The results are in...

I took Camden back to the ENT this week to review the results of his sleep study. The only reason I took him for the study in the first place was because I knew he needed his tonsils removed. The doctor was hesitant because of his age and needed more validation than mom witnessing him stop breathing at night.

I wasn't ever scared when I saw him stop breathing at night, mostly just irritated that his tonsils were big and he'd probably need surgery. I figured his interrupted sleep was just as irritating for him as it was for me. But after reviewing the results with his physician I felt very selfish.

The doctor rated Camden's sleep apnea 9 on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst.

The word apnea comes from the Greek word meaning "without wind." Although it's perfectly normal for everyone to experience occasional pauses in breathing, apnea can be a problem when breathing stops for 20 seconds or longer. There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed.

Obstructive apnea is common in children and is caused by an obstruction of the airway(IE: enlarged tonsils or adenoids).

Central apnea occurs when the part of the brain which controls breathing doesn't start or properly maintain the breathing process. Central apnea is the least common form of apnea and often has a neurological cause.

Mixed apnea is a combination of the two and is what the results from Camden's test showed.

35 times throughout Camden's 7 hours of sleep he had obstructive apnea. And 37 times central apnea occurred. Both of which had episodes where his oxygen decreased significantly.

This was eye opening for me! It now makes sense why Camden doesn't wake up feeling rested, he can't get a good nights sleep. It validates my thinking as to why he is so ornery during the day. It makes sense as to why he has been holding his head and saying "owie", a lack of oxygen can surely cause a headache. It's no wonder he falls asleep every time we get in the car, or when he is forced to sit still, he's exhausted.

We are scheduling surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids which takes care of the obstructive apnea. They can't be positive this will decrease the central apnea, but we can always hope. After that is done he will need another sleep study to determine the severity of his central apnea. And if needs be, he will be referred to a sleep specialist for other treatment.

His doctor said he doesn't make guarantees but he can almost guarantee we will see a significant change in his behavior. And "Google" said sleep apnea is increasingly being recognized as a cause of daytime attentional and behavioral problems. So what can I blame it on after his tonsils are removed?

Dear Dan,

I miss your butt!

I'm tired of the uncontrollable crying in the middle of the night for Daddy. Chewie's poop is waiting for you to clean it up. And the dirty diapers sitting outside are out of control. I hope you've enjoyed your time in Florida, but we are ready for you to come back!

Love,
Your angelic and patient wife

I Wanna Remember

Jace just turned three months, I swear every month gets shorter the older I get! It's NOT funny how fast time with him is flying by.

He is such a HAPPY baby, and for that I am continually grateful! He smiles at everyone. My very favorite is how happy he is first thing in the morning. I remember Camden being ravenous and crying to eat right when he woke up, but not this guy. He will smile and love on you a good 20 minutes before eating, and I'll take every minute of that.

He has started laughing. I've tried my hardest to capture it on camera but haven't been successful. His thunder thighs and feet can really get him going.

He is taking an interest in standing while you hold him. He is definitely getting stronger. He's not much for tummy time, but when he does lay down he lifts his head up pretty good.

Wiggle worm should be his new nickname. He is constantly moving his legs and arms at lighting speed. I wasn't very smart and had him lying in my bed for a nap, when he wiggled his way from the center and fell on the floor.


Jace is such a trooper. He can adapt to anything; our crazy schedule, his crazy brother, and a tired mom and dad. He is such a pleasant baby and we love him to pieces!

Camden has become quite the little copycat! He loves to point his finger and yell(I swear I don't do it all the time), wear our shoes, make his own dinner, and talk up a storm. Here are some of the funny things he says lately:

• "I love me". He says this when he is trying to tell you he loves you.
• Whenever I tell him thank you he quickly responds with, "Welcome".
• Identical to "The Little Rascals" he says, "O-tay" instead of okay.
• When someone tells him goodbye, he replies with, "see ya"
• When he wants a snack he repeats, "nackie, nackie, nack" over and over.

Even though he can be a pill, he is so sensitive to others feelings. He can tell when I am upset and always offers a hug. When Jace cries(which isn't often) he rushes to his side and says, "otay baby Jace"? He definitely has compassion!

He is currently obsessed with "Brother Bear", "Mickey Mouse", and of course anything that is remotely close to a monster or dinosaur. String cheese and apple juice are both his heaven on earth.

I have often wondered if he grasps the things we are trying to teach him. Most of the time it is a fight, a battle of the wills, if you will. But today when I took him to his room for a nap, he insisted on having a prayer. I almost started crying happy tears right there, but I kept it together.

We love Camden and the little stinker he is!

Sleep Study

Several months ago I noticed Camden had enlarged tonsils. I also noticed he was snoring rather loud and had periods of sleep apnea. And seeing how he hasn't been sleeping well for quite some time I wondered if this had anything to do with it. So I watched him sleep a few times and as he would stop breathing it would force him to gasp for air, thus causing him to wake up scared.


I made an appointment with his ENT who was hesitant to do surgery right away because of his age. He told me if Camden was 2 years older he would do surgery tomorrow, but the risks are too great with him just turning 2.

He suggested Camden go for a sleep study and depending on the results he may or may not have surgery right now.

So last night we packed a bag and headed off for our "fun night together". I have seen these done in a hospital setting but wasn't sure what to expect when going to an outside facility.


After we checked in they took us to "our suite". When I walked in I felt like I was staying at a hotel. They had tried to make it seem as much like home as possible. Check out the big old mound of pillows by the night stand we had already taken off the bed to feel more at home.

They put Madagascar in for him to watch on TV while they hooked him up, hoping for a distraction. It didn't work. Although he cried the entire time the tech hooked him up, I thought he did pretty good considering it was already past his bedtime and he hadn't had a nap. He didn't pull at or take off any of the wires. After falling asleep they came in and put a nasal cannula on him which monitored his oxygen. He did take that off a few hours later.

Camden appeared to sleep better than usual, I contribute that to me lying with him all night.

The creepy part to me was knowing(they kept reminding me) they could see and hear me. I had a hard time falling asleep and once I did, I had crazy dreams. Crazy enough that at one point I yelled for help and woke myself up when they came in to check on me. I was so embarrassed I wished I was still dreaming, but it was real.

Apparently Camden didn't sleep as well as I thought, because when we got home he crashed on the couch with me for a few hours.

I am anxious to know what the test shows!

Our 4th in Four

FAMILY

FISHING

FULL-FIGURED

FREEDOM!

4 YEARS

Today Dan and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary! To kick off the festivities Camden woke us up at 5, then Dan headed into work at 6am. When he got home we spent 45minutes setting up tables and chairs at the church for my mutual activity. We ran home, ate dinner together, and then I headed back to the church for Young Women's.
It was quite the romantic way to celebrate.

Love you Dan(even if you make stupid purchases) !

PS. Don't mind the funky lighting in these pictures that help make us look plastic.