Today Charlotte's pediatrician removed her G-Tube. Adios!
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January
12 years ago
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
July 21, 2012
We got home today from a great trip to the Itasca Biological Station in Itasca State Park. Each year the first-year students in the College of Biological Sciences at the UofM (where I work) spend a few days at the biological station studying biology, enjoying the park, and getting to know one another. I am lucky enough to get to go up for one session and bring along my family. Patrick and Charlotte spend much of the time on their own while I'm sitting in on modules (I learned all sorts of cool biology-related things) but we squeezed in time for some family fun!
Charlotte was very excited to put on a life jacket. She insisted upon wearing it and was frustrated she had to take it off to go to the bathroom. Prior to this photo Charlotte got to go fishing for the first time! She caught a little fish that Patrick threw back. A faculty member was fishing with his kids and they offered to let Charlotte give it a try - very nice!
The life jacket was for our canoe trip. Here's Patrick putting the canoe into Lake Itasca. Neither of us have canoed in a very, very long time so it was perhaps not the fastest or most efficient canoe trip. However, I define success as staying afloat and we did not tip over! Success!
Of course we had to visit the headwaters of the Mississippi, just a short distance away. Charlotte was not shy about putting her feet (and then her whole body) into the Mississippi.
Water is for splashing. Especially the water of the mighty Mississippi River (which doesn't seem so mighty at the headwaters).
Taking a break from splashing with Dad. Take note of the water bottle in Patrick's hands. It's the Dora water bottle that we bought Charlotte as incentive for going BM in the toilet. I was very excited to come back to our cabin late one morning to see Charlotte drinking out of her Dora water bottle and then Patrick was kind enough to show me the photo he'd taken of her BM in the toilet. What a Dad. We have not seen a repeat of BM in the toilet, but we're excited that she has done it once!
Walking across the Mississippi River!
Our last night at Itasca! Charlotte roasted a marshmallow with Patrick. She enjoyed more than one s'more while at Itasca. Notice the fabulous shirts! These are the traditional Nature of Life shirts that are to be worn with pride. It was very nice of the NOL staff to give shirts to Charlotte and Patrick this year.
As a result we were able to take this adorable family photo in our cabin. Charlotte was a trooper over the past few days, staying up until after 10 p.m. each night! Today we got home around noon and we all slept for at least 1.5 hours. It's good to be home and, despite being surrounded by a pile of laundry to fold, feeling refreshed!
Charlotte was very excited to put on a life jacket. She insisted upon wearing it and was frustrated she had to take it off to go to the bathroom. Prior to this photo Charlotte got to go fishing for the first time! She caught a little fish that Patrick threw back. A faculty member was fishing with his kids and they offered to let Charlotte give it a try - very nice!
The life jacket was for our canoe trip. Here's Patrick putting the canoe into Lake Itasca. Neither of us have canoed in a very, very long time so it was perhaps not the fastest or most efficient canoe trip. However, I define success as staying afloat and we did not tip over! Success!
Of course we had to visit the headwaters of the Mississippi, just a short distance away. Charlotte was not shy about putting her feet (and then her whole body) into the Mississippi.
Water is for splashing. Especially the water of the mighty Mississippi River (which doesn't seem so mighty at the headwaters).
Taking a break from splashing with Dad. Take note of the water bottle in Patrick's hands. It's the Dora water bottle that we bought Charlotte as incentive for going BM in the toilet. I was very excited to come back to our cabin late one morning to see Charlotte drinking out of her Dora water bottle and then Patrick was kind enough to show me the photo he'd taken of her BM in the toilet. What a Dad. We have not seen a repeat of BM in the toilet, but we're excited that she has done it once!
Walking across the Mississippi River!
Our last night at Itasca! Charlotte roasted a marshmallow with Patrick. She enjoyed more than one s'more while at Itasca. Notice the fabulous shirts! These are the traditional Nature of Life shirts that are to be worn with pride. It was very nice of the NOL staff to give shirts to Charlotte and Patrick this year.
