While we were opening gifts on Christmas (and each day since), Gavin amused himself by putting his toys in his toy box, then climbing in and taking them back out. Then he climbed out and started the cycle again. My favorite part though, is that after he puts a couple of toys in, he claps for himself! I think it's the cutest thing!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
busy week
Wow- what a busy week we've had with Gavin!
First, Grandma Paquette flew in last Wednesday to celebrate Christmas and Gavin's birthday with us. Terry took Gavin to the doctor AGAIN, to check for pneumonia. Negative again. Which is good, but considering how long he's been sick, it would have been nice if he had something we could treat and he'd get better! We made sugar cookies that night. Gavin stirred the frosting for us and was interested in the sprinkles, but not willing to touch the frosting. We were hoping he might eat one, but twas not to be. Not at that time anyway. (In fact, we're still waiting on that!)
Then came Christmas. Gavin not being an early riser (nor Terry either!), we started the day with a late breakfast. Terry made pancakes, bacon and eggs for us all. Gavin still wouldn't try the pancakes, but was willing to eat eggs and strawberries. We then came downstairs to open gifts by the tree. Gavin didn't want to wear the Santa hat, but was willing to deliver a gift or two in his truck. His favorite toy that day was a truck we got him months before! He only opened a few gifts before getting sick of it for right then, so we saved the rest for later. We had Christmas dinner after Gavin's nap. He wasn't really interested in much of the food, but did eat a lot of corn, and had a lot of fun scooping it up with the slotted spoon.
Saturday we had a joint birthday celebration for Gavin and Jen. So we had birthday cupcakes (again, Gavin wouldn't even touch them!) and presents at the table. By this time, Gavin had gotten more into unwrapping gifts, so he opened up all of his birthday gifts, plus the leftovers from Christmas. We went out sledding in the afternoon, and realized the snow was too deep to walk through, so we pulled Gavin's sled along on the road. He had a great time!
We had flavored sausage (Spinach and Mozzarella) with rice for dinner, and Gavin seemed to enjoy both of them.
Then to Sunday. We got up and went to Benihana's for birthday lunch. Unfortunately, we had to wait 45 minutes before we got a table, but Gavin was pretty good for us while we waited. He got a little impatient hanging around, but once he saw the Hibachi chef cooking our food, he settled down to watch the show. He settled onto Daddy's lap to eat some of the fried rice, and carrot strips from salad. He tried some of Mommy's scallop, and liked it enough to eat a second piece before he had a "burp-up," which stopped his eating. We all got ice cream for dessert, but Gavin had found a candy cane on the tree in the lobby, so gave up his ice cream to Daddy. On the way home, he conducted music in the back seat with Grandma.
Gavin's been talking a lot more this week, but I can't remember some of the things he's been saying. They're not easy to understand, but we can usually figure them out since he says them in the right context. I'll try to remember to write them down from now on!
First, Grandma Paquette flew in last Wednesday to celebrate Christmas and Gavin's birthday with us. Terry took Gavin to the doctor AGAIN, to check for pneumonia. Negative again. Which is good, but considering how long he's been sick, it would have been nice if he had something we could treat and he'd get better! We made sugar cookies that night. Gavin stirred the frosting for us and was interested in the sprinkles, but not willing to touch the frosting. We were hoping he might eat one, but twas not to be. Not at that time anyway. (In fact, we're still waiting on that!)
Then came Christmas. Gavin not being an early riser (nor Terry either!), we started the day with a late breakfast. Terry made pancakes, bacon and eggs for us all. Gavin still wouldn't try the pancakes, but was willing to eat eggs and strawberries. We then came downstairs to open gifts by the tree. Gavin didn't want to wear the Santa hat, but was willing to deliver a gift or two in his truck. His favorite toy that day was a truck we got him months before! He only opened a few gifts before getting sick of it for right then, so we saved the rest for later. We had Christmas dinner after Gavin's nap. He wasn't really interested in much of the food, but did eat a lot of corn, and had a lot of fun scooping it up with the slotted spoon.
Saturday we had a joint birthday celebration for Gavin and Jen. So we had birthday cupcakes (again, Gavin wouldn't even touch them!) and presents at the table. By this time, Gavin had gotten more into unwrapping gifts, so he opened up all of his birthday gifts, plus the leftovers from Christmas. We went out sledding in the afternoon, and realized the snow was too deep to walk through, so we pulled Gavin's sled along on the road. He had a great time!
