So, it wasn't just our nuclear family that had a tough week. Grandma Niki was back in the hospital for a procedure and ended up relapsing with her C Diff, so she's still there. And then there's Grandpa Jay, who had his right knee replaced, so he was in the hospital from Tuesday until Friday. We went to see him yesterday at home and he's doing very well with his recovery so far.
As for the continuation of our icky week, Teo had the rest of his labs done on Saturday. It was awful, but not as awful as Wednesday, as the technician was able to draw all the necessary blood from one arm. At least we don't have to go back! Also, he had a fever, presumably from teething as he didn't have any other symptoms, on Saturday night and Sunday morning, so he was a bit cranky. He hasn't been sleeping too well the past few nights, which means mommy hasn't been sleeping all that well either!
And then there's daddy. Remember his "owwie"? Well, while we were at the hospital for Teo on Saturday, Billy informed me that the pain in his leg was getting worse, and that it was kind of radiating away from the wound. We decided that this was not a good thing and headed over to the emergency room to see what they thought. The triage nurse said it looked pretty bad, so she directed us to the outpatient urgent care clinic, where he was informed that he basically has a second degree burn for all intents and purposes, given a shot for the pain, and sent home with antibiotics.
So, all in all, it was a bit of an icky end to an icky week. Hopefully this week will be much better! :)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Joe's O's
Teo got to try Joe's O's (Trader Joe's version of Cheerios) this week. He doesn't quite get the whole pick-one-up-and-put-it-in-his-mouth thing, but we'll get there. He really liked them, by the way! :)
Playing outside
Billy finally got rid of all the yucky bugs in our lawn, so we got to play outside on Saturday!
"I think I like it out here - the ground is much softer than inside!"
Squinty:
"What's this green stuff?"
"Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Super Baby!"
"I think I like it out here - the ground is much softer than inside!"
Squinty:
"What's this green stuff?"
"Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Super Baby!"
Home sick
Teo had to stay home sick from daycare for two days last week because he turned into what Diane, the center director, calls "a human fountain" (in other words, he had a tummy bug). It really didn't seem to faze him at all - in fact, I think he really enjoyed the two extra days with mommy and daddy! Here are a few pictures from those days:
Cutie:
"Daddy discovered that I can hold my own bottle!"
"All that playing tuckered me out!"
"I love climbing on your legs, daddy!"
"And I love you, daddy!"
"Exploring is fun!"
Cutie:
"Daddy discovered that I can hold my own bottle!"
"All that playing tuckered me out!"
"I love climbing on your legs, daddy!"
"And I love you, daddy!"
"Exploring is fun!"
What an icky week we've had!
It's been a bit of a rough week for all of us. I have about 40 pictures that I haven't had a chance to upload onto the computer (mainly because we've had to hide all computer-related items from our very mobile, very curious little man), but I promise I will carve out some time to get them off the camera and on the blog this weekend.
So, on to our week... On Tuesday, Billy played softball, and (to hear him tell it) out of pure instinct he slid on his leg. Of course, this would not be so bad if he had been wearing long pants, but anyone who knows him knows that he wears shorts pretty much all the time. So, he has a very large and painful owwie on his leg, that of course, Teo has felt the need to investigate with his sharp little nails more than once. Poor daddy!
Then there was Wednesday. Wednesday sucked, for lack of a better word. Teo and I both had doctor's appointments in the morning. Mine went fine, and then there was his. It was awful. Apparently, Teo is the amazing shrinking baby! Yes, folks, get your tickets and behold - the world's first live shrinky dink.
All joking aside, here's what happened. According to measurements taken at the last appointment 2 months ago, Teo was 25 3/4" long. When they measured him this time around, he was, once again 25 3/4" long. So the doctor freaked out a little and had the nurse come in and re-measure him - and the second, third and fourth time he measured only 25 1/2"! So, now you're telling me that, not only did my baby not grow, but he actually shrank 1/4"? I think not!Here's the rub: I measured him on his growth chart about 2 weeks after his last appointment, and HE WAS ONLY 24" LONG!!!! So, in reality, he actually grew 1 1/2", (as evidenced by the fact that all of his pants are too short now) but the doctor still ordered a bunch of labs to be done. And that is what really sucked.