As a result we were able to take this adorable family photo in our cabin. Charlotte was a trooper over the past few days, staying up until after 10 p.m. each night! Today we got home around noon and we all slept for at least 1.5 hours. It's good to be home and, despite being surrounded by a pile of laundry to fold, feeling refreshed!
Monday, July 16, 2012
July 16, 2012
Quick post. Charlotte met Dora and Boots at Nickelodean Universe (Mall of America) a couple weeks ago. We made a quick trip to the mall to pick up a few things for a baby shower when all of a sudden she spotted her favorite characters.
She had no fear and could hardly hold herself back from jumping to the front of the line. By the time it was her turn and Dora turned to wave her over Charlotte was already hugging Boots. In addition to seeing Dora and Boots Charlotte reminded us that she also got to see Backpack and The Map.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
July 15, 2012
Summer! We've been loving it. So much so, that the blog continues to be neglected. I was chastised this weekend by my brother-in-law's mother, so this post is for her. :)
Three weeks ago Patrick traveled to the Badlands of South Dakota to pace a friend, Kurt, who was running a 100 mile race. Kurt and his family of 5 were gracious enough to have Patrick travel with them in their RV and I can only imagine how crowded that was for 4 days. He had a nice time and while he was away imagining crazy things like running the race himself in a few years, Charlotte and I spent the weekend at my parents' house.
Charlotte has grown so much since last year! Here is a link to a blog post with a photo playing in the same spot last year. Her head was about level with the telescope:
http://charlottekrussell.blogspot.com/2011/07/july-4-2011.html
Grandma and Grandpa Distad have gorgeous flower gardens and here is Charlotte with a bowl of flowers she picked with Grandma.
Grandma and Grandpa took us to Oxbow Zoo. Grandma introduced Charlotte to the fact that goats eat grass and, as the old adage goes - the grass is always greener on the other side. Despite the green grass available in the goat pen this goat was going nuts for Charlotte's grass. She happily complied and would still be picking grass for the goat if we hadn't pulled her away.
Break time! Here's a nice photo of Charlotte with Grandma and Grandpa.
Since this weekend we've been pretty low key. On June 30 Patrick and I enjoyed the Twins tickets he won at a race earlier this spring while Grandma and Grandpa Russell babysat Charlotte. We all had a great time, especially Charlotte. :)
We've spent quite a bit of time at the park. Here's Charlotte swinging away. We continue to love our neighborhood. This past week we had a neighborhood picnic and the neighborhood association provided live music, a bouncy castle, and a climbing wall. Unfortunately I didn't have our camera with us but brave Charlotte put on the straps to climb the wall but didn't quite make it to the wall. I think she would have given in a try if not for the little boy who started crying on the wall and needed someone to help him down. She got nervous after that - maybe next year!
We cooled off on the 4th of July with a bike ride to a nearby splash park. Charlotte is much more comfortable in the water and holds her own with the bigger kids this year.
I thought this was pretty cute. She kept climbing onto Patrick's back while he sat in the pool.
Last weekend Grandma and Grandpa Distad came to visit and we took in the Mill City Farmer's Market, a tour of the Guthrie, and lunch at Cap's.
We took a very similar photo of Charlotte in the Guthrie last year and her shoulders met the break between panels. It's so fun to watch her grow: http://charlottekrussell.blogspot.com/2011/08/august-29-2011.html
Today we had a baby shower for Pat's sister, Kelly. She is having a baby this September and I took a few photos at the shower. Above is a fruit basket carved by Grandma Russell. Thank you Pinterest for models we could draw ideas from!
And the super cute punch bowl.
And the super duper cute little girl I brought with me.
Charlotte enjoyed coloring with markers while we played games. Here she is with Grandma Russell. Charlotte has recently become interested in jewelry and paid Grandma Russell a few compliments this weekend. She likes to touch jewelry, and says things like "I love it" and "that's beautiful" - it's very sweet.
