Avery's Adventure: Pictures and Pulmonologists

Avery went to her first Halloween party this past weekend. She was the cutest little lady bug. I didn't buy the costume because I was trying to match the theme of her birthday party, I bought it because I found it at Value World for $3 and it was the correct size. I ended up trying to dress up like Avery by buying a crazy, orange curly wig. I was very scary looking compared to her..lol.

We went to the Pulmonary (lung) doctor. Avery has been coughing for over a month now. She was wheezing a few weeks ago and was wheezing a few months ago. We want to make sure nothing is wrong with her before her upcoming surgery. The doctor examined her and thinks she could be coughing from either A) asthma or B)aspirations (where she drinks and milk goes into her lungs, irritates them and then she coughs). She wants Avery to have a swallow study done a few weeks after her surgery. She had one when she was in the nicu and it was normal. They want her to have it to see where the formula goes when she swallows it. She also wants us to start a new medication called Pulmicort which is used to treat asthma. We are to give her one breathing treatment a day. She is then going to follow up in 2 months with Dr Cardenas to see if it seemed to help. If it does help, Avery might have to be on this medicine for the rest of her life. It's possible she can grow out of asthma because her lungs are still developing and growing. Luckily, Avery doesn't seem to mind the treatments, it's just another thing that Tim and I have to do. The thing that makes me nervous about pulmicort is that we were told it could affect her growth and we all know she is already at a disadvantage in the growth department. The pulmicort was $50 after it went through my Cleveland Clinic insurance so I have to see if I could get that covered by BCMH.

Help Me Grow came out on Wednesday. They said she is doing really well and have seen much improvement since they were here two weeks ago. She can now flip and be on her hands and knees and rock back and forth. She scoots forward a little bit by moving one arm and one leg and somehow pulling herself forward. She is not great at it yet but if there is something she wants across the room, she will find a way to get there.

She likes to try everything we are eating now. I don't think she is going to be picky like me. She seems to like everything. In addition to baby food she has had little bites of yogurt, mint chocolate chip ice cream, broccoli cheese soup and some mashed potatoes.

She had picture day today at daycare. Thankfully Tim dressed in clothes today and didn't keep her in her jammies when he dropped her off. I got insider information from George, Avery's uncle who works at the daycare, that Avery did not smile for the first two pictures and was crying for the next two. Oh well, maybe we will order one just so we can embarrass her later on in life when she brings a boy home to meet us.

Kaitlin made this drawing of me. I love the curly hair!