It's Already Wednesday?!?

The morning started with a post-op visit with Dad's doctor.  Everything looks great and is improving as expected!  He is now allowed to drive as long as he is careful with not twisting or making sudden movements.  Dad was anxious to get back to the office immediately (he's been working from home), but the doctor insisted on another week at home after which he can go back for half days.  

Bubeaner's new play area

Afterwards, Momma and Bubeaner headed off to Gymb0ree.  We arrived pretty early to give Bubeaner time to adjust to his surroundings.  He was interacting well with the instructors and staff.  But when the babies showed up he became moody and clung to Momma.  He did not even want to participate in any of the activities.  Bubeaner actually cried at one point.  The only part he liked was playing with the bubbles.  But that was at the end and he was sitting on Momma's lap.  This is probably normal behavior since his only real interaction with other babies has been at the Gymb0ree classes.  We imagine that things will improve with time.

He was so busy taking every toy out 

that he did not even notice the gate

During nap time, Momma finally mastered the play yard gate.  The gate is now up and actually quite sturdy!  The area looks empty but that will not last long.  More importantly, Bubeaner will be in a secured area with soft foam mats on the floor.  He was in there are soon as he woke up.  He did not even notice the gate at all!  He was enthralled with the concept of being able to play with ALL of his toys at once.  Usually, he is only allowed 1-2 toys at a time.  But as long as we put away all the toys at the end of every play time, there really should not be any harm with allowing him access to his toy box.  Right?  He played nonstop during dinner preparations without once fussing or asking for attention.  The excitement of playing so much left us with a tired Bubeaner.  He actually went to sleep on time without problems!

"I think I can see the bottom"

Dad and Bubeaner are both enjoying spending so much time together.  And Dad has taken this time to teach Bubeaner some important words of wisdom he may find useful in the future.  Bubeaner now says "whoa" and "no".  And surprisingly, he uses them correctly usually when referring to Momma's activities/actions.  Momma is taking the new editorial comments in stride.  Bubeaner now also uses "bah" for when something is gone/finished and "sta" (probably for "ahi esta") when we play peekaboo.

Busy Tuesday

Tuesday we canceled our original plans to visit the hospice office and drop by to visit aunt AA/uncle  Gary.  Bubeaner has been getting into more things as he is more mobile and a trip to the store for child-proofing gadgets was desperately needed.  It is quite amazing the number of gadgets in the market.  We got a few basic ones to cover our immediate needs and then a couple of other ones to try out.  Child-proofing can get expensive!

"Oh, Dad, you are so funny thinking I am going to cooperate"

Of course it did not help that we found several preemie outfits (on sale!) for Bubeaner to donate to his old NICU.  It is amazing to us to see the difference in those outfits and the ones he wears now and then to remember that at first the preemie outfits were big on him!  God is good!  

We also got him a couple of spill-proof sippy cups with straws.  YAY!  Bubeaner loved them.  He started using them as soon as they were washed.  It's good to have a way he can drink water when thirsty now that he is not nursing much at all.

Is he getting sleepy, finally?

And what trip to the baby store can be complete without some new outfits?  Although in fact, we have not had to buy much clothing for Bubeaner since he was born.  His adoring and loving fans keep him well stocked.  But every once in a while we just see a must have item.  He now has two more long-sleeve dress shirts, dark dress jeans, and cool suede loafers; he needed new clothes for church.  (That is our story and we are sticking to it.)  He also got a new pair of house shoes since he's outgrown his other ones.

At home, Momma spent the afternoon and most of the evening attempting to put up the play yard, which, of course, did not end up lining up with the studs.  On the bright side, we have now mastered the use of toggle bolts (without damaging the walls).  This was a trial run, however, since the measurements were off by <1/8".

"Hmm, what other things can I do to stay awake?"