We had flavored sausage (Spinach and Mozzarella) with rice for dinner, and Gavin seemed to enjoy both of them.
Then to Sunday. We got up and went to Benihana's for birthday lunch. Unfortunately, we had to wait 45 minutes before we got a table, but Gavin was pretty good for us while we waited. He got a little impatient hanging around, but once he saw the Hibachi chef cooking our food, he settled down to watch the show. He settled onto Daddy's lap to eat some of the fried rice, and carrot strips from salad. He tried some of Mommy's scallop, and liked it enough to eat a second piece before he had a "burp-up," which stopped his eating. We all got ice cream for dessert, but Gavin had found a candy cane on the tree in the lobby, so gave up his ice cream to Daddy. On the way home, he conducted music in the back seat with Grandma.
Gavin's been talking a lot more this week, but I can't remember some of the things he's been saying. They're not easy to understand, but we can usually figure them out since he says them in the right context. I'll try to remember to write them down from now on!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Stupid Trauma Nurse
I had an irritating conversation with a trauma nurse at Gavin's pediatrician's office this evening. I'll start at the beginning. Gavin woke up wanting formula around 5:30 this morning. He drank it really well, then started to go back to sleep. But I thought he felt warm, so took his temp (the same way I always take it, under the arm), and he was over 100 degrees, so I turned him over and gave him Ibuprofen before he fell asleep. After he got up in the morning, I took his temp about 11 am, and it was a bit higher even then, so gave him Ibuprofen again. At 1:45 this afternoon, I gave him Tylenol, then he laid down for a nap. Got up and I took his temp again at 5:00 because he felt really hot.
Now this is where the accounts vary. I got 104 on the thermometer (under the arm again), so decided I had better call the doctor's office (even though I had talked to them earlier in the day to see about giving Gavin some Tamiflu.) The trauma nurse wanted us to re-take Gavin's temp under the other armpit, so when I told Terry to stop Gavin from playing with the dog for a minute to re-take the temp, the trauma nurse insisted that if Gavin was playing with the dog, his temp was NOT 104. Because "I've taken care of kids who were 105, and they died." (according to the trauma nurse) Um, no kidding. That's kind of why I called the nurse in the first place! I was kind of concerned about his temp being so high.
So I had Terry take Gavin's temp under the other armpit, and it came up 103.3. So the nurse said "You check it on yourself" because he thought there was something wrong with the accuracy of the thermometer I was using. So I asked if he wanted me to check it under my arm or in my mouth, so he said if I was ok with putting it in my mouth after it was under Gavin's arm, I could do that. So I checked, and MY temp was 98.2, perfectly normal temp for an adult. So I figure if it worked well on me, it was relatively accurate on Gavin. So I told the guy that even if it wasn't 104, it was at least 103, from the 2 thermometers I'd tried under his arm, PLUS the one I had to check his forehead. 3 different thermometers came up with ABOUT the same readings, and even if it wasn't quite 104, it was still pretty high, especially considering I'd already given him Tylenol a few hours before, and Ibuprofen before that. So the trauma nurse finally relented enough to tell me that I could always take Gavin to Urgent Care if i wanted. As a matter of fact, I DIDN'T want to. But I thought Gavin's doctor might be concerned that his temp had gotten that high. Guess that's the problem with talking to a nurse who doesn't know Gavin's previous medical conditions.
I'm just not sure I like a nurse telling me that Gavin wouldn't be playing with a dog if his temp was that high, ("he'd be deathly ill!") Excuse me, but 3 thermometers say his temp IS that high, and he IS playing with the dog. He'd literally have to be dying to not want to play with Jasmine. She's his favorite playmate! I've joked before that she's a therapy dog because she always makes Gavin feel better. And, it's not like I don't know how to take a temperature. I HAVE mastered the complicated machines called thermometers. Really. I'm not that stupid. I AM however, concerned about my son, so just take me seriously and believe at least PART of what I say!
Now this is where the accounts vary. I got 104 on the thermometer (under the arm again), so decided I had better call the doctor's office (even though I had talked to them earlier in the day to see about giving Gavin some Tamiflu.) The trauma nurse wanted us to re-take Gavin's temp under the other armpit, so when I told Terry to stop Gavin from playing with the dog for a minute to re-take the temp, the trauma nurse insisted that if Gavin was playing with the dog, his temp was NOT 104. Because "I've taken care of kids who were 105, and they died." (according to the trauma nurse) Um, no kidding. That's kind of why I called the nurse in the first place! I was kind of concerned about his temp being so high.
