Saturday Show & Tell

Today's blog may mainly be of photographs since Matt and I are pretty exhausted.

John went on his first official visit to Sally Beauty on Friday.  We were able to see many of the wonderful people who have been praying for John.  Unfortunately, it was right after his lunch so he was sleepy.

In front of an old Sally Beauty sign.

There are multiple areas throughout the building

showcasing beauty products throughout the ages.  

This one is a recreation of a barber shop.

The chair was not too uncomfortable.

John towards the end of the visit.

He was exhausted.

Like I mentioned earlier, we are trying to transition John to the crib/bassinet.  He is spending more time in the bassinet, but he is still refusing to take long naps in there.  I am now going back to bundling him.  (Thanks Ticia for the blanket; it's the only one that still works on him.  I went out and bought fabric to make more.)  It's helping a little.  Mainly, I usually find him awake studying the "artwork" or the toys.  But at least, he is spending time there.  It's a definite improvement hopefully marking an decrease in his reflux.

John figuring out RN Lisa's artwork.

Yes, I still have it even though he was discharged 

from the NICU 11 weeks ago.

(We do have other new ones we have created since then.)

Now to our Show & Tell part of today's post:  A montage of John's sleeping habits.

Does he not look adorable sleeping?  Oh, the sleep of the innocent.

What I don't understand is how he can possibly be comfortable in this position.  He would go back to this position no matter how many times I would straighten him out.  He actually took a long afternoon nap like this.

I actually had to wake him up.  He was missing his mid-afternoon feeding.  And John does NOT like to eat late even if it is because he was sleeping.  It still took us a few minutes to wake him up.

A now awake John eating his hand.  He was feeling the hunger.  He started crying right after this picture was taken.

To Each His Own Opinion

Today was an exhausting day.  John is finally asleep in his swing after his bath and night bottle.  He actually was quite good considering how many things we did today.  

For Grandma Ellen:

John yawning.

John went back for his 4-week post-op surgical appointment today.  The doctor declared everything OK.  I am jealous of John's incisions.  I doubt his scars will be noticeable at all.  I did mention to the surgeon John's current issue.  After a quick examination, he determined it was not a dietary issue but a small fissure.  Treatment: soaking bath in luke-warm water 3 times a day and apply Neosporin to affected area after each diaper change.  And I no longer needed to follow a restrictive diet.  WooHoo!

Of course, we also had a previously scheduled appointment with John's pediatrician for later that afternoon to discuss why diet changes were not working.  I decided to keep the appointment anyways.  After discussing what the surgeon said and confirming that it was, in fact, blood (No surprise on my part since I do not require a medical degree to figure out what is and is not blood) we got a new diagnosis.  Pediatrician said not fissure but protein allergy.  Treatment:  Continue avoiding diary products (but can resume eating everything else) and changed the formula we use to fortify my breastmilk.  

We are not exactly sure who is right.  So, we are going to follow the advice from both doctors and pray that whatever is wrong will clear up.  Poor little munchkin has had way too many things going on and deserves a little break.

Future pyromaniac?

He was fascinated by the candle's flame.

We did learn during our visits that John is now 11 lbs 4 oz!  He is getting so big.  In fact, he outgrew his first 3-month outfit this past weekend.  I am afraid we'll blink and he'll be going off to college.

Although for now, the next step will be transitioning to his crib and nursery.  This might prove to be a little challenging.  For some reason, John can self-soothe in his swing and bouncy chair but not in his bassinet.  He will startle himself and then won't go back to sleep.  It might be because he has not slept in it since he first came home.  To help with the transition, John is currently taking his naps in the bassinet.  Hopefully, he will learn to sleep without waking himself up.

Today was also the last day of the baptism preparation classes.  YAY!  Tomorrow I am going to the church office to schedule John's baptism.  WOOHOO! 

Ash Wednesday

John and I just made it to the 830 mass this morning.  We could not miss John's first "Ash Wednesday" mass.  Not that he was awake during any part of it.  But on the bright side, I did not have to worry about him crying.  He looked adorable asleep in his stroller.  We stayed in the back of the sanctuary.  I am still not confident enough to actually sit at one of the benches in case he starts crying.  

Sleeping John after receiving the ashes.

He has been a little more fussy these last couple of days.  We are not sure if it's related to the ongoing digestive issues (the diet is not working), teething (he has been drooling a lot), some other issues or just having some off days.  Of course, it could also be that he is a little spoiled.  Grandma Ellen walked John around the house after his meals.  He actually would demand it.  John knew he could get away with it if it was grandma.  The little stinker!  

