Nicholas 4 Year Doctor Visit

Nicholas' 4 year appointment was interesting- he had his first eye and ear exam and thankfully both went fine. We waited for what seemed like forever to see the actual doctor, and while we were waiting I realized it must have been a tough day for the doctor's- lots of screaming, crying, and upset kids. Nicholas kept saying "those kids are really freaking out" while we waited and played games, read books, and talked.

When Dr. Newman came in with a smile he said "thank goodness I'm in here, now I can have some peace." Nicholas' appointment went well, nothing new or exciting to report. He is about 40 pounds and I can't recall his height right now, but he's looking pretty tall to me ;). We are lucky in that he is rarely sick (thanks for the great genes, 'rents!) so it was more of just a yearly check up to see if we had any questions.

The doctor said two things that I never want to forget.

Number One: To a 4 year old, his Mom is the world. Remember the days when he is so sweet and innocent and loves nothing but his Mama. It might be tough when he's a teen, but at football games, sons don't wave to their Dad, they wave to their Mom. You will always be his biggest cheerleader.

Secondly, as he was leaving the appointment, he said that Nicholas was complete and utter joy. <3

Nicholas 2 Year Appointment

I was a little apprehensive going in to Nicholas' two year appointment because he isn't talking much (no two word sentences yet) and I was concerned the doctor was going to be judgmental. Thankfully, that didn't happen. I take a pre-appointment questionnaire which I know is geared towards signs of autism, and none of the questions concerned me. The doctor was wonderful and I talked to her about what he is and isn't doing, what he does and doesn't understand, and she wasn't worried. She said in the next three months if he doesn't seem to be improving I can call and do an early intervention if I feel that it is necessary.

I was also grateful that he had no shots for this appointment, just a lead test. That wasn't overly pleasant (his finger is pricked and then the nurse squeezes the hell out of it for about 3 minutes to fill up a tube with blood). He whined through the whole thing and tried to pull away but thankfully there were no tears, and he perked up and was smiling again the second it was done.

Measurements, just because I have them:

Height: 36 1/4 inches (he grew 3 inches in six months)
Weight: 30.2 lbs
Head Circumference: 51.4 cm

Here's the handsome dude at his appointment:

Likes: All things boy. Trucks, planes, cars. He loves to run as fast as he possibly can and if he crashes into a wall, that's ok. He may cry for a minute but once you ask if he's ok, he calms right down and is off again.
He loves Dexter more than anything but has to learn to play gentle with him. He will hit, pull him a bit, and we've started doing time out as necessary. He likes going for walks but doesn't want to hold my hand. Thankfully we live in a quiet neighborhood so I can let him run free, but it's still easiest to put him in the stroller.

He's not afraid of much, will say hi to everyone in the grocery store, and isn't shy in the slightest. We recently switched to a new day care (he's only there one day a week) and it was a piece of cake, he ran in and looked around, and then barely noticed when I kissed him goodbye.

His other new favorite thing is wanting to cudduh (cuddle) before bed time. At first I thought he was asking for the car, and then he started pointing at his rocking chair. Not gonna lie, that's one of my favorite times of day, cuddling him before bed.

Dislikes: Being told No is the one I can think of (but who likes that?:) He's also been a pretty picky eater but I don't stress about it. He's happy and healthy and that's what matters most to me.

He has showed interest in the potty and has actually gone on it several times, but then had a meltdown when we tried to teach him about pooping, so we have stopped for now. Especially with starting the new day care, I was concerned he would get confused so we're going to wait until we think he is more ready.

Not too much else that is exciting....I'm looking forward to the warmer weather so we can get out and do more, and I'm sure Nicholas is too. I'm waiting to see if I will have to take any classes over the summer and if not, we're going to have to plan lots of day trips to tire out this guy :)

Sick but Can't Stop Won't Stop (and Don't Want to Stop?)

Nicholas went to the doctor last week and was diagnosed with bronchitis. He's on amoxicillin for 10 days (and is just about done). From these pictures, you'd never know he was even sick :)

Wazzup GQ?