The really challenging part of the night was at the end.  Bubeaner refused to go to sleep.  And we have been weak not letting him cry it out.  But it's so hard to ignore him when he is laughing and giggling and talking.  We know this is a problem of our own making.  We finally tried to start him off in our bed while we read.  The goal was to transfer him to his crib once he was asleep.  It did not work out that way.  By the time he fell asleep we were too leery of moving and waking him up.  Bubeaner won.  When he did finally fall asleep he was holding on to Dad.  Bubeaner has gotten extremely close to Dad in the last week.  He is really enjoying seeing him so much during the day.  It will be hard for him, for both of them, when Dad needs to return to work.

Finally! Blissful Silence

Amusing Monday

Monday started with our regular routine despite the fact that Grandma and Dad were both at home.  Before noon Momma, Bubeaner and aunt Pau dropped off Grandma at the airport.  It's a good thing Bubeaner does not yet recognize what the airport is or what it means to drop Grandma off.  This will not be such an easy manoeuvre later.  

Silly Grinning Bubeaner

We then headed off to watch a CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs in 3D.  Bubeaner stayed awake this time probably because it was animated.  For a while he sat in between Pau and Momma watching the movie.  Next week we hope to catch a double feature in 3D of the ToyStory.  Bubeaner will probably also stay awake during that showing.

Walking Cowboys fan showing off his new shoes

Bubeaner slept during our grocery trip after the movies probably since he skipped his nap in favor of watching the movie.   Of course, since we forgot our grocery list, we ended up not getting half the items we needed.  We'll just have to get them next week.

Dad had originally hoped to watch the game with his son but Bubeaner was asleep and in his crib by kick off.  It will be some years before they can really watch a night game together.

Flying Bubeaner with his aunt after leaving the theater

Sleepless Sunday

We had another episode of flying Bubeaner.  Although this one was more of a rolling-off-the-bed incident.  He was having what appeared like nightmares last night and started crying at midnight.  We finally gave up and moved him to our bed.  If he joins us on the bed we place him in the middle.  But because of concerns about him kicking or punching Dad's incision site, he slept on Momma's bed.  At one point early in the morning, Bubeaner decided to roll over.... and Momma did not catch him in time.  Thankfully, our bed is so low to the ground (less than a foot) that he just ended up kneeling.  We just don't know what to do if this continues.  He won't sleep and we are, obviously, so exhausted that it's not safe for him to sleep with us.  

Bubeaner after a not-so-healthy, but oh-so-good, snack of 0re0s

In any case, we overslept and missed church... even aunt Pau's service.  As you can imagine the rest of the day was spent resting.  We did entertain ourselves some by playing with Bubeaner's hair.  It's just so easy to style it!

Might it be assumed Bubeaner was a tad bit hungry?

(Notice the cool mohawk he is sporting?)

Grandma Ellen returns home tomorrow.  It's been nice having the extra help with Bubeaner especially with his new nighttime routine.  Bubeaner is going to miss the extra attention.  But before Grandma left, Bubeaner decided to show his latests move.  He can now go from kneeling/crawling to standing up.  And he is enjoying "climbing" anything.  Getting him dressed is now more challenging as Grandma found out at night.

Reading Pat The Bunny with Grandma Ellen.

Cuddling while having his nighttime bottle

Games and Resting

Our days have followed the same routine lately:  we are staying close to home and resting.  It is still mind-boggling to remember that Dad had back surgery just a few days ago.  He is doing a good job recuperating.  We have had to remind him to take it easy and not over do it.  (He worked for a while this evening, but he promised to keep it short.)  The last thing we want is for him to re-injure himself right now.  He is still pretty slow when sitting up/down and getting up/down, but that is pretty normal.  

"Momma, I'm bored...."

We have been enjoying some good family naps.  They have been needed by all (Dad because his body is still healing and Momma/Bubeaner because of Bubeaner's new early, EARLY, wake up routine).  Bubeaner was a little bit difficult last night.  In fact, he was a little pill.  

What happens when parents are worn out:

we gave him a Maria Cookie to stop him from crying.

Thankfully, Grandma and aunt Pau were on hand to assist with feeding and bath/bed time rituals.  Not sleeping through the night has zapped our energy.

