No Pork in This Home

We got the results back from the CDC this morning.  No $wine flu here!  WooHoo!  It was probably just a random bug.

Everything tastes better with the hand.

Cute Cereal Face

The 2nd cereal feeding was not so clean.

After the call, Matt immediately swooped in and picked up the Bubeaner telling him how much he had missed him and how much he loved him.  It was adorable.  Somehow in the list of things he missed the most I came in third behind the Bubeaner and the bed.  I am still teasing him about it.  But we do have a pretty awesome mattress.  

Matt happily returned to work today.  And we went on with preparations for the baptism this weekend.

He was not pleased with me and kept complaining loudly.

Suddenly he was quiet and I looked back to find this....

Cereal, Baby. OH YEAH!

Bubeaner had his first cereal today.  And he did an awesome job.  He was taken aback by the taste and different texture at first.  But he did not spit up/out except for the first bite.  Matt was able to watch this milestone but from the other end of the hallway.

Bubeaner AFTER eating cereal for the first time.

Notice his clean face; 

he did so well not spitting up.

We are still being careful even though Matt has been symptom free for 24 hours now.  He is thrilled.  He even executed a jail break earlier today just to drive around; he just needed to get away.  Bad Matt!  He also plans on going back to work tomorrow.  We expect that the test will come back tomorrow from the CDC.  Although, the news tonight mentioned that some cases are not being confirmed because somehow the virus sometimes "dies" before it reaches the CDC for testing.  We hope that's not the case with Matt.  An answer, any answer, would be good.

Onto some more good news, Bubeaner has not had any more coughing or sneezing episodes.  YAY!  He did have a tiny little spike to a low-grade fever again this afternoon.  But it was after we had been playing and laughing.  It went back down on it's own by the time we finished with bathing and feeding.  Not concerned right now.  And Bubeaner is back to eating more.  WooHoo!  It does make him mad because I still only make his bottle 2 oz at a time.  I was just wasting way too much formula; I would make 6 oz, and he would eat 1oz.  The rest went down the drain!

We debated long about still having the baptism this weekend.  But barring a positive test from Matt and more symptoms from us, we will continue with our plans.  We understand that this will probably mean some people will not be able to join us.  And, of course, we also would ask that anyone feeling ill or with cold/flu symptoms not join us to help protect our little Bubeaner.

A Little Bit Sick, Maybe?

Bubeaner with some coughing and sneezing.  He still continued not eating well as well as being fussy.  He is usually loves cuddling, but he preferred to be in his swing.  We, Pau and I, ended up taking him to see the pediatrician.  Dr. Z believes it may be a stomach virus or cold which would explain the vomit and reluctance to eat.  And his tummy was a little bloated.  She did not believe it was the flu because he did not have a fever.  But even Dr. Z noticed he was pretty "limp" when he usually is flirting and talkative.

I ended up going in to see the doctor too.  I had a low grade fever, extreme fatigue, sore throat and occasional coughing.  The flu swab came back negative.  YAY!  It appears Bubeaner and I may have the same thing.  But at least it's not the flu.

This picture is from yestarday.

We didn't actually take any pictures today...a rarity in our household.

But doesn't he look cute?

He did do a lot better this afternoon eating.  We just decided to feed him 2 ounces at a time as often as he would take them.  It appears to be working.  Bubeaner did have a low grade fever before bedtime, but, after some Tylen0l, he was fine by the time he was asleep.

Matt continues to improve.  Poor guy is going stir crazy!  Can you imagine spending 4 days in the same room only leaving to use the restroom?  He was not thrilled because the doctor said we may not get the results from the CDC until Wednesday instead of Tuesday.  

Mommy Wins!

Well, not so much Mommy wins as hunger wins.  But it got the same result.  Bubeaner started taking the bottle again.  He makes his displeasure very clear, but at least he is eating again.  And the fact that Aunt Pau was giving him the bottle rather than Mommy may have helped too.

What are you doing Mommy?

He didn't even last 5 minutes in the jumperoo.

He was tired.

We may still calling the pediatrician in the morning.  Bubeaner has been pretty lethargic today as well and he threw up (projectile vomit that soaked my shirt and almost got the dogs too) a few times in the afternoon.  Thankfully, he is eating again.  Currently he is sleeping semi-peacefully.  We'll see how the night turns out.

Something we have learned about formula: dirty diapers are something else now.  WOW!  I can't wait until he goes back to breast milk.  Stinky!

He eventually even held his own bottle.

Matt continues to feel better and a little claustrophobic.  But he has been getting a lot of work and reading done.  But above all he misses loving on his Bubeaner.  Hopefully, this won't last long.

This was right after I tried feeding him the first time.

Is that a smug look?

