Delilah 9 Month Appointment

Delilah is 9 months old today and this morning she had her 9 month well-baby appointment. Dr. Zimmerman has been back from her maternity leave for a while and Jameson has already seen her, but this was Delilah first appointment with her since she's been back. Delilah scored high in all areas of the questionnaire that they had me fill out. But, like her big brother, she especially excels with her gross motor skills. Anyone who has met baby D in person should not be surprised. This little girl is on the move! She is always trying to bang something, get into something, or climb over something. She is definitely trying to keep up with her brother!

I did have a surprise when the nurse calculated Delilah's stats. She seemed concerned that D's percentages had dropped. Her stats were: Height: 26 1/4" (11%), Weight: 16.9 lbs (15%), and Head Circumference: 17 3/4" (77%). Dr. Zimmerman seemed less concerned about the drop. She said if they are going to drop, it will be when they start getting active. And since Delilah is a crawling, cruising, and climbing machine, she said it might just be a matter of increased calories burned. I wasn't too worried because I was thinking that she was in the 20-25% range previously. But, I just looked back at D's stats from 6 months. She was 30th for height and 50th for weight. That makes me sad! She's only gained about an inch and a pound in 3 months. Poor girl! I think I need to work on really getting her to eat before her next appointment.

Oh, I also talked to the doctor about Delilah's leaking eye. Jameson was born with a blocked tear duct (which is common) and that thing leaked constantly for weeks. It was pretty gross. I *thought* we had avoided it with D. But then when she was a few months old, she got a touch of the sniffles and, wouldn't you know, her right eye started to leak. And then I noticed that when she cried, she her right eye always had more tears than her left (if her left had any at all!). When she got her two colds, the gunk coming out of her eye was her biggest symptom. In fact, when she had her first ear infection, it was the greenish gunk coming out of her eye that concerned me because there wasn't much coming out of her nose.

So, Delilah will need to see a pediatric opthamologist. Dr. Zimmerman said that if a block tear duct is going to resolve itself it almost always does do by 6 months. I did let her know that some times when my sinuses are really bad, I also have gunk come out of my eye. She said I probably have a narrow tear duct and there is a possibility that Delilah also has that, but we won't know until she's checked out. So, it looks like Delilah also gets to see a specialist - just a different type than her brother! That reminds me, I need to make an appointment for Jameson to see the orthopedic doctor in March. :-)

Jameson 2.5 year appt

Jameson had a doctors appointment on Monday. We got to see Dr. Zimmerman because she is back from her maternity leave!! I'm not sure if this is a normal appointment or to track his talking (or lack there of). We've been working on sentences the last few weeks. Instead of just "wa-wa, please" or "car, please" or whatever he's asking for, I've been working "I want wa-wa, please." And it seems that he's figured it out!

So, back to his appointment. This was the second time that I braved taking both kids on my own. We got there on time, which was a feat in and of itself. Once we checked in, Jameson immediately bypassed the TV and ran over to the books (saying "Book! Book!"), I was so proud! The nursed called us back pretty much right away (which is amazing on a Monday morning!). The nurse weighed and measured him. They now weigh him on the big scale and measure him against the wall. They did this at his 2 year appointment, but it still surprises me that he's such a big boy! He weighed 29.6 lbs and was 35 inches tall.

The nurse took us to the room. She asks some questions and then leaves. Then I start filling out the packet they gave me. I had to ask him to practice a few of the skills. I learned that he can repeat two random numbers out of order (like two, five). I also learned that the next skill we need to work on is fine motor drawing skills. :-) While I'm completing the questionnaire, Jameson is playing around the room. He is opening and closing every drawer. He then decides that he wants to be up on the exam table. So he starts saying "Help me up, please." Yay! So, I included that as an example of a sentence!

So Dr. Zimmerman comes in and starts checking Jameson's eyes, ears, throat, stomach, etc. Everything looks normal. She asks about his last and next appointments for his foot. She commented that there is still some curvature to the foot (I told her that Dr. Sheehan said he will likely always have that) but that he has the range of movement to put it back to normal (which is most important). She then went through and scored the questionnaire. Now, keep in mind that Jameson was below average on the last assessment and she's been threatening to recommend early intervention for probably a year now. She would set a goal and deadline for Jameson and he would just barely meet that goal. So, she went through and said that Jameson is now above average in communication. Did you hear me??? ABOVE AVERAGE!!!!! You have no idea what a relief that was to hear! :-) Really, the only area he was a little low on was the fine motor skills (drawing), but she said that was still in the normal range! Yay!

And, as if that wasn't good enough to hear... Jameson was showing off all of his skills. He counted, said his colors, did some animal noises, and spelled his name. And she said to Jameson "Your mommy is running things like a pre-school." That was quite the stroke to the ego. :-) So, all in all, it was a positive experience. However, I was told that they reformulated one of the immunizations that Jameson had previously received to include 6 new strains, so he will need a booster. But, I scheduled that for the same time as his flu shot, so hopefully that won't be too traumatic.