John startled by the Mommy Paparazzi.

Notice how he is losing his hair.

John had enough of the B umbo and the sunglasses.

(Aunt Pau said he was playing his air guitar.)

John and I joined Grandma Ellen and her high school friends for lunch on Monday.  They all gushed over him.  And John enjoyed four extra grandmothers loving on him.  Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures because the camera battery was not charged. Arg!  He showed off giggling and smiling.  He cuddled with all of them.  Do children have a sixth sense about grandmothers?

John walked around by Grandma Ellen.

Did you notice his spoiled look?

Grandma Ellen feeding John before bedtime.

On other news, John is really enjoying his baths.  He now splashes and moves like a tadpole in the tub.  The last three nights I have been soaked trying to bathe him.  John still enjoys relaxing in the tub, but it's nice to see him smiling and playing more.

Quiet Sunday

Once again John was great at church.  Matt and I are still grappling with attending the 730a mass.  But I imagine it's a matter of forming a habit.  (Do you ever get used to getting up for mass that early?)

John playing with his hand.

John received a visit from Aunt AA, Uncle Gary and Uncle Kerby.  He showed off during the visit laughing and smiling.  And to John's delight, Grandma Ellen arrived today.  He's been cuddling and getting love from his grandma all evening.

John conversing with Lion.

Some good news:  The dietary changes appear to finally be working!  We are hopeful that John will continue to get better and we won't have a repeat scare.

Busy, Busy Bees!

"Weekends are for working!"  Yes, I actually said it.  And, frankly, it doesn't freak me out as much anymore.  At least not as much as the first time I said it.  Growing up, dad would wake us up EARLY on saturday mornings with that saying.  I remember how surprised I was when I learned in college that most people (GASP!) slept in, some 'til noon, on saturdays.  And now, I actually look forward to all the things I can accomplish.  It's specially important now that John is here.  It's become considerably harder to get projects finished.

Right now, John is enjoying his morning nap.  He had a great night last night.  It has been an improvement from the last few nights.  And Blogger and my computer are cooperating; we have pictures!

John has continued to surprise me every day with new things he can do.  He is now doing the pushups regularly.  And yesterday, he did one with full extension of the arms!  I do have to admit that I am cheating.  John, unfortunately, discovered the TV a few days ago.  (Yes, I am my father's daughter.  His TV time will be limited.)  But we decided to us this new found love to our advantage.  We place his playmat so that he has to do pushups to see the TV.  It's getting us results.  And I am dealing with it because we only do it for a few minutes in the morning and the afternoon.

Below is a series of pictures.  I tried to upload as many as I could since my computer is being temperamental.

John at our favorite sushi restaurant. 

At first, we couldn't figure out where he was looking.  

He found the Mavs on TV.

John meeting MeMe 'Licia.

We are so blessed with how many people love our little one.

I am convinced this is showing the true nature

of our four-legged babies.

John entertained with his hand.

I just love this picture.  

Doesn't he look good in burnt orange?

My burnt-orange boys!

Daddy and John were playing peek-a-boo.

Have to go now.  John is awake and NOT happy.

TGIF!

I have learned that even stay-at-home moms are thrilled about the upcoming weekend; we get to spend more time with Matt.

John is currently doing tummy time right next to me.  But he is trying to sneak a nap so I have to entertain him while I try to type.

Yesterday we had our first baptism preparation class.  It was not bad.  There were other classes also taking place in the same wing.  I loved seeing some of my teachers from other classes I was taking before John was born.  And John was a model little baby boy (DUH!) during the class.  He did not misbehave at all. 

Will have to continue entry later since John is falling asleep....

Cool Moves John!

John rolled over today from front to back during morning tummy time!  And during afternoon tummy time he did at least 3 push ups where his head was off the floor about 45 degrees!  I did not get a repeat occurrence.  And yes, he did it backwards since he is supposed to do pushups before he rolls over, but we are thrilled!  Both times he was one ticked off baby.  Anger appears to be a good incentive for him to move.  

Right now, he is enjoying some cuddle time with Aunt Pau while he waits for bath time.