Aunt Kelly let Charlotte help with a couple gifts and Charlotte loved the bows. She is looking forward to meeting her first cousin, Molly, this September.
And I still find Charlotte eating to be a beautiful, glorious image. A nice photo to wrap up a blog post.
Her eating is having a positive impact on all areas of life. On July 3 I took her to her second appointment at the dentist and she has perfect teeth! Last time we were at the dentist they said her teeth were not as worn as they would expect and this was because she wasn't using them. This time, the dentist said she never would have remembered if I hadn't reminded her by asking about how they looked now.
And, just this past week she tipped the scale at 25 lbs. We got home late tonight and I didn't get a chance to weigh her, but hopefully she continues to maintain this weight and grow steadily. Next week we see our pediatrician for her 3-year well-child visit and to have her growth checked. Hoping for good news!
Addendum:
I forgot to mention that we have eliminated diapers from our daytime routine! She still wears a diaper overnight. Charlotte's new school uses correct terminology for all body parts and bodily functions, so toilet, urine, and BM have become common vocabulary around our house. She has been doing great urinating in the toilet. She seems to be afraid of having a BM in the toilet, so we have the pleasure of cleaning a pair of underwear daily. Let's be honest, when its a big mess, we discard the underwear. It was pretty gross opening up plastic bags of dirty underwear from Charlotte's school, so we implemented a throw-a-way policy.
I purchased Dora water bottle for Charlotte if she takes a BM in the toilet. So far it's not working, but there's always tomorrow...
Sunday, June 17, 2012
June 17, 2012
We had a lovely 3-day weekend! On Friday we departed home at 7 a.m. for Duluth and our first stop was Chester Bowl so that Patrick could run in one of his favorite spots and Charlotte could play off some energy built up by the car trip.
Here's a photo of Charlotte after she and I checked out the water running through Chester Bowl. It was a beautiful day in Duluth! Oh how we miss living in Duluth, but we agreed we need to go back in April when it's spring in the Twin Cities and still very much winter in Duluth.
We braved the Grandma's Marathon traffic and parked at the DECC. It was worth it because moments after we arrived at Bayfront Park we got to see a ship depart the harbor.
Charlotte ran the Whipper Snapper race! She was pretty pumped to run and we think she is getting close to running without Patrick. He said he put her up on his shoulders so she could see the mascot race, which preceded the Whipper Snapper, and she anxiously scrambled down when the first wave of 4 and under kids took off. She was not about to have a late start!
We stopped by the Expo to pick up my packet for the half marathon and Charlotte's favorite part was playing in the curtains set up for the pasta feed. We've taken to counting to 3 to get her to do things and this was one time counting to 3 was necessary. I don't know why this works. I rarely have a plan for what to do if she's not complying by the count of 3. Hopefully she doesn't test this anytime soon.
After packet pick up we enjoyed a pre-race meal and celebrated the eve of my 30th birthday with dinner at Little Angie's Cantina. I don't have any pictures of the race (the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon) because I was running, but it was pretty fabulous. I thought it would be a fun way to spend my 30th birthday and it was! The weather was perfect - cool, partly cloudy, maybe a slight breeze at our backs. Patrick, Kelly, and Pat's parents all made signs that helped keep me going through the last few miles, and it was fun to celebrate with them at the finish. Afterward we went to a new-to-us cafe on Superior Street, Takk for Maten, and I enjoyed lefse with butter and brown sugar - it was delicious.
After lunch Pat's family departed Duluth and the three of us took naps at UMD. Then, after we enjoyed our annual malt from the Portland Malt Shoppe, we decided to check out the Duluth Children's Museum (pictured above). It was a fun way to get out of the rain and do something new in Duluth!
This morning the celebration shifted from my birthday to Father's Day! Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. We had intended to leave Duluth at 10:30 a.m. for a Father's Day lunch in Eau Claire, however, we had car trouble. We were at Tires Plus when it opened at 9 a.m. and despite the staff person's initial concern that they wouldn't be able to fix it until Monday, we were on the road by noon with new brakes!