While we're on the subject of Jameson, there is some big news in our house. On bath night, I generally ask Jameson if he wants to sit on the potty. He usually sits on it, pretends to push something out, hops off and gets in the tub. On Sunday, he sat on the toilet and immediately started peeing. I started cheering so loudly that Russell (who happened to be home) came in to see what the commotion was about. We made a big deal about it and have been talking about it ever since. Well, tonight was bath night again, so of course I asked if he wanted to try to go potty before getting into the bath. And, again, he peed right away!! He was so proud of himself for being like Mommy and Daddy! We're not going to officially try potty training until Russell switches shifts. We think that will be easier because he'll be on a much more regular schedule rather than spending one day here, two days there, one day somewhere else... But, yay Jameson!!!!

Busy Day!

I mentioned previously that Russell's siblings are all headed to college this year. We already had our "last meal" with Aunt Becca. This morning we had breakfast with Nana Sandy, Aunt Rachel, and Uncle Ben because Rachel is leaving today and Ben is leaving tomorrow. We ate some bagels at Bruegger's. Yum!

Then we went back to their house to say our goodbyes.






Then we went to Delilah's 6 month well-baby check up. Dr. Zimmerman, our regular pediatrician, is still on maternity leave, so we had to see another doctor. She will, however, be back next month, in time for Jameson's 2.5 year appt. It should come as no surprise that she's perfect! :-) She is able to do all of the skills that the doctor asked about. The doctor checked her ears and said they looked better, but not back to normal yet - which makes sense since she has only been on medication for a few days.

Her Stats were:
Height: 25 1/4 in (30th percentile) Weight: 15lbs 14oz (50th percentile) Head Circumference: 17 1/2 in (80th percentile)
So, she's following right in her brother's footsteps for being short and having a large head! :-) It's to hold all of her brains, as my mom would say!

Then, Russell and I were back to work after a long weekend off. It was kind of a hectic because OPS is back in session today. At work we follow the OPS calendar, so it's back to my school year hours (2pm-6pm). So, it was pretty crazy at work too. Tyler has agreed to help us watch the kids on Mondays (plus a few extras this week). Jameson was so excited to play with "Han" and "Teh-Teh." He was also talking about seeing "Ty" and " 'Cole." But he fell asleep in the car on the way there and thus did not nap while he did not nap after we got there. So, of course, he fell asleep on the way home. Poor buddy slept right up until bedtime, dozed through his diaper change, and then was right back out when I put him in bed. His cousins must have worn him out!!

With being so busy this morning, afternoon, and then at work, I feel like I really only got to sit down after I got D to bed. Whew, it was a hectic day! :-)

Ear Infection...round 2!

So, it seems Delilah has caught the cold that is traveling throughout our house. She's been kind of sniffly the last few days and then this weekend her eyes began getting puss in it. I spoke to the nurse on Friday and she said I didn't need to bring her in because she wasn't running a fever, she was sleeping okay, and she was sleeping well. I figured she had caught big brother's cold, but I've heard that some kids get a little cold when they are teething. That never happened for Jameson, but I say it over and over again that they are so completely different that I never know what to expect.
So, last night D was coughing junk up and choking on it. I decided that was the last straw because she scared me every single time!! Fortunately the cough seemed to go away when she went into deeper sleep, so I've still be able to sleep...well, for the most part anyway! :-) But, we made a Doctor appointment for this afternoon. Turns out Delilah was starting to get an ear infection also. Poor baby! So, hopefully we're on the road to recovery. Except it appears that Russell may be getting it next. The good news is, he can say something if HIS ears hurt!
Monday and Tuesday I worked 8 hour days. That was JUST the reminder I needed to appreciate that I am able to work part-time. I complain about wanting to be a stay-at-home mom, but I truly feel that I have the best of both worlds. It didn't help that I had a dream that Delilah came running up to me after work. So, I was thinking about that alllllllllll day. Plus I was getting updates from Russell all day. It was torture being gone that long! Here are some pictures I received:
Tuesday, Jameson didn't get his afternoon nap. I called Russell when I was on my way home from work at 5. Russell was telling me what a terror J had been. He also said he had just put him in bed and now he was asleep. So around 7 or 7:30 I sent him upstairs to try and wake J up, so that there was a chance he would sleep that night. Russell came downstairs and said Jameson would be down in a few minutes. About 15 or 20 minutes pass by and there is no sign of J. Russell goes back up and says that apparently he was not getting up. Jameson ended up sleeping all night!! The good news is, he did NOT get up at 3am, like I feared. The bad news is I did not see Jameson AT ALL on Tuesday! :-( Yet another reason I am grateful to be working part-time.
The kids (Russell's siblings, not OUR kids) are all leaving for college this week or next week. We went out to eat for Becca's "last dinner" at Taste of Thailand. It was delicious, as usual. And I consider it a success because no one fought, cried, or threw up. There was a theory discussed that it was because Russell wasn't there, but *I* didn't say that. :-) Anyway, Jameson ate a lot of Thai food and enjoyed his dinner with Aunt "Becha." For some reason, her name was the most difficult for him to say. But, it seems that he has it figured out and has been using it quite frequently. His language is definitely expanding!

