Weekend update

This week Ryleigh discovered some new tricks:

Using her forehead to balance... Our ottoman is a gliding ottoman. She stands up against it. She throws all her toys on the floor, she will put her head against the ottoman and reach down to get the toys with both hands. Then she flails her arms when the ottoman moves too much.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Since we don't really have furniture for her to pull herself up on, I got her an activity walker to stand up against and play with. Here's Chris and Ryleigh playing with her new walker.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Ryleigh discovered a new trick (again)... Rolling over (she filed that one away a while ago). It started just this weekend, but whenever we stick her in her crib for a nap or for the night, she's been rolling on to her tummy. This normally wouldn't be a problem, except she can't roll back onto her back. So she gets stuck/pissed and starts crying when she's had enough of her tummy. Last night though she fell asleep on her tummy. And the rest of the time she's fall asleep on her side. Totally new things for her.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

I tried to get some papers scanned into the computer, but the bug kept fussing, so we had some fun with the office chair.


Then in the bath tonight, Chris discovered another one of Ryleigh's talents.


Oh yeah and the teeth total continues: We're up to 4 teeth in 1 week! Found another one on the top yesterday, which brings the total to 2 center top and one to the left of center on top, and two center bottom plus one right of center bottom for 6 teeth! And she's handeling them pretty well with relatively little fussing. Just one day we had to give in to some Motrin. Poor little bug!

More Teeth!

I forgot to mention this in my weekend post, but Ryleigh is getting more teeth. Yeah she doesn't get one tooth at a time, nope she gets multiple.

This was back when she got her first round (2 bottom center incisors) just 1 day shy of her 3 month bday.

From Ryleigh Grace - Birth - 4 months

Now 4 months later at 7 months she decided it was time for more teeth. Last week I noticed she was starting to get a left side top tooth. It finally cut through this weekend and it was the left lateral incisor. Monday (her 7 month bday) she started to cut the top left central incisor. And today I noticed she's starting to cut the bottom right lateral incisor. She had to go for 3 at a time to one up herself. Other than drooling and sleeping a little more than usual, she seems to be handling it MUCH better!

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Or maybe it's just because she knows how to hold stuff and get it in her mouth now... she really lacked that ability last time she got teeth.

CT Scan

We had Ryleigh's CT scan... It went pretty well, but there was tons of MickeyMouse beforehand.

I got the paperwork last week for her scan. When I read it it said "head CT without contrast, abdominal and pelvis with contrast". Now being in healthcare, I read everything with a fine tooth comb, and I knew this was not right. So I emailed her plastic surgeon who ordered the test. Only problem, he went out of town for the holiday weekend. So yesterday I called his office, but he was still out on vacation. I pressed the issue that I NEEDED an answer as to why a abdomen/pelvis CT was ordered since we hadn't talked about anything but her head. I wasn't against doing it if there was a reason, I just wanted to know the reason. Well he emailed me back late yesterday afternoon that according to his records it only shows the head ordered. So I was a little relieved.

Get there today and the Radiology tech had the same concern I did because his paperwork showed a whole body ct too. So we had to wait about an hour longer for him to page the doctor at the Sunset hospital, and have him change the orders. And since the pre-study orders said no food/drink for 4 hours prior, Ryleigh was not a happy camper, plus it was right at her morning nap time. But once it was all squared away it didn't take long.

They let me come in with her. They wrapped her arms kinda like a swaddle, but there was no way she was getting out. Then they taped the sheet from her head shoulders to her knees. Then they put her on the table and used these 2 huge velcro panels attached to the table to strap her on the table. It was like a straight jacket attached to the table. They put her head in this immobiliity device, put foam all around her head so she couldn't move at all, then taped her head down. She didn't cry at all until they started strapping her head in. Then she didn't stop til they unwrapped her. It was kinda hard to watch her start crying, but once I couldn't see her anymore, it wasn't that bad.

Now Ryleigh is finally sleeping. We'll meet again with the plastic surgeon in 2 weeks for him to read them. I've also requested a copy of her CT scan to ask one of the doctors at Cedars what they think.

