We've Turned Into "Those People"

Friday morning I told Dan that I was thinking about going to a friend's bottle exchange that evening. He asked what it was, something where Mom's bring their bottles and nipples and exchange them as the kids get older and need a different flow. That literally made me laugh out loud. We've turned into "those people;" people whose lives revovle around their child and who put everything into the perspective of said child. I wouldn't have it any other way though. And in case you're wondering, I got a very nice pinot noir from Coppola's vineyard out of the bottle exchange. I'm thinking about popping it open soon!

I also had a funny "those people" moment this morning. It was 8 am, Nate was fed and Dan was hanging with him while I showered and got ready for our monthly New Moms and Dads get together. I turned some dance music on and was dancing while doing my make up. I laughed at the thought that I used to do that late at night while getting ready to go out and now I was doing it at 8 am. Another laugh out loud moment.

At Nate's 6 month appointment we found out that he's almost 21 pounds and in the 90th percentile for height and weight. He didn't get shots because he was still sick with the croup virus so I have to take him in this week or next. He's just started to seem like he's feeling pretty good so I'm either going to wait until the end of this week or even into next week. He will get the flu shot, which I'm dreading. My neighbor said that her daughter was projectile vomitting for two days afterward and I know I felt worse than usual after the shot this year. Otherwise the doctor said everything looks great. He's right on track developmentally and besides the cold, he's in good health.

We also found out that we should start giving him water to help build up the flouride in his teeth. I bought some sippy cups and already had small plastic cups. After a couple attempts at getting him to use the sippy cup, I decided to try the regular cup; he likes it far more and really only likes to chew on the sippy cup and bang it around. He enjoys water more than I would have thought and sometimes drinks quite a bit. He still likes sweet potatoes and butternut squash the most but also enjoys peas, pears, apples, bananas, pumpkin, and carrots. I haven't attempted green beans again after the two attempts that kept him up all night and there aren't many more green veggies that are easy to digest so I'm going to wait a bit before introducing more of those. I think we will do peaches next, from frozen since they aren't in season, and I also have a jar of pear/mango blend so we'll try that in the next few days. The only thing I've fed him that he hasn't been the most fond of is avocado. He'll take a few bites and then won't eat more but when offered something else at the same sitting, he will continue eating. I've tried twice and am determined to keep trying because I want the "likes avocado score" to go to 2-1 in this house, in my favor. Terrible, I know!

I'm off for two weeks and a day and am looking forward to seeing lots of people and spending tons of time with Nate. I didn't plan anything for tomorrow so that I could soak up the day with Nate time. Tuesday we are going to Mommy/Baby yoga with some of the Moms from my group and then having lunch with Danielle at the Spectrum. I might get the last of my Christmas shopping done there if Nate is up for it. Oh, that just reminded me: he sat in a grocery cart for the first time today. I usually take him to Trader Joe's in the Bjorn but he's getting so heavy that I won't be able to do that for long. I tested out the cover that we have for the cart and Nate sat in it really well. He's definitely getting more sturdy with sitting. He's also rolling over more. Last weekend he rolled from his back to his front and then back twice and he's done it a couple times since then. Today at the group get together he rolled over and bonked his cheek on his rattle really hard. I didn't see it but knew something had happened because he started crying, which is a very rare occurence, and then his cheek turned bright pink, but it went away with no bruise.

Anyway, back to my week. Wednesday Nate is going to daycare for the Christmas party and so that I can get some things done. I won't keep him there long mainly because I don't want to pump more than once that day. I can take him along with me pretty much anywhere so it's really more about him going to the party. Thursday we are having lunch with my old friend from middle school, Lisa, who's in town for a few days for Christmas. And Friday I'm dropping Nate at my Mom's so that I can get a haircut and then we're having lunch over there with Camille. Topping off the week with lots of family time: dinner at my Mom's for Christmas Eve and spending the day at my Dad's for Christmas. I miss being able to casually hang out with my family and chat so I'm hoping to get some of that this weekend. As Nate gets older I think taht's going to be easier. I have a lot that I want to get done this week in between all of the lunch dates but being around people is far more important to me.

I'm not sure if I'll post before Christmas so if I don't, I hope everybody has a happy holiday and gets to spend time with loved ones! I'm hoping to load some pictures and post them this week but we'll see.

Merry Christmas

CROUP

Just checking in really quickly before heading to bed. I took Nate to the doctor on Thursday because he just wasn't sounding right and he was congested. The doctor sent us home saying he was just sick, lungs were clear. He continued to sound different and developed a barking cough that night. I knew I had heard of that as a symptom, looked it up Friday, and was back in the office Friday. We saw our doctor this time; Thursday we had to see another doctor. She diagnosed Nate with croup and prescribed a steroid to ease the swelling of his vocal chords. She had us do a double dose that night and the croup symptoms were gone Saturday morning, however the cough and congestion have remained.

Wednesday we saw our doctor again, this time for Nate's six month appointment. She checked his lungs and ears again and said the croup was gone and that he still had a bad cold. He should be seen again if his cough got worse. Well, last night and today it got worse. He had a ten minute coughing attack with my Mom today. It scared her enough that she called me at work but Tylenol seemed to help quite a bit. I called the doctor and left a message with the nurse line. In retrospect, I should have spoken with somebody because they didn't get back to me until 4:15 pm but said Nate needed to be seen so we had to go to urgent care. My Mom was still here and Dan was stuck in traffic so she went with me. We got there around 4:50 pm and were told that the pediatrician wouldn't be there until 6. Ugh! After an hour wait and quite a bit more coughing, Nate was examined and the doctor said the cough was still a result of the croup virus. Also, Nate has the beginning of an ear infection. She gave us an antibiotic and an inhaler for when he has coughing fits.

I'm really looking forward to this virus going away! Not only do I hate seeing Nate sick but I'm exhausted; he's been waking up every 2-4 hours for almost a week now. When he was a newborn, it was tough but I wasn't working so it was doable. Now, it's just exhausting! I think that if he's still not sleeping and the cough isn't gone, I'm going to take Monday off.

I'll write more about Nate's 6 month appointment and new developments the next time I get a chance.