Then, on a whim we got Charlotte her first hair cut! Here she is after the cut, the stylist only took at most an inch off but it was good practice for Charlotte. She was a bit nervous but she sat on my lap, answered all of the stylists questions, and stayed still for an even cut.
Shortly thereafter we got the call that our car was ready and we were off to Eau Claire!
Grandma and Grandpa Russell got Charlotte this great bat and ball. Charlotte may or may not have hit Dad's hands a few times, but she definitely connected with the ball more than once!
And because I'm always up for celebrating my birthday I was excited to blow out candles! Charlotte helped and to be fair, the cake was for "Katie and the Dads" :).
It was great to see Charlotte's Great Grandpa and Grandma Mehls even if it did start raining after our arrival prompting a move from the nice deck indoors. I think this is why we didn't get any family photos this gathering! Below are a couple shots of Charlotte playing with Grandpa and Grandma Russell.
We had a great weekend and I'm walking pretty well although going down stairs/hills is not my favorite thing right now. Patrick just reminded me that tomorrow will probably be the worst day as far as muscle soreness goes...thanks dear.
Here's a photo of Charlotte after she and I checked out the water running through Chester Bowl. It was a beautiful day in Duluth! Oh how we miss living in Duluth, but we agreed we need to go back in April when it's spring in the Twin Cities and still very much winter in Duluth.
We braved the Grandma's Marathon traffic and parked at the DECC. It was worth it because moments after we arrived at Bayfront Park we got to see a ship depart the harbor.
Charlotte ran the Whipper Snapper race! She was pretty pumped to run and we think she is getting close to running without Patrick. He said he put her up on his shoulders so she could see the mascot race, which preceded the Whipper Snapper, and she anxiously scrambled down when the first wave of 4 and under kids took off. She was not about to have a late start!
We stopped by the Expo to pick up my packet for the half marathon and Charlotte's favorite part was playing in the curtains set up for the pasta feed. We've taken to counting to 3 to get her to do things and this was one time counting to 3 was necessary. I don't know why this works. I rarely have a plan for what to do if she's not complying by the count of 3. Hopefully she doesn't test this anytime soon.
After packet pick up we enjoyed a pre-race meal and celebrated the eve of my 30th birthday with dinner at Little Angie's Cantina. I don't have any pictures of the race (the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon) because I was running, but it was pretty fabulous. I thought it would be a fun way to spend my 30th birthday and it was! The weather was perfect - cool, partly cloudy, maybe a slight breeze at our backs. Patrick, Kelly, and Pat's parents all made signs that helped keep me going through the last few miles, and it was fun to celebrate with them at the finish. Afterward we went to a new-to-us cafe on Superior Street, Takk for Maten, and I enjoyed lefse with butter and brown sugar - it was delicious.
After lunch Pat's family departed Duluth and the three of us took naps at UMD. Then, after we enjoyed our annual malt from the Portland Malt Shoppe, we decided to check out the Duluth Children's Museum (pictured above). It was a fun way to get out of the rain and do something new in Duluth!
This morning the celebration shifted from my birthday to Father's Day! Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there. We had intended to leave Duluth at 10:30 a.m. for a Father's Day lunch in Eau Claire, however, we had car trouble. We were at Tires Plus when it opened at 9 a.m. and despite the staff person's initial concern that they wouldn't be able to fix it until Monday, we were on the road by noon with new brakes!
Here we are killing time at Caribou while our car was assessed. We were glad we thought to grab crayons and books for Charlotte.
Then, on a whim we got Charlotte her first hair cut! Here she is after the cut, the stylist only took at most an inch off but it was good practice for Charlotte. She was a bit nervous but she sat on my lap, answered all of the stylists questions, and stayed still for an even cut.
Shortly thereafter we got the call that our car was ready and we were off to Eau Claire!
