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Category Archives: Health & Well-Being

My second chiropractor.

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I like my current chiropractor, so why did I seek out another one? Well, he practices a different style of adjusting—the NUCCA method:

NUCCA is a unique form of Chiropractic spinal health care that uses a specific procedure focused on correcting a small misalignment of the upper neck know as the Atlas Subluxation Complex. This subtle correction ultimately restores optimal balance to the entire spinal column. Because the spinal column protects the central nervous system that controls and coordinates all body functions, good spinal balance is critical to good health.

Plus he was offering a special deal—the consult and first set of X-rays for $25 (instead of $200+)…and you all know I’m all about the deal. 😀

I didn’t think I’d like it—I mean, I LOVE being cracked, and he does NO cracking whatsoever. But I wanted a “second opinion” if you will. And I thought if he could help me more (or in addition to) the other chiropractor…then why not? The goal is to FIX my neck.

So I had the consult (about a week ago) and from the basic check, he determined my neck was bad enough that x-rays were warranted. Big surprise, I know. 🙄 So today I got the results and yep, I’m broken.

My spine (at the neck) should be curved—like the “near normal” x-ray below—and it’s not. (NOTE: These are NOT my x-rays—these pics are from here.)

Near normal neck x-ray

My neck is almost straight, like this (Phase One Subluxation Degeneration)—characterized with a loss or change in the normal curve in the spine):

Phase 1 neck x-ray

But that said, I think I actually fall into the next worst phase—Phase Two Subluxation Degeneration—where there is a reduction in the range of motion, you may start to feel stiff or achy, affected vertebrae are noticeably narrower and may appear to be flattening out, and you can see the beginnings of arthritis. XX(

He said that in one direction, my neck is off by (I think it was) ½° and in another direction, it was off by 2° (which he said was pretty bad—I don’t think he used the word severe, but it certainly wasn’t good).

The adjusting is done by pressing (with the heel of his hand) on my neck in the direction it needs to go. It was done in a matter of minutes (much like the other chiropractor) but unfortunately, it’s a bit more expensive ($40/visit vs. $25/visit). BUT if it helps me, I think it’s worth it. I have been going to the other chiropractor for about three months and it HAS helped (as evidenced by her scans), but what she’s doing can’t actually realign my neck, which is what I think really needs to happen. And I’m still getting headaches every night so something else needs to be done.

So we’ll see how it goes. I just want my neck to feel better and not get any worse.

Owen and New Foods

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Talk about frustrating.

In addition to the like-something-one-day/week-but-not-the next, he sometimes (okay, most times) just FLAT OUT refuses to even try something. I put it on his tray, he takes it in his fingers, and holds it out to me—which is his obvious way of saying he doesn’t want it. It makes me nuts because it didn’t even get near his nose or touch his lips! How can he tell from just looking at it that he doesn’t want it? (Yeah, sometimes us adults can tell. But we’re adults.) So at this stage he apparently enjoys licking the ground or chewing on my shoes—but refuses to try fried zucchini, rice, or tilapia? :##

That said, while it’s frustrating as hell when he does it, it’s also kinda cute. I mean, he’s at least being good and handing it to me instead of dropping it on the floor (although he WILL drop it on the floor if I don’t take it).

18-month check-up

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He was a bit of a stinker when we needed to weigh him, but really—can you expect a toddler to stand still on a scale? They wrote down 30# but I saw everything up to 33# so I’m saying 31. 🙂 I should have asked to weigh him on the baby scale or weigh him with Tom—but part of me thinks THEY should have suggested it, since THEY are the professionals. Oh well. The doc says “He’s still a big boy!” 😀

His current stats:
Height: 35″ (97th percentile) — was 34″;
Weight: 31# (94th percentile) 32.5# (96th percentile) — was 28# 12oz

And oh, the stuff we do to keep busy at the doc’s office in the waiting room…and the stuff we laugh at Owen doing! (Sorry about the volume—I apparently had my hand over the speaker while I was recording some of it. And I may redo the compilation when I get more time—I know the titles are really hard to read, but I did it on the phone. The first video is of Owen clapping at Tom while he throws a ball around, then it’s Owen watching himself in the shiny part of the chair, then it’s a chair ride around the room, then a video of Owen just being silly, and then lastly some lip music.)