Just last week I was tearing up reading about my former coworker's little boy who had to have blood drawn at his last check-up, and this week I had to experience it first hand with my own little one! And not just from one arm, but from both. And it's not over yet - we have to take him back at least once more and subject him to more torture because the doctor ordered 6 different tests, and they could only get enough for 2 of them on Wednesday!
The whole process was horrendous. Billy had to hold him down (I'm an enormous chicken when it comes to these things), and I could hear him screaming from the waiting room. I finally went in there towards the end of the first draw and they had to talk me into letting them do the second one. I was pretty close to hysterical. I had to walk all the way down the hallway the second time, and I could still hear him screaming. It was absolutely heart wrenching. I can't believe we have to go back and do it again. Especially when I know that there's absolutely nothing wrong with him.
And for anyone who's wondering, the doctor said that because of the slow weight gain (he's at 13lbs 2.8oz now) and the lack of growth, he "technically is meeting the criteria for 'failure to thrive.'" This, let me tell you, is an absolute crock of you-know-what (I did the research and there is more to it than that)! First of all, if he were failing to thrive, he wouldn't be so incredibly far ahead of the curve in developmental milestones. Second, he did grow. I know that he did based on both the fact that I measured him myself and came up with a much shorter measurement the last time, and because of the way that his clothes are fitting. Oh, and based on the fact that I'M HIS MOTHER AND I KNOW THESE THINGS! (If the tone of my post sounds a bit angry, it's because I am - this is just bringing back memories of unnecessary medical interventions during Teo's birth.)
Anyway, enough ranting. I know that the tests are going to come back fine. I just wish we didn't have to put him (and ourselves) through this unnecessary trauma. I can't really blame the doctor - I know that he's just doing his job and he has no way of going back two months to re-measure him then, and we live in an overly-litigious time when doctors must be overly cautious. It just sucks, plain and simple.
Okay, I'm really done now... You might want to steer clear of this topic if you don't plan on being 100% empathetic, though! ;)
So, on to our week... On Tuesday, Billy played softball, and (to hear him tell it) out of pure instinct he slid on his leg. Of course, this would not be so bad if he had been wearing long pants, but anyone who knows him knows that he wears shorts pretty much all the time. So, he has a very large and painful owwie on his leg, that of course, Teo has felt the need to investigate with his sharp little nails more than once. Poor daddy!
Then there was Wednesday. Wednesday sucked, for lack of a better word. Teo and I both had doctor's appointments in the morning. Mine went fine, and then there was his. It was awful. Apparently, Teo is the amazing shrinking baby! Yes, folks, get your tickets and behold - the world's first live shrinky dink.
All joking aside, here's what happened. According to measurements taken at the last appointment 2 months ago, Teo was 25 3/4" long. When they measured him this time around, he was, once again 25 3/4" long. So the doctor freaked out a little and had the nurse come in and re-measure him - and the second, third and fourth time he measured only 25 1/2"! So, now you're telling me that, not only did my baby not grow, but he actually shrank 1/4"? I think not!Here's the rub: I measured him on his growth chart about 2 weeks after his last appointment, and HE WAS ONLY 24" LONG!!!! So, in reality, he actually grew 1 1/2", (as evidenced by the fact that all of his pants are too short now) but the doctor still ordered a bunch of labs to be done. And that is what really sucked.
Just last week I was tearing up reading about my former coworker's little boy who had to have blood drawn at his last check-up, and this week I had to experience it first hand with my own little one! And not just from one arm, but from both. And it's not over yet - we have to take him back at least once more and subject him to more torture because the doctor ordered 6 different tests, and they could only get enough for 2 of them on Wednesday!
The whole process was horrendous. Billy had to hold him down (I'm an enormous chicken when it comes to these things), and I could hear him screaming from the waiting room. I finally went in there towards the end of the first draw and they had to talk me into letting them do the second one. I was pretty close to hysterical. I had to walk all the way down the hallway the second time, and I could still hear him screaming. It was absolutely heart wrenching. I can't believe we have to go back and do it again. Especially when I know that there's absolutely nothing wrong with him.