I am also sick with a sinus infection and just got put on Augmentin for a week, which was perfect timing as I am finishing up finals this week. I had two on Tuesday, we self graded one and I got a 104.5 (damn Welsh v. Airedale Terrier!) on one and I believe I got 100 or close to it on the other. My FINAL test for the semester is tomorrow and it feels awesome to be one step closer to my goal of working with animals.

Nick and I had a wedding on Friday, it was for a friend of his I'd only met a few times, but we had a great time. The bride looked beautiful and happy and we all know that's all that really matters, right? ;)

Last week I baked a butt ton of cookies for the Lowell Humane Society Annual Bazaar- here are the wonderful pics of Nicholas and Dexter with Santa, which I will continue to do for years to come. Nicholas (and of course Dexter) showed no fear and took to Santa immediately. It was wonderful.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday season and finding the time to enjoy it. It's my favorite time of year and I wish nothing but happiness for all of you.

xoxo

Nicholas 18 Month Appointment

He's one and a half you guys, and it's awesome. I don't want to every be one of those parents that says "where did the time go?" Before Nicholas was born, my Dad said something to me that will probably resonate for the rest of my life: "Life goes by so fast. Don't waste it drinking like I did. Then, when you have children, it goes by so much faster."

When Nicholas was a newborn, I was completely exhausted. Anyone that has had a child knows exactly what I mean. They say Mom's forget, but I think they just "don't remember" how bad it really was, and that's what makes them have more children. I have always been able to survive on little to no sleep, but those first few months were still very tough. With that being said, it was worth every single second. Nicholas is a happy, smiley, laughing boy, 99.8% of the time. In those beginning sleepless nights, I savored holding his warm little body close to me, taking in his smell ( so what if it was spit up and poop? people lie guys, babies DON'T smell delicious). His sweet, soft, warm little head pressed to my cheek as I tried to get him to sleep for just one more minute.

Anyway...about the now :)

Nicholas had a great 18 month appointment and he's right on track for growth and development.

Stats:

Height: 33 1/4 inches
Weight: 28 lbs
Head circumference: 50 cm (aka gigantico)

The doctor commented on his "Fred Flinstone" feet and we both agreed that we love them (block feet for those that are not familiar).

He's babbling away, repeating and I think understanding us. Recent new words: Poop (of course I put that first), Nana, wawa (water), mbox (kinda..mailbox-from our walks), bayball (basketball). There are plenty more.

His current favorite word is MIMMIE (Mickey) and he likes to yell it approximately 23 hours of the day. I told Nick I didn't want him to watch television and this is exactly why!

He loves kids, runs up to them and says Hi...and doesn't stop saying Hi. Ever. We are very lucky to live in a kid friendly neighborhood and although most are much older, it's nice that he gets to be around them now that he's only in day care one day a week.

We typically give him showers now instead of baths and he loves it, he thinks it's play time.

He LOVES Dexter and I know this will never change. I taught him how to kiss Dexter nicely and it's currently one of his favorite things to do, repeatedly.

He likes to be chased. I bought a big ball at Target for $3 and he loves to run after it around the house and throw it on the table, stove, whatever he can.

He loves to climb and throw himself off of furniture.

He loves shoes and socks and blankets and the refrigerator and his milk.

He's not so great with eating healthy stuff, but I let it go. You only get to be a kid once, I'm letting him enjoy it and I'm not stressing.


My boy got 5 shots today and although he instantly started crying, he stopped within 2 minutes. He will probably be sore the next few days, but other than his non napping today, he is his happy little self. We took a walk after dinner and he laughed and ran like always. It took us about 20 minutes to go 1/4 of a mile, but it was worth it. Dexter was not pleased with our slow pace.

xoxo

Nicholas is 15 Months :)

15 Month Update:

Height: 32.25 inches (83%)
Weight: 27.5 lbs 95%
Head Circumference: 95%

He's healthy, happy, and awesome. he knows what to point to when you say nose, mouth, ears, toes, etc....for the most part :) He likes to try and brush his own teeth. he runs to the fridge when you say milk and to the pantry when we say snack. he yells out DOOOOG when we mention Dexter. He likes to say yes and no, but no more than yes. He climbs. On everything. He tortures Dexter. Dexter takes it. He's the best dog a family could ask for.