So I had Terry take Gavin's temp under the other armpit, and it came up 103.3. So the nurse said "You check it on yourself" because he thought there was something wrong with the accuracy of the thermometer I was using. So I asked if he wanted me to check it under my arm or in my mouth, so he said if I was ok with putting it in my mouth after it was under Gavin's arm, I could do that. So I checked, and MY temp was 98.2, perfectly normal temp for an adult. So I figure if it worked well on me, it was relatively accurate on Gavin. So I told the guy that even if it wasn't 104, it was at least 103, from the 2 thermometers I'd tried under his arm, PLUS the one I had to check his forehead. 3 different thermometers came up with ABOUT the same readings, and even if it wasn't quite 104, it was still pretty high, especially considering I'd already given him Tylenol a few hours before, and Ibuprofen before that. So the trauma nurse finally relented enough to tell me that I could always take Gavin to Urgent Care if i wanted. As a matter of fact, I DIDN'T want to. But I thought Gavin's doctor might be concerned that his temp had gotten that high. Guess that's the problem with talking to a nurse who doesn't know Gavin's previous medical conditions.
I'm just not sure I like a nurse telling me that Gavin wouldn't be playing with a dog if his temp was that high, ("he'd be deathly ill!") Excuse me, but 3 thermometers say his temp IS that high, and he IS playing with the dog. He'd literally have to be dying to not want to play with Jasmine. She's his favorite playmate! I've joked before that she's a therapy dog because she always makes Gavin feel better. And, it's not like I don't know how to take a temperature. I HAVE mastered the complicated machines called thermometers. Really. I'm not that stupid. I AM however, concerned about my son, so just take me seriously and believe at least PART of what I say!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Gavin's feeling better
Gavin was just crazy wild yesterday. Nothing seemed to settle him down, including holding him, which is what he's usually wanting recently. He still burst into tears for seemingly no reason, even when I was holding him a couple of times. It occurred to me that he MIGHT have been tired all day, but if that's the case, he should have taken a longer nap! (I sure didn't wake him up!) He threw up overnight though, so maybe he has a stomach bug. I haven't been feeling well for the last few days, but I thought it might have been something I ate. Maybe not though. Maybe he and I got a stomach bug which has been making him very irritable, and like my mother would say "like he can't stand to be in his own skin." Just nothing seemed to really make him feel better yesterday. Sometimes he seemed fine, like when he was chasing Jasmine, then all of a sudden, walking across the room, he burst into tears. I sure am glad he seems better today.
Today he didn't get irritable until after his normal naptime passed. He woke up late today, so I didn't push him to take a nap at the normal time, and waited until he seemed tired. But he got a bit irritable then, so I had to make sure he took a nap. It was right after we went outside. (We've been stuck inside a lot recently because it's too cold for him, so I figured today might be a bit better to try going out.) I pulled him around on the sled for a couple of minutes, but was going pretty slow. He must have been leaning over or something though, because all of a sudden, I didn't feel him on the sled! I looked back, and sure enough, he was laying mostly face down in the snow, and NOT happy about it! I picked him right up, and started to try to wipe the snow off of his face. He was trying to do it also, but his mittens were wet too so I think he was getting just as upset that he couldn't get the snow off his face, as the fact that it was on there in the first place! SO, he burst out crying. Not that I can blame him. Snow on the face IS pretty cold, and he sure isn't used to it, and didn't know what was going on, and why he couldn't wipe it off his face! Anyway, so Gavin took his first spill in the snow today. I figure it probably traumatized him and I won't be able to get him to go back out for a while, but I'm going to TRY for tomorrow anyway!