Did you notice he has three different outfits in all?  Yup, it was a long day. =)

But it was not as long as the day Jenevieve endured.  She was in labor for 16 hours, pushed for 4 and had a C-section, but in the end they welcomed Adelyn Grace (6lbs 15oz, 21").  Thank you for remembering them in your prayers.

No More Bottles!

"No more bottles!  No more bottles!

I want to NURSE!"

I believe that is what Bubeaner keeps trying to say to me.  He did really well with his feedings yesterday. But starting this morning he has fought me with the bottles and instead tries to nurse.  

His temperature is within the normal range and he has not had any more coughing.  And he is also in quite a sunny disposition once I stop trying to force feed him the formula.  So I am assuming that he just doesn't want the bottle.  And we have tried several types too.  He doesn't want any of them. 

Even in the NICU he preferred nursing to the bottle even though he started out on the bottle first.  Ah, stubborn little monkey!  For now, he is still getting some formula down so we are not too concerned.  And  I imagine he will start to eat more when he is hungry.  So, we will give him some time.  

Eventually he will learn Momma wins... well at least some of the time.  The teenage years will be quite interesting with his temper, impatience and stubborn streak.  Oh the joys that await us! =)

Matt continues to feel and sound better.  Either the medicine really should be called TAMIwonderFLU or it was not the flu after all.  We are still hoping it wasn't the flu.  Otherwise, Matt continues in quarantine until the end of the week!

And Uncle Dave is being released from the hospital today!  YAY!  There really is no place like home to rest and recuperate.  Thank you for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.

And little request, a friend's wife, Jenevieve, is currently in labor with their first child.  Please pray that labor will progress without complications and they will soon be welcoming a healthy baby into their family.  

Long Fussy Saturday

Bubeaner was pretty fussy this afternoon.  We are not sure if he was unwell or just missing Daddy.  Yes, he is in the same house, but we can't have any contact.  Bubeaner will hear Matt's voice and turn to look for him.  He did finally settle for a nap in my arms and after a nice bath and warm bottle is currently sleeping through the purple-cell thunderstorm.  

Bubeaner and Daddy earlier this week.

He is holding his duckie lovey.  

He is so cute because that's how he holds him 

when not trying to eat it.

Bubeaner no longer likes his paci for some reason.

He will only take his lovey.  Thankfully he has 3 to rotate.

I have been taking his temperature during every other diaper change.  Thankfully, it's been within the normal range.  Bubeaner did cough three times this morning but nothing since then.  And Matt's cough is so much better tonight.  YAY!

And some more good (well maybe just fun) news.  Bubeaner decided to chew on his toe today.  He was sitting up and found his toe.  After some time considering his options, he just dove down with open mouth and in went big toe.  He looked quite adorable.  Bubeaner had just this past week started grabbing his legs while he was on his back.

He also decided last night that he would not take baths reclining.  It appears that big boys have to SIT while bathing.  He still needs assistance staying up, but he won't have it any other way.

And really exciting, he practiced crawling today.  Well, it was mainly an alignment of his legs in position, his bottom up, and doing a pushup while he moved his leg forward.  It was AMAZING!  Granted, that immediately resulted in losing his balance and face planting.  But it's a great step forward.  Our baby is growing up so fast!

He got tired of grabbing him with his hands

and decided to just go in for the bite. 

Wouldn't You Believe It!?!

We wanted to advise everyone of our small part in the H 1 N 1 play.  Matt's executive assistant became the first confirmed case of H 1 N 1 ($wine Flu) in Denton County.  (What are the odds of that you ask?  According to the news tonight, it's 1 in 27,000.  Poor Miss Debbie.)  

As luck would have it, Matt came down with a sore throat and fever yesterday.  (Yeah, we are that lucky!)  Off to see Dr. A Matt went this morning.  The swab performed at the doctor's office was negative.  YAY!  But, unfortunately, there is a 50% error rate on those tests (interesting how in previous years they failed to mention that).  But because of his symptoms and close proximity to a confirmed case Dr. A took the conservative approach recommended by the CDC.  He is currently in Tamiwonderflu and is quarantined from both work and us.  He is currently living in the opposite end of the house as us until he is both (a) symptom free for 24 hours and (b) until the more reliable DNA test comes back negative from the CDC.  The test should be back by Tuesday.

Bubeaner with Daddy this past weekend 

BEFORE he got sick.

And to be on the safe side, I was placed on Tamiwonderflu (sense the sarcasm?) also.  Not only does it give you nausea reminiscent of my all-day pregnancy nausea but I can't nurse Bubeaner!  That was quite a hard pill to swallow.  I had a pity-party of one for about an hour, but then resolved that I will go back to pumping until the time (10 days) when I can nurse him again.  So far Bubeaner has taken well to the bottle and formula.  And on the bright side, we will find out for sure if he does indeed have a protein allergy now that he will only be on formula.  

