Wednesday, June 30, 2010

2 yr and 9 month well child visits.

So last week we paid a visit to Dr Walter again- this time with no shots! Last time we'll have no shots for either kiddo for awhile. Basically everything went well.


James: Weighed in at 18 lbs (14%), which means he too is following Xander's growth curve where between 6-9 months they kinda fall off. I really think that it is b/c at this age both of them became so much more active and mobile. The way that James is cruising all over the place he must be burning some serious calories! He was 26.75 in tall (8%) so apparently he isn't going to be very tall either. One thing he does have though is a BIG head! His head circumference was 18 in (63%). Our little cue-ball...right now he is a one-fanged cue-ball; really it's pretty hilarious!


Xander: was not very cooperative at this visit. It infringed upon nap-time for him and he got pretty cranky, especially by the end. I think next time if Frank is able to go with me I'll have him wait outside with Xander(where there are toys) and bring him in when we are ready for him. 3 adults and 2 kids in the exam room got to be too much for all of us and the a/c by the end. So Xander weighed in at 27 lbs so he's backup to the 34% for weight. His head circumference is only slightly larger than James' (not at all a shock to anyone who's seen them...) in the 11%. And he was 31 in tall so hopefully that wasn't an accurate measurement (cause like I said not so much with the cooperativeness) or they caught him right before a growth spurt b/c that knocks him completely off the curve for height. My little peanut!

Xander continues to have fluid in his ears on exam and we started him on Claritin daily hoping that might clear some of his congestion (no luck so far... but it's too early to tell). He is still waking up most mornings with a clear runny nose. As I posted earlier his repeat tympanograms were not promising so we have an appointment with Dr Wilson (an ENT) August 9th. I have a strong suspicion that given his history he will recommend PE tubes for Xander's ears. I'm still conflicted over this possibility so we'll see what Dr Wilson has to say for the risk/benefit ratio. I'm beginning to think that if that is his recommendation then the benefits are probably going to outweigh the risk/disadvantages. I can deal with earplugs if I have to. I'd like to be able to start potty training, mostly due to the ongoing diaper rash issues, but it's hard to do that if Xander can't reliably tell us when he needs to go!

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Our first Swamp Bats game!


So for as long as we have lived in this area we have been meaning to go to a Swamp Bats game, but for one reason or another we just haven't seemed to make it. I think usually it's because we don't usually realize that their season has started until half way through! Anyway we were given free tickets this year and (1/2 way through the season) finally made it to our first game, where they lost miserably! It was nice to see some good baseball played though and Frank and I enjoyed it even if Xander wasn't too interested. Somehow I managed to miss both home runs (by the other team) while I was chasing him around! Let's just say that we had a good enough time to want to go again but this first game was also a learning experience. Now we know where the games is (we went to the wrong field so missed the first 2 innings), where to park (we couldn't find a parking spot so missed the 3rd inning), where to sit (we sat in the bleachers at first but then spent the whole time with my heart in my throat as Xander tried to climb up and down but the gaps between bleachers were as big as he is), and that they do sell food or you can bring your own. Randomly we got interviewed by the Keene Sentinel- apparently James was the youngest fan(you can read about our exploits here)! So it looks like we'll be able to make a few more games this season and the next one is sponsored by the hospital where I work so we can get more free tickets and probably see a bunch of people I know!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

A visit to the Audiologist...leads to more Dr appointments.

So Xander had his repeat visit to Audiology on Tuesday and, not surprising to me, he continues to have fluid in his ears, especially the left ear. So now we have an appointment with the ENT dr in August to discuss the possibility of tubes. I'm somewhat conflicted on this front. There is no doubt that he can hear- the question really is how well can he hear and is his lack of hearing delaying his ability to talk. The Audiologist compared it to listen to words being spoken under water. BUT he is able to hear and understand well enough to follow directions and respond to us. He is making progress with his speech therapy- slow but progress none the less. I know he is an intelligent little guy but he is very focused on motor skills so he makes himself understood well enough that maybe he doesn't feel it necessary to spend extra time working on language skills. Also we know he has some allergies (apparently he inherited a few things from his mother) so we started him on 5mg Claritin daily so it's possible that might clear up the fluid in his ears... but then again it might not. Part of me wants him to take off talking (and honestly part of me is dreading it- I can hear it now why, why, why...) and part of me is selfishly motivated by a desire to have him potty trained- which I don't feel like we can do sucessfully until he can reliable tell us he needs to go potty. Then again given his reccurent horrendous diaper rash potty traning may become a medical neccesity more than a convienance! But then again do the benefits of tubes outweigh the risks? At this point I'm not sure... I feel like if his hearing was significantly impaired then absolutely yes he should have tubes but he CAN hear according to the Audiologist so.... I guess we will wait and see if the Claritin makes a difference and what the ENT recommendation is in August.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Vote for James!

Vote for James in the Babytalk/GMA Digital Cover Contest - Parenting.com
www.parenting.com

So I am sad and pathetic and I entered James into a cute baby contest...anyway of you feel so motivated go and vote for him!

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Blatant Huggies Advertisement!

But how could I not...he is so darn cute- like he is wearing tiny jean shorts...

See even James thinks it's awesome!






Friday, June 18, 2010

Xander's Favorite word...

ah how I love having a 2 year old!

James is 9 months old!


My little bit is 9 months old today! At the moment I am sitting on the couch typing this and he is following Xander up the stairs- yikes! (Frank is supervising...) Anyway he is crawling like a fiend and has 3 teeth- 1 bottom one all the way in, 1 poking through, and 1 on the top off to the side. He's eating baby food like a champ and pulling himself up on anything and everything. He is doing some cruising but learned the hard way that if he actually lets go of anything his giant bowling ball of ahead just pulls him foward and he goes smack on the floor! Someday he will manage to keep his balance while not holding onto anything- I'm ok if it takes a little while! His new passion is the computer and eating on the mouse- or on anything that Xander has which does cause a little sibling rivarly. Xander usually wins!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

At the drive-in...

So Sunday night we went to the drive-in. It was perfect. It was, for seemingly the first time in weeks, not raining and it was a Sun night so the place was practically empty (bad for the drive-in, good for us). It was the last week before school got out so I imagine that Suns will be busier from now on. Anyway we went and had burger and fries and popcorn and all watched movies. The boys both fell asleep by then end of the first movie so we got to watch the 2nd movie in peace, which was nice. We saw Marmaduke (which was silly) and Date Night (which was HILARIOUS- and very appropriate to our current stage of life. I kept saying "that sounds just like us..."). The kids had fun running (and crawling) around. And since there were only 7 other cars there there was plenty of room for them to run about. Xander even got to have the palyground all to himself! I'm so glad that we have a drive-in close by b/c it's really one of my very favorite summer activities and something that I hope we can all continue to enjoy! Check it out- www.northfielddrivein.com



Saturday, June 12, 2010

My little man...

I just love this photo of Xander from our trip to Maine last week- It's
fun to watch him discover the world.