Life is good.

xoxo

1 Year Appointment

Height: 30 ½ inches (70th %)
Weight: 25lbs 10 oz (95th %)
Head Circumference: 49.1 (99th %)
BMI: 96%

I made a joke about being thankful I didn’t have to push him out as his head was always large and the doc said it was probably a good thing I didn’t have to try since I might not have been able to (and I’m ok with that!)
His 1 year appointment went well, I wasn’t a huge fan of the doctor that I saw (I think the fact that she is/appears younger than me bothers me more than it should).

A couple of things that surprised me:
It was recommended that I get Nicholas off the bottle within the next few weeks. I know that he should be weaned after a year, but my goodness, he just turned 1 last week! At any rate, he had his last bottle yesterday morning before his appointment and since then he has been given only sippy cups and he has not complained one bit. Obviously, the kid loves to eat (see size above!) and he has figured out the sippy cup and it is not a problem. He was switched to whole milk and no more formula this past Sunday with no issues.

Another thing that’s a little difficult is he was getting about 30 oz of formula a day. With whole milk, he should get a maximum of 2 ½ cups a day. The main reason is that if he is getting too much milk, he may become too full from it and not get the nutrients that he needs from other foods. Fortunately, this also doesn’t seem to be a problem. I offered him a sippy cup with about 4 oz of milk before bed last night and he didn’t even finish it. Honestly, this kid is a piece of cake (as of this very moment ;)

Nicholas isn’t saying much in the way of words. He also doesn’t really point much which he should be doing. He basically says daaaaaaaaadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa all day and all night, and not much else. He does point at the dog and “question him” so we tell him “that’s Dexter” or “that’s the dog.” I talk to him as much as possible and I know he will eventually catch on, I just got a little nervous in talking to her about this that maybe he isn’t as vocal as he should be. He does babble a lot and knows his name…he also can “answer the phone” (puts his hand up to his ear), give kisses (open mouth and slobbery and awesome), waves hello and bye bye when he wants to, and if you
yell “touchdown” he throws his hands up in the air.

The appointment went well, two shots, he cried a bit but it was over quick and he was fine. Thankfully he has had no reaction to any shots so far and I hope that continues.

A few random tidbits from late:
This guy is really growing fast. The other day I put the rest of his bibs away (they’re pointless as he just pulls them off) and he is also getting better at getting food into his mouth. Also as he is strictly on table food it’s much less of a mess. Yesterday he ate gnocchi, sauce, and chicken with us but I gave him very little sauce and it was way less mess than I expected. I moved the bibs to storage and put our hand towels that used to be in that spot back there – got a little sentimental, not gonna lie… silly I know.

I have a very strong personality and I know that at times I can be difficult to take (as I’ve been told, haha). Well, I think Nicholas is definitely starting to catch on to my personality:

Each night we have a routine of bath (bath is actually every other night), bottle (now sippy cup), brush teeth, read a book, and go to bed. Well, lately he has not been a fan of reading and wants to either just look at the book or throw it. I let him hold it, look at the pages, play with it, etc., for a little while before turning off the lights. After I turn off the lights, I rock him a bit, hold him, tell him I love him, and put him down. Lately, he has wanted none of this – he basically pushes away from me to be put down, curls up, and goes to bed. Clearly he is letting me know what he wants and I make sure to listen to him (and I hope I always will). I’m not necessarily “hurt” by this, but it does make me a little sad. I know he will grow up no matter what, so I’m trying to take it all in stride – but I was just surprised how quickly it changed from one day to next. I also know that even when he’s 30, he’ll still (and always will be) my little boy.

xoxo

9 Month Appointment

Height: 29 ½ inches (80th percentile)
Weight: 23lbs 13 oz (95th percentile)
Headddd: I forgot the measurement but he’s the 96th percentile – as expected, he’s got an impressive dome.

