Has anyone seen my Cheerio?

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The Boy aka Trouble.

Did I mention?

Today was another trip to the Doc. Max slept well last night but this morning was not so good. Grumpy monkey! Very clingy. So off to the doc we went. Thank goodness for generous sick leave and very good health insurance!

So he has a mild ear infection and a bad cold. Oh, and did I mention he is cutting 2 molars on bottom and 1 on top! FUN FUN FUN! So we are on antibiotics (and to think I had just said around his 1st birthday that he had only been on antibiotics once!) and tylenol. He was pretty good for the rest of the day. 3 hour nap, ate well, played well, smiled some! A welcome sight for his mama!

Is it me or do all sick 1 year olds look the same? This is Ella in the same state, at about the same age!

A Rough Couple of Nights

This boy doesn't feel so well.

Max, my little trooper & wonderful sleeper, has had a rough couple of nights. It started Monday night. He was very hard to settle and get to sleep. Usually even if he doesn't want to be in his crib (RARE), you can pick him up and he is instantly soothed. Always. Instantly. Bump the head? Pick me up. Soothed. Fall over? Pick me up. Soothed. Tired? Same thing. I don't think he has ever in his life cried inconsolably. Until Monday & Tuesday nights.

We finally got him settled Monday night though he woke and cried in the night. Also, extremely rare.

Then came last night. He had a great morning and a great day at Jeannies. Was happy at home. Had a nice dinner. Took his medicine and 20 minutes later we started heading south. It seemed like his stomach was bothering him. I suspect the Singulair. Top side effect is stomach pains. He cried and cried and cried from about 5:45 until 7:45. We called Dr. G at about 7 and he said to give him a 2nd dose of tylenol and give it 45 minutes. If he wasn't calmed in 45 minutes, we were to head to the ER. He continued to cry for about 30 more minutes before finally collapsing from exhaustion most likely and falling asleep. I was so rattled by the crying, and more likely the inability to help my normally placid little boy, that I was literally shaking by the time he fell asleep. He woke up this morning babbling and chipper as a jay bird!

We decided no more singulair. He got none tonight. He is fighting a cold as well, so he wasn't 100% himself but there wasn't any inconsolable crying.

I am usually not one to look at the medicine as a cause of any possible side effects. I know there could be a thousand things that caused his pain and suffering last night, but it just seems likely that it was the med. Hopefully, his wheezing will stay away and the weather and his health will hold until Spring!

Just listening to him cry for 2 hours shook me up, I can't imagine those parents who have to cope with a gravely ill and pained child. I just can't imagine the difficulty of dealing with that. And with that, I am grateful that my sweet boy seems to be doing just fine tonight. Tucked in and fast asleep.

For some reason it has me thinking about the lyrics of a song that I listened to over and over while I was pregnant, Chasing Cars. "I need your grace To remind me To find my own" So many lessons I have learned being the mom to this little one.

Max's 1 Year Check-up

Does this picture look like I am in for some trouble or what? This was taken a little while ago .. but still is pretty representative.

We finally made it to the one year check-up. A little delayed due to ear infections, breathing issues, colds, etc. You see they like them to be as healthy as possible when they do all that they do at the 1 year check.

2 shots, 1 rectal temperature (he really didn't like that), a blood draw, weigh-in and measurements, and some tears we are pleased to report ... he's growing!

The Stats -

Height: 32 inches (90%)
Weight: 30 lbs (more than 90% --- ok off the chart but only barely)
Head: 19 1/4 inches (90%)

They like all of these things to track proportionately over time. They do. Yay Max. I was worried because he doesn't consistently respond to his name when called. Ok, I was freaked, as this is a marker for autism. There are a lot of markers and nothing else applied, but again, this is me and my Max so mama's mind goes crazy. So Dr. G says, "Max" and he turns on a dime and looks at him directly in the eye. I roll my eyes. Dr. G says, "Now you say it" so I say "Max" and after the 2nd time he turns and looks at me as if to say "What?" Dr. G says it seems like its a matter of compliance not nonrecognition of his name, in other words, when I usually say it if he's engrossed in something he's probably just ignoring me. SHOCKING, I know! My mind is temporarily at ease. Its one of those things where it could be one of two situations: 1) I am totally paranoid or 2) my intuition is telling me something is off. Each scenerio is equally likely, which makes it particularly challenging.

