Our precious boy.
Scarlett can't get enough of her baby brother.
Our first photo as a family of four (with Scarlett too busy inspecting Max's feet to pose for the camera)!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Welcome, Max!
Chris, Scarlett, and I are thrilled to announce the arrival of Maxwell William Schwegmann, who made his grand entrance on November 17, 2011 at 12:14 p.m. He weighed 7 pounds 15 ounces and measured 20 inches long. Scarlett has been fantastic with him. She calls him "baby brother Max" and loves to kiss and hug him and pat him on the head. I'll share more about Max's birth and first few days of life later, but in the meantime, here are some photos of the newest member of our family.
Our precious boy.
Scarlett can't get enough of her baby brother.
Our first photo as a family of four (with Scarlett too busy inspecting Max's feet to pose for the camera)!
Our precious boy.
Scarlett can't get enough of her baby brother.
Our first photo as a family of four (with Scarlett too busy inspecting Max's feet to pose for the camera)!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Fall Photo Shoot
The weekend after Scarlett came home from Our Children's House, we had a mini fall photo session where we got some fun pictures to document our last few weeks as a family of three. Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Fall Adventures
Given Scarlett's hospitalization and recovery, we lost quite a bit of fall and had some catching up to do. A trip to a neighborhood fall carnival with Mimi and Papa Tig and a visit to the zoo with BB were just what the doctor ordered!
Hanging out at the Kessler Park fall carnival with Mimi and Papa Tig.
Our little pumpkin among the pumpkins.
Saying hi to the bear, who apparently sells State Farm insurance.
BB and Scarlett posing with a giant pumpkin and kitty cat.
Posing with the regular-sized pumpkins.
"Hello there, giraffe." "Why hello, Scarlett."
Checking out the penguins.
Scarlett's favorite at the zoo was the "cheeee-tah", but he was elusive and we couldn't get a good photo. She still talks about him, and since we saw him through a glass pane, she looks for him through the windows at our house. If we looked outside and actually saw a cheetah in our yard, I think Scarlett would be the only one who wasn't surprised. I'm happy to stick with squirrel sightings.
Hanging out at the Kessler Park fall carnival with Mimi and Papa Tig.
Our little pumpkin among the pumpkins.
Saying hi to the bear, who apparently sells State Farm insurance.
BB and Scarlett posing with a giant pumpkin and kitty cat.
Posing with the regular-sized pumpkins.
"Hello there, giraffe." "Why hello, Scarlett."
Checking out the penguins.
Scarlett's favorite at the zoo was the "cheeee-tah", but he was elusive and we couldn't get a good photo. She still talks about him, and since we saw him through a glass pane, she looks for him through the windows at our house. If we looked outside and actually saw a cheetah in our yard, I think Scarlett would be the only one who wasn't surprised. I'm happy to stick with squirrel sightings.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The "Buzz" on Halloween
Scarlett was a bee for Halloween. Here's a shot of our "bee-utiful" little girl.
The whole family got in on the bee-themed action. I was the queen bee, Chris was a bee keeper, and even poor mistreated Winnie was a bee, too. (Is it embarrassing to admit that Winnie actually already owned a bee costume? It is? Forget I just said that.) Here's the whole hive (with one bee trying to escape and another looking the other direction in shame).
The queen bee and her little bees.
Stopping to smell the flowers, as any respectable bee would do.
The bee is not amused. No more pictures -- let's go trick or treating already!
The whole family got in on the bee-themed action. I was the queen bee, Chris was a bee keeper, and even poor mistreated Winnie was a bee, too. (Is it embarrassing to admit that Winnie actually already owned a bee costume? It is? Forget I just said that.) Here's the whole hive (with one bee trying to escape and another looking the other direction in shame).
The queen bee and her little bees.
Stopping to smell the flowers, as any respectable bee would do.
The bee is not amused. No more pictures -- let's go trick or treating already!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Uh-Oh
To call Scarlett's recent health issues an "uh-oh" is the understatement of the century, but the first word she said after she had her breathing tube removed in the Pediatric ICU -- and what she continued to say over and over and over for a couple of days -- was "uh-oh." You've got that right, Scarlett. You had one BIG uh-oh.