We told her we were a bit concerned about his speech (or lack thereof) and she asked us some questions and from everything we told her (him knowing some letters, numbers, etc.) she said she wasn’t REALLY worried (yet) but that she agreed it wouldn’t hurt to get him evaluated. She said he seemed very intelligent (from what she observed) and that we shouldn’t be overly concerned yet. So that’s good—although we’ll still get him evaluated.

Toe update

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Okay, so the toe didn’t look QUITE as bad the next morning… I don’t think he’s going to lose the nail (it looks like only one small spot is black and blue) and it looks like most of the blood came from two cuts on his toe.

But it doesn’t seem to be bothering him much, if at all. He’s climbing and walking and scuffing it to no ill effect. Of course, he doesn’t like me to touch it, but he never liked having his feet touched to begin with.

First minor injury—poor toe!

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Owen got his first minor injury tonight.

Tom said (I wasn’t there so I didn’t witness it) a piece of 4×4 wood fell on his toe. :'( There was some crying and bleeding as we tried to deal with it—but really not too bad overall. He wouldn’t let us get near him with any type of ice pack but Tom did manage to get a band-aid on him. Then he sat with grandpa and watched Sesame Street and things were okay (until we had to put a new band-aid on).

I’m okay (LOL) and he’s pretty okay, except for when we need to touch the foot. And he’ll likely lose the nail since it’s completely black and blue.

Poor kid.

Pediatrician Revisit

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Since the nightly Zyrtec hadn’t helped any, we scheduled a revisit with the pediatrician. We were there on time and put it a room at our appointment time, but the doc didn’t come in until almost 30 minutes later. BOOOOOO HISSSSSS. And on top of that, it was a substitute doc, which the nurse only told me about AS we were walking into the room. Not that it necessarily would have altered our decision to visit, but I think something like that should be known as ahead of time as possible in case there were issues. I was pretty irritated by that time, too, since it’s a small office and I knew no one else was there—so why the long wait? I know I can’t possibly know all the details, so it may have been justified, but I was still irritated. Also, it was Owen’s nap time but that had been the only appointment available that day. Had the doc came in on time—or even close to on-time—we would have been out of there before the crankiness attacked (keep reading).

So the doc comes in and he’s an older Indian guy and pretty nice. Unfortunately, Owen didn’t really like him—and it was nap time—and he pretty much cried and fussed loudly the whole time the doc was looking in his ears, listening to his chest, and looking at his throat. I don’t think Owen would have been that fussy normally, so I think he knew it was someone new (unfamiliar) and didn’t like it. Luckily the doc didn’t have to do anything too invasive so it was over pretty quick. Unfortunately, Owen didn’t calm down as quickly as he normally does (like after shots).

His determination? Basically, the gunk—a minor ear infection and congestion. One wasn’t the cause of the other, but they could affect one another. Or something like that. Whatever the case, I got two prescriptions—one antibiotic and a cough syrup. And I was to continue with the Zyrtec at bedtime.

Of course, Owen was sleeping in about two minutes, so I decided to swing by Walgreens to drop of the scripts, planning to pick them up when Tom got home. But the lady said it would only be 20 minutes, so I said I’d wait, figuring that I’d still be able to get Owen in the house to finish his nap since he wouldn’t have been sleeping that long. Except that it took about 35 minutes for the scripts to be done >:XX so that by the time we got home Owen had been alseep for about 45 minutes. It seemed he was going to fall back to sleep in the crib…but he didn’t. Which meant I then had to deal with a cranky and still-tired little boy. NOT FUN. I managed to give him his medicines with not too much terror.

He did take a good two-hour afternoon nap (which my sanity really needed). The rest of the night went pretty well, and then it was time for all three meds before bedtime. It was a MAJOR struggle getting him to take the meds and that was with me holding him down and Tom administering the stuff. But we did it and as soon as we were done, Owen was fine and went right back to playing. Then it was time for his milk, and that was going well, too, until…

SURPRISE!…the projectile vomiting of wonderfully-staining fruit [blueberries and strawberries from dinner], curdled-looking cottage-cheesy milk, and all three medicines all over me…and the couch…and the floor.

