9 Month Appointment and updates, updates

First off I apologize for the lack of entries. I'm sure no one is following my blog anymore but I will give this another go. Stella had her 9 month appointment last week and here are her stats:
Weight: 17 lbs 10 oz
Length: 27 7/8 inches
Head Circumference: 44.2 cm
Her appointment went really well and no shots were given...that was nice. She doesn't crawl yet but likes to roll to her destination. She clapped last week which was really cool. She mimics sounds and said her first "real" word. She pointed to our dog and said her name Chi-Chi. It was the funniest thing. The last three months have gone by fast and I can't believe in another three months she will be 1. The party planning has already begun!
On a sad note my grandma McKaughan passed away 2/15/08 at the age of 93. I rode down to California for the funeral with my brother Justin, his wife Rachel and their little one Molly. It was kinda crazy with 2 babies driving 11 hours, but we survived. My grandma's funeral was sad but it was a celebration of her life. My brother Justin did an awesome slide show. It really showed an awesome life she had. She was married to my grandfather for over 60 years and they had a love that was so sweet and wonderful. I know she is with him now with a big smile on her face.
I am happy to report that Stella has not had an outbreak on her little head since December. I just have to make sure she doesn't rub the spot and we are good. On a side note I really wish I knew more people with babies. Also in the city I live in (Auburn) there are no kid gyms and the City does not offer programs for Stella's age. I could drive out to Kent, Covington or Federal Way for kid gyms but with naps/schedules it's just hard. There is a park in my neighborhood but it's small and no one is ever there :( Elizabeth is now watching Stella with Aunalise (who is exactly 2 years older..same bday) at least 1 day a week when I go to work. Aunalise loves Stella and they have a good time together.
It is snowing like crazy today and it's March! What is going on here?? I will try and be better about posting more. Hope all is well with everyone and soon enough summer will be here and we will have sun!!

Candace

Solitary Mastocytoma

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Stella had a great time, but was very exhausted by the end of the day.
So you may be wondering what the title of this blog is all about....solitary mastocytoma...what is that?? That is what Stella has been diagnosed with. If you do not know, Stella has a small oval marking on her head. We noticed it when she was 7 weeks old. I did not think anything of it and thought maybe it was cradle cap. When she was 12 weeks old something very scary happened. We were in California at my Grandmother's home when Stella started to turn red in the face, all over her body and head. She wasn't crying or acting like she was in pain. The redness went away in a matter of minutes but then the marking on her head started to turn white...then bubble into a blister! We were referred to a dermatologist by our pediatrican (who had NO idea what it was). The dermatologist took a biopsy and it came back as solitary mastocytoma. Here are a few facts on it:
What is Mastocytoma? Mastocytoma is the name given to a localised form of mastocytosis. Mastocytosis occurs when there are too many mast cells in the skin. The cause is unknown.
What do they look like? Mastocytoma usually appears in early childhood at a few months of age. One or more red, pink or yellow lumps, which may vary in size from about one to 5 centimetres in diameter and can appear anywhere on the skin. Rubbing causes mastocytomas to redden and swell for 15 minutes or so. Often there are no symptoms but they may be itchy and sometimes they may blister, especially when rubbed. Occasionally flushing may occur when the mast cells release chemicals such as histamine into the skin.
Treatment? If the mastocytoma is causing a lot of itching, this can often be relieved with oral antihistamines. No other treatment is necessary as mastocytomas usually disappear as the child grows older.
There are "triggers" that can bring on an outbreak. This can be certain foods, stress, too hot, too cold and her rubbing the spot. The only times we have seen an outbreak is when she rubs her head on something. I am posting this because she just had an outbreak yesterday :( She had gone about 6 weeks without one. She has a mat that has soft polls above it with toys. She rubbed her head on the polls resulting in an outbreak. Before you go googling this please beware, there are some really scary pictures, but this is not the form Stella has. There are different forms of masto where it is all over the body, this is not what Stella has. The doctor informed us not to worry and that it will be gone by 2 years of age (or a little later). There is no cure, but hopefully one day there will be! Okay, this is the longest post ever. Hope you are still awake!

Merry "almost" Christmas
Candace

Stella's 6 month check up

Stella had her 6 month check up today and I will NEVER schedule her appointment in the afternoon again! We usually go in the morning and she's in a good mood for the doctor. Not today! The appointment was at 1:30 p.m. and she hadn't taken a really good nap. She cried most of the time when the doctor was poking at her (I would probably do the same). She really started freaking out when she was given her shots :( So here are her stats...

Weight: 16 lbs 0 oz (50%)

Length: 25 7/8 in. (50-75%)

Head Circumference: 43.2 cm (75%)

She's right on track with her milestones. She is rolling over, says mama, babbles and sits up. Separation anxiety is starting to kick in, FUN TIMES. We also finally sent off the crib recall information to Jardin Cribs. The crib Elizabeth let us borrow got recalled so we had to take off all the hardware and send it in. The company will then mail us a voucher for a new crib. I talked with Elizabeth today and she said we can just buy another crib and keep it since Jared and her aren't planning on having any kids soon (Aunalise might be it). So Stella is sleeping in her bassinet for the time being and I had to kick her out of our room last night. Roger makes too much noise for her and she wakes up which then wakes me up. Somehow Roger can sleep through all of this! So I took the bassinet into her room and she's in there.

Thanksgiving is this Thursday and I cannot wait. My dad, stepmom and stepbrother will be in town. Should be a lot of fun. Hope everyone's Thanksgiving is great!!

Candace

I have started a blog!

I have read other friends blogs before but never thought of doing it myself....well I have decided now is the time! I am at home with Stella a lot so I should be able to keep this updated. I am currently working 1-2 days a week. I then watch my niece Molly one day a week (with Stella). It's like watching twins!! It is so much fun to watch the 2 girls interact. The girls usually nap at the same time so then I can take a nap too! Roger is working a shift where he gets every other Friday off. So I go to work on those Fridays while he watches Stella. It's nice for him to experience what it's like to be home with a baby. It's hard and now he understands. It was so funny the first time he watched her, he called me up at noon saying that he hadn't even taken a shower yet. I gave him no sympathy. I just said "Welcome to my world".
I'm new to this blog world, so be patient with me. I will figure this out.

Candace