And for anyone who's wondering, the doctor said that because of the slow weight gain (he's at 13lbs 2.8oz now) and the lack of growth, he "technically is meeting the criteria for 'failure to thrive.'" This, let me tell you, is an absolute crock of you-know-what (I did the research and there is more to it than that)! First of all, if he were failing to thrive, he wouldn't be so incredibly far ahead of the curve in developmental milestones. Second, he did grow. I know that he did based on both the fact that I measured him myself and came up with a much shorter measurement the last time, and because of the way that his clothes are fitting. Oh, and based on the fact that I'M HIS MOTHER AND I KNOW THESE THINGS! (If the tone of my post sounds a bit angry, it's because I am - this is just bringing back memories of unnecessary medical interventions during Teo's birth.)
Anyway, enough ranting. I know that the tests are going to come back fine. I just wish we didn't have to put him (and ourselves) through this unnecessary trauma. I can't really blame the doctor - I know that he's just doing his job and he has no way of going back two months to re-measure him then, and we live in an overly-litigious time when doctors must be overly cautious. It just sucks, plain and simple.
Okay, I'm really done now... You might want to steer clear of this topic if you don't plan on being 100% empathetic, though! ;)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
So many birthdays this week!
Happy belated Birthday to Aunt Christie (yesterday)!
And...
Happy Birthday to Aunt Susan - today!
Teo loves all of his Aunties!!!
And...
Happy Birthday to Aunt Susan - today!
Teo loves all of his Aunties!!!
Catching up...
Well, since we had such a busy weeked, I didn't get to post me weekly wrap-up, so here are a few pictures to keep everyone up to date:
Teo can now sit up like a big boy!
Ready for a cool evening walk with daddy:
We also went to playgroup again last week, and got a couple of cute shots of the babies (notice that Teo is about the same size as the little guys on either end - the one on the far left is 4 weeks old and the one on the far right is 8 weeks old!).
"I need my personal space, people!"
Cutie in sunglasses:
Not quite ready to get up in the morning:
Teo can now sit up like a big boy!
Ready for a cool evening walk with daddy:
We also went to playgroup again last week, and got a couple of cute shots of the babies (notice that Teo is about the same size as the little guys on either end - the one on the far left is 4 weeks old and the one on the far right is 8 weeks old!).
"I need my personal space, people!"
Cutie in sunglasses:
Not quite ready to get up in the morning:
Monday, September 15, 2008
Happy Birthday, Grandma Niki!
Today was Grandma Niki's birthday (we won't say what birthday... hehe). Aunti Monki (Angie) and mom's friend Gabriela were kind enough to put together a little surprise party for her yesterday, and it was a lot of fun! We even got to play a part in the surprise by stopping by beforehand and pretending that we were just stopping in on our way somewhere else. :) I think mom (Grandma) was genuinely surprised when she walked into Gabi's house and saw everyone there.
The surprise:
The cake:
Teo was in a great mood. He pretty much made a captive audience out of everyone there by being generally cute and adorable. He smiled and giggled and let everyone hold him - especially Aunti Monki! He just loves Aunti Monki! He goes nuts every time she comes near. I think he can just tell she's fun!