Talk about YUCK. XX(

After we got the basics cleaned up, he was just fine—happy and giggling and playing. Of course. After he went to bed, the major couch clean up started (I think it will survive) and the laundry started (I hope my pants survive).

So, from now on, we’re dropping the Zyrtec and alternating the antibiotic and the cough medicine (or dropping it entirely until we think he needs it). I am NOT going to do that again.

The crying has changed a little…

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He now starts crying (well, whining) before we even get him upstairs! Like he knows what’s coming and doesn’t want to go! Even though we don’t like it (it still breaks our hearts), we can understand it because it means no more playing, no more Sesame Street, and no more mom and dad.

But that still doesn’t explain why he’s been waking up after a few hours and doing the same thing. Or crying worse. The two things may not even be related!

Thankfully, though, he still only cries for a few minutes (if that) before he stops and lays down.

What a kid.

The pediatrician doesn’t know, either.

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So, the pediatrician said that his ears were a little red, but nothing to worry about at all. She was more worried about his congested cough, which of course sounded much worse there in the office than it normally does at home (he did some shrieking-while-inhaling thing that she DID. NOT. LIKE.) and she said she thought it sounded croup-like, but was reassured when I said he had NEVER coughed like that before that moment, and he generally only coughs, in general, a handful of times in 24 hours.

She also checked his mouth and didn’t see any new teeth even remotely coming in so teething is pretty much out.

So I’m to give him allergy meds (generic Zyrtec) once a day at dinner and then let her know if he’s better or not by Monday. She said the allergy stuff should help dry him up so that the congested cough goes away. I’ve been giving it to him on and off, but more off because I hate giving him meds if I can help it. But, apparently, I should have continued. Who knew?

That said, her best guess to the waking-crying-thing was either a) nightmares or b) the congestion waking him up, then him being freaked out. She said it could really be 100 things, and she didn’t have anything concrete to tell me…which is basically what I expected.

I got cracked!

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I went to the chiropractor tonight—something I’ve always wanted to do, but never got around to figuring out because I hate dealing with insurance and it was just never really “that” bad. But ever since Owen, my back has been a lot worse—and if you remember, I threw my back out in December and had to get shots and take major painkillers. So I knew it was time. And then there was an internet deal I found for a local place…so I went, figuring even if I didn’t like it, I was only out $38. And all I have to say is…WOW.

It was originally supposed to just be a consultation, but when she saw the results of my scan, she said “You need an adjustment now.” Yeah, I knew I was broken.

A good scan would be all white—and (I’m guessing from the quick look I had) mine was about 80% color, with a few black spots at my neck (meaning it was the worst). After I laid on the table, she said one leg was longer than the other, which means my hips/pelvis is off, so she did something for that—which was painful, but then I felt relief, so it was all good. Then she took my head gently in her hands and—CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!—twisted and cracked my neck in one swift movement and it was simply amazing. And then she did the other side. AMAZING! Yes, I was one of those patients who had an “OH GOD” outburst because it felt so good. I could tell I would be sore, but it felt SO good to have been cracked.

She recommended me coming back in a few days and then again next week (when they have $10 sessions). Plus then I still have two more coupon visits (which equals about $8/visit). Aside from that, a visit is only $35 so it’s a lot cheaper than I expected—so I could easily afford to go once a month until my spine is back in working order. And they ALWAYS have the $10 Tuesday thing for people with no insurance or high deductibles!

The only negative is that the drive is about 20-35 minutes depending on traffic…but I can live with that for the relief it will surely bring.

Midnight freak out!

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So Owen freaked us the hell out last night. We were in a hotel, had put him to bed around his normal time, and that was that. We also decided to go to bed early, so we were in the room with him, and he made his usual little noises while he was sleeping. Tom and I had a hell of time trying to sleep—but that’s our fault for going to bed early in a water park hotel with a hundred kids running up and down the halls screaming. Anyway, no idea what time it was (though it turned out to be about midnight) I hear Owen start whining and whimpering. It was fairly quiet, so I thought it might just be something normal that we don’t hear because we’re not in the same room. Then it got louder and more insistent. And it scared me, because he’s NEVER EVER done that. I gave it a minute and the nurturer in me had to go get him.