Bubeaner-Dragon sighting

Easy Going

Dad is doing quite well today considering he had back surgery just three days ago!  His movement is almost back to normal even though he is still moving slower.  His pain is decreasing every day.  And more importantly, there is only a trace of the pain he had from the herniated disk.

Grandma Ellen returned today for another short visit.  Dad felt well enough to join us to pick her up from the airport.  However, he was drained by the time we got home even though we did not even get out of the car and the airport is only 5 minutes from the house.  He took a nap when we got home.  Poor guy!  He was surprised by how much energy the short trip took.

The rest of the day we spent watching Bubeaner playing.  Bubeaner loved having Grandma back.

A mad Cubbies fan!

He did not like hearing about the latest injuries

But then he remembered that the Cubbies are not yet 

mathematically eliminated....  There is HOPE!

Recovering

What can be said about a nice, quiet day at home?  Dad continues to improve slowly.  He is now moving easier although still a bit slowly.  And Bubeaner is enjoying having Dad around all day even though he can't play with him.  Bubeaner carefully watches everything Dad does and is starting to imitate him.  Our little boy is practicing being a man. 

Reading the paper like Dad.  

He did not get the Sports Section until after Dad finished reading it.

He enjoyed looking at the different pictures.

Surprisingly he did not try to eat it.

Uncle Jeff came by today for a visit and brought the family dinner.  YAY!  The guys watched some TV while Bubeaner played with his toys.  Bubeaner was a little shy at first but soon warmed up to uncle Jeff.  It did not help that the dogs had barked when uncle Jeff arrived.  We noticed that Bubeaner will now cry, with actual tears, if the dogs bark when someone comes to the house.  It mainly happens when he is "alone" in his walker or on his play mat.  He will only calm down when Momma holds him.  We are not sure what cause this to start.

He's actually feeding himself cereal!

A Long Sleepless Night

Both boys were up several times during the night.  In fact, they took turns at least every two hours being awake.  Dad was having a bad, thought normal, reaction to the anesthetic and couldn't keep liquids or medications down.  Bubeaner... we couldn't figure out what was wrong with him other than maybe sensing the stress of the previous day and the change in routine.  At 6a we finally gave up all pretense of sleeping and started our daily routine.  

Thankfully, after some new medication, Dad started feeling better by 9a.  And by the time Grandma Ellen left for the airport, Bubeaner, Momma and Dad were taking a long nap.  In fact, we spent the entire day lounging and napping.  Uncle Gary and aunt AA dropped by for a visit and brought us a delicious home-cooked meal.  And they also stayed with the two sleeping boys while Momma ran some quick errands. 

Meme 'Licia and aunt Pau came over for an informal birthday dinner for Momma.  We ended the day enjoying delicious red velvet cupcakes.

A bloom from Momma's birthday bouquet from her boys

Dad's Ouchy

Dad's surgery was moved back to 11a.  Bubeaner enjoyed the extra cuddling time with dad before heading off to the hospital.  We did not know how long we would be at the hospital between the procedure and recovery time.  We had to pack his diaper bags like we were going on an overnight trip.  Our motto is that it's better to have packed too much than be missing an outfit or diapers in a pinch.  

Bubeaner and Dad prior to the surgery

The nurses were nice enough to allow all of us (Grandma, Momma and Bubeaner) to wait with Dad in the pre-op room.  It is usually limited to one person.  Bubeaner played with Dad and was curious about everything in the office.  He was a little suspicious of the doctors but not surprisingly, he flirted with the nurses.  Dad's surgery was supposed to take between 45-60 minutes, but Dr. R was out in the waiting room within 20 minutes!  We were thrilled that the procedure was uneventful and that everything went according to plan.  Grandma Ellen took care of Bubeaner while Momma helped out Dad in the recovery room.  Thankfully, this coincided with Bubeaner's nap time.  We are blessed that he has no problems napping in his car seat AND in a loud environment.  He slept through all of Dad's time in the recovery room.