John continues to have what we assume are digestive issues.  It does not appear that the change in diet has made a difference.  But John appears to be fine otherwise.  He wakes up every morning in a good mood.  He now likes to talk while he gets changed.  His smiles are so common now, yet they do not lose their magic.  He spends most of the day playing with his new favorite toy: his hand.  John will hold it up, move it around, and touch his nose and cheek with it.  It is only the right hand.  Surprisingly, he's still to discover the left one.  

Blessings!

What a long road we have travelled.... 

Today was John's 4 month birthday.  We are so blessed to be here now....  Even with the current diet problems, we are blessed with an adorable, healthy little boy.  And we will never be able to repay all of you for your support and prayers during these last four months.

Thank you!

Hurry Up and Wait

John still has occasional (and substantial) blood in his stool. His cultures and X-Rays from the hospital came back negative, so we are focusing on a possible allergic reaction to Ruth's diet. Ruth is now avoiding beef and dairy products.

John's date Tammie took this bath photo of him on Valentine's Day

Old Pics I needed to put up

First Picture of John Smiling!

Mixed Weekend

John had a terrific time on Saturday with his date, Tammie. He and his date accompanied Mom and Dad to dinner. Unfortunately John fell asleep at dinner. Tammie also saw him naked on their first date as she helped bathe him after dinner.

Sunday has been mixed for John - he enjoyed his breakfast with Aunt Pau but there is blood in his stool again and lots of gas and reflux giving him problems. Mom will check in with the pediatrician again tomorrow and we are trying to keep him comfortable in the meantime.

ED Visit (Update)

Rereading the entry, we wanted to clarify some things.  The hospital itself was quite clean considering it was the emergency department.  The people were courteous and friendly.  The waiting room was actually "cleaned" twice while we waited (2 hours).  But there is not much that can be done when a sniffling kid wipes her nose and then touches the chairs or little kids run around the room while coughing (not covering their mouths).  

In truth, the most frustrating part was watching the parents.  As an adult, you should have learned to cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.  It's not that hard to remember!  But maybe it was too much to ask considering we saw a couple not realize the toddler they brought to the ED was missing for 10 minutes before they looked for her!!!  She was playing with some other children a few rows behind them.  

ED Visit

We are up and semi-functional.  We had a little scare yesterday.  At 230p, John had some blood in his stool.  It was just a few streaks but not normal.  Two diaper changes later (at 8p) it had continued to increase.  The pediatrician's triage RN sent us to the  ED.  

We have spent the last two months taking measures to limit John's exposure to any possible illnesses and germs.   And then, we spent two long hours in the cesspool of biowarfare that is the ED waiting room of a children's hospital.  We adore children.  Yesterday, we did not see cute little faces and chubby cheeks.  We just saw pint-size blobs of germs and illness closing in on John.

Once we were in the back, they ran some tests to make sure it was blood.  Then did a culture and gave John an X-ray to rule out distended bowls or bowl obstruction.  It was blood, but the X-rays came back normal.  So we were discharged.  The ED doctor said that in most cases (they see many of them every week) they never find out the cause.  It resolves on its own. 

We headed back home in the wee hours of the morning.  John blissfully asleep in his car seat; he was no problem once he was allowed to eat again.

This morning John woke up in his usually cheerful mood.  He is currently playing with his newest toy: his right hand.  There was just a little bit of blood in his last diaper but noticeably decreased.  Now we just hope and pray that he did not catch anything worse because of this field trip.  

Sorry there haven't been any pictures lately.  My computer has decided it won't work with Blogger.  We'll try to get some up soon.

A Lesson in Texas Weather

We were just dressing John after his bath when the severe weather sirens went off last night.  We had been watching the storm move across the area so it was not a surprise.  Matt rounded up the puppies (Sandy knows the routine, but Bevo is new to it).  I got John with B oppy, bottle and blanket, and we all settled in the hallway closet.  Thankfully the storm was moving so fast that it was soon past us with nothing but lots of rain to show for it.  John did quite well for being a tad bit crowded.  But as long as he was getting his food, he was happy.  It's just something that he is going to have to live with as long as we are in Texas.  You get used to it.

We are not sure if it was because of the change in his routine but John was fussy from 230a - 6a.  We were so sleep-deprived that we almost missed our 4-month check up this morning.

John is doing great.  He now weighs 10 lbs and measures 21".  He is still way under the curve for height and weight by chronological age, but on track for his adjusted age.  More importantly (and surprising), developmentally he is closer to his chronological age.  However, he is still closer to a 7-week old when it comes to neck control and, of course, he is not rolling over yet.  The doctor is not concerned.  So, it's more tummy time for John.  

