September Sleep Study Results

The official sleep study report is complete, and there were NO central apneas (like the tech initially told me there were). So that's good.

However, Lily did have mild obstructive sleep apnea. It was only during REM sleep, but it was about 25 times per hour during that period. Her lowest oxygen saturation during the study was 81%, but the average during REM sleep was 94%. Throughout the whole study, she was 90% or higher 99% of the time. So that means, she was only below 90% 1% of the time, which is not very much. And even during REM, she averaged 94%, so her apnea episodes and desaturations must have been very, very short.

Are you confused yet? I thought so. Central apnea is when the brain (central nervous system) stops telling the body to breathe. That's why we had to go see a neurologist after the last sleep study. Obstructive apnea is when there is tissue in the way, causing breathing to stop (such as tonsils).

The doctor is not worried. Apparently, they see this a lot, and it's not a big deal... That being said, they're still sending Lily to be evaluated by an ENT. That doctor will be able to tell if her tonsils, adenoids, nasal passages, or who knows what else is swollen or too large, causing the "obstruction." I am curious to see if there is an issue with swelling in her throat; perhaps it's related to or caused by her swallowing problem.

In any case, the results of the study were not bad, per say. Just surprising.

Part of me really wants to just tell the doctors to leave Lily alone because she is fine. But the other part is very thankful for the comprehensive medical care she has always received.

Busy Day

We had a busy morning today! When we woke up this morning, it was only 57 degrees outside, so we had to bundle up in pants and long sleeves for our walk with Crystal and baby Brooklyn. Lily wanted to play outside when we came home.


After we finished playing, we got ready to go to the mall. There was a very special guest at the mall today - Topper! Memorial Hermann Hospital sponsored the new play area in the mall, and today was the grand opening. There was free breakfast from Chick-Fil-A, who also sponsored the play area, and Lily got a purple puppy balloon from a clown.

Unfortunately, Lily was very scared of the Chick-Fil-A cow and the life-sized Topper. I really thought she would enjoy seeing a great big Topper, but she just didn't know what to think of it and didn't want anything to do with him. Even when I held her and moved close to Topper, she was scared and kept saying quietly, "Mommy, Mommy, Mommy..." She didn't cry, but she would NOT go close to him. When we were ready to leave the area they had roped off for the party, we had to walk by the Chick-fil-a cow, and Lily refused to walk. She just stood stock-still and wouldn't move. As I carried her past the cow, she kept murmuring, "Mommy, Mommy." I felt terrible that she was scared, but I had really, really hoped she would be excited to see Topper. Halloween is going to be interesting.
As we left the area, I realized they were also giving away regular balloons, so we got one... And that was the first time Lily smiled the whole time we were there! After the unexpectedly un-fun mall visit, we went to our weekly playgroup for about an hour. On the way home from playgroup, Lily just couldn't stay awake any longer. But she also wasn't going to let go of that balloon!
When we got home, we had a nice visit with Meredith over lunch, and then it was naptime. For Lily, not me.

We have some fun activities for tomorrow, too, so I'm sure there will be more pictures later this week!

Terrible ALMOST Two's?

Lily is such a good little girl. She's so very sweet. And so easy-going. She goes to sleep without being rocked. She's a pretty good eater. She pretty much never cries. She listens when I say no.

Oh wait. Not those last two. I think we've entered the stage where a toddler feels the necessity to exert independence; and when things don't go her way, she cries. Oh dear. We've been so spoiled up until now, that this stage is kind of hitting me like a shock. What happened to my always happy baby? Now she tells me no when I ask her to do something, and she whines when she doesn't get something she wants. She's pushing boundaries and testing us, as of course is perfectly normal. She's almost two, and that is exactly what she's supposed to be doing right now. I am trying to be patient and consistent with her.

On the other hand, her fun personality is really showing right now, as she learns to talk. She gets so excited about things, and she's learning so much about the world around her. While she certainly tries my patience these days, Lily and I have tons of fun together.

Play Fort

Lily received this awesome play fort from a friend whose kids had outgrown it. It was a little dirty from having been kept under a tree, so Lily helped me "scrub, scrub, scrub" all the pieces before we put it together. We traded the sponge and scrub brush back and forth. And that's why she's not wearing any shorts in the pictures - she wouldn't stay away from the spray of the hose while we cleaned the fort, so her shorts were drenched. Silly girl.

Lily absolutely adores this thing. Every time she had to go inside the house yesterday, she cried because we were taking her away from it.

Halloween Costume

Gosh, can you believe I put Lily in this costume for Halloween last year!?! Goodness gracious, I'm surprised she was able to breathe! The spider costume still fits just fine, as you can see. Or, we also have a pumpkin costume. Maybe she can wear one costume to the Halloween party, and the other one for trick-or-treating. Or maybe I'll just have to choose one. Hmmm... I could let Lily choose, but she really likes both of them. She grabs them and puts them on her head like she's playing peek-a-boo!

DIY Demo

Do-it-Yourself Demolition

While we wait for our insurance claim to be processed, we decided that we had better check out the inside of the walls and the attic to be sure they weren't wet (and potentially moldy). However, we didn't want to pay a contractor to come do just the demo while we wait for the insurance company. So that means... Dusty tore out all the sheet rock on the wall you see him working on in the picture. It turns out that some of the insulation in the wall was indeed wet, so we're glad we got it out of here. He also removed a lot of insulation from the attic, above the area of the foyer ceiling that has to be replaced. We have no clear estimate of when we'll be able to get a contractor out here to put things back together, but the mess isn't really hurting anything.

More Pictures

One of Lily's favorite words is, "puppy." She loves looking at pictures of dogs in books or on tv, and every time we walk down the driveway we have to stop and look through the fence at our neighbor's dogs. When she gets to pet a dog, she's very gentle. She actually becomes a little bit bashful around dogs, always staying close to Mommy. She will pet the dog quickly and then stand back and watch what the dog does next. It's hard to describe, but it's very cute!

Crayola Masterpiece!
I don't really know what it is about this picture, but I just love it.