Max is laughing, babbling, telling Butter "ah ah" when she barks, repeating us when we say "mama" or "dada" and trying like hell to say "ella", he also calls most everything "Ga"! I think he's a genius. Oh, and he is totally WALKING! He's not 100% steady and he still chickens out from time to time but he can take 5-6 steps at a time.

Updates

Sorry its been a while. We've been busy busy busy.

In no particular order here are the goings on:

1 - We are having the hardwood in our house refinished. We had decided to let it stay wrecked until Butter (the dog) died, but we realized she's still acting like she's about 2 and is unlikely to die anytime soon and that the floor finish in the first place wasn't the best and perhaps with a better, i.e. thicker, finish it might withstand the kids and dog at least for a little while. All in all I was tired of the floor looking like crap!

2 - We've been back and forth with Max to the doctor. I am not sure what's going on with him. He is on singulair and there are lots of reports of not so great side effects with it. Today we go back for his 1 year check-up (yes we are about a month late).

3 - Ella finished her swim class! Yay, Ella!

4 - The nephew comes home from College for "Spring" break this weekend. It will be nice to have him around. I need to stock the fridge.

5 - We head to disney 2 weeks from Saturday.

6 - We owed the Feds almost $1900 in taxes. Me thinks this has something to do with the w-2 from hubby's brother that had NO federal withholding! Thankfully we are getting over $1200 back from VA so a loss of around $600 and I could pay with Amex so...I get miles!

7 - Speaking of, Hung has changed jobs. He is now back working for his bro's company full-time, consulting for the gov't again. So far so good. He's back on the contact that he left about 18 months ago - apparently they've been asking for him to come back for about 6 months.

That's all folks!

Illness!

The saga continues.

First, the good news: Ella is P-neumonia free! Yay, Ella. She really turned the corner and is feeling so much better. I didn't realize how run down she was (it was so gradual) until she started feeling better. 10000 mamas later, she's better.

Now, for the not so good news: Max officially has "baby asthma" BOO! This is not the same as real asthma. Dr. G says most babies outgrow it by the time they are 3-4. That is a good thing, but still in the short term it means when he gets a cold it often becomes a breathing issue. Wheezing, difficulty breathing. Nebulizer treatments began today and run through Thursday. On Thursday, Dr. G will take another listen and we will most likely be putting him on a "maintenance" medicine through the rest of the winter. We'll know more then.

For now, he's still a trooper. He can handle one thing at a time ... Tired, no problem. Sick, ok. Bored, alright. But in a combination he's over his edge. Which to me seems perfectly acceptable. I mean I know adults who melt down when they are tired. Much less TIRED & SICK! He is such a sweet boy.

Did I ever mention that I HATE winter? This is just one more reason.

Happy 1st Birthday, Max!

What is better than a thumb in the mouth? A cake covered thumb that's what! Happy Birthday, baby boy. All of a sudden you have taken to sucking your thumb a lot more. It used to be just while you were falling asleep, now its more like anytime you are thinking "I'm sleepy" like after a big old slice of icing covered sugary cake.

Tomorrow Max hits the big 1. Just 1! Still I am dumbfounded at how this happened. A year ago today I posted this ... 1 week to go. Silly me. This time last year we had finished dinner and probably made it home. Ella had been tucked into bed thanks to Johanna.

I hadn't felt well all day but I kept thinking, oh I am just VERY pregnant. I tried to go to bed around 11 and tossed and turned and felt miserable until I gave up at 1 am and called my doctor. She told me to go straight to the hospital. I took a quick shower (knowing it could be the last of my mobility for a few days), called gramma to tell her what was what, and drug a very sleepy girl but quickly excited girl out of bed. I thought they would send me home. Instead at 4:50 am this little guy was delivered. Very tough pregnancy, very easy surgical removal. Thank you again, and again, and again, Dr. J-C. You truly rock. Also another big thanks to Dr. Ghidini. I love that sharp dressed italian. And thank you Dr. Poggi and your bundle of energy and all of those raw nerves. Quite the team it took to make this little man a reality in our family.