Today he didn't get irritable until after his normal naptime passed. He woke up late today, so I didn't push him to take a nap at the normal time, and waited until he seemed tired. But he got a bit irritable then, so I had to make sure he took a nap. It was right after we went outside. (We've been stuck inside a lot recently because it's too cold for him, so I figured today might be a bit better to try going out.) I pulled him around on the sled for a couple of minutes, but was going pretty slow. He must have been leaning over or something though, because all of a sudden, I didn't feel him on the sled! I looked back, and sure enough, he was laying mostly face down in the snow, and NOT happy about it! I picked him right up, and started to try to wipe the snow off of his face. He was trying to do it also, but his mittens were wet too so I think he was getting just as upset that he couldn't get the snow off his face, as the fact that it was on there in the first place! SO, he burst out crying. Not that I can blame him. Snow on the face IS pretty cold, and he sure isn't used to it, and didn't know what was going on, and why he couldn't wipe it off his face! Anyway, so Gavin took his first spill in the snow today. I figure it probably traumatized him and I won't be able to get him to go back out for a while, but I'm going to TRY for tomorrow anyway!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Dr, Darsow
I know you all know the story, but I had to just jot it down while I am thinking of it today.
Two years ago today, Dr. Darsow most likely saved my live, and possibly Gavin's too. I had been having abdominal pain for several weeks, and the doctor I had seen (I happened to see the same one twice) told me it was just severe heartburn. But I knew it didn't feel like heartburn, and had taken the medicine he had prescribed and it hadn't done any good. And I was just in too much pain to just wait it out, so I went to see a different doctor (well, Dr. Darsow was a PA. Whatever.) He didn't know what to do for me, so figured he might as run bloodwork to see if he could find any problems there, and lo and behold, my liver enzymes were through the roof! So he immediately called my OB before even giving me the results, and the OB insisted I go to Topeka to see the high risk pregnancy doctor. Even though I was released and got to go home for the weekend, the high risk doctor did give me steroid shots to mature Gavins' lungs, because they were sure I was going to have to deliver him within a couple of days. They ran a bunch more bloodwork, but didn't find anything new.
However, when I went into the OB department early Monday morning on an emergency basis, they already knew my liver enzymes were up, so immediately booked a helicopter flight for me to the hospital in Topeka. My OB said that he was sure I wouldn't be leaving the hospital until I had my baby (and he was sure that Topeka would deliver it that day.) He was right. I was in the Topeka hospital until I had my baby, but we were able to hold off on it for almost a week just by being monitored and taken care of in the hospital.
Even though I didn't show typical signs of pre-eclampsia, the Gastro doctor was SURE I had HELLP syndrome, which you only get if you also have pre-eclampsia. So I was diagnosed with both of those, which allowed me to get pretty much proper care while I was in the hospital. And it made sure that they monitored my baby a couple of times a day at least. (Granted, I think they should have done another ultrasound earlier than they did, but that's another issue.) Like I said, they were able to hold off on delivering my baby until my illness got too severe and it started affecting the baby's growth and amniotic fluid, at which time, they had to deliver Gavin. But, I know without a doubt, things would have turned out MUCH differently, if that dr at Ft. Riley, Dr. Darsow, hadn't thought to check blood work and liver enzymes, on a pregnant woman who kept complaining even though another doctor had already seen her and prescribed medicine that he thought SHOULD have worked! I'm just very thankful for Dr. Darsow, not pretending that he knew everything, and he was ready to say, "Geez, your symptoms seem consistent with what the other doctor said, but you're still complaining. I really have no idea what to do for you, but I can see if your blood work shows anything." I sure am thankful that Dr. Darsow actually listened to me, instead of just dismissing what I had to say as just typical pregnancy heartburn! Since HELLP syndrome (as well as pre-eclampsia) is potentially life threatening, not getting proper treatment and monitoring could have ended very badly for me.
I'm also sure that if we hadn't delivered Gavin when we did, he might have actually been worse off than he was, considering I had such a low amount of amniotic fluid, but that was actually me that got him delivered when he was. Dr. Darsow figuring out part of my problem allowed me to get the steroid shots for Gavins's lungs, without which, I am sure he never would have survived.
Thank you Dr. Darsow.
Two years ago today, Dr. Darsow most likely saved my live, and possibly Gavin's too. I had been having abdominal pain for several weeks, and the doctor I had seen (I happened to see the same one twice) told me it was just severe heartburn. But I knew it didn't feel like heartburn, and had taken the medicine he had prescribed and it hadn't done any good. And I was just in too much pain to just wait it out, so I went to see a different doctor (well, Dr. Darsow was a PA. Whatever.) He didn't know what to do for me, so figured he might as run bloodwork to see if he could find any problems there, and lo and behold, my liver enzymes were through the roof! So he immediately called my OB before even giving me the results, and the OB insisted I go to Topeka to see the high risk pregnancy doctor. Even though I was released and got to go home for the weekend, the high risk doctor did give me steroid shots to mature Gavins' lungs, because they were sure I was going to have to deliver him within a couple of days. They ran a bunch more bloodwork, but didn't find anything new.