The doctor did encourage us to wean him off his night feeding by the time he reaches 12 lbs or in about a month.  It is a pretty arbitrary demarcation line in my opinion.  But since he is already sleeping 6 hours a night, it should not be a problem.  We hope.

John also got another round of vaccines.  I should be used to needles by now after a month of giving insulin shots to my father in law and two IVF cycles.  I still bothers me to see him get his shots.  And does anyone else think those needles are unnecessarily long for such little babies?  He spent the morning sleeping on Mom.  Mom needed it more than John.  Now he's sleeping in his bouncy after a long conversation with a ducky from his playmat.  He's becoming quite the talker now that he's found his voice.

Hey, I Have a Hand!

John has found his hand!  He was staring at it in between trying to eat it.  At some point he was even going cross-eyed.  But he clearly would look at it and move it and follow it.  It was awesome!  And the best thing is that Matt was here to see it happen.   

Mellow Tuesday

John is currently taking his mid-morning nap listening to Fleetwood Mac.  John also listens to some children's songs although probably not as many.  Grandma Ellen gave us some CDs with children's music in English.  This has been great since I did not grow up with English nursery songs or games.  (I don't even know all of Patti Cake.)  John also has a collection of Spanish CDs from Cri-Cri.  My parents and I grew up listening to these songs.  So far, he doesn't appear to have a preference.  We'll see what he prefers as he gets older. 

We are slowly doing more things with him outside the house.  Although, I still panic about sick people getting too close to him.  Thankfully, most people are pretty respectful and don't try to touch him.  We have come to love the car seats privacy screen.  I feel like he is a little more protected from all those germs flying around. 

John spent almost 20 minutes last night talking and laughing with the moon on his bouncer.  We are not sure what was so funny.  But the conversation was quite entertaining to watch.  He makes so many sounds now. 

John laughing at something the Moon must have said.

SHOW & TELL

We had to add a picture of Uncle Jeff and Jerry to the blog. 

(That's the '92 Superbowl ring.)

Does anyone else find it interesting that Jerry was out clubbing?

Hungry, Hungry Bubeaner

Sunday went by extremely fast.  John insisted on eating every 1 - 1.5 hours!  And he is not exactly a patient little person when it comes to food.  His screaming at one point actually hurt our ears.  How can someone so little create so much noise?

Thankfully, he still slept 5.5 hours last night.  We were concerned he was going to keep the feeding pattern up during the night.  This morning he appears to have gone back to his regular routine.  YAY!

John and I took a little trip to Denton today.  We picked Matt up from work and headed to the county court house to apply for his 1st passport.  It was also the first time going through a metal detector with John and his stroller.  It was interesting.  It highlighted how different our lives are now... and how much more fun it will be to go through airport security.

As to the actual passport picture process, I was not too worried.  John almost poses for his pictures at home.  He looks directly at the camera; he loves the camera.  See where this is going?  John cried during almost the entire process.  Finally we were able to get one semi-decent picture.  We were lucky to have a nice and patient lady helping us.  We can't imagine how much more difficult this would have been with a sourly person.

Random Story:

These are pictures from the day we went to see the surgeon.  On the way back we stopped at a restaurant to eat.  (We waited for the doctor for 2.5 hours after our appointment before seeing her and were starving.)  Thankfully, the restaurant was empty and we got our food right away.  Before we left John needed to be changed.  (Note to self: carry Clorox wipes.  I used almost all my hand sanitizer cleaning the changing table.)  In the end I ended up changing his outfits twice.  Once, I was not fast enough in putting the diaper on and the second time he threw up on himself.  John thought it was hilarious!  He was giggling.  John is teaching me that it's much more fun to just laugh when things are going wrong.  It was quite amusing. 

John after his last change.

(Don't worry I was a lot closer than the picture appears.)

A close up of the diapers and dirty clothes.

Now I know why I have that John emergency box in the car.  

(Lucia, that was a great idea!)

And That Makes Two (Catching Up III)

Once again John slept for 6 hours straight.  And this time, he had taken his afternoon naps.  We are thrilled with this new development.  