By this time, Tom has heard him and woken up and we’re both kinda freaking out because he’s now CRYING and it’s the worst little cry and it’s breaking our hearts. He sounded like he was having trouble breathing, so I was really freaking out, and a hundred things were going through my mind. (In the end, I think it was just from the heavy crying.) But I was envisioning us having to go to the hospital because he was having an allergic reaction or something…and we weren’t in our hometown, and I had no idea where the hospital was (or even if there was one). Luckily Tom got up and took him for a few minutes while I tried to calm down. He seemed to be calming down so I went to the bathroom and apparently when I shut the bathroom door (and cut the light to the room) Owen freaked out again. So we were thinking bad dream or just unusual circumstances (he hadn’t gotten his best naps that day)—we didn’t know but he was certainly not himself and totally freaked out.

He calmed down again so Tom put him back in the crib and he instantly started crying again. It was horrible and we felt totally clueless. We got him out again and tried a bottle, thinking back that he hadn’t eaten much dinner. He drank that plus ate a yogurt, so he was certainly hungry. But hungry enough to wake him up and make him cry like that?

Needless to say I didn’t sleep much the rest of the night. We left the bathroom light on with the door open, and I was listening to his every move and every sound, checking the monitor every 10 seconds when he was [finally] quiet to make sure he was still breathing. And on top of that I was too hot, then too cold, too hot, too cold, ad nauseum. And Tom did fall asleep and was snoring. So I might have gotten two hours of piecemeal sleep from 9p-6a.

I posted on Facebook, and a friend said it might be night terrors. 88| I hadn’t thought of that, and Googling said it might be something similar (confusional arousal; night terrors are technically in older toddlers and are much, much worse).

Episodes of confusional arousals in children may seem bizarre and frightening to parents. The child can have a confused look on his or her face and “stare right through” you. Children may become more agitated when you try to comfort them. Most episodes last from five to fifteen minutes. But they may last as long as thirty to forty minutes in some youth.

This definitely sounds like what happened—and could have been brought on by a handful of things including unfamiliar situation, stress, and inadequate rest (which was definitely the case that day).

After talking to some other parent friends about what happened, they said it was most likely just a little nightmare, compounded by waking up hungry and in an unfamiliar place, then getting scared again when the (bathroom) light went out and not wanting to go back to the unfamiliar crib.

UPDATE: He slept fine the next night, so we’re hoping it was a one-time thing.

Freaky 15-month appointment.

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So Owen’s 15-month checkup today freaked me out. Big time.

At the beginning of the appointment, the nurse asks a bunch of questions that get asked every time (Does he use a car seat? Do the parents smoke? Do you have smoke detectors in the house? Is the water heater set to 120 or less?) and then asks about the things he’s able to do or words he can say, etc. Among other things, she asked if he was able to help with simple household tasks (no), if he could throw a ball over his head (no), if he could walk up steps (well, sort of, I guess), if he knew body parts (no), and if he could run (no).

Hmmm. I normally have a LOT more yes answers, so I was a bit concerned, even though I thought the things she was asking about seemed a tad advanced. But I didn’t really think that much about it because I know he’s a little behind in speech and was fully expecting the doc and/or the nurse to be somewhat concerned (the doc was slightly concerned at his 12-month visit that he didn’t have any words yet and wasn’t walking) so I just figured maybe he was a little behind in other stuff as well. So the nurse made her notes in the chart and we waited for the doc.

So she came in and asked if I had any concerns. I said no. She asked a few questions like the nurse had, about words he could say or if he could follow simple instructions. I said no, he didn’t even talk yet. She asked if I wanted to get him evaluated and I said no, I wasn’t concerned yet. She looked a little worried, then suggested I not wait too long. Ooooo-kay.

Then she asked more questions like what words he knew and could he tell you what he wanted without pointing (like how did he let you know he wanted to read a book). I said “We really don’t do that stuff…” and I started to think I was not doing anything I was supposed to and why haven’t I been doing more and I started feeling worse and worse and the more she talked/asked questions I felt myself getting defensive…and then I heard her say something like “He should really know about 100 words by the time he’s two.”

Wait, two? He’s barely one! 88|

So I told her we had plenty of time, then. And she looked at me like I was nuts, so I said “He’s just 15 months old!” And she looked at me and I looked at her and she looked at the chart…where the [new and apparently inattentive] nurse had mistakenly written down that this was his TWO YEAR, THREE MONTH appointment instead of his ONE YEAR, THREE MONTH appointment. The doctor immediately realized what had happened and apologized profusely, saying she doesn’t have the best memory for patient’s ages so she relies on the nurse’s notes—but she should always know to refer to the birth date instead.