Here's what happened in a nutshell:
Scarlett started having typical cold symptoms (cough, runny nose) the night of Sunday September 11 and through the next day. She had no fever and otherwise seemed fine. The morning of Tuesday September 13 she was a bit sluggish and stuffy. She didn't have much of an appetite that day and took a four hour nap that afternoon. Still no fever, and no symptoms that indicated anything other than that she had a cold. Later that evening, however, Scarlett became extremely lethargic and started breathing quickly. After a call to our pediatrician's after-hours line, we decided to take her to the children's emergency room at Medical City.
The next 24 hours were a blur. Scarlett was admitted to the Pediatric ICU where it was determined that she had (a) rhinovirus (the common cold); and (b) Rhabdomyolysis (rapid breakdown of the skeletal muscle tissue). The big risk with Rhabdomyolysis is kidney and/or liver failure. Her kidney levels in particular were sky-high, and dialysis seemed imminent. Scarlett was sedated, a breathing tube was inserted (and later a feeding tube as well), she started receiving lots of intravenous hydration to flush her system, and her blood was drawn and tested around the clock to try to determine what was going on and how her body was responding. Needless to say, it was terrifying. After several days, she became less highly critical, but was still very, very sick and ended up having to stay in the PICU for a total of ten days, followed by 4 days on the regular pediatric floor.
The combination of being sedated and bed-ridden for two weeks and the assault her muscles suffered from the Rhabdomyolysis left Scarlett very weak and unable to walk, sit up, or even swallow solid foods. Fortunately, despite the severity of her illness and the incredibly high numbers that her blood work showed during the height of her illness, she did not suffer liver or kidney damage and dialysis was avoided. After she was discharged from Medical City, she moved over to Our Children's House at Baylor where they continued to monitor her medically and also provided daily physical and occupational therapy. She was treated at OCH for two weeks, and finally came home after exactly one month of being in the hospital.
While she was at Medical City and still in the throes of the Rhabdomyolysis, they removed some muscle tissue from her thigh for testing to try to determine what caused the entire incident. All of the results so far have come back negative for an underlying metabolic (i.e. genetic) cause, although there are a handful of results still outstanding. If all of the results come back negative, we will be left with the conclusion that everything was caused by an unusual reaction to a particular strain of the rhinovirus. Given that we are exposed to cold and other viruses all of the time, this is a frightening thought. But the good news is that Scarlett had obviously been exposed to colds before this happened and didn't get critically ill, and in fact the week after she came home from OCH she got a cold and nothing happened other than typical cold symptoms. So we are keeping our fingers crossed that it was a once in a lifetime freak occurrence.
The outpouring of love and support we received from family and friends was nothing short of amazing, and it gave such comfort to Chris and I as we struggled to get through the darkest days. Prayers were being said all over the world, including a mass in the Philippines and a prayer inserted into a crack in the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. We feel so incredibly blessed not only that our sweet girl got better but that we have such an incredible network of people who love us.
Here is a picture of Scarlett leaving Our Children's house to come home after the longest month ever.
Scarlett is still doing out-patient physical therapy at OCH and is doing great at home. The only obvious sign that she's not quite 100% is that she's still a bit too weak to make it up and down the stairs at our house by herself, but she's getting stronger every day and is just about back to her old self.
Here's what happened in a nutshell:
Scarlett started having typical cold symptoms (cough, runny nose) the night of Sunday September 11 and through the next day. She had no fever and otherwise seemed fine. The morning of Tuesday September 13 she was a bit sluggish and stuffy. She didn't have much of an appetite that day and took a four hour nap that afternoon. Still no fever, and no symptoms that indicated anything other than that she had a cold. Later that evening, however, Scarlett became extremely lethargic and started breathing quickly. After a call to our pediatrician's after-hours line, we decided to take her to the children's emergency room at Medical City.
