These are a few of my favorite things...

Tweet 1 - Borax - WOW!  I never thought I'd love something so much.  This stuff is AWESOME!  It will clean absolutely ANYTHING!  I scrubbed off some gunk on the fan above the stove that had been there, I'm sure, for years and it came off like buttah!  I have since scrubbed pans, cookie sheets, & a tea kettle.  I have also added it to the dishwasher - where it helped clean off some of the hard water calcification build up AND got our utensils & glasses super shiny.  ***LOVE***

2 - Mei Tai baby carriers - I am going to get a custom mei tai made by NuzzleMe Creations and sell my beloved BabyHawk "Alice" to a dear friend with a little one on the way.  I have sadly realized that the straps are "petite" and I need "extra long" straps to do back carries.  My lucky friend is the definition of petite, so I hope she loves Alice as much as I do.  I have officially decided that I am a mei tai mama and not a wrap mama.

3 - Half-caf coffee - I rarely, if ever, consumed caffeine before I got pregnant.  Now, I need it to function.  Full-caf coffee makes me too jittery and sick feeling.  Decaf, obviously, has no "ooomph."  Half-caf gives me just the jolt I need to help me get over the fact that I sleep in 2.5 hour shifts and gave birth to a "morning" baby.

4 - Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters - Read some of my previous posts and you'll get a full picture of what this hospital means to me.  In addition to the specialists working with Klaw, our pediatrician group is also a part of CHKD.

5 - Vidalia Onions - I still eat these babies raw.  Sorry, folks, the Walla Walla, Mayan Sweet, or any of the numerous other "sweet" onions cannot hold a candle to the Vidalia.  You haven't had a sweet onion until a Vidalia has touched your tongue.

More to come in future postings...

Our Water Baby!

Tweet WHEW!  I can keep Klaw!  He loves the water!!!  We weren't able to stay in the pool for very long because the thunder started rolling, but it was fun anyways!  He was a pro - already kicking & sticking his face in the water without my prompting.  I can't wait to start swim lessons.

and just because he's so darn cute...

Genetics Appointment

Tweet It's been several weeks since our last appointment with Dr. Proud at CHKD.  Everybody is SUPER happy with Klaw's progress.  He is just over 15lbs and 25" long.  His height/weight ratio is in near perfect proportion.  He flirted with everyone (including the phlebotomist right before she stuck him!).  His heart sounds great and his liver felt just fine.

The did take a urine sample & more blood so that the could check his l-carnitine and c-14 levels (I expect them to be his "normal").  We are also going ahead & getting his DNA profile done so that we can see exactly which VLCADD mutation we are dealing with.  Evidently, story of our life with VLCADD, Tricare will not want to cover this and we will be fighting them once again.  Yay.  After we get a read on Klaw's mutation, Chris & I will get our DNA profiled to find out which mutation(s) we carry.  I can't really explain it better than this, but the different mutations correspond with different "types" of VLCADD and will give us a better idea of what we may or may not be facing down the road with Klaw.  Dr. Proud let us know how much this DNA workup will cost out of pocket for Klaw - I don't want to even repeat it here.  Yes, it's that bad.

Yes, I know I need to post more recent pictures of Klaw.  I'll get on it soon, I promise.

EFMP

Tweet Well, we were finally approved for the Navy's Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP).  Due to the severity of Klaw's medical condition, we are Category V.  In addition to limiting which bases where we can be stationed (Rotten Groton, CT is NOT on the list!), this classification allows for homesteading at a naval base that is large enough to do multiple sea/shore duty rotations.  It has to be updated every 3 years, which is just about perfect because by the time Klaw is 3, we should have a better handle on what we are going to be dealing with as far as future health issues are concerned.  We really like the doctors who are caring for Klaw at this time so it's good to know that we will not have to move for at least 3 years.

Now, we are just waiting to find out when Chris can come home...