Two weeks old...

 Tomorrow Cailyn Scout will be two weeks old!! It has gone by so fast!!! It seems like yesterday I was laying on the couch, miserably uncomfortable and now she is two weeks old! I want the days to go by slower sometimes...she is already growing and everyday with her is absolutely precious! She has been so good so far and breastfeeding is going really well. I am planning on introducing the bottle to her soon. We are going to TN in a couple of weeks and I want her to hopefully be comfortable taking a bottle at times too. I am so excited to see my TN people!! I have not been to TN in 4 months and I am more than ready to get there and see everybody. I can't wait for Scout to meet my sisters, nephews, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends! I may not get to hold her at all while I am there :)
   On Monday afternoon I got a phone call from her Pediatricians office saying that her PKU test that was done in the hospital came back with slightly elevated thyroid levels and that we needed to come in asap for more blood tests. Abnormal thyroid levels can be an indication of congenital hypothyroidism which if left untreated would effect her mental and physical development. So on Tuesday we went in to the Pediatrician office and the nurse at the Mansfield location decided it was best to take blood from her hand. Well...you can only imagine how easy that was on a newborn. Scout was not happy at all. She screamed and looked at me the whole time as if to say "how can you just stand there...help me!" So naturally I started crying too. The blood was not coming out very fast so we had to hold her down for what seemed like forever. I know I should be somewhat numb to this sort of thing since I have worked in surgery for six years....but it is different when it is a defenseless infant who doesn't understand and even more so when it's YOUR defenseless infant. I felt so sorry for her. When the nurse started to remove the needle from her hand I asked her if she was sure she got enough blood for the sample and she said yes. I picked up Scout and tried to comfort her. She stopped crying but was doing that pitiful breathing thing that happens when you cry really hard and you can't catch your breath..poor thing...then about 5 minutes later the nurse comes back to say she did not get enough blood and that we needed to try to get  more from her heel. REALLY???? So she then pricks her heel and tries for about 5 minutes to squeeze enough blood from her heel. So Scout starts screaming hysterically again only this time she is in my arms and looking at me with those pitiful lips...I start to cry....again!  Finally she gets enough blood and tells me we will have the results back by the end of the day. After that we had to go next door to the Methodist hospital and get the PKU test re-done. I was already feeling horrible for Scout and dreaded going for another heel stick. The nurse at the hospital was AWESOME though. She left the heating pad on Scout's foot for while to draw all the blood to the surface so when she pricked her heel the blood came out really easy and Scout didn't even cry at all. She just laid there and looked around. I was so thankful!  Those results will be back within two weeks. After that we went home and I held her for most the afternoon to make up for her rough day. Not that she even remembers...but I do :) So we waited all day...no results...next day...no results. Kris and I were both very annoyed at this point because they should not have told us we would get the results from the thyroid tests in a day if that was not the case. So today we go to see her pediatrician for her regular newborn appointment at the Arlington location and we find out the blood clotted and they were not able to use it. So she had to go through all that for nothing! Today was the first time we actually got to meet her pediatrician and we both really liked her a lot! (thank goodness!)  Scout is back to her birth weight of 6 pounds and 13 ounces and she is 20.5 inches long. The Dr. said she looked perfect and commented on how active she is for a newborn. She actually rolled from her belly to her side to her back by herself during the exam so they kept calling her a "show off". After the exam the nurse came in to draw blood (different nurse from Tuesday) and she took it from her arm this time. She was very gentle and made sure she was in the right place before even trying. Scout did great this time...she didn't even cry. Kris rubbed her face and talked to her while she was having her blood drawn and she just looked at him and sucked on her pacifier and didn't make a sound. ( I joked that she just wanted to be tough for Daddy : ) . We should hear back in a couple days hopefully. Please say your prayers that everything comes back normal! If not we will be referred to an Endocrinologist and she will be started on thyroid supplements immediately. We feel like she is ok, but will be very relieved to get the results back and know either way. Keep her in your prayers!
    Otherwise all is well here. She is so precious and I love her more every day!  We got to hang out with Amelia and Vince this week and got some really cute pictures of the two of them. I will update more  when we get her blood test results back. In the meantime...more pictures of course! :) Night All!
      
                 Dear Scout,
                                You are two weeks old tomorrow! You are such a blessing to our family and I could just stare at you for hours. You are pretty laid back most of the day. You only get mad when we wake you up to change you or give you a bath. You make hilarious faces in your sleep! Something tells me you will be very opinionated. I love it when you smile in your sleep and the way you really study our faces when you are awake. You have already stolen our hearts and we are so thankful for you! God has truly blessed our family and we so look forward to watching you grow! I love you so so much!
                                                                                                      Love,
                                                                                                                 Mom