He is just the sweetest most delightful baby boy ever. He sleeps well, eats well and plays well. As long as his basic needs are met he's a happy boy. His favorite thing in the world is the remote control. He scrambles for it and upon grabbing it his entire face lights up like he just hit the lottery. Huge grin with big dimples! So far (except for the in utero part) he's leading a charmed life. 1 year down, hopefully 112 to go! Hung, Ella and I are incredibly grateful to have him in our lives!

Max's Youtube debut.

11 Months

I know I keep saying it but I really truly can't believe that we are now less than a month from having a 1 year old. Denial is not just a river in Egypt!

So here we have the "go ahead and pick me up mom or I am just going to practically climb up your legs" look. He's not really a clingy baby but when he decides it is time for some one on one with Mama he does this. He can be all the way across the house in the living room, I make a noise in the kitchen and its like "hey, it isMama..." and he crawls like a man on a mission to get to me. Of course, no sooner than I pick him up is he interested in everything but me. Typical man!

I would pretend to hate it but I love it.

So at 11 months he is a very fast crawler. He jibber jabbers and is getting really close to saying Mama and says Dada routinely but I don't think he really means Daddy when he does it. He eats EVERYTHING. Particularly likes food he can chew. Egg Rolls, noodles, rice, meat, cheerios, and goldfish. He is quite independent if it is his own idea. If you just sit him on the floor he doesn't like it. So I have learned to sit down with him on my lap. He realizes it is boring, climbs down and is off exploring. Of course, he is most interested in things that are not intended to entertain him. Item of most interest: the remote control. He is a man after all! Other things like Butter's toys and bits of paper and plastic are his favorites too.

He is getting to be a very steady stander and prefers crusing around the furniture to crawling now. He took a little step on New Year's Eve. I think he will be walking before his first birthday.

Happy New Year!

I can't believe 2007 is over, done, finito, finished! Wow, the biggest change for us in 2007 was the addition of our handsome little man, Max. After the insane highs and lows of my pregnancy with him, I can't believe he is here and healthy and almost 1! I am already telling people that even when they start to notice he's not a baby anymore that they are to shut it. I don't want to hear it. He's going to be my baby forever.

It is so different with the 2ND kid. With Ella I worried about everything. Don't get me wrong, I still worry about Max, but it is different. I have confidence. I know that if I do something wrong he won't be scarred for life. I know that kids are way more resilient than you think!

So a year ago, I was way preggers with a 4.5 year old who was still gloriously untarnished by school! Now I have an almost 1 year old who is THISCLOSE to walking and a girl who is half way through kindergarten. We had a great year. The highlights of course being Max's birth and homecoming, Ella going to school and our trip to St. John!

I am working hard to get back there sooner rather than later. I'll be heading to San Diego on Saturday. The whole family will be going to Orlando/Disney in March. That is as far as we've managed to plan. Our only goals are to enjoy ourselves and each other and to try to be healthy and active in 2008! I am going to try to enjoy the last throes of infancy that will grace our home. Knowing he is our last makes it bittersweet, though definitely more sweet than bitter.

Happy New Year! Have a great 2008! Nuzzle your babies more, Kiss the hubby often and keep those you love near!

Christmas Kids...Big & Small

A few pictures from the Christmas Festivities...

Happy Christmas

We made it to see Santa today! Now if only I could finish up my shopping.

The Boy: Month 10

Enough with the kissing already Mama!

It is official. Ok, a week past official. The boy is 10 months old. Oh what a difference a year makes. I can't believe he is almost a year old! Less than 2 months away. A party in January! I don't know how to throw parties in January. I am usually so deep in my Seasonal Affective Disorder related depression that I don't really do much of anything in January or February for that matter.

Max continues to be just a great baby. He sleeps very well. A good nap a day and 6:30 pm to 7 am just about every single night. It is a very rare occasion that he's up in the middle of the night or is difficult to get to sleep. Yes I just probably jinxed myself.

