Dear Mai,
As I started writing this post last night you just landed in Tampa Bay, Florida with Mama. Much to Mama's chagrin, you flew as a lap child instead of in cargo. (You're kind of in this "screamy" phase right now. I'm sure 6 hrs on a plane with you wasn't the most enjoyable time for Mama)
Grandma flew there too. It's going to be an all girls Florida vacation weekend. What is Daddy supposed to do without his little screaming banshee?
Well I know what I can do. I can catch up on some posts long over due. Here is hopefully the first of what will be daily posts until you get back.
So this Florida trip marks the 4th trip you've taken via plane. All before you are 1 year old! I didn't have that many flight trips under my belt until I was 26!
We flew back to Ohio for Christmas (post coming soon) and in-between now and then it has been quite eventful for team castaneda.
First off, this winter in Seattle hasn't been terribly cold but it hasn't been terribly warm either. What i has been is damp and dreary. Seriously dreary. I think it's noon in this picture. There was a good solid week (at least) of low fog. It was crazy.
To accompany the dreariness, the cold season here was nasty. In fact it landed us in the hospital. Let me see if I can recall the journey.
January 15, 2013
You've been sick for close to 3 weeks and had flown from Seattle to Ohio and back for Christmas. The windchill was like -13 in Detroit. It was pretty stupid.
Mama picks you up from day care and you have this champ on you.
I thought it was "just a bruise" and we shouldn't worry about it. But Mama knew something was up. Mother's intuition indeed.
January 16, 2013
Mama made you a Doctor's appointment to get you checked out. In addition to the goose egg on your head there was another bruise on your shoulder. A nasty one. And then Mama noticed these little red dots on your skin.
At the Dr. Appointment they tell Mama to go to Childrens' Hospital to get your labs done, stat!
Mama picked up Daddy from work on the way to the appointment.
All this time I'm still thinking, "It's nothing!!!"
We get home from getting your labs done and are about to start Dinner and we get a call from the Doctor. In her best "take it easy" type manner she says "Maya's platelet count is pretty low. A lot lower than normal. You need to go to the emergency room. Now."
You know. I'm actually pretty proud of Mama and I. We didn't panic. You didn't have any other symptoms except for your bruising which was unusual. Other than that you were happy, energetic and still had your good appetite. We casually got ready and even packed some overnight things. Just in case.
After a long night at the hospital they finally give us your count. It was under 5,000. Apparently normal for infants is > 250,000. Yowsa.
You had to get admitted overnight and they started treatment for ITP. The entire time I thought of ICP. Don't ever listen to ICP. Please.
It was a long night for the fam, especially you. But you were a trooper!
They had this crazy crib contraption there. It was probably the most fun thing in the world.
Until you conked your little head again. Sheesh.
They released us the next day because your counts were going up and you were responding well to treatment. Yay! But they said we had to watch you and try to avoid any nasty spills. You may not know this but kids sub 1 year old are prone to nasty spills. Especially adventerous ones who haven't mastered gravity and balance yet. But we did good and had nothing to worry about.
January 17 - March 27, 2013
We had to take you twice a week to get your blood drawn to check your counts. Twice a week for six weeks. By the time the sixth week came you were a pro at this. Still a little screaming but nothing like the first time.
The day before this Florida trip you're on we had the final lab and consistantly now your counts are normal! Yay! The Doctors believe this was a one time deal and probably the fact that you were battling a nasty cold for 3 weeks triggered this.
Either way, you are better, not sick and growing up every day... healthy. It was a little scare but we powered through it. I'm just glad it is finally over.
Hope you are having fun in Florida punkin face. Daddy misses you.
Love,
Daddy