Bluebonnet Baby

So as most of you know, Texas is known for its April showing of bluebonnets. I mean they are GORGEOUS!

A couple weekends ago, we set out on an adventure to Ennis, Texas - the bluebonnet capital of the world. It was their annual Bluebonnet Trail and Festival. We got some adorable photos of the family and our sweet baby girl.

Thought I'd share. :)

Emmitt!

As if you thought we'd last long without another pet...



Here is Emmitt.

A beautiful (now 9.5 week old) black lab mix. Likely mixed with a Black Mouth Cur. He is adorable and so lazy - a great change from hyperactive Murphy. We adopted him from the Dallas Animal Shelter's setup at a local Petsmart. We took Elayne and set her down on the floor with all five from the litter and reduced the amount puppy-by-puppy until we decided on Emmitt. Yes his name is short for Emmitt Smith - we name our animals after professional athletes in our house (David Murphy, Derek Holland, Emmitt Smith, etc.

Elayne loves dogs. Like loooooooves them. It's crazy how excited and happy she gets around them. She makes a sound we've never made her make before. It's adorable. Which is why we decided to get us her a puppy. Yay for new family additions!

He loves Elayne. So patient with her and she loves grabbing his face, fur, and tail. They are truly a match and I can't wait to see them grow together and form that wonderful bond.

Easter/Shopping/5K

Alright, so a quick recap post since I haven't posted in what seems like forever...


1. Easter
This year was on of my absolute favorite Easters of all time. It was so wonderful! Breakfast was pancakes with my little family. Then a nap with Elayne. First lunch was with my parents - complete with dying eggs and an egg "hunt" for Elayne's first Easter! Next was dinner at the Longs' on the porch as the rain came down. So relaxing. So wonderful. So much love.

2. Shopping
Last week I also received my referral bonus from work! Heather has been a great addition to Parker and has made it more than 90 days. Hooray! To celebrate, we took my bonus and spent the whole thing on work clothes. It was wonderful. Lots of really good deals and twin time. It was nice spending our day off (Good Friday) together and splurging on ourselves with no guilt.


3. 5K
Yes readers, you read right. I did a 5K. This wasn't a straight running 5K, but the Hit and Run 5K. Picture the show Wipe Out. Five obstacles to complete. I fell on my face quite a few times, ended up with some bruises and walked some of the way. But I did it! I finished it! A bucket list item crossed off.

So what have you done recently?

Swallow Study

Since the ENT and allergist both cleared Elayne of physical abnormalities and food allergies, it was on to the next test for us - a swallow study.


A swallow study is conducted by a Speech Language Pathologist and Radiologist. Everyone was convinced this test would come back positive and we'd instantly know Elayne's issue. Her formula was mixed at various consistencies and combined with a barium mixture to show up on an x-ray machine. We watched as she swallowed and the SLP walked us through what was happening.


Then the results.


NORMAL.


What!? Normal!? How could it be normal? And not only normal, but she found no evidence of reflux either. Both issues were pretty much hypothesized to be the definite cause of the chronic cough and congestion. We have been giving Elayne massive doses of antacids because they have been convinced this was it.


But now it isn't.


I must admit, we were really hoping the test would come back abnormal. Arguably, a swallowing issue would have been the fastest, easiest, cheapest, shortest term diagnosis. We could have handled it. We could have followed recommendations and cleared up her issue ASAP. We would have had answers.


And now, we don't. No answers. Still coughing. Still sad for our baby. Still frustrating.


So what's next? Well, on to another doctor. This time we will be seeing a Pulmonologist on April 29th. We have no clue what they'll say or do. But hopefully this will give us answers and her relief. Maybe asthma? Maybe fluid in her lungs? Who knows. But hopefully we will finally find out.

Allergies Shm-allergies

Great news, y'all!!!

Elayne does not have allergies. As in, she is definitely not allergic to milk, dogs, soy, mold, cats, etc. Isn't that some of the best news you've heard in a while???

We went to the allergist last week and he ran a test. It was a simply test that showed definitive results within 20 minutes. It was a relief to cross more things off our list. And while it didn't give us a definite answer to what is causing the cough, it gave us a list of things that are not causing it.

Plus, the allergist agrees with the ENT - which is awesome. Both are really starting to believe Elayne is aspirating of some kind. That means she is essentially swallowing "down the wrong tube" consistently. That is making her cough. If left untreated, it could cause some serious things like chronic pneumonia, bronchitis, etc. But if this is her problem, we can easily (and cheaply) find solutions that will give her a happy cough-free life.

I know I sound optomistic every time someone suggests a theory for why baby girl is coughing so much, but this time (since we've ruled out so many other things) I feel like we might have a solution. Two doctors agree this is a strong possibility for an explanation.

We go in for a swallow study Friday. Elayne will drink some glow-in-the-dark stuff and a radiologist will look at her with special cameras to see how she swallows. A Speech Pathologist (shoutout to Lauren!) will then evaluate the results on-site and tell us what to do next.

My understanding is, if this test comes back positive, that the Speech Pathologist might suggest formula alterations, exercises, feeding/sleeping positions, etc. to help Elayne stop aspirating.

Here's hoping again!