Assuming that Bubeaner and I do not become symptomatic and that Matt's test is NEGATIVE on Tuesday (Pray! Pray! Pray!), per the doctor there is NO reason we cannot proceed with the baptism as scheduled.  We'll update everyone on the plans when the tests come in.

Bubeaner covering his face & going to sleep.

We had been playing and he just got too tired & decided it was nap time.

For now please pray for Miss Debbie's health, that Matt does not have H 1 N 1 or any other flu, and that Bubeaner and I do not catch whatever it is that Matt has or anything else going around.  ANY respiratory illness is a HUGE deal for a little one.  So please keep our precious Bubeaner in your prayers.

And before I finally head off to sleep, thank you for remembering Uncle Dave in your prayers.  The procedure went well and all indications are that everything is headed in the right direction.  Please continue to keep him and his family in your prayers as he recovers. 

Prayer Request

Please keep Uncle Dave (Jeff's dad) in your prayers.  He will be undergoing a heart procedure tomorrow.

Back to the Blogging World

We are back from our long unplanned blogging break.

The Bubeaner and I returned  from our monthly visit to see the grandparents last Thursday.  Bubeaner is an amazing traveler.  We had no problems in the plane.  There were a few flight attendants that needed some lessons from him on attitude.  But, overall, we had a great experience.  Oh, the Bubeaner now has his frequent flier and rapid rewards cards!  This amuses me.

  Not sure what to think about Bella.

During the trip, the Bubeaner kept his feeding schedule unchanged.  However, he did have some sleeping adjustments.  Bubeaner took advantage of the grandparents and aunts/uncles to stay up late.  The moment he was placed in bed he would make a noise and someone would swoop in.... And I have to admit that we would co-sleep part of the night.  Considering how well he did with all the changes, the sleeping issue was not too bad.  Of course, I loved co-sleeping with Bubeaner.  Alas, he went back to his bassinet upon our return.  

I woke up to this beautiful, smiling face after a long tiring night.

Bubeaner woke up and eat every 3 hours.  

Bubeaner enjoyed some time with Grandma, Bella "bird" and Jack "Attack Dog" first.  From there we spent some time with Bito and Bita.  Bubeaner was able to see his Uncle Tony again (BYU gets our earlier than other schools...lucky!).  The last time they spent time together was at Christmas.  

Watching Ses@me Street with Grandma.

Bubeaner cuddling with Bita.

And Bubeaner also met April.  We told Uncle Tony he had competition because Bubeaner kept flirting with her.   I fear Bubeaner is indeed going to be a "playa".  (Nika, we will need you to keep him grounded.)  We did not get to see much of Aunt Lariko because she was still in school.  We were also able to visit with Bis-Bis (his great-grandmother) too.  

 

Showing off with April and Uncle Tony.

Our return was quite uneventful, THANKFULLY, considering the crazy approach and landing.  We are blaming the high wind.  Poor Bubeaner would just open his eyes really wide at every jolt and swerve never taking his eyes off me.  

Playing it cool in his new shades.

(I can't tell with these ones if he is awake or asleep.)

We returned just in time to get Daddy off to enjoy his birthday with his friends for a surprise guys' night out.  He thought we were not going to do anything special this year.  HA!  He had a great time.

Bubeaner meeting Uncle Delwin before the guys left.

In the last couple of weeks the Bubeaner has been learning some cute little tricks.  He now makes himself laugh.  Yes, you heard right.  You can start tickling him (he is QUITE ticklish) and then he will continue to laugh and giggle even if he is not being touched.  He has giggling fits.  It is very contagious and adorable to watch.  I have yet to catch it on video but hopefully soon.

Bubeaner is also FINALLY doing pushups!!! YAY!!!  It only works if I place him on my belly while I am laying down.  Bubeaner loves to stare at his Mommy so he will do the pushups in order to see my face.  He thinks it's a game and giggles throughout our workout.  Not sure why we didn't think of this earlier.  He is getting so much stronger!

It's quite late now.  We will continue with the update tomorrow.  Have a good night!

Bubeaner at the Arboretum

It was such a great morning with sunny sky and refreshing breeze we decided to head to the Dallas Arboretum after church.  We got there so early that we missed most of the sunday crowd.

"Yo, my peeps!"

The arboretum had wonderful children's exhibits.  We are not sure if they were there before and we just never noticed them/avoided those areas.  Bubeaner will really enjoy them when he is older.  For now, Aunt Pau and I had more fun posing him for pictures. 

"We are under attack!"

Captain Bubeaner steering the ship to safety

We must have gone a little picture crazy because he was giving us some dirty looks.

"Really?!?  Dad, they want more pictures!"

"No more pictures!"

"Dad, you better get these women under control.

I am done with pictures."

He stayed awake for almost an hour before succumbing to sleep.  While Bubeaner slept we enjoyed the rest of the plantings.  

Bubeaner did not make it past the first section 

after the children's exhibits.