However, when I went into the OB department early Monday morning on an emergency basis, they already knew my liver enzymes were up, so immediately booked a helicopter flight for me to the hospital in Topeka. My OB said that he was sure I wouldn't be leaving the hospital until I had my baby (and he was sure that Topeka would deliver it that day.) He was right. I was in the Topeka hospital until I had my baby, but we were able to hold off on it for almost a week just by being monitored and taken care of in the hospital.
Even though I didn't show typical signs of pre-eclampsia, the Gastro doctor was SURE I had HELLP syndrome, which you only get if you also have pre-eclampsia. So I was diagnosed with both of those, which allowed me to get pretty much proper care while I was in the hospital. And it made sure that they monitored my baby a couple of times a day at least. (Granted, I think they should have done another ultrasound earlier than they did, but that's another issue.) Like I said, they were able to hold off on delivering my baby until my illness got too severe and it started affecting the baby's growth and amniotic fluid, at which time, they had to deliver Gavin. But, I know without a doubt, things would have turned out MUCH differently, if that dr at Ft. Riley, Dr. Darsow, hadn't thought to check blood work and liver enzymes, on a pregnant woman who kept complaining even though another doctor had already seen her and prescribed medicine that he thought SHOULD have worked! I'm just very thankful for Dr. Darsow, not pretending that he knew everything, and he was ready to say, "Geez, your symptoms seem consistent with what the other doctor said, but you're still complaining. I really have no idea what to do for you, but I can see if your blood work shows anything." I sure am thankful that Dr. Darsow actually listened to me, instead of just dismissing what I had to say as just typical pregnancy heartburn! Since HELLP syndrome (as well as pre-eclampsia) is potentially life threatening, not getting proper treatment and monitoring could have ended very badly for me.
I'm also sure that if we hadn't delivered Gavin when we did, he might have actually been worse off than he was, considering I had such a low amount of amniotic fluid, but that was actually me that got him delivered when he was. Dr. Darsow figuring out part of my problem allowed me to get the steroid shots for Gavins's lungs, without which, I am sure he never would have survived.
Thank you Dr. Darsow.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
sledding
I took Gavin sledding yesterday. Just outside the house, but it was his first time so we didn't want to get too far. He didn't really seem impressed, but I'm hoping he'll learn to like it soon. It WAS kind of cold so we can try again when there's less wind so it will be a little bit warmer. Better luck next time!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Feeding therapy meal
I set Gavin's snack up for him (several cut up strawberries, a slice or two of apple, cut up Mozzarella cheese and some Cheeseburger Macaroni we had the other night.) He ate a couple of pieces of strawberries and small bit of apple, then started playing around and trying to feed me instead of feeding himself (a sure sign he's done.) But I was bound determined he was GOING to try the macaroni (he's not interested in any pasta- doesn't like the texture so he won't even consider whether he likes the taste or not!) So I pushed a tiny piece of macaroni in his mouth. He fought the whole time, but I praised him (like the feeding therapist had said to do) the whole time for good tasting and good eating and such. When he finally pulled the minuscule piece of pasta out of his mouth, he ate another piece of strawberry. I thought that was great that he decided he COULD eat more strawberry, especially since it was one of his absolute favorite foods. But it surprised me even more because that was the basis of the "therapy meal" the feeding therapist had been having us try all summer and fall.
The "therapy meal" concept: Basically, you get the child to taste a bit (however you can, sometimes it's just swiping a bit on their lip and then they can lick it off) of non-preferred (something they don't exactly want to try because of the texture or whatever), and praise them for trying it. Then you offer them a bite of something they do really want ("reward food". Does anyone else think this sounds like training dogs?) This goes back and forth, so they figure out that if they want their preferred food, they have to try the non-preferred food. That therapy meal never really worked for us before, it never really took off. But now that I haven't been doing it for a while, he seemed to know that was the deal anyway. Like "Hey Mom, you made me try something I didn't want, now I'm supposed to get a preferred food, remember?"
