Lincoln had his first Christmas, and it was a blast! We didn't do any traveling on Christmas day, this was actually the first Christmas day spent in this house since I bought it. Lincoln of course didn't really know what was going on, but he did like the lights on the Christmas tree and he liked the jumper/bouncy thing we got him. He hasn't gotten the hang of actually jumping or bouncing yet but he likes just hanging out in it.
Lincoln got a ton of toys and cute clothes, he was spoiled! He's still getting the hang of a few of them, but there were some instant hits with a little elephant that makes a crinkly noise and a glow worm. It's so fun to watch him get excited to see his toys and start to figure out how to play with/try to eat them.
We did travel down to John's parents' house the weekend before Christmas, and I'm pleased to say that Lincoln handled both the 4 hour drive each way and staying in an unfamiliar house really well. We needed to pay a little extra attention to eating because of course he was distracted with all the fun people to play with. Nothing major though, and he met his intake goal both days we were gone.
Since Christmas we've had another weight check with the pediatrician, and Lincoln is still gaining weight since being off the tube! He's small for his age, around the 7th percentile for weight, but he's consistently in the 7th percentile. That means he's gaining weight at the same rate as a normal baby, and that's what we want. His height was a tiny bit of a concern, his percentile for height dropped a little. He can be short, that's not a huge deal, he just needs to be consistently the same level of short to show that he's growing properly. Alagille's kids do tend to be small, but it's not because of the faulty gene, it's because they have a hard time absorbing fat and vitamins so they have a hard time getting good nutrition. Nothing to get worked up about at this point, just something to remind us to stay diligent.
We also had a renal scan to check on the hydronephrosis of Lincoln's left kidney. The test took about an hour and a half from start to finish and Lincoln was a champ. He napped for part of it and just hung out while John showed him different toys on his phone for the rest.
To do the test they hooked him up to an IV so they could administer what they call nuclear medicine. Basically just medicine that can be followed through his body by the scanning machine. They monitor how long it takes for the medicine to go into his kidneys and then how long it takes to leave the kidneys. We meet with the Urologist on the 14th to officially go over the results and discuss next steps, but we know the test showed that 83% of the work is being done by the right kidney. This means there is a blockage in the left kidney and the last time we met with the Urologist he said if there is a blockage it would have to be surgically corrected. He also told us the procedure is relatively common in the urology world and has a great success rate, so that's reassuring. We're not happy about the results, but if surgery is what has to be done to get this little guy a small step towards better then that's what we'll do.
In other news, MBA classes for both John and I start on the 13th. We'll both have class two nights a week and are pretty nervous about how this is going to go. Luckily Lincoln's Aunt Maria and Uncle Brian are going to babysit one night a week so that will help a ton. Having a babysitter means we'll both be able to take a class on the same night instead of having to alternate class nights. This means we'll be able to see each other 4 evenings a week out of 7 instead of only 3. Honestly, I seriously considered taking another semester off. However, that would mean my loans would come due before I had my degree. I can't stomach that thought, especially since I only have 4 classes to go until I graduate. So the Spurriers are just going to stay energetic and positive and keep on keeping on! Wish us luck!
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