Helping Dad put on his stylish hat

Dad, though in pain and sore from the surgery, felt immediate relief from the herniated disk.  He spent the afternoon and evening dosing in between forced walks around the house.  Bubeaner followed Momma and Dad during these walks.  He tried to engage Dad in playtime several times but couldn't understand why he wasn't playing.  Thankfully, Grandma was able to spend quality time with him.

Rewarded with hugs and kisses  for his help

More Grandma Time

Bubeaner went with Grandma to her doctor's appointment.  We are getting the hang of our quarterly MD visit.  Bubeaner behaves so well wherever we go.  He was great during the visit.  He was in his element with the older crowd wooing grandmothers in the waiting room.  He even chose this time to start waving goodbye/hi to people!  We tried repeating it for Dad later but Bubeaner would not cooperate.

Bubeaner chatting during lunch

We enjoyed lunch with Grandma Ellen and her high school friends even though we were sad two of them were not able to meet us due to health concerns.  This was the first time we ordered a full meal for Bubeaner.  (He usually eats his baby food when we go out.)  He had turkey breast, bread, fruit, and some vegetables.  He especially enjoyed drinking out of the bright cup with a straw.  And yes, he also wooed the ladies at the table next to ours.  We are beginning to see a trend here.... Bubeaner is an unrepentant and quite effective flirt.  Maybe it's the big soulful brown eyes that twinkle with mischief.  

Lately Bubeaner is more interested in "feeding" himself 

He knew he was supposed to be in bed, 

but was taking advantage of his aunt's "protection"

Grandma Time

Bubeaner has been spending some good quality time with Grandma Ellen.  He has been showing her every single one of his "tricks" even during bath time.  And Granma has taught him a new game.  Bubeaner now loves to play "Pat-a-Cake" at all times.  We have tried to convince him that "Pat-a-Cake" is not meant to be played at midnight, or 3a, or 4a for that matter.  We are having little success.

He loves his jumperoo and its toys

We have been feeding him more during his meals by adding cereal to his fruit puree snacks, adding good fat like from avocado, and offering him more food overall.  As a result, he has weaned himself off another meal.  He now only nurses at 430a/5a and at 9a.  He has a mid-morning snack, a full meal at noon followed by 4-6 oz of formula, another snack at 3p after his long nap followed by 2-4 oz of formula, dinner with water at 630p, then a bath followed by 4-8 oz of formula with cereal for supper at 730p.  We joke about our foie gras Bubeaner, but we never force feed him.  We offer him healthy food options and stop when he shows signs of being full.  Above all, we are trying to instill healthy eating habits that he can follow through life. 

Bubeaner fell asleep on Grandma's hand during dinner

After bath time and a bottle, Bubeaner fell asleep on Grandma's shoulder

Quiet Saturday

Today was a quiet day at home.  Dad is struggling with his back pain but still made time to watch the day's games with Bubeaner.  And Bubeaner is getting used to his new Saturday routine of lounging on the couch with Dad while watching fun images on the TV.

Relaxing between plays

In the late afternoon, Grandma Ellen arrived for a 4-day visit.  Bubeaner was thrilled to have his Grandma all to his own.

Bubeaner trying to drink from his bottle

Back to Foie Gras Bubeaner?

Today was our appointment with Dr. O, the GI doctor.  Bubeaner now weighs 17.5 pounds.  We had expected a higher number since he is now eating non-stop and feels so much heavier.  His height was also measured but, if it's to be believed, it was less than his 9-month check up.  We sincerely doubt he shrunk; it's probably just how the nurse took the measurement.  

Momma and Bubeaner entertaining themselves 

with the camera waiting for the MD

We mentioned to Dr. O his recent bout of explosive reflux in the last 2 weeks.  Dr. O mentioned the cold could have affected his system and thus was having a little more reflux.  We had hoped to start weaning him of his Nexium, but he gave us three options to try for now:  (1) do nothing and wait out to see if his reflux gets back under control again then wean him off, (2) double his dose for the next two months and then wean him to one dose and then wean him completely, or (3) opt for a GI scope which would entail anesthesia. 