The next 24 hours were a blur. Scarlett was admitted to the Pediatric ICU where it was determined that she had (a) rhinovirus (the common cold); and (b) Rhabdomyolysis (rapid breakdown of the skeletal muscle tissue). The big risk with Rhabdomyolysis is kidney and/or liver failure. Her kidney levels in particular were sky-high, and dialysis seemed imminent. Scarlett was sedated, a breathing tube was inserted (and later a feeding tube as well), she started receiving lots of intravenous hydration to flush her system, and her blood was drawn and tested around the clock to try to determine what was going on and how her body was responding. Needless to say, it was terrifying. After several days, she became less highly critical, but was still very, very sick and ended up having to stay in the PICU for a total of ten days, followed by 4 days on the regular pediatric floor.
The combination of being sedated and bed-ridden for two weeks and the assault her muscles suffered from the Rhabdomyolysis left Scarlett very weak and unable to walk, sit up, or even swallow solid foods. Fortunately, despite the severity of her illness and the incredibly high numbers that her blood work showed during the height of her illness, she did not suffer liver or kidney damage and dialysis was avoided. After she was discharged from Medical City, she moved over to Our Children's House at Baylor where they continued to monitor her medically and also provided daily physical and occupational therapy. She was treated at OCH for two weeks, and finally came home after exactly one month of being in the hospital.
While she was at Medical City and still in the throes of the Rhabdomyolysis, they removed some muscle tissue from her thigh for testing to try to determine what caused the entire incident. All of the results so far have come back negative for an underlying metabolic (i.e. genetic) cause, although there are a handful of results still outstanding. If all of the results come back negative, we will be left with the conclusion that everything was caused by an unusual reaction to a particular strain of the rhinovirus. Given that we are exposed to cold and other viruses all of the time, this is a frightening thought. But the good news is that Scarlett had obviously been exposed to colds before this happened and didn't get critically ill, and in fact the week after she came home from OCH she got a cold and nothing happened other than typical cold symptoms. So we are keeping our fingers crossed that it was a once in a lifetime freak occurrence.
The outpouring of love and support we received from family and friends was nothing short of amazing, and it gave such comfort to Chris and I as we struggled to get through the darkest days. Prayers were being said all over the world, including a mass in the Philippines and a prayer inserted into a crack in the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. We feel so incredibly blessed not only that our sweet girl got better but that we have such an incredible network of people who love us.
Here is a picture of Scarlett leaving Our Children's house to come home after the longest month ever.
Scarlett is still doing out-patient physical therapy at OCH and is doing great at home. The only obvious sign that she's not quite 100% is that she's still a bit too weak to make it up and down the stairs at our house by herself, but she's getting stronger every day and is just about back to her old self.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Scarlett's Going to be a Big Sister!
Scarlett is thrilled to announce the upcoming arrival of her baby brother sometime around Thanksgiving! (Ok, so maybe thrilled is a bit of an exaggeration seeing as how we're pretty sure she has no idea what's coming. When asked "where is baby brother?" she points to my belly and kisses it, but it's entirely possible that she just thinks I'm crazy and decided to name my belly "Baby Brother." Scarlett's belly is named "Babaloo," after all, so I guess it's not beyond the realm of possibility that I could have named mine, too.)
Anyhow, the official due date is November 22, which is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I had a doctor's appointment this week, and everything looks great. We were surprised with some cool 3D shots during my ultrasound, so here's a sneak peek at what baby brother looks like at 28 weeks (roughly 7 months). Its hard to tell, but there's a hand up by his eye (with his fingers curled outward like he's waving) and a foot up by his mouth.
Assuming the baby arrives on time, he and Scarlett will be almost exactly 22 months apart (so just shy of two years). Scarlett has taken a huge interest in babies and dolls over the last several months. She hugs them, kisses them, feeds them, gives them drinks from her sippy cup, and puts diapers, clothes, and shoes on them. She shushes you if one of her babies is sleeping, and tells them "night night" when it's time to go to bed. We're hoping these are all good signs that she'll be interested in -- or at lest tolerant of -- the baby when he arrives.
Here is a picture of Scarlett back in May posing for the pictures we used to give to grandparents on Mother's Day to announce the baby's upcoming arrival.
One of the baby's nicknames is "Little Turkey," so how perfect is this get up? (I'm already embarrassing the poor little guy and he's not even here yet.)