With Grandpa:
Hanging out with Andrea (the young man in the bottom right-hand corner is Andrea's 13-year-old son, Kevin, whom I used to babysit when he was Teo's age!):
Loving Auntie Monki:
Hangin' with Aunti Monki & "Uncle" Ryan:
Being cute with mama:
He also got to try asparagus, a whole green bean and a sweet corn tamal (or as you non-Spanish speakers may know it, tamale) and enjoyed them all. He basically used the asparagus and green bean as teethers - how organic! :)
What a fun day! Happy Birthday, Grandma Niki! :)
The surprise:
The cake:
Teo was in a great mood. He pretty much made a captive audience out of everyone there by being generally cute and adorable. He smiled and giggled and let everyone hold him - especially Aunti Monki! He just loves Aunti Monki! He goes nuts every time she comes near. I think he can just tell she's fun!With Grandpa:
Hanging out with Andrea (the young man in the bottom right-hand corner is Andrea's 13-year-old son, Kevin, whom I used to babysit when he was Teo's age!):
Loving Auntie Monki:
Hangin' with Aunti Monki & "Uncle" Ryan:Being cute with mama:
He also got to try asparagus, a whole green bean and a sweet corn tamal (or as you non-Spanish speakers may know it, tamale) and enjoyed them all. He basically used the asparagus and green bean as teethers - how organic! :)
What a fun day! Happy Birthday, Grandma Niki! :)
Monday, September 8, 2008
Babbling baby boy
I forgot to add to my post yesterday that Teo has been getting more and more vocal every day. He pretty much "talks" all the time these days, and it is so cute! He's really starting to string different syllables together to form different "words", and he is experimenting with more consonant sounds, too. On Saturday, at one point, he exclaimed "bap boo bap!" and he likes to say "mamamamamam" and "biff" or "boof" a lot. When we're in the car, he pretty much keeps up a running monologue, usually until he falls asleep. So cute! :)
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Week 27
So, we had a pretty good week. Teo has been really congested and has had this really icky sounding cough (I suspect allergenic post nasal drip) but it hasn't really affected his sunny disposition... at least not much! We also think he might be cutting one or both of his bottom incisors, but we'll see if they actually come through this time.
Labor Day was fun at Aunt Susan's, and Tuesday we got to go to daddy's softball game. We got to meet a new friend at the game - Aidan, our friends Chris and Sara Jones' little guy. They look about the same size, no? Well, Teo is almost a full 2 months older than Aidan! Yep... still a peanut!
We also did a lot of playing on the floor, especially with daddy. Teo has almost mastered sitting up on his own. He can definitely sit unassisted now, but he still doesn't quite get into a sitting position on his own. The crawling, on the other hand, has pretty much been perfected. He is actually now doing a cross-crawl (opposite hand/knee going at the same time), and he is getting fast! It's so very cute watching his tiny little body moving all over the place! He is stubborn and relentless, though, when he sets his mind to something. And he invariably wants to investigate things that we'd rather he didn't (i.e. the computer, dirty shoes, things with hard/sharp edges, etc.).
We also did some more experimentation with foods - this week he tried green beans and applesauce (liked the green beans, loved the applesauce) and he tried drinking from a sippy cup for the first time, too!
On Saturday, we walked over to one of Billy's coworker's homes here in the neighborhood, where several of his work friends had gathered for a barbecue. We hung around for a while, had some good food and I got to meet some of Billy's fantasy football teammates (woo-h00!) and then we headed back home. It was a lovely evening!
Also, since Teo slept right through daddy's shower today, we decided it was time to bring back the bath tub. It'd been so long since he last took an actual bath that he was a bit freaked out at first, but he ended up having a blast. He was very cute, splashing around and playing with his rubber ducky. :)
Billy and I did yardwork and laundry, respectively, and that about wrapped up our weekend. Oh, and Teo got himself into more trouble, of course! All in all, a pretty good week.
Labor Day was fun at Aunt Susan's, and Tuesday we got to go to daddy's softball game. We got to meet a new friend at the game - Aidan, our friends Chris and Sara Jones' little guy. They look about the same size, no? Well, Teo is almost a full 2 months older than Aidan! Yep... still a peanut!
We also did a lot of playing on the floor, especially with daddy. Teo has almost mastered sitting up on his own. He can definitely sit unassisted now, but he still doesn't quite get into a sitting position on his own. The crawling, on the other hand, has pretty much been perfected. He is actually now doing a cross-crawl (opposite hand/knee going at the same time), and he is getting fast! It's so very cute watching his tiny little body moving all over the place! He is stubborn and relentless, though, when he sets his mind to something. And he invariably wants to investigate things that we'd rather he didn't (i.e. the computer, dirty shoes, things with hard/sharp edges, etc.).
We also did some more experimentation with foods - this week he tried green beans and applesauce (liked the green beans, loved the applesauce) and he tried drinking from a sippy cup for the first time, too!