Grandma and Grandpa Russell got Charlotte this great bat and ball. Charlotte may or may not have hit Dad's hands a few times, but she definitely connected with the ball more than once!
And because I'm always up for celebrating my birthday I was excited to blow out candles! Charlotte helped and to be fair, the cake was for "Katie and the Dads" :).
It was great to see Charlotte's Great Grandpa and Grandma Mehls even if it did start raining after our arrival prompting a move from the nice deck indoors. I think this is why we didn't get any family photos this gathering! Below are a couple shots of Charlotte playing with Grandpa and Grandma Russell.
We had a great weekend and I'm walking pretty well although going down stairs/hills is not my favorite thing right now. Patrick just reminded me that tomorrow will probably be the worst day as far as muscle soreness goes...thanks dear.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
June 9, 2012
Charlotte has become quite the animal lover! Memorial Day weekend Charlotte and I visited my parents and after a few hours she petted Kira Bear and even played fetch with her (see photo below).
The next morning she had almost forgotten her new friendship with Kira and instead wanted to snuggle with Big Gray. Unfortunately Big Gray didn't reciprocate the feeling and eventually hid behind the couch where she couldn't be reached. Baby steps.
Last weekend Patrick set out to run 50 miles at the FANS 12 and 24 hour race around Lake Nokomis. He made it 43 miles before stomach cramps sidelined his efforts and then we all cheered for our friend Sonja who was among the brave (read insane) souls running for 24 hours.
Charlotte is becoming quite the running fan! Here she is clapping for the runners and saying things like "Go Runners!" and "Yeah Runners!"
Daddy's biggest fan crashed for her nap about 3 hours into the race. She is such a good napper that she slept for 1.5 hours while people around her cheered for runners.
After Patrick's finish we went home and cleaned up, played, rested, and ate dinner. Then, after all that, we grabbed DQ on our way back to Lake Nokomis to cheer on those who were STILL RUNNING. The race finished at 8 a.m. and I can only imagine those runners are still sleeping, over a week later.
Grandma and Grandpa Russell went to Vegas this week and we got their plants to water! Charlotte took primary responsibility for this job as she loves the spray bottle.
Here is Charlotte walking her dog on the streets of downtown St. Paul (note: her "dog" is a wooden cat on wheels handed down to her by our wonderful neighbor girls). Last night she named her dog Kira Bear (after Grandma and Grandpa Distad's dog) and has insisted upon taking her absolutely everywhere today. This afternoon she renamed, for a brief period, the dog Sandy and she and I replayed the scene from Annie where Annie needs to call Sandy to evade the dog catcher.
Here's a fun photo to wrap-up the blog post. We love the slippers Charlotte received from Grandma and Grandpa Russell from their trip to Amsterdam. She even wore them today in spite of the 90 degree temps.
We're going strong on the no tube feeds! We've adjusted easily to needing to stop and eat at mealtimes rather than just hooking her up to her tube and plowing through life. Her weight has been stable and we're hoping she can pack on a few ounces before we see her pediatrician in August.
The next morning she had almost forgotten her new friendship with Kira and instead wanted to snuggle with Big Gray. Unfortunately Big Gray didn't reciprocate the feeling and eventually hid behind the couch where she couldn't be reached. Baby steps.
AHH! I got new glasses!
We recently learned that kids outgrow their glasses in 18 months or less - yikes! We found a great boutique in Uptown called Glasses Menagerie and picked up a new pair of frames. At her last eye exam her prescription changed only slightly, but it's nice that she has the latest prescription as well. And the best part - they are transitions lenses!
Last weekend Patrick set out to run 50 miles at the FANS 12 and 24 hour race around Lake Nokomis. He made it 43 miles before stomach cramps sidelined his efforts and then we all cheered for our friend Sonja who was among the brave (read insane) souls running for 24 hours.
Charlotte is becoming quite the running fan! Here she is clapping for the runners and saying things like "Go Runners!" and "Yeah Runners!"