I bet I haven't done the therapy meal with him in at least 2 months, but NOW he gets it I guess! In any case, I did get him to eat a little more apple and strawberry by forcing him to try the macaroni! I never did really like the idea of forcing food into the mouth or onto the lips, but with Gavin, we KNOW he would like some foods if he would just try them (as evidenced by the fact that he DID like some of the foods like chicken and strawberries and used to eat them before, but hasn't had them for a while and seems to have forgotten that he used to like them), so you have to get the food into him so then he can decide "Oh, yeah, I do like that. Yeah, maybe I can have another piece..."
Funny, we've done that with Jasmine for years when it came to stuff like peanut butter. She loves the stuff, but we give it to her so infrequently, that when we do give some to her on our finger, she has to look at it, sniff it all over, and after a couple of minutes (a long time to a dog!) finally gingerly taste it, all the while, expecting us to trick her with something yucky tasting. Then she remembers "Oh, THIS stuff? Yeah, I do like this stuff."
Funny how feeding Gavin has turned into reminding me of dealing with dogs (the reward system of giving treats for them doing what you want them to do- in Gavin's case, try the food.)
At this rate, maybe when the kid is like 10 or something, we can actually get him to WILLINGLY eat pasta!
The "therapy meal" concept: Basically, you get the child to taste a bit (however you can, sometimes it's just swiping a bit on their lip and then they can lick it off) of non-preferred (something they don't exactly want to try because of the texture or whatever), and praise them for trying it. Then you offer them a bite of something they do really want ("reward food". Does anyone else think this sounds like training dogs?) This goes back and forth, so they figure out that if they want their preferred food, they have to try the non-preferred food. That therapy meal never really worked for us before, it never really took off. But now that I haven't been doing it for a while, he seemed to know that was the deal anyway. Like "Hey Mom, you made me try something I didn't want, now I'm supposed to get a preferred food, remember?"
I bet I haven't done the therapy meal with him in at least 2 months, but NOW he gets it I guess! In any case, I did get him to eat a little more apple and strawberry by forcing him to try the macaroni! I never did really like the idea of forcing food into the mouth or onto the lips, but with Gavin, we KNOW he would like some foods if he would just try them (as evidenced by the fact that he DID like some of the foods like chicken and strawberries and used to eat them before, but hasn't had them for a while and seems to have forgotten that he used to like them), so you have to get the food into him so then he can decide "Oh, yeah, I do like that. Yeah, maybe I can have another piece..."
Funny, we've done that with Jasmine for years when it came to stuff like peanut butter. She loves the stuff, but we give it to her so infrequently, that when we do give some to her on our finger, she has to look at it, sniff it all over, and after a couple of minutes (a long time to a dog!) finally gingerly taste it, all the while, expecting us to trick her with something yucky tasting. Then she remembers "Oh, THIS stuff? Yeah, I do like this stuff."
Funny how feeding Gavin has turned into reminding me of dealing with dogs (the reward system of giving treats for them doing what you want them to do- in Gavin's case, try the food.)
At this rate, maybe when the kid is like 10 or something, we can actually get him to WILLINGLY eat pasta!
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Magical "20"
Gavin hit the 20 lb mark with weight last night. Technically, he did a couple of weeks ago, but then he lost weight, and has no regained it. There's nothing specifically special about 20 lbs (except that you can change car seats), but since he's always been small, he's been having trouble QUITE reaching that magical number. So, we're happy :) I was hoping he'd hit 22-23 lbs by his adjusted 2nd birthday, so maybe he really will now.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Early Intervention Observation
So, the Early Intervention Educator came today, to observe Gavin playing and listen to what sounds/words he made. I think she was happy with what she saw, because she even commented about how he was making a lot more sounds than he was even last week when they were here. I told her we'd noticed the same thing, and proceeded to tell her the 2 word phrases he has said before. She watched him pet Jasmine, play with his ball pit, throw a ball, climb up on his toy box to turn the light switch on and off, put his arms out to me while saying "mama", sit and read a book with me, stick his tongue in and out (taking turns with me doing it also), and he played peekaboo with her. She wasn't happy that he was running on his tip toes, but I told her that I had seen him run flat footed sometimes, but yes, he did prefer most of the time to run on his tip toes. Not sure if he does it often enough so that she'll be concerned about that or not. Guess I'll find out when they come back next week to give me the results of their testing. But other than the tippy toes thing, I THINK she was quite pleased with what she saw. Hoorah! It's about time! YAY for Gavin doing so well and showing off to the Early Intervention (E.I.) lady!