On Saturday, we walked over to one of Billy's coworker's homes here in the neighborhood, where several of his work friends had gathered for a barbecue. We hung around for a while, had some good food and I got to meet some of Billy's fantasy football teammates (woo-h00!) and then we headed back home. It was a lovely evening!
Also, since Teo slept right through daddy's shower today, we decided it was time to bring back the bath tub. It'd been so long since he last took an actual bath that he was a bit freaked out at first, but he ended up having a blast. He was very cute, splashing around and playing with his rubber ducky. :)
Billy and I did yardwork and laundry, respectively, and that about wrapped up our weekend. Oh, and Teo got himself into more trouble, of course! All in all, a pretty good week.
Friday, September 5, 2008
In case anyone was wondering why...
...I'm a consummate lactivist...
I thought I'd share this article on the global practices of formula and baby food companies for any of you who might be interested, or who may have wondered why I revile them so very, very much. The article focuses mainly on what goes on outside the United States, but it is a very interesting (if slightly long) read.
I found the article posted on the blog of Dr. Naomi Baumslag, a friend of my dear friend Dr. Miriam Labbok, whose blog can be viewed here. Miriam is our beloved Auntie Dotti's sister and an absolutely amazing advocate, researcher and promoter of all things breastfeeding (this description does not even come close to doing her CV justice, so please do check out her blog!). Miriam has also been an amazing supporter through my own personal breastfeeding and pumping trials and tribulations. If every nursing mom had a Miriam, we'd put Nestle and all those other formula-mongers out of business in no time!
Let's keep up the fight to achieve the Gold Standard for every baby!
I thought I'd share this article on the global practices of formula and baby food companies for any of you who might be interested, or who may have wondered why I revile them so very, very much. The article focuses mainly on what goes on outside the United States, but it is a very interesting (if slightly long) read.
I found the article posted on the blog of Dr. Naomi Baumslag, a friend of my dear friend Dr. Miriam Labbok, whose blog can be viewed here. Miriam is our beloved Auntie Dotti's sister and an absolutely amazing advocate, researcher and promoter of all things breastfeeding (this description does not even come close to doing her CV justice, so please do check out her blog!). Miriam has also been an amazing supporter through my own personal breastfeeding and pumping trials and tribulations. If every nursing mom had a Miriam, we'd put Nestle and all those other formula-mongers out of business in no time!
Let's keep up the fight to achieve the Gold Standard for every baby!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Isn't she lovely!
Ok, so I have not written anything on here, and I felt like tonight was a good night. I want to thank Nicole for making my life so much better. Just take this blog for example...everyday at work, I check it during break, lunch and every time I get the chance in between. I know that it has not been easy, and neither is living with me, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are an amazing Mommy! Thank you for everything and I love you.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Food!
These are all the foods (except for the oatmeal and rice cereal) that Teo currently eats. From left to right: carrots, peas, pears, butternut squash and bananas.
6 Months Old!!!!
It is absolutely unbelievable to me that Teo is officially 1/2 a year old. I just can't wrap my mind around this fact. I mean, he can do all sorts of stuff - many things which he's doing way ahead of the curve - and yet, I still can't believe he's 6 months old already! Maybe it's the fact that he's still so tiny (we realized today that he was wearing the same outfit that he had on for our 3-month zoo outing, and it's still quite big!) or maybe it's the fact that the months have just flown by... well, whatever it is, I suppose I just need to get used to it!
In the meantime, enjoy the video and photos (taken this morning) of Teo's newest skill - kneeling! :) He started doing this yesterday while playing with a box of childproofing materials that I was attempting to install. The two photos are of him getting back down from the crib rail without falling!
In the meantime, enjoy the video and photos (taken this morning) of Teo's newest skill - kneeling! :) He started doing this yesterday while playing with a box of childproofing materials that I was attempting to install. The two photos are of him getting back down from the crib rail without falling!
Ol' "Dubya" ain't got nuthin' on Teo!
They both know how to read books upside-down! Teo, of course, will eventually learn that it's much easier to flip them right-side-up. I think it might be a little too late for George.
Oh, and Teo is FAR cuter, don't you think? ;)
Oh, and Teo is FAR cuter, don't you think? ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