We got a prescription for the double dose of Nexium, but for now we are going to give his body another week or so to get back to normal.  The scope option was too invasive at this time considering we have no other reason to assume something else might be causing the reflux problem.  Hopefully, Bubeaner will start feeling better soon and won't need the double dose.  

"Yo, whatcha want?

I'm getting a little bored"

Dr. O also mentioned that he wanted us to start fattening up Bubeaner.  He wants Bubeaner's weight up.  After more questions, Dr. O did mention that his weight is fine for his adjusted age but that he wants him to be at his chronological weight by one year.  He suggested adding butter or olive oil to everything.  This seems a little extreme to us since we are trying to instill good eating habits and adding butter seems to contradict our goals.  We did request a consult with a dietician for other healthier methods to increase with caloric intake.  Dr. O also requested a blood test for food allergies which at Bubeaner's age can give us false negatives but would let us know if there IS currently something upsetting Bubeaner's system.

"I was TORTURED!

Momma is a MEAN momma."

Notice the bandage on his right arm from the blood draw.

We decided to get the blood draw done today rather than waiting.  We have been extremely blessed that the phlebotomists at the hospital have been great!  This time the technician had the idea of keeping Bubeaner strapped in his car seat.  This allowed us to just worry about maintaining his arm still.  She was in and out fast and as painlessly as possible.  Bubeaner cried at first, then, he was distracted by the needle.  He actually was so intrigued he forgot to cry.  He is such a curious, curious child.

Afterwards, Bubeaner took a little trip to the his NICU to take the nurses some donuts.  He lucked out and some of his favorite nurses were on duty including his RN Tammy.  RN Tammy immediately consoled Bubeaner on his suffering.  The NICU staff were not concerned about his current weight.  They were please with how well he was doing overall.  And so are we.

But, alas, Bubeaner soon had RN Tammie loving on him.

She "understands" his suffering.

11 Months!

Can you believe John is 11 months!?!  We can't either.  He keeps growing and growing.  He is starting to outgrow his 9 month clothing, which is good considering that is ahead of his adjusted age. YAY!  And he is outgrowing all his shoes already.  He did have big feet from the very beginning so it's not a big surprise. 

Bubeaner at church with Tia Raquel

At church with the grandmothers he is getting so much more comfortable around every one.  He walks and talks to everyone and every one that pays any attentions.  And there is always at least one grandmother paying attention.  He even started serenading us towards the end.  Thankfully, they also thought that was cute, of course. 

Bubeaner at $nuffers.

He looks like a big boy now rather than a baby

Dad and Bubeaner playing around before bedtime

PRAYER REQUEST!!!

*** UPDATED 09/17/09 ***

Baby Rex passed away early this morning.  Please keep his family in your prayers as they deal with such a heavy loss.

*************************

Please send up prayers for Baby Rex.  He had surgery and was recovering well.  However he has crashed (usually means baby stopped breathing/no heart beat) in the last 24 hours.  The doctors have not figured out what is wrong.  Please lift him, the family, doctors and staff.

Feliz Dieciseis De Septiembre

Bubeaner's first 16th was filled with errands and lots of rain but not much celebrating.  We will have to wait until he gets older to teach him the important dates in both his cultures.  It's exciting to plan on sharing his family's history.

Bubeaner grooming and petting a very patient Sandy.  

We are glad they get along so well.

But that will be another day, today was all about doctor's appointments (Momma's), visiting friends and grocery shopping.  Does not sound like a lot of fun.  But Bubeaner and Momma managed to amused each other.

Meme 'Licia and Bubeaner

Have we mentioned how much we LOVE our minivan?  It ROCKS!  It has been raining pretty much non-stop since Friday.  And we are grateful.  However, it does make getting in and out of the car with Bubeaner and staying dry challenging.  But not so, with the minivan.  We can get everything we need inside, including getting Bubeaner out of his carseat and preparing the umbrella, before stepping out.  In fact, Bubeaner had a diaper change and ate lunch in the minivan while we waited for the rain to subside enough to sneak into the wholesale club.  And Momma did not have to step outside at all!  YAY!

