ABC's - (Academics, Brian, and Cholelithiasis)

Academics:
School is going well. It is a lot harder than I thought it would be to be in medical school and take care of an infant. I haven't been studying very much, but I am still passing so I am happy. I have been back for about a month now on and off and am back full time since the beginning of this week.

Brian:
Baby Brian is doing very well. We went to the pediatrician again last week and he weighed 8 pounds 15.5 ounces (so almost 9 pounds). He also was 2 inches longer (21.25 inches). He got his second Hepatitis B shot and cried really hard until I picked him up. It felt really good to pick him up and have him stop crying. It was the first time I really felt like he knew I was his mom and that he loved me back. I really liked it - I didn't like the shot part, but I liked that I calmed him down.

He is eating about every three hours during the day and going at least 5 hours at night - which is glorious! I am working with a new schedule and trying to get him to go 6 more often because he does it on his own every now and then.

We do not have to put him in daycare (YAY!). I have a friend from medical school that has an 8 month old daughter and his wife says home with her. She is going to watch Brian for us during the day. We are going to pay her the same as we would daycare so its good. It was an answered prayer. We really didn't want to put him in daycare. They are a really nice Christian family which is a plus as well. We met with them tonight and I feel really goos about the whole thing. It seems that they have a lot of the same parenting ideas as Jason and I which is nice. It also helps that Jason and I are pretty laid back about things. God is good.

Brian met his great-great-grandpa last weekend and also flew on his first plane. He did great and never even missed a beat. His great-great-grandpa was so excited to meet him and SO cute when he got to hold him. It was a good experience.

I checked on his heart murmur a few days ago and the murmur is still there, but we are not worried at all. It will close eventually and eve if it doesn't, he will be fine. We go to the cardiologist when he is 8 months old.

Brian has an online photo album at www.brianalexander.myphotoalbum.com - check it out ( I can't post all his pictures on this site, there are too many).

Cholelithiasis:
I have gall stones. I will be going tomorrow to get a sonogram to make sure that is in fact what I have (I self diagnosed). If I do have them, they will most likely fo surgery to remove my gallbladder in the near future (this weekend or Monday). Gallstones are actually quite common post-partum especially in c-section patients. They are VERY painful. I have now had kidney stones, gallstones, and given birth and the least painful is the contractions from labor. The kidney stones and the gallstones are very different pains. With kidney stones the pain is constant and with gallstones it isn't, but the pain from gallstones is much worse and is a worse spot. Hopefully this will all be taken care of soon and I will be able to get back in the groove of things. Luckily, gallbladder removal is laproscopic and I can go home the same day. I will try to keep you up to date on the situation.