She then reassured me that he was perfectly on target for his age level, and she understood why I was getting freaked out when she was adamant about getting him tested—she thought he was an entire year older than he actually was. (That also says something about his physical size—that he could pass for a 2+ year old in front of his own pediatrician!)

She asked me about his nutrition, and I said he drinks plenty of milk and could live on yogurt, but that he still doesn’t do too well with “real” food, and is often quite picky. She reassured me that it’s natural, and that he still gets most of his nutrition from the milk, so not to fret too much about it. She agreed that giving him jarred Stage 3 baby veggies was a good thing.

Unfortunately, he had to get three vaccinations, and those are never fun. Also, the doc gave the shots as opposed to the nurse, and I’m not quite sure why. Maybe the new nurse is more of a receptionist only? Or she was busy? Whatever the case, the doc wasn’t nearly as good/quick as our usual nurse, and Owen screamed his little head off (more so than normal)—but the good little boy that he is, he was over it by the time I got him redressed and was scheduling his next appointment.

His current stats:
Height: 34″ (Above 95th percentile) — was 32″
Weight: 28# 12oz (95th percentile) — was 26# 4oz
Head: 48cm (75th percentile) — was 47cm

Road Rash

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Owen got his first “road rash” tonight–we were out walking on the sidewalk and playing with a ball and he got tangled up in my feet and fell and scraped his cheek on the sidewalk. It wasn’t bad at all but he was really crying. Poor kid. We came in, washed it off, put cream on it, sat on the couch for a few minutes, then he was ready to go back out for more playing.

Right after it happened:

Later during his first spoon/yogurt experience (more on that in a later post):

Food Update

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We’ve been trucking along, trying new things and retrying old things…and things are getting somewhat better.

  • Tom said he ate TWO WHOLE PANCAKES one morning (the morning I was sick in bed after the stomach flu). The next morning he scarfed down a bunch of french toast and fried egg.
  • And he’s even been eating some small chicken pieces (which we gave him from our dinners of Pad Thai and chicken/spinach/alfredo pizza)!!
  • We tried avocado again—this time with some salt and lime juice (since he seems to like spices on his food)—and amazingly two small bites went down without any funny faces (way more than before) but then that was it.
  • He will chew on an almost-ripe pear and bite off pieces—but he won’t eat it.
  • He will eat Ritz crackers, although I don’t like to give him too many since I don’t want him to stop eating the less-flavorful snack crackers I have a ton of.
  • He now likes Cheerios (and will often stuff 3-4 in his mouth at once, which freaks me out but I’ve watched him a lot and he does just fine. He does the same with puffs, too.

I think the biggest thing, however, is that it has finally gotten through to my brain that he will NOT be eating as much as he used to, since weight gain at this age is supposed to slow waaaay down. Which means if he picks and nibbles and doesn’t seem to want the three things I’ve given him, then he gets a yogurt and that’s that. He will get his bottle (well, milk sippy cup) a bit after his meal and that will be good enough. Once I came to that conclusion, meal times have been better for me…although they can still be frustrating. 🙂

This is not my day.

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It started at 4:30am, when Tom’s alarm went off…which in and of itself is a necessity, I know. But he didn’t get up. EVEN THOUGH I SPECIFICALLY ASKED THE NIGHT BEFORE ABOUT IT AND OH, OF COURSE HE’S GETTING UP. 😐 So then of course he falls RIGHT back to sleep and I toss and turn, finally falling asleep until his second alarm went off about 5:15. Needless to say I was NOT happy. And he STILL didn’t get up and of course I had trouble falling asleep again. So just when I’m getting some sleep…*I* get a blocked call (had my phone on silent, but it still vibrates, which is enough to wake me up) at 6am.

>:XX

Then, after I put Owen down for his nap, I decided to get a bunch of stuff done around the house since I was feeling AMAZING (after a round of stomach flu this weekend) and was carrying laundry down from upstairs when I slipped and crashed on my ass. Luckily I didn’t hit my head or go down the entire staircase (or do any serious damage), but my butt, back, and wrists hurt immediately and I predicted in a few hours I wouldn’t be able to move (so I skipped the measly Advil and went straight to the prescription painkillers).

