For less than a dollar a day...

...you can make a difference in the life of a starving child. Does she not look like one of those kids from a Feed the Children commercial?? Ahh! It is so gross. Thankfully we can post this knowing that she is doing so much better. Just check out the picture below it and compare! In just a short time she looks incredibly healthy (or at least healthier than before). She is back to her normal playful smiling self and we are so thankful! We had some rough days, but we have had some great ones lately and are praying it continues. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes!!

1/26/09

2/6/09

Cute Girls

This is Riley's lion face. When asked what a lion says, she opens her mouth wide like a roar, but no sound is made. :)

Way to go, Riley!

Riley did it, she gained 7 oz. in the past 5 days. That was enough to keep her out of the hospital. She has been doing great during the past week, eating well with minimal vomiting. She gained back the weight she lost when she was so sick, plus a couple ounces. I think the real test will be if she can keep gaining at this rate for the next couple weeks before her next weight check. We are super excited about this small victory and hopeful for continued progress.

A new post because we need one

I have no pictures to show or much news for that matter, but I needed to post something! We have all been coping with sickness here in the Olson home and are now finally feeling normal again. The stomach flu made its way through the house and blessed each one of us with a visit. How lovely! Riley and I were also lucky enough to get bad colds. I feel as though my house needs to be disinfected and aired out.
Riley visited the GI doctor and we have 5 days to gain 5 ounces or she is headed for the hospital and a feeding tube. We are stuffing her face and so far we have been successful. She has been eating well and drinking her nasty pediasure so I am hopeful. She only threw up once on Thursday and did not throw up at all yesterday! Pray for 3 more good days.
Avery is as sweet as ever and loves on her sissy so well. She is just so protective of Riley. I signed her up for Preschool in the fall and she is excited about that. She will also get to take swim lessons at Harker in the summer and I think I am going to sign her up for ballet lessons in the spring. Lots of fun is coming her way!
Once I am 100%, I am going to try and get back to my spin classes. My dear friend, Sarah is getting married in May and so that is my new goal date for getting to where I need to be. :)

Riley

More doctor visits for Riley this week. Tuesday she saw her pediatrician again, who started her on some inhaled medication and a cough suppressant to try prevent some of her coughing fits (these often trigger vomiting). It seems like it may be helping a tiny bit, it's only been a couple days. Today she saw another GI specialist. He seemed to think Kaiser had not ruled out food allergy/celiac disease completely...so more stool and blood tests. He also helped us with some feeding strategies and supplement/medication advice.
Last week her pediatrician brought up a pretty serious condition as a possible diagnosis, that was pretty heavy and has caused some stress. After consulting the endocrinologist further, that now seems like a less likely diagnosis based on where she is developmentally.
Combined with her breath holding spells, all of this has been pretty nerve-wracking...but we are hanging in there.

Update on Riley

I am just doing a quick post since today has been an especially rough day.
Jaron took Riley to see her new pediatrician yesterday, Dr. Vereschagen. She weighed in at 17 pounds 10 ounces. She had a chest xray and some bloodwork done. Jaron said she did such a good job. The doctor called us that evening and told us her chest xray was clear...no signs of inflammation or asthma. Her calcium levels came back high so we are being referred to an endocrinologist at Stanford to have some further testing done. We are also being referred to a pediatric GI.
For now, she will continue her prevacid tablets (for the reflux) and we have to try and get 400 extra calories in her per day. This, of course, is easier said than done. We are pushing the pediasure, but with the throwing up, I am still having a rough time.
Pray specifically for gaining weight and a decrease in her throwing up.
Pray also for my sanity.

Endoscopy Results

The GI doc called today with the news that the biopsy results were normal. There are no signs of damage or allergies. This of course is good news, but puts us back to not having any clue what is wrong. More to come after we see her new pediatrician on the 5th...