Praise The Lord....

The pseudomonas is gone! Ollie has been taking an antibiotic for almost 2 months now. This antibiotic was to kill a bacteria known as pseudomonas. Pseudomonas is very common in people with CF and will always come back, usually within 2 months. For now we are so happy it is gone and did not develop into an infection! At this point we will finish up with the antibiotic (about 6 more days). Once that is done and as long as Ollie stays healthy we will not be required to do any breathing treatments. We will only be doing chest PT's twice a day. This will give O and ourselves a much needed break from the inhaled medications. Praise the Lord!!!

Check-Up

Ollie had a check up at Children's Hospital in Birmingham on Friday. We visited with her Doctor, her nurse, her nutritionist and the social worker. All we're very pleased with her progress. She weighed in at 10 lbs 3 ozs. They all agreed her weight gain was good but we needed step it up a little to catch her up with other babies her age. Right now her weight is in the 19th percentile....we want it closer 50th (which is average). In order to pack on the pounds we have up'd her enzymes to 2 capsules with applesauce before each feeding. I thought getting those tiny beads on the spoon and into her mouth was hard enough with just 1, but giving her 2 is VERY difficult. The house is covered in enzymes! Her length is normal, but we all know she's going to be tall (judging by her feet anyway). The doctor listened to her chest and said it sounded good. He also ordered an x-ray. He said it was to have a baseline of what her lungs look like now so they will have a comparison as she gets older. He said he would let us know if something out of the ordinary showed up on the x-ray. So far no word and I pray it stays that way. (Whew, my heart starts beating fast just thinking about it!) They took a culture to test for the bacteria that Ollie has been taking antibiotics for. (She's not sick...they just like to fight bacteria before it turns into an infection.) We should know next Friday if it is gone or not....please pray that it is. All in all the visit went very well. Each person we talked to said Ollie was the most cooperative baby they had seen all day. She smiled and talked and bounced around all day. She was too sweet! Below is what Ollie wore to her check up. They also said they felt like it was a contest for the cutest baby day (there were 2 other CF babies in for check ups that day), but we ALL know Ollie won hands down!! ;)

In other news, Ollie's Army t-shirts are in. I have ALL sizes, but very few youth sizes. I plan to get more in the next order. I know most of you ordered your shirts and paid in advance....thank you. Feel free to stop by the house to pick yours up or to buy one if you haven't already. (Usually, if my car is home-I'm home.)

He is a picture of one of my neices and my nephew showing their support for Ollie's Army. When they got their shirts, they all ran around yelling, "We're fighting for Ollie!!"

Also, The Poker Run is scheduled for Saturday August 22nd from 1:00-9:00PM at Gantt Lake. The after party will begin around 5:00 at Sleepy Point next to Dunn's Bridge. There will be hotdogs, chips and drinks for sale as well as live entertainment by Phillip and Scott. Please come out and support Ollie's Army and help us raise money for the CF Foundation. For those not interested in playing, bring the kids out for a day of fun! There is a nice area to swim in the lake as well as a bouncy wet slide for the kid's enjoyment. Bring a lawn chair and watch the boats go by. We simply ask for a small donation to attend. For more information you can e-mail me at lynseydubose@gmail.com.

"Whale" Of A Time

I know, I know, I'm getting a little too much into the blogging but Ollie is doing new things everyday and I want to share! On a whim last night, John and I decided to get out her "whale" bath tub Miss Jennifer got her. I don't know why I had been thinking she was too small for it...boy was I wrong. Up until last night we were bathing O on a little foam mat with barely any water in the tub. Once she sat in her whale tub, she went nuts, kicking and splashing and having the best time. John and I sat back and watched and laughed for at least 15 minutes. She loved the water and actually cried when I took her out. Looks like the whale tub will be a part of our everyday bath routine...I could never deprive my child of this much fun! Excuse all the laughing in the backgound, I was totally amused!

Catching Up

For those of you who complain that I don't blog enough.....booya, it's a blog overload! No, seriously I do have alot of pictures to share of little O.

Ollie is now almost 10 weeks old. At her 2 month check up she weighed in at a whopping 9 lbs, 9 ozs. I know this sounds kinda small but keep in mind that a little over a month ago this baby only weighed 6 lbs, 6 oz. She is moving in the right direction and getting bigger everyday.

As you can see, Ollie has learned to smile. Making those silly noises is much more fun when she smiles back at me. Changing her diaper is now when we have our best talks. She just coos and coos as if she is having a whole conversation.....it's so cute. Overall, she is a very happy baby!

Ollie's stylist (aka Lesley and Meg), keep her up to date on the latest fashions. Check out this precious outfit Miss Meg got her.

Ollie has began sitting in her bumbo chair. She LOVES the chair although she looks less than amused here. This is due to the fact that she was starving and instead of fixing that baby a bottle, I took a few pictures. The bumbo chair works perfectly for giving O her zymes and it keeps her occupied while I prepare her formula. Thank you Aunt Valerie and Uncle Jep for the cool chair!

Little O is a daddy's girl! I didn't get to post about John's first fathers day, but here is a picture from the day and Ollie is of course sporting her "I Love Daddy" shirt.

And last, Ollie took her first ride in her stroller. We decided on a jogging stroller so I can take her for walks with me around the block. It's just been too hot lately. We took this trip late in the afternoon once it had cooled down a bit. O loved looking at everything...she had a good time and so did we. I'm sure we looked so cheesey walking down the street talking and laughing at her.

Now that I caught everyone up on Ollie's latest pictures, you can see that all is well. O is doing great. She is healthy and is growing like a weed. We have an appointment at Children's July 24 for a check up. Hopefully her doctor's will be happy with her progress and we'll keep doing what we're doing.

Thanks go out to all my friends for all the support you have shown! I love each and every one of you and we all appreciate the love and prayers you have sent our way!! Keep it up!

Applesauce & Enzymes: Have You Laughed Today?

Enzymes are a part of Ollie's everyday life with CF. CF is a condition of mucus glands, affecting mainly the lungs and GI tract. In the GI tract, enzymes can't leave the pancreas therefore food is not absorbed. By taking enzymes before each meal her body is able to absorb food, helping her get the nutrition she needs as well as grow big and strong. Because she is just a baby, a creative way of getting Ollie to take enzymes is needed. We mix with applesauce. The ph in applesauce protects the tiny enzyme beads from stomach acid taking them on to the GI tract where they work their magic. Here is a video of little O eating her applesause and enzymes. She is so funny! Although our life routine is much different than the average family's, it's all we know and it's getting easier everyday! Enjoy!

Ollie's 4th Celebration

Ollie Pearl spent the 4th of July with her Nana and Mar in Elba. She had a blast! Here are a few pictures from her fun weekend.

She is getting so big and as you can see...very long. She's gonna be tall like her daddy. She has began to smile and coo. We think she's talking to us. It's almost like she knows what we are saying and is trying to respond. For instance, in this pic she's laughing and saying, "What are you doing Nana?"

Ollie even got to spend some time with her cousin Drew (aka Droopy). Droopy and OP are only a few weeks apart and I'm sure will grow up to be very close. Sweet girls!

Of course Nana had to put a bow in Little O's hair and take a picture. I love it!! Look at that grin. (Looks like she's up to something)

To top off Ollie's fun weekend, she went to church with Nana and Mar. Nana dressed her up all pretty. We think she looks like and angel.

Ollie and Nana.

Ollie and her Mar.

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family!