And just to round out my morning… I discovered that Maggie peed in the house. Again. I let her out this morning like I always do and tried to keep an eye on her (since she’s been peeing inside more often lately) and damn if she didn’t do it while I was in the shower. She just hates going outside in the cold/snow so if you don’t actually watch her outside I swear she fakes it…then pees in the house because you weren’t watching her at the exact moment she needed (wanted) to go outside. I think it might be time she goes back in her crate during the day.

GRRRR.

I know things could be worse (I could still have the flu, knock on wood, or god forbid Owen could have it, KNOCK ON WOOD) but this has not been a good day.

Owen and the Toybox

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Owen was so cute today, leaning over into his toybox reaching for something, with his feet dangling off the ground…so I reached for the Flip…and the next thing I hear is crying so I quick look around to see him IN the toybox with his legs in the air.

Is it wrong that my first thought was “DAMMIT! I MISSED GETTING IT ON CAMERA!” ❓ :>

12-Month Check-Up

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I couldn’t wait for today’s appointment, because I was VERY interested in how much Owen weighed—I was positive he had gained a few pounds from the last visit when he was 26#. So imagine my surprise when he weighed…26 pounds 4 ounces. Big whoop, he gained four ounces. I guess my back is just getting worse and worse and I thought (assumed) he gained more then he did. 😳

So, his stats:
Height: 32″ (95th percentile)
Weight: 26# 4oz (95th percentile)
Head: 47cm (75th percentile)

His head size also surprised me—his head looks so big that I couldn’t believe it was only in the 75th percentile.

And he apparently doesn’t like anyone to touch him now. He fought tooth and nail when the doc was trying to look in his ears, listen to his heart, and whatever other things she was looking at. Sigh.

He did, however, enjoy playing with the vertical blinds and spinning the doctor’s chair:

We now get to transition to whole milk in a sippy cup (not even a bottle!) AND get to brush his teeth after each time. That means an entirely new routine. IF he even likes the sippy cup for milk. IF he even likes the milk. I can’t wait. |-|

Then it was time for his immunizations. Four of them (well, three plus a flu shot). Two of which apparently sting like the dickens. Oh, there was screaming and crying and tears…poor kid. He was pretty okay a few minutes later, but I am guessing that was the Tylenol kicking in. He had a bottle on the way home and is now napping.

To Owen on his 1st Birthday

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Dear Owen,

We can’t believe it’s already been a year since you were born. It seems like just yesterday we were headed to the hospital, completely unprepared to have a baby (you were three weeks early, after all!). We also can’t believe how much we love you—we never thought it was possible to love something or someone SO much. Your dad and I constantly tell each other (and you) how much we love you, and we hope you can tell, even if you can’t understand us yet.

We are very, very thankful for the great little boy you are. Your mommy wasn’t sure she’d have the patience for a baby…but you have really been so easy—such a wonderful baby—that we feel very lucky.

  1. You have pretty much been a happy baby since Day One.
  2. You rarely cried and were never colicky.
  3. Once you started sleeping through the night, you slept like an angel.
  4. You continue to nap well and sleep well.
  5. You never needed to be held or rocked to fall asleep.
  6. You have only been sick once, and even then you weren’t that cranky.
  7. You really didn’t care what brand bottle we tried with you.
  8. You liked the cheap formula from Costco.
  9. Once you started solids, you were a really good eater and ate most whatever we gave you, quickly and easily.
  10. You have never had any major potty accidents (“poopsplosions”), at home or in public.
  11. We have never had to change the sheets in the middle of the night.
  12. You have the best laugh, and you laugh easily.
  13. You can play by yourself and keep yourself amused.
  14. You love to cuddle and watch Sesame Street.
  15. You haven’t been terribly cranky while teething.
  16. You transferred from a bottle to a sippy cup without missing a beat.
  17. You transferred from formula to milk without missing a beat.
  18. You love water and love baths!
  19. You don’t mind getting water on your face or in your eyes.
  20. You don’t mind getting your teeth brushed.
  21. You have always traveled well.
  22. You have always liked other people and will let anyone hold you.
  23. You are amazingly cute and unbelievably photogenic.