Typical Baby Rules
I've learned that typical baby rules don't necessarily apply to Gavin. Such as, "When he gets hungry enough he'll eat what you put in front of him." Not completely true, since Gavin really objects to certain textures of food. And "If it hurt him too much, he wouldn't do it." Also, since we don't know how high Gavin's tolerance to pain is (recent research is showing that lots of preemies have decreased pain sensitivity due to the multiple painful medical experiences they have in the hospital after they're born), sometimes he does something that we KNOW should hurt him, but he just breezes right through like it didn't happen. And sometimes it's just because he's too busy playing and laughing and having fun to care if it hurt him or not. The best example of this one, is when he bonks our head with his forehead. It hurts US, so we're SURE it must hurt him. But he's so busy laughing at it, he keeps doing it. According to my mother-in-law, Terry used to laugh as he banged his head against the wall, so maybe it's something genetic!
We'll just have to keep an eye on him and talk to him about pain tolerance when he gets a little older so that we know if things actually hurt him, or if it's just that he's too busy having fun to bother him. No normal boy here! But, he's certainly got his own (stubborn) personality, and we just love him for it.
We'll just have to keep an eye on him and talk to him about pain tolerance when he gets a little older so that we know if things actually hurt him, or if it's just that he's too busy having fun to bother him. No normal boy here! But, he's certainly got his own (stubborn) personality, and we just love him for it.
sleep problems
I thought I was just having a hard time getting Gavin to go to sleep for a nap yesterday because he was playing with his tongue so much, but it's been difficult to get him to to to bed at night for a couple nights too. Hmmm.. What could the problem be? So many things to choose from! It could be his EXTREME separation anxiety about being away from Mommy, he could be in a growth spurt, could be hungry, or it could be because he's in the middle of a milestone breakthrough with talking and playing with his tongue, etc. Or, it's always possible he could be teething (he hasn't gotten his 2nd year molars in yet- who knows, they could be coming in.) He got the H1N1 shot last Thursday and hasn't been going to bed decent for a few days, so that's most likely the problem, but with Gavin, we just never know.
Anyway, we have to get Gavin to start going to bed better at night (last night was 1 am before he finally went to sleep and stayed asleep), or we're all going to be zombies! I'm already living on caffeine, and it's only been a few days!
Anyway, we have to get Gavin to start going to bed better at night (last night was 1 am before he finally went to sleep and stayed asleep), or we're all going to be zombies! I'm already living on caffeine, and it's only been a few days!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Nap procrastination and respirations
Gavin almost didn't fall asleep for a nap today. He was insistent that he did not plan on falling asleep. So, after feeding him, I was trying to rock him to sleep (yes, I still do that because I actually want to make sure he will sleep!) and instead of falling asleep, he sat there sticking his tongue in and out for more than 10 minutes straight. He has just recently (in the last couple months) figured out how to stick his tongue out, and has been experimenting with it and how he can move it (he still hasn't managed to get his tongue to touch his top lip, but I'm hoping that comes next.) So I just closed my eyes since when he sees me watching him, he considers it interaction, and refuses to go to sleep. If he sees my eyes close, he eventually decides I'm not interacting with him, so he's more likely to fall asleep.
I guess I lost track of time and actually fell asleep holding him, which I prefer not to do, since he could just get down out of my arms and raise havoc in the house while I slept. Couldn't help it today though, I guess I must have been more tired than I thought. That, and the white noise machine we have on in Gavin's room when he falls asleep--it makes me tired most of the time when it's on! He apparently fell asleep pretty soon after I stopped watching him though, because when I woke up, he was sound asleep and I was able to transfer him to his crib. Nice deal.
I took advantage of that time to go lay down to get myself a proper nap, but not until after I checked his respirations (his rate of breathing.) There was a time I did it several times a day, but I hadn't done it for a while because I know his lungs are considerably better than they were. When we brought Gavin home at his due date, we TRIED to keep his respirations down to 60 breaths per minute. A normal adult breathes 12-16 times per minute, but babies breathe faster than adults. Not usually anywhere near as high as 60 though. That was just because of his lung disease. So 20 months ago, we hoped each day we could get him to breathe as little as 60 breaths per minute. Today while he was sleeping, he was breathing 24 breaths per minute! That's incredible! Essentially, what it means, is that his lungs are doing really quite well, and he's not burning up as many calories JUST to breathe! I'm just so proud of how much better his lungs are doing, just 1 1/2 years after leaving the hospital! (I know it sounds like a long time, but considering the doctors told us that his lungs will continue to grow and get better until he's about 8 years old, I'm impressed that he's doing THIS well, THIS soon!)