Someone snuck into the kitchen 

while Momma put away the groceries.

Bubeaner enjoyed shopping at the wholesale club.  There were lots of things to see and people to charm.  But once we left it was nap time.  He was so exhausted probably from being awake since 430a (yeah, the late bedtime had no effect whatsoever).  He slept during the ride to the local grocery store, getting down, shopping and getting back in the car.  Bubeaner did not wake up until we arrived home.  This is one of the wonderful advantages to using his carseat/stroller.  There is no need to unbuckle/move/rebuckle.  It does make it a little harder to move around pushing a grocery cart and pulling the stroller, but it's a technique Momma is mastering.

Not sure if he was holding a puppy powwow or

disciplining them

At the house, Bubeaner was in a mischievous mood.  He tested the Momma-Danger-Sensor at every turn.  We can't really get mad/reprimand him at this point because of his age... and because he really isn't being disobedient.  He is just curious.  Very curious.  And that leads him into precarious situations.  Bubeaner will keep us on our toes probably for the rest of our lives. 

For now, we redirect his attention and try keep those opportunities to a minimum by keeping our eyes on him.

Bubeaner hugging his new lovey (our new curtain).

Bubeaner has weaned himself to only three nursing sessions a day: 430a, 9a and 12p.  After that he eats and snacks on a combination of "regular" and baby food along with formula.  For example, today at 3p he had a snack of 1/2 a pear with some cheeri0s and water; followed by dinner at 530p of pasta soup, chicken, avocado, water and peaches for dessert (sounds like a lot, but it was in small baby portions); and for supper at 730p he had 8 oz of formula before bedtime (this varies from 4-8oz depending on his hunger and tiredness).  Our boy is growing up fast.  And at this rate, he might yet turn into a little Chunk! 

Trial and Error

Today was all about trial and error.  It was not a bad day; it was just a trying day and pretty entertaining too.  The morning was uneventful.  Other than, of course, for the early 430 am wake up for breakfast.  It is trying.  Ever since the sun started setting earlier, Bubeaner has been going to bed earlier.  Great!  But because of it, he is also waking up earlier.  Not so great!  Today we kept him up later until 830p so hopefully this will make for a more decent start tomorrow morning. 

Bubeaner stuck under his burnt orange chair.

He keeps crawling backwards.

Bubeaner spent the morning practicing his crawling while Momma cleaned and put his clothes away.  For some reason, he started crawling backwards again.  At one point he got stuck under the chair in the nursery.  Bubeaner's way of dealing with it was by crying.  The dogs, in turn, tried to get him out by pushing and moving the chair.  They helped their baby!  

Bubeaner on his new foam play mat.

Sadly that was not the last time Bubeaner cried today.  We bought him a foam play mat to save his little (ha!) head from the wood floor when crawling.  We thought it was the perfect solution.  Bubeaner did not.  He cried every single time he was placed on it.  Every single time.  Eventually, he agreed to play on the mat for a few minutes, but he was not happy.

He was also not happy at being denied access to the kitchen.  He serenaded Momma with a whining "aboooh, aboooh, aboooh" during dinner preparations.  Thinking about it, Bubeaner was pretty grumpy today.  But it did not feel like it because in between he was all smiles and giggles.  We did a lot of playing and tickling.  Some days you gotta take the bad with the good.

Unfortunately, Bubeaner did not react as we expected.

Momma spent the entire afternoon (3+ hour) unsuccessfully putting up curtains/curtain rod in the dining room.  The result was multiple holes on the wall, the sheer panel up and only one panel of the darker curtains up since Momma picked up the wrong length of curtain rod.  Ha!Ha!Ha!  At least there were no tears this time.  Instead Bubeaner kept hugging the sheer panels and talking to them just like he does to his blankets.  This may prove a problem in the future.