Sorry Becca, apparently I did not get the best picture!

Sleepless in Omaha!

So, in my last post I mentioned Jameson being a sneezing, coughing, mucusy mess. Well I may have left out the part about him not sleeping. Saturday night (Sunday morning?) he woke screaming and pointing to his head. That night he woke himself up several more times whimpering, I ended up sleeping in his bed with him. I *think* I ended up with a grand total of 3 hours of sleep that night. The following nights he would keep me up with his coughing, so I'm sure he didn't sleep restfully. I was paranoid that the coughing would result in him throwing up because he has a tendency to do that. Tuesday morning, after the third night of little to no sleep I made Jameson a doctor's appointment. I was nervous about that because our usual pediatrician is on maternity leave and I had never met the doctor with whom we were scheduled. The appointment went alright, but I do prefer our regular pediatrician. :-) So, it turns out that Jameson had his very first sinus infection and was starting to get an ear infection. I have to say, I think it's pretty amazing that we went nearly 2.5 years without an ear infection! If you knew my history, you would agree! Unfortunately, this is probably not the last sinus or ear infection he will ever get, but on the bright side he was prescribed some Amoxicillin. You know, the delicious pink kind. Russell and I shared memories of taking it when we were younger. Russell keeps threatening to drink it!! Jameson seems to the feeling a lot better and I think he actually got some sleep last night!

However...

little Delilah woke up SCREAMING around 11 or 12 last night. She has always been such a good sleeper, so this was definitely out of the ordinary for my poor baby girl. She was content if I was nursing her and even afterwards, I could rock her and she would sleep. But the minute I got up she was screaming again. :-( I suspected that something was going on, so I felt on her gums and sure enough I felt a little rough patch. Delilah cut her first tooth! We had one dose of Tylenol in the house last night, so we gave her that and she finally settled in for what remained of the night. And I went out this afternoon to restock our Tylenol supply!

I never cease to be astounded by the difference in my two children already! Jameson cut his first tooth at 4 month and his came in two at a time. Delilah is 5.5 months and only has one so far. She's getting her teeth just in times to start solids in the next few weeks!

Tummy Bug?

There may or may not be a tummy bug going around our house! Jameson has woken up the last two mornings crying and pointing into his mouth. This morning I gave him some water thinking maybe his throat hurt. Russell took him downstairs to start breakfast and by the time I made it downstairs, Russell was cleaning off Jameson's booster seat. He said he threw up all of the water I gave him. Jameson didn't really eat much breakfast, he got really whiny, and wanted me to hold him. He then threw up all over me. Ah, the power of a mother's love! :-)

At this point I made J a Dr's appointment and decided to call in to work. Then I took a shower. While I was in the shower, Jameson laid down and fell asleep on the couch. And of course he woke up feeling fine. I still took him to the Dr because I wanted them to check his throat, since he woke up crying. So, of course, today was the first day of Dr. Zimmerman's maternity leave. There was only one Dr. seeing patients and I originally thought it was the one I don't like but, thankfully, I was wrong!

The Dr, of course, could not find anything wrong with J. *I* think (you know, Dr. Mom) he had some drainage and his tummy is sensitive to it. He had a similar, but worse, episode while Russell was in Texas. The Dr said that could be it and recommended that I continue to give him allergy medicine.

I get home and a while later Delilah spit up all down my shirt. I was not having a good day. Later that evening, Russell - who also called in - and I were watching a movie. We were complaining about our upset tummys (mine hurt because I ate too much). All of a sudden, Russell jumps up and runs into the bathroom to throw up. Soooooo, I think there was a tummy bug going around our house! Fortunately, I felt fine and everyone seems to be doing better.

Back to the grind...

We had some houseguests for the past few days. Russell's Dad and Step-mom visited us all the way from Arizona. The kids had fun playing with their Grandparents from the South. It was nice to see them, but there is something to be said for getting back in the normal routine. The best part of all is Russell and his Dad finished the deck! It only took two years. :-) I am so excited! I foresee some afternoons playing on the deck in our future!

Delilah had her 4 month well-baby check up. She is perfect - of course! She is following in her brothers footsteps with a large head and short height. I think she is higher than him in weight though. She is a healthy girl! Dr. Zimmerman seemed to be impressed with all of D's abilities. She can roll over tummy to back, push her chest up, and hold her head up. The doctor suggested having Delilah upright more so she can see what's going on. It looks like we'll be bringing the Exersaucer back up soon!