Somehow in the chaos of preparing for the surgery, we forgot to mention that John now laughs out loud! He did it for the first time on Monday, January 26th.  Yes, I know the exact date (after the 3 pm feeding).  It's obviously 1st-child syndrome.  He has done it a few more times since then, but still not as much as he smiles.  And John now graces us with beautiful smiles everyday.  He specially loves it when you kiss him on the neck.  Of course, not as much as he loves cuddling on his daddy's tummy.

He has found the puppies.  Or, more likely, he is actually paying attention to them.  And the puppies now also appear to realize that John is a human... a tiny one, but human none the less.  Two days ago Sandy, the cocker spaniel, started bringing John one of her favorite toys.  She places it on his lap while he is on his bouncer and stares at John.  I tried explaining that John can't throw yet.  The concept appears to be lost on her as she continues to do it.  

As to Bevo, the beagle, he is bound and determined to make sure John sticks to his feeding routine specially during the night.  Bevo will get up and shake his head making his tags jingle trying to wake us and John up.  This morning, Bevo tried waking up John multiple times because he wasn't up for the 430 am feeding.  Try explaining to a beagle that John's schedule is off because he ate at 3 am instead.

Today we have a busy day: Costo, "Home Depot, maybe Beth Bath and Beyond.  We just don't know if we'll have time. We just don't know."  

RANDOM PICTURES:

Yes, almost every aspect of John's life is recorded.

Tammie holding John.  

She kept mom from going nuts in the waiting room.

The inpatient unit was quite nice and 

John's room was large.

Catching Up! (Part II)

We are back.  Oh, and what a wonderful night we had last night!  

John did not take his longer naps yesterday during the day.  He only slept about 15 minutes from 3p - 9p while I updated the blog.  And then he had his first full bath since the surgery last night.  John really enjoyed soaking in the water.  I wanted to make sure that all the grime and stink from the previous week came off.  Don't get me wrong we had been giving him sponge baths but somehow it did not feel like he was truly clean.  

In any case, John slept for almost 6 hours straight!  We are not sure how long he would have gone because we woke him up to eat.  At that point Matt and I were waking up every 10-15 minutes to make sure he was OK (i.e. still breathing).  So, it just seemed like the best option.  Oh, how Matt and I have missed the nighttime bath routine.  Since the surgery (and no baths), John was only sleeping 3 hours between feedings at night.

Right now, he is taking his midmorning nap listening to Sinatra.  He loves music.  We haven't found any genre he dislikes.  I did make a funny musical discovery the other day.  John will calm down even if he is crying if you sing Cielito Lindo.  I sang it one day because his crying reminded me of the "ay, ay, ay, ay" and then the "canta y no llores" seemed appropriate.  It works like a charm every time.  He had not heard it before, not even in utero.  In fact, I had to look up the remainder of the lyrics because I couldn't remember them.  But it's a good thing to know.

Hysterical crying in his "Hamburglar" outfit.

Maybe that was why he was crying.

John was done with play time.

John napping

John break.  The baby is awake.

Catching Up! (Part I)

Ok, it's been a little while since we have shared some of the little cute (and sometimes stinky) things that John has done.  John is now sleeping and the house is clean so we have some time.

First of all, I am convinced our pediatrician is nuts.  He told us with a straight face that we could not spoil John while he was this little and not too worry about holding him too much.  Well, let me tell you this young man is CONNING us!  Granted we were coddling him because of his surgery and my illogical fear that his belly button will pop out.  Yes, I actually had a nightmare about it.  But now he is refusing to take a nap unless he is being held.  That is until today.  I forced myself to let him fuss for a while (6 incredibly LONG minutes) before he fell asleep.  

Taking a nap on Mom

He's lucky he's so darn cute!

Today we also worked for the first time after the surgery on belly time.  John cried and hated it.  He did "crawl" around the mat by pushing off my hand.  In fact that was the only time that he was not screaming his little head off.  We are now trying the b umbo out for a few minutes everyday since he still refuses to do any pushups.  John appears to like it even though he is a little small still.  Ok, John is up again.... and crying hysterically.  We'll continue the update later.

Not-so-happy face in the b umbo

The Monday After

John had a difficult Sunday, crying in pain often during the afternoon and evening and having obvious abnormal discomfort when pooping or passing gas. Ruth and Pauline took him to see the surgeon on call at Cooks Children's today. She told them that John was having normal post-surgical pain and upped his Tylenol frequency to every four hours.

Bevo, John's beagle, had a vet visit today for soft-tissue damage making him wake on three legs. Evidently both John and Bevo will recover soon.