Daddy's biggest fan crashed for her nap about 3 hours into the race. She is such a good napper that she slept for 1.5 hours while people around her cheered for runners.
After Patrick's finish we went home and cleaned up, played, rested, and ate dinner. Then, after all that, we grabbed DQ on our way back to Lake Nokomis to cheer on those who were STILL RUNNING. The race finished at 8 a.m. and I can only imagine those runners are still sleeping, over a week later.
Grandma and Grandpa Russell went to Vegas this week and we got their plants to water! Charlotte took primary responsibility for this job as she loves the spray bottle.
Here is Charlotte walking her dog on the streets of downtown St. Paul (note: her "dog" is a wooden cat on wheels handed down to her by our wonderful neighbor girls). Last night she named her dog Kira Bear (after Grandma and Grandpa Distad's dog) and has insisted upon taking her absolutely everywhere today. This afternoon she renamed, for a brief period, the dog Sandy and she and I replayed the scene from Annie where Annie needs to call Sandy to evade the dog catcher.
Here's a fun photo to wrap-up the blog post. We love the slippers Charlotte received from Grandma and Grandpa Russell from their trip to Amsterdam. She even wore them today in spite of the 90 degree temps.
We're going strong on the no tube feeds! We've adjusted easily to needing to stop and eat at mealtimes rather than just hooking her up to her tube and plowing through life. Her weight has been stable and we're hoping she can pack on a few ounces before we see her pediatrician in August.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
May 17, 2012
We've neglected our blog! This is because I kept hoping we'd have good news to share and we do! On April 4 we saw Charlotte's pediatrician for a weight check and she supported our desire to give Charlotte a shot at going tube-feed free. We went back 2 weeks later and were disappointed to learn that Charlotte had lost 3 oz, but our scale at home had shown weight gain so we were also very surprised. Perhaps in part due to our disbelief our pediatrician suggested we keep trying for a month and yesterday's one month check up yielded positive results - she gained 5 oz!
She's still skinny at 24 lbs 7 oz, but our doctor assured us that a child's ribs should be visible so we're not as worried. None of us are in a hurry to remove her G-tube, but we don't have to go for another weight check until Charlotte's 3 year well-child visit in August. Hopefully she'll continue to gain weight!
We've been pretty bad at taking photos, but we've had lots of fun over the past month visiting family and enjoying the beautiful spring.
Charlotte enjoyed Dora the Explorer at the Eau Claire Children's Theater. Above she is coloring before the show began. Grandma and Grandpa Russell took us and it was a cute show.
Last Friday Charlotte had an eye exam that went well. Her prescription has changed only slightly and we're continuing with the patching - the longer each day the better. That afternoon we had fun at a plant sale with Grandma and Grandpa Distad and my cousin. We now have plants growing on our porch, so hopefully we'll be enjoying delicious salads and fresh herbs this summer.
We spent Mother's Day at the Arboretum, and Charlotte loved running around.
She's still skinny at 24 lbs 7 oz, but our doctor assured us that a child's ribs should be visible so we're not as worried. None of us are in a hurry to remove her G-tube, but we don't have to go for another weight check until Charlotte's 3 year well-child visit in August. Hopefully she'll continue to gain weight!
We've been pretty bad at taking photos, but we've had lots of fun over the past month visiting family and enjoying the beautiful spring.
Charlotte enjoyed Dora the Explorer at the Eau Claire Children's Theater. Above she is coloring before the show began. Grandma and Grandpa Russell took us and it was a cute show.
Last Friday Charlotte had an eye exam that went well. Her prescription has changed only slightly and we're continuing with the patching - the longer each day the better. That afternoon we had fun at a plant sale with Grandma and Grandpa Distad and my cousin. We now have plants growing on our porch, so hopefully we'll be enjoying delicious salads and fresh herbs this summer.
We spent Mother's Day at the Arboretum, and Charlotte loved running around.
Here's a cute shot the Russell's...Grandpa Russell is behind the camera.
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