So just a reminder to everyone, read your medical documents. If something doesn't look right--ASK! Ask WHY certain tests are ordered, or procedures are being done or why you are taking certain medications. You as a patient have the right to know what's being done to you. Everyone needs to be proactive in their own healthcare!

7 months old and a day at the beach!

So we celebrated Ryleigh's 7 month birthday and the long weekend by taking Ryleigh to the beach for the first time. We live about a mile and a half from Playa Del Rey and yet NEVER go... so we decided it was time. It was about 65 degrees when we left. But when we got to the beach, the sun had come out enough to make it a nice day with a little chill in the wind.

"okay guys, let's go!" In the stroller ready to go.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

"So where we going?" In the car on the way to the beach.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

In the stroller at the beach. "You sure you know what you're doing?"

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Ryleigh staring out at the ocean for the first time.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Ryleigh's view from the stroller.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

First time putting her feet in the sand.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

"Say CHEESE!"

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

"Come on Daddy, let's get the water."

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Putting her feet in the water for the first time.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

"The beach is FUN guys!"

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

"I like the beach!"

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Taking in the sites with Mommy.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Playing on the blanket.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

After a bath, and tuckered out from an hour at the beach.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

"walking"

Ryleigh is almost 7 months old.

She rolled over for like a week back to tummy then said screw it. She scoots backwards, but hated every minute of it. But she LOVES to stand. And I just discovered her new trick:

5.0 Earthquake... gotta love Los Angeles

We just had a 5.0 earthquake centered less than 10 miles from here. Haven't felt one shake that long it a while (probably doesn't help that we're on the 4th floor of our condo complex). There was no lead up to the intensity either, it started out really strong. Nothing fell off the wall or shelves this time though, but it did make me run for the doorway with Ryleigh. After growing up here for 13 years, now being back earthquakes always seem to get my heart racing. Almost the same as getting woken up by the ear-piercing screeching fire alarm at 2am.

Mother's Day and "Subcutaneous Nodule"

My 1st Mother's Day was very good! I *tried* to recover from my busy call week. One of my coworkers took my call on Sunday so I didn't have to worry about my pager going off on my first Mother's Day. Chris, Ryleigh and I went out to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen. Ryleigh was very good. She even got to chomp on some pizza crust. Here's a few rare mother-daughter photos of Ryleigh and I:

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

And Ryleigh's new favorite activity: STANDING!! She LOVES standing up against the couch or ottoman.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

And here are a few photos from earlier this week. Sorry they're blurry, but she spazzes out whenever the cuteness comes out, thus a little blur.

Laughing at something:

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Starting to push up (but that doesn't last long)...:

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Before this happens:

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

And we went to the plastic surgeon today for a consult on the bump on the back of her head. Since she was born she's had this little bump in the middle back of her head. It's between the skull and the skin. At first it was the size of a tiny BB, smaller than a pencil eraser. It doesn't hurt her, but we noticed it's gotten bigger, especially in the past 2 or 3 months. Now it's about 1cm x 1.5cm. We asked the doctor what it was and he referred us to the plastic surgeon. Today the surgeon looked at it and said that if it was anywhere else they'd cut it out no problem. But because it is located in the back of the head where 3 plates composing the skull meet (occipital ridge) he thinks it is a neural fibroma. Basically a piece of neural tissue that is protruding from the ridge. It may have happened in development. It may just be a piece of tissue that can be excised, or it may be a associated with the dura mater (the outer covering of the brian). If it is part of the dura mater they have to go and repair the dura mater during the excision. They have to do a CT scan of her brain to see if it is part of the dura mater or not. That is scheduled for the 27th. Then we will meet with the surgeon a week later and get the results. So we'll just have to wait and see what happens with the CT scan. I tried to get some pictures of the bump, but Ryleigh wouldn't hold still without looking at the camera. It's not too noticeable until you know it's there, then it's totally obvious.

Above the triangle where the bald spot is.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus

Side view. You can kinda see the squishy bump. You can kinda see the ridge that extends from her ear where the bottom plate and side plates of her skull meet.

From Ryleigh Grace - 4 months plus