He has got to be pushing 30 lbs now. He's a moose. He is crawling like crazy. He is pulling himself up to standing and scooting around the furniture. He isn't walking yet but he really wants to. I think he might beat the milestone Ella set of walking just after her first birthday. I am thinking we'll see walking before he is 1.

Talking! He is babbling away and grunting. More grunting than babbling really. Lately I've heard the beginnings of mama. Sounds like muhmuhmuhmuh. Usually used when he's frustrated. EVEN HE KNOWS MAMA FIXES ALL THINGS WRONG! He also is working on Daddy. Dadadadadadada. He's a little better at that one actually. Yes, the one who had needles in her uterus will most likely not be the first one he puts a name with!

This morning he was crawling all over and I looked at him and trying to get him to repeat me said "Mama" and he looked straight at me and said "DADA!"

Little gjk*(&#$!

Love him though! Wouldn't trade that boy for all the money in the world!

We have returned

Here are Ella & Max at Island Blues on the east end of St. John. We are all back, we are all in one piece. Flip-Flop mom is sifting through the mountain of laundry and crap that we returned with ... but its all ok. Our 10 day trip to STJ was a success & I can't wait to go back. I am thinking June '09.

Urbanna Oyster Festival ... Catching up!

Sorry I am so behind in blogging. Life has been busy. I have been out of town more than I have been in town. Just returned from Denver for a business trip on Friday night and I am heading out again on Wednesday morning for St. John, FINALLY!

In the middle of all of that, we went to Urbanna for the 50th annual Urbanna Oyster Festival. I've been attending these since I was 4 years old & Ella's been to every one since she was born. Honestly, we have been so busy that if this wasn't the 50th we probably would have skippped it. We ended up having a GREAT time and I am glad we went!

Family minus Ella who was not leaving gramma's side for no stinkin' picture

















Ella hitching a ride with the Daddy

























The Creek















Surgically Attached?













I swear he can read and is thinking, "mama, do you see that sign!"

A Halloween First

We were invited to the neighborhood next to ours this evening to trick or treat and come to an open house. Ella catches the bus every morning at this neighborhood. As we live right on a main road, not very trick or treat conducive, we were grateful and happy to take a quick 3 minute walk down there to trick or treat and socialize. Ella was so excited to see her friends & we were happy to take her to a safe, familiar and close environment. A godsend as we had our 9 month old Monkey with us as well.

We set out at about 6:30 with Ella and baby Max. EVERYONE in the community was unbelievably nice with one exception. At one house, Ella was asked at the door if she lived in the neighborhood. She was honest and said "no I live on X Road but I catch the bus here with my friends, Emily and Beth." To which the woman said, "I only give out candy to kids who live in this neighborhood." Our daughter didn't understand her and looked to us, we were dumbfounded. We attempted to explain that she catches the bus at this neighborhood and was invited by friends there to come for Halloween. To which was repeated, more harshly, "I only give candy to children who live here!"

This is so not about the candy. Anyone who knows Ella knows she would have given her entire bucket of candy away to anyone who asked for it. As Ella and I walked away from the house, my tough little cookie was virtually in tears. She turned to me and said "Why was the lunch lady so mean to me?" The woman who had just turned Ella away works in the cafeteria at her school! I quickly tried to change her focus, so that she (unlike me) would not dwell. I absolutely understand this woman's right to distribute candy to whomever she desires, but it troubles me that someone who would intentionally be cruel to my child works at her school.

I tried to explain to Ella but honestly was at a complete loss for words. She went from a delightful, proud little girl having a great Halloween to deflated and really genuinely hurt. She repeated to me several times "Mom, I was not mean to her." and "Mom, I said Trick or treat." She very much felt it was her fault and that she had done something wrong. I felt horrible because I SURELY would not have let her go to that house had I known she would receive that reception. I could even understand if she were a much older child or making a 2nd pass through.

I know I am dwelling too much, but it does concern me that someone who works with children could be so cruel to them on an evening that is really geared toward them. I get not wanting to deal with the trick or treater thing, but selectively discriminating against a 5 year old just seems crazy. I am hopeful that she was having a bad day and children aren't routinely treated in this manner by her at school.

Sorry I just needed to vent! Ella is an inclusive, loving child and I had hoped, probably completely naively, hoped that a similar attitude is fostered by everyone who she comes into contact with, especially at her school.