Anyhow, the official due date is November 22, which is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I had a doctor's appointment this week, and everything looks great. We were surprised with some cool 3D shots during my ultrasound, so here's a sneak peek at what baby brother looks like at 28 weeks (roughly 7 months). Its hard to tell, but there's a hand up by his eye (with his fingers curled outward like he's waving) and a foot up by his mouth.
Assuming the baby arrives on time, he and Scarlett will be almost exactly 22 months apart (so just shy of two years). Scarlett has taken a huge interest in babies and dolls over the last several months. She hugs them, kisses them, feeds them, gives them drinks from her sippy cup, and puts diapers, clothes, and shoes on them. She shushes you if one of her babies is sleeping, and tells them "night night" when it's time to go to bed. We're hoping these are all good signs that she'll be interested in -- or at lest tolerant of -- the baby when he arrives.
Here is a picture of Scarlett back in May posing for the pictures we used to give to grandparents on Mother's Day to announce the baby's upcoming arrival.
One of the baby's nicknames is "Little Turkey," so how perfect is this get up? (I'm already embarrassing the poor little guy and he's not even here yet.)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Nineteen Months Old! (August 21, 2011)
Over the last month, Scarlett had lots of visits from grandparents, got her cast off, and finally got to spend some time at the pool again. Chris and I both traveled separately without her (me to Napa for fun, and Chris to Chile for work). I came back from my trip to a complete Daddy's girl. We'll see if the pendulum swings in the other direction now that's he's gone for a few days (but based on the constant inquiries about her Daddy and pointing out his things -- "Daddy's clothes," "Daddy's shoes," "Daddy's car," "Daddy's books" -- I have my doubts).
Scarlett had her belated 18-month appointment with Dr. Curry last week. Looks like our big girl is slowing down a wee bit on the growth charts: 28 pounds 6 ounces (90%) and 33 3/4 inches tall (90%). She's still up there, but the WNBA might not be headed to Kessler Park to recruit her after all.
Scarlett insists on feeding herself now. Not a big deal if she's eating a grilled cheese sandwich or something else she can eat with her hands; a potential disaster if she's eating yogurt or anything else that requires a spoon. She also loves to dip her food -- hot sauce, ranch dressing, queso, the black bean dip at Gloria's, you name it. If she sees you using any "dip," she wants to do it, too. (And Lord help you if you don't let her; there will be screeching ... lots of screeching. When at a restaurant presented with the option of a screeching toddler and a queso-covered toddler, I choose queso-covered toddler. Not surprisingly, we don't order much queso these days.)
Here she is using a spoon all by herself. Unfortunately, this attire is only appropriate pool-side and if you're under two years old. Chuy's on a Friday night -- not so much.
And here are some shots of Scarlett on her 19-month birthday.
Happy girl.
"You lookin' at me?"
A rare sighting of Winnie following Scarlett. The typical scenario involves Winnie running in the opposite direction.
Playing in the sandbox "out-tide."
Happy nineteen month birthday, Scarlett!
Scarlett had her belated 18-month appointment with Dr. Curry last week. Looks like our big girl is slowing down a wee bit on the growth charts: 28 pounds 6 ounces (90%) and 33 3/4 inches tall (90%). She's still up there, but the WNBA might not be headed to Kessler Park to recruit her after all.
Scarlett insists on feeding herself now. Not a big deal if she's eating a grilled cheese sandwich or something else she can eat with her hands; a potential disaster if she's eating yogurt or anything else that requires a spoon. She also loves to dip her food -- hot sauce, ranch dressing, queso, the black bean dip at Gloria's, you name it. If she sees you using any "dip," she wants to do it, too. (And Lord help you if you don't let her; there will be screeching ... lots of screeching. When at a restaurant presented with the option of a screeching toddler and a queso-covered toddler, I choose queso-covered toddler. Not surprisingly, we don't order much queso these days.)
Here she is using a spoon all by herself. Unfortunately, this attire is only appropriate pool-side and if you're under two years old. Chuy's on a Friday night -- not so much.
And here are some shots of Scarlett on her 19-month birthday.
Happy girl.
"You lookin' at me?"
A rare sighting of Winnie following Scarlett. The typical scenario involves Winnie running in the opposite direction.
Playing in the sandbox "out-tide."
Happy nineteen month birthday, Scarlett!
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