He got his final Hep B shot and didn’t even flinch.

He also had to get a finger prick for a lead test and did just fine. Nick, on the other hand, informed the nurse that he was feeling a little woozy. That’s my hubs. :)

We are so very luck to have such a healthy, chunky, happy little boy. I am thankful for this every.single.day. and every.single.moment. that I look at him. With the recent tragedy in Newton, CT (I honestly can’t even talk about it), it makes me cherish him and my family that much more. What these families are going through right now, I can’t even fathom it.

I love you all!

xoxo

Nicholas is 6 Months Old!

No joke – time flies. We are incredibly blessed with an overall happy, smiley baby. He did wake up on his 6 month “birthday” with his first cold and has been a little cranky, but still mostly smiley, laughing, and enjoying the day.

He had his 6 month appointment on 9/13/12, here are his stats:
Weight:19 lbs 8 oz
Height: 27 1/2 inches
Head....45 cm, now in the 97% percentile.

He got 4 shots so it's been a tough day for him! When Nick called to give me an update and I answered the phone, he was singing "The Wheels on the Bus" because Nicholas loves that song and it helps put him to sleep or calm him down.

Likes: His exersaucer – he can be good in this for about a half hour at a time, and it’s great because we can run around the house doing all the things we don’t get to do anymore, clean up a bit, put away dishes, play with the dog, pee, etc. :)

Bath time – we have a bath tub that goes from birth to age 2, and up until earlier this week he would be in the “supported” part. We still start him out in the supported part, but then turn him around to sit in the tub and he LOSES his mind. He loves to splash in the “deeper” water that he can now see, and we’ve given him a few bath toys that he basically chews on. He’s not too happy when you take him out of the bath though.

Going to the store – now that he can sit up in the carriage, he likes just looking at everything and everyone. I’m still not big on taking him out by myself, I like to have Nick with me in case he has a fit, Nick can take him to the car so I can finish up shopping. But honestly this has not happened yet – it happened a few times when he was younger, but now he’s alert/happy/interested much longer.

Toys that make noise - Sophie the Giraffe teether, "crinkly" books, Baby Einstein piano, etc.

Dislikes – Being taken out of the bath tub is the one I can think of right now! Also, we haven’t tried to schedule naps yet, he generally gets tired within a few hours of waking, naps for awhile, is up a few hours, and naps again. I’ll take what I can get at this point. He seems to “fight” going to sleep, as if he knows he’s tired but just can’t get there. I’m just happy that he naps at all!

Sleeping: Still pretty good - the naps are random but he's down by 7 and we can usually get him to sleep until 5 (sometimes it's 4:30, which is rough!)

New and noteable:

I’ll be starting him on veggies and fruits this coming Saturday, September 15th. So far I have made green beans, sweet potatoes, and yellow squash. I bought Earth’s Best peas and bananas because I had difficult finding peas that weren’t frozen with salt, and because the banana is made “fresh”, buying jarred was easier. I had a great time making baby food, here are some pics:

Him sitting in the shopping cart was also a big one – it’s great not trying to lug around the extremely heavy car seat (it’s 20+pounds and he’s 20+ pounds!). As I mentioned before, he loves oogling everyone so it’s great for him too! He also sits in high chairs when we go out to eat. Here are some pics of that.

He likes to try and hold his bottle. He will often just put it in his mouth and not get that he has to tip it upwards, but once or twice he has held his bottle for a few minutes – and I of course cried (he’s growing up so fast!) I have given him a sippy cup to hold and play with, and I plan on introducing that soon as well.

Dexter LOVES the baby so much, if I leave the room Dexter will run over and just lick his face, and the baby giggles – he loves his big brother too!

Some pics from the last month: