Mike and his Girls

You probably thought we forgot about our blog. Well, I kinda did in a way. Didn't have the energy or content to blog about!! The month of May has been interesting, needless to say I am thankful it's over!!

Earlier in May, both Mike and Anna Kate got the stomach virus. Oh boy! That was NOT fun. It was Anna Kate's first experience, and one that could have waited. We thought she was ok, and after loading her up in the car, set for a big appointment the following Tuesday, we found out in the car that she was not any better :(. The following weekend, I got the stomach virus--over Mike's birthday weekend.

Then the weirdest part of them all....Anna Kate got this infected bump on her leg that spread very quickly. Within 2 days of initially noticing it, we were Dr. W's getting it checked out. He had to drain the large abscess on thigh, which hurt mama as much as it did baby. This was the Thursday before Memorial weekend. Thinking it was (another) staph infection, Dr. W gave her some antibiotics to fight it. Although there was some improvement, the knot under her skin was not going away.

The Tuesday after Memorial Day, Dr. W calls to tell us that it's not staph, but pseudomonas. That bug is the same bacteria that causes swimmers ear and hot tub rashes. But this was in an abscess in her leg. Yes, I know, this sounds crazy! The meds for the staph seem to somewhat help, but what will clear up a staph infection isn't going to kill the pseudomonas. And what she needed was a very potent drug called Cipro--the same drug they give people exposed to anthrax. Good grief!!

You would never know looking at her there is a problem. She eats, sleeps and plays normally. And luckily, she's not contagious, so Anna Kate can still play with her friends. After monitoring her for almost 2 weeks, she started the Cipro today for the next week. We didn't start this lightheartedly---there are a lot of side effects and concerns for a child taking Cipro. But, if not treated, the pseudomonas can seep into her blood, causing her to become septic. So she's on the lowest dose for at least one week. We go back on Monday to check the progress.

On a good note, Anna Kate is has graduated to Level 4 at our local Gymboree :). She is a very active child and loves to climb. She *loves* parachute time and bubbles, both big parts of the program. She also starts art classes at Gymboree tomorrow. I can only imagine. Gymboree has been a lifesaver for me; both antibiotics that Anna Kate has been on make her very sensitive to the sun, so we haven't been outside for any park or water playdates for 2 weeks, and at least another week. And this is Florida!!!

And because of Anna Kate and her infection, we opted to cancel our rescheduled trip to Mississippi. We could travel, but it's not in Anna Kate's best interest to make the trip . Instead, my mom is coming to see us :)! We can't wait to have Lolly play with us down here!