Of course, there are some things about you that we’d wish you’d quickly outgrow (every one of your books has chewed corners and your crib looks like it was attacked by a beaver) but these things pale in comparison to the love and joy you bring into our lives on a daily basis.

We can’t wait to see you continue to grow and develop, and we hope the upcoming years go by a bit slower than the first year.

Love Always,

Mommy & Daddy

Barf.

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Tom fed Owen tonight while I was working on dinner. I was amazed, because he went through a 3.5oz veggie, then a 6oz veggie, and then during the last bit of a yogurt, I asked Tom if Owen had burped at all…and just as he was saying no, Owen barfed.

Yeah, I thought it had been too much food too fast, but I didn’t make a big deal about it because it’s rare that Tom feeds him so I didn’t want to criticize anything (love you, babe!). We just cleaned him off and put him in the bath.

Then, since he had barfed up most everything, I made a big bottle, which he sucked down crazy fast. Before I put him down, I wanted to make sure he burped…and boy did he. I heard it coming, but it wasn’t just a burp.

That’s right, folks. He vomited all over me. Then turned to the other side and barfed some more, which got in my hair. I immediately yelled out — HELP! HELP NOW! — and Tom rushed up to see me and the boy covered in barf. He took the boy to get changed. I hopped in the shower. Then Tom got out the Rug Doctor and cleaned the green bean vomit (first in, last out!) while I played with the VERY HAPPY boy.

I was scared to try another bottle, but he needed something before bed—so Tom took a turn (he called me a wuss for not wanting to try again) with a 6oz bottle but I don’t think he even ate 2oz.

Poor baby.

Poor mom.

Wonderful dad for rushing to my aid.

Scrambled eggs!

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So, Owen and I just ate some scrambled eggs with turkey and potatoes and cheese for breakfast. Well, he ate some jarred peach muselix for his main breakfast, but then I tried out the eggs…and he really liked them. (I was pretty sure he would, as he likes the eggs that I put in fried rice.)

The funny thing is, I tried just the plain turkey first. No way, out it came. I tried a plain potato. Not interested at all. But scrambled in eggs, with a little butter and seasoning? Nom nom nom.

Except that I’ve noticed (or at least it seems to me) that he isn’t so much chewing (gumming) but just swallowing. I know he can “chew” because I can hear him crunching puffs, but when I gave him a pretty big bite of egg/potato/cheese, I didn’t really see him chewing at all. I guess he could just be swallowing (the stuff is soft so it would go down easy) and he doesn’t seem any worse for the wear, but it just seems off/wrong to me that he’s not chewing.

I’m not terribly worried, because I know he does chew/gum things…but it just seems very odd to me.

Food issues

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I always say food issues would never bother me. But now that I’m having to deal with them….

Owen can drive me nuts. One day he will love pears and eat, I swear, half a pear. The next day, he won’t touch one piece. One day he loves real corn, the next day he won’t touch it. Or he will eagerly eat two spoonsful of a jarred food, but then refuse to eat any more.

He won’t eat ANY food I make, regardless of the consistency (he used to at least eat my sweet potato). He loves the dried strawberries, so I got fresh berries and he pretty much won’t touch them (although I did manage to get two pics and a short video).

He started eating chunkier food (and will pick up pieces) but doesn’t really like chunky stage 3 food. But he will still eat the hell out of stage 2 food, so I still give him that so he gets some veggies.

I think if he could live on YoBaby yogurt and puffs, he’d be thrilled.

So we just keep plugging along, knowing that every baby is different and this is all normal.

Sigh.

First very minor injury!

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Owen was a poor little traumatized boy this afternoon… He was standing at the entertainment center like he does all the time, except the door was open today, so he was playing with that—when he suddenly let out this loud and frantic cry. OMG! I couldn’t see exactly what was going on (he was blocking my view) so I went over and…one of his little fingers was pinched in between the open door and shelf!

:'(

Poor kid…but he was mostly over it within two minutes, but I sucked up the additional cuddle time he gave me while watching Sesame Street and recuperating!

H1N1 Booster

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We were scheduled to get the booster shot on Friday, but with Owen’s recent barfing episodes, decided to take him in early if possible. (Yes, he’s barfed up a few meals since he’s been sick—nothing I could pinpoint to a new food or certain type of food, though.)

The doc said he seemed healthy enough although we was a bit congested (so said to give him Benedryl) but that he might have the remnants of a stomach virus, which would explain the barfing (i.e. he might be having trouble digesting the food) so she recommended a liquid diet for a few days, giving me some soy formula (better for digestion).

I also got him weighed. Are you ready?? 26 pounds! TWENTY SIX! He wasn’t naked, but how much can a pair of jeans and a onesie weigh? So he’s gained 2-3# since his 9-month appointment in November. 88|

Sick.

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We have a sick boy. :(:(

I think it’s just a cold because he’s just got a LOT of snot flowing (runny nose and sneezes, knock on wood it doesn’t get worse)…so we’ve got both the Vicks Waterless Vaporizer and his humidifier going at night.

His fourth tooth is also coming in, so maybe that’s part of him being sick (you never know what strange side effects teething will have).

Dog food & a parenting YUCK night.

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Owen is fast. Which is why the new gate normally stays closed:

But sometimes I leave it open so he can crawl up the step and into the kitchen. So tonight, he actually bypassed the water bowl and headed straight for the island…which is where the dog food is. He was fishing in the bowl, which made Maggie come running because she thought she was getting something good. It was funny because she saw him in her bowl, and suddenly she wanted to eat her food! I actually called Tom to tell him, and while I was talking to him, I saw a piece of food go in Owen’s mouth. Stinker! I wasn’t terribly worried, but I did try to get it out—to no avail. So Owen has officially eaten his first (and certainly not last) piece of dog food! He seemed no worse for the wear and I laughed about it.

Fast forward to dinner, when he becomes Mr. Crankpot. I am sure it has to do with him teething right now…but he’s fine ALL DAY and only turns cranky in the high chair. So he’s either becoming a fussy eater (some nights I’ve had to open three or four different jars of food to find something he’ll eat) or there’s something about eating while teething that’s the problem. Regardless, he’s just been off kilter for a few days—but he always ends up eating his normal amount (it just might take longer…and more patience).

So tonight I tried homemade carrots and that was a no-go for the second time. Then he finished the Zuchinni and Squash Stage 3 jar we started at lunch. Then I tried to give him some itsy bitsy noodles with some butter, and he ate a few small bites but he didn’t like that (although he has been okay with those same noodles mixed IN something). All this was interspersed with puffs, cheerios, freeze-dried corn, and veggie straws—all typical meal snacks. He still needed to eat more, though, so I got out some green veggies.

And he was eating just fine.

And we were almost done.

When he started coughing.

Which turned into almost choking.

I was just starting to get him out of the high chair when he started vomiting. There was nothing I could really do except let it happen. Yuck. The only good thing was that it stopped the choking. But it was all over everything: him, his clothes (jeans, onesie, and socks), the high chair (tray, seat, and foot ledge), me (jeans and shirt—he missed my shoes), the dining room chair cover—and as I learned later while cleaning it up…there was spatter in the entryway to the kitchen, the wall behind where I had been sitting, the floor under the high chair (and the inside underneath of the high chair…and the dog. Yes, the dog. And it was all green.

And speaking of the dog, yes, she cleaned it up. I didn’t want her to, but I was too busy taking care of and cleaning up Owen to worry about her. So I got him in his PJs and he was no worse for the wear. He was sitting, playing, and watching Sesame Street while I went to clean up the dining room. Egads, what a mess.

Definitely a parenting YUCK day.

Back Pain

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I just got home from the doctor’s office (clinic). I threw my back out Monday and have been taking some of Tom’s leftover meds to survive until I could get to the doctor. I thought I might get a lecture about taking other people’s prescriptions, but when I told the doc he didn’t even bat an eyelash and just said “Yes, those will help.”

He gave me a cortisone shot and prescribed Flexeril and Vicodin. He also took x-rays to rule out anything major like arthritis, scoliosis, or problem discs. He said he didn’t see anything obvious, but was having a radiologist look as well and will get back to me.

On another note, I technically killed three appointments in one by also getting 1) a script for my sleeping issues and 2) a flu shot. So I guess the hour wait and eventual 45-minute appointment wasn’t THAT bad.