March for Babies 2009

Our first march together was great.  Bubeaner was a tad bit excited and woke up at 4 am ready to go.  Of course, after eating he took a little nap on our bed while Matt worked and I got things ready.  It was extremely humid, and it even rained on us a few times during our march.  But overall, it was great to know that it did not deter people from attending and enjoying themselves while we raised money.  This year the March of Dimes filmed the Dallas event for their annual video.  You might be able to see shots of the Bubeaner on there. 

He woke us up then fell immediately asleep after eating.

Bubeaner wide awake and ready

Mommy... not so much

With his Baylor badge and waiting to start

Starting our walk with a little drizzle.

It rained for a little while.

And in the interest of full disclosure, we did not actually walk all 5 miles.  When it started to rain (big fat drops) Pam and I decided to go off-roading and cut.  So we actually only walked 4 miles.  

Afterwards waiting at the Baylor tent

Waiting in the shuttle for a ride back to our car.

Home at last!

By 630 pm, Bubeaner had been bathed and fed

and was peacefully sleeping in his bassinet.

Happy 1/2 Birthday Bubeaner!!!

UPDATE:

Bubeaner is currently getting his beauty sleep in preparation for our little adventure tomorrow (March for Babies).  He was pretty fussy this afternoon after his doctor's appointment wanting to be held only by Mommy.  We imagine it's a side effect of the round of shots he received. 

Some stats from the appointment:

• 24" length (32% - up from 30%)  Although at the GI doctor's office, he measured at 25" so who knows which one is correct.
• 12.5 lbs (15% - down from 30%)  The doctor is not concerned.
• 17.25" head (95% - up from 80%)  Yes a big head, but then again have you seen his parents?

Dr. Z has also started us on rice cereal.  Right now it's not for nutritive purposes just to get him used to eating solid foods.  She also figured out John's major frustration with tummy time.  He has more lower body strength and accidentally pushes himself face down when he tries to practice crawling.  Dr. Z gave us some tips that should help with this.

ORIGINAL POST:

Six months ago, Bubeaner graced this world with his presence (sans the Mommy).  

Today's activities?  A doctor's appointment for his well-child check up.  Now that I think about it, that is a pretty bad way to celebrate milestones your first year of life.  Hey, you are born; here's your shot, IV and C-PAP.  Oh, two months now?  Here are some more shots.  Ah, half-way there?  You get a whole bunch more shots and no cake because of your food allergies.  

Random Picture

I just love his chubby little feet!

But we intend to celebrate anyways with pictures and making an imprint of his hands on plaster.  And, of course, LOTS of LOVING! 

Bubeaner loving and cuddling

Bubeaner also gets a Daddy that comes home early today.  Unfortunately, Matt won't be able to hold him because he is getting his second steroid epidural shot today (let's hope this one works).  But it will be nice to enjoy some family time today.

We're Still Here

Bubeaner was extremely fussy today and cried most of the day too.  But the demoralizing part was that once again there was blood in his diaper after more than a week of nothing.  We were so hopeful that the diet was working.  We are considering that maybe formula might be better for him.  It's discouraging.  But we will wait to see Dr. Z for his 6 month check-up on Friday before making any decisions.

One of the few moments of peace & quiet today.

He's holding his lovey!  Cute!

But this was the more common sight today.

(This was taken a few minutes after the one above.)

On a positive note, yesterday we visited the DMA for the King Tut exhibit with Aunt Pau.  Quite an enjoyable experience & John behaved so well!  Well, he slept through it, but that has to count too. 

Little Bubeaner King

Happy Easter!

We were blessed with a beautiful, wet (desert people understand this) and cloudy Easter morning. 

Bubeaner, dressed up, at Aunt Pau's 

before going out for Easter brunch. 

We were up and ready for the 730 mass without a problem.  And Bubeaner looked adorable in his little Easter outfit.  The church was a just a little more full than normal, but we were still able to sit on our bench.  Bubeaner was even awake for most of the service. YAY!  And he got a blessing during communion.  We love being able to share our faith through these holy days with Bubeaner.  We currently read books about the saints and the order of the mass but have not found a good children's Bible.  I have such great memories of reading it with his Aunt Lari when she was little.  Our night time prayer routine was cute too; she had to give thanks and pray for every person AND thing in her life individually.  It was good but just made for a long, long prayer.  I can't wait to share that with Bubeaner.

Don't my boys look adorable?

He did so well during mass today that we will attempt to actually sit in the sanctuary next Sunday.  Let's hope we don't have a repeat of mass on Thursday when he decided to exercise his very healthy lungs.  In his defense, the mass lasted almost 3 hours.

Bubeaner and Aunt Pau

Bluebonnets

Today Bubeaner had an impromptu photo shoot.  We found a field of bluebonnets off a secluded side street (not a major highway) in Las Colinas.