I so so so wish I wasn't out of eggs. I am kidding. Maybe. Actually I have never wanted to punch a woman so badly, but I knew that would be inappropriate. At least in front of my children.

The rest of the evening was awesome. We ended at the home of our bus stop friends who were hosting an open house. They were mortified by the lunch lady's behavior. A slice of pumpkin and cream cheese cake and a cup of hot cider later we all felt much better. All in all, Ella had a great night and made a beautiful Cleopatra.

9 Months Old

Today Max is 9 months old. 3/4s of a year. Go Max! He goes to the doctor on Thursday for his check-up so we'll have official stats later. UPDATE: Official Stats are in. 26 lbs! That's off the chart a little, ok maybe a lot (but so was Ella and she's no longer chunky). 80% for height. This one shocks me. He's got the long mama torso, short legs! 90% for head size ;)

He is an eating machine and I have no idea how we are going to afford him when he's a teenager!

He has the sweetest disposition still & loves to jabber. He is officially REALLY crawling now. He is fast. And he is really adored by all!

8 Months Old

...also known as 2/3rds of 1 year old. Max can now sit up all by himself & he is discovering his voice. Lots of "ahhhhhhhhhs" "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHs" "Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhs" and "mmmmmmms" but the mmmms are usually related to him being upset about something. He is sort of crawling/military drag style.

I don't have any official specs, but I am guessing he is upper 20s for lbs & he's in size 12mo-18mo.

Bath Time with Max

He turns the water on, I turn it off. He turns it on, I turn it off. He looks at me like this. As if to say, "HELLO I want it on." And I look back and say "I want it off!" So, of course, he turns it on again.

And this picture I post because my friend says I am VERY strange for loving the back of my baby's head. I just think its very cute. He thinks I am very weird. It is cute. Isn't it!?

I post things like these because these are the tiny, silly things that I won't remember in 5 years when its him heading off to kindergarten.

Oh What a Difference a Year Makes!

I used to love September. It was the month of chrisp cool autumn air and finding out that we were going to have Ella. Then in the early 2000s, it seems bad things started to happen this month. It is the month of Katrina, the World Trade Center & Pentagon, the loss of my dear friend's father, and the words "Your baby's condition is catastrophic." So, now, September is just a month I try to get through, hoping nothing bad will happen. I am not trying to jinx myself I promise but the month kind of freaks me out a little bit.

1 year ago today I was sitting at just about this exact moment in the office of Dr. Ghidini in the perinatal center at Alexandria Hospital. It was for my 2nd sonogram of the day after the first showed bad, bad signs. We had found out in the morning that Max was in grave condition. It was a bad day. We were scared, confused, worried, freaked out, and lost. It seems like both an eternity ago & just yesterday. I find it hard to believe that one year later I am here with a healthy, 7 & 1/2 month old chunky baby boy that is trying to figure out how to crawl. God help us all. How differently it all could have gone, but I truly try not to think about that. Still, September is no fun for me. And I will like it when October 1 is here. I'll breathe a little easier.The fact that Max is here and well is nothing short of a miracle. I only give myself today to think of that. With him I just take every moment as it comes, dwelling in the sweetness of his little spirit. Appreciate it for what it is. We were faced with gut wrentching decisions and painful long days and weeks between appointments. I am just so grateful for that little boy. I am truly, madly in love with both of my children, but it is almost of if he and I have a connection that goes beyond. My mom seems to have it with Ella, but Max & I at times are in our own little world. Its almost as if he knows (and perhaps he does on an unconscious visceral level) all that I went through for him. He knows and he is grateful, and thus, takes it easy on me. He beams when I walk in a room, he quiets when I hold him, he will do anything to get a visual of me in his line of sight.

The biggest difference that Max has brought to my life, the most valuable lesson, is don't sweat the small stuff. Never one to suffer fools lightly, I have gotten even worse. I am INCREDIBLY empathetic to those who truly need empathy and support. However, those who fuss and go into fit about stupid things do not get a lot of tolerance anymore. Life it so short, so precious and so unpredictable that you have to just hold on and try to enjoy the ride!