furniture, no more humiliation when I see pictures of me like the one below and realize that spit up doesn't "dry clear". What was I thinking???

Can we make these changes stick? Yes we can!

Blogging Hiatus

                                     

It has been a month since I last posted on this blog. Between our trip to New York for Christmas, New Year's, and our 7 year anniversary a lot has happened that is certainly "blog worthy" but I have just been so busy implementing my New Year's resolutions (to go to bed at the same time as Ryan, to keep to a schedule, to do a better job of magnifying my callings, to create a "HOUSE OF ORDER"...more on that later) that I haven't had much time to muse about my life, the kids, the incoming administration, etc. But tonight is Friday night and I can sleep in tomorrow (yeah right) I decided to throw caution and common sense and all that to the wind and post some pictures at least.

We stopped on our way up to New York in Washington DC and stayed with the Hales'. We invited a few old DC friends over for a "Bagels and Boys" playdate on Saturday morning. I was so excited to introduce Ollie to our friend's little boys. They bonded over a common love for trains and Lightning McQueen. Check out these cute kids! They belong to Catherine & Scott Ladd, Matt & Kathy Johnson, Mary & Steve Hales, and James & Mariane Viray.

We didn't have too much time to spend in DC because we had dinner plans with more old DC friends in New York. Here is Oliver with more Colonial Ward progeny: Katie Carpenter Groberg and Emily Carpenter Hanson's kids. (We were just getting the hang of a new lens that was my early Christmas present to Ryan so some of these pictures are a little skiwampus.) We had dinner with the Grobergs, the Hansons (minus JP and one sick kiddo), and the newlyweds Tom and Whit Gourley.

Katie is such a gracious hostess and not only made some awesome desserts (yum!) but brought cool Christmas craft projects for the kids.

 

The highlight of our trip to New York City may have been the trip to the New York Botanical Garden with Abby and Adam to see the Holiday Train Show. This is a pretty spectacular event. We thought it was pretty cool even before we had a train-obsessed little boy. The NYBG has recreated many famous NYC landmarks entirely out of plant material (twigs, bark, dried flowers, seeds, etc.) Oliver was pretty enchanted by all the trains.

 

 

Oliver and this European boy instantly bonded over how excited they were to see the model trains go by. But check out how DIRTY this boy is...really, this picture does not even do it justice.

After the train show we went out to dinner on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. We thought we had made arrangements to go to the same Italian restaurant we went to four years ago, but arrived at Dominick's only to discover that it wasn't the place we remembered so fondly. The food was just OK but we had good company, so we enjoyed the dinner thoroughly.

 

The next day we went to see more model trains at the Citigroup Center, the ice skaters at Rockefeller Center, and the goods at FAO Schwartz. We had some other adventures planned but it was INCREDIBLY cold, so we pooped out.  Adam had given us the keys to his apartment in case we needed some place to nap or warm up during the day. (We adore Adam. He's the most thoughtful, generous, warm-hearted, fun and interesting person. Abby, you totally scored!!)

This is how we looked when we arrived at Adam's house...notice the sleeping Oliver. He was exhausted but had finally fallen asleep in our makeshift double stroller on the way to Adam's. We ever-so-carefully carried him into the house where he woke up as soon as the door shut behind us and proceeded to wreak havoc in Adam's brand new digs (no good deed goes unpunished, I'm sure he wasn't counting on that when he invited us to "make ourselves at home").

We had dinner with Abby and Adam again that night after they got home from work.  

Since it is late and I don't want to fall too hard off the "house of order" wagon I am not going to write too much else tonight. Christmas was, well, memorable. We drove up to my dad's house in Unadilla. Adam's flight to Michigan was canceled so he ended up joining us for Christmas, for which we are all (especially perhaps Ryan) most grateful! The boys got totally spoiled by their grandparents. Here are some pictures from Christmas. By the way, that's not the Charlie Brown Christmas tree...it's a Serbian spruce that my dad is planting in the back yard once the ground thaws :-)