The things you give thanks for when you're a preemie mom...LOL!
I guess I lost track of time and actually fell asleep holding him, which I prefer not to do, since he could just get down out of my arms and raise havoc in the house while I slept. Couldn't help it today though, I guess I must have been more tired than I thought. That, and the white noise machine we have on in Gavin's room when he falls asleep--it makes me tired most of the time when it's on! He apparently fell asleep pretty soon after I stopped watching him though, because when I woke up, he was sound asleep and I was able to transfer him to his crib. Nice deal.
I took advantage of that time to go lay down to get myself a proper nap, but not until after I checked his respirations (his rate of breathing.) There was a time I did it several times a day, but I hadn't done it for a while because I know his lungs are considerably better than they were. When we brought Gavin home at his due date, we TRIED to keep his respirations down to 60 breaths per minute. A normal adult breathes 12-16 times per minute, but babies breathe faster than adults. Not usually anywhere near as high as 60 though. That was just because of his lung disease. So 20 months ago, we hoped each day we could get him to breathe as little as 60 breaths per minute. Today while he was sleeping, he was breathing 24 breaths per minute! That's incredible! Essentially, what it means, is that his lungs are doing really quite well, and he's not burning up as many calories JUST to breathe! I'm just so proud of how much better his lungs are doing, just 1 1/2 years after leaving the hospital! (I know it sounds like a long time, but considering the doctors told us that his lungs will continue to grow and get better until he's about 8 years old, I'm impressed that he's doing THIS well, THIS soon!)
The things you give thanks for when you're a preemie mom...LOL!
Dentist/Early Intervention last week/speaking
So, Gavin went to the dentist for the first time last week. After reading about another child's experiences, and knowing how bad Gavin is about people getting around his mouth, I wasn't expecting a good time. I thought we'd have to hold him down and everything! But, we showed up, and Gavin had time to relax out in the waiting room, playing with toy food (his first time, since we don't have any of it). When the dental assistant came up front to get us, he was busy playing with an ornament that had fallen off from their Christmas tree. I showed him how we put it back on, and he immediately pulled it right back off. (It was round, and we all know how he loves circles!) So he started out being relaxed. Good start to the appointment!
We went back to meet the dentist, and she had me sit down, with Gavin on my lap facing me, then layed him down on my legs to make a bridge with her legs, since she was sitting across from me. So his head was right on her lap, making it easier for her to see in his mouth. Somehow, she pried his mouth open and was able to keep it open (she's definitely experienced with dealing with kids!), and although Gavin wasn't thrilled about laying backwards, he was ok until she started poking at his molars. He then started crying, but by then she was almost done, and proceeded to smear cherry flavored fluoride on his teeth. This really upset him as he gagged and choked (guess we need to do more feeding therapy!), but it was time to sit him up by that time anyway, so I just held him, and he calmed right down. In all, the time it took for her to examine him and put fluoride on his teeth, took about a minute. He cried for only 20-30 seconds. YAY Gavin! He did look at her funny afterwards, like he wasn't happy with her, but I'm sure that's to be expected. The dentist said his teeth looked great, and she wants to see him in 6 months. She mentioned the big amount of skin between his 2 front top teeth and said we could have some of it removed so his permanent teeth can grow in closer together, possibly eliminating the need for braces. Possibly. So that's a good thing to know, so we can keep it in the back of our minds for when he's a bit older. All in all, dentist appointment went REALLY well! The assistant had him pick out out a toy before he left (he had a hard time choosing between a little koosh ball, and a little car. He eventually chose the car, and I stole the koosh ball for him too!)
In other news, Early Intervention came out last week to administer the Bayley test to Gavin. I thought he did EXCELLENT! There were a few things he couldn't do, and more that he just DIDN'T do for them, so I'm not sure what his score actually will be, but I was SO reassured after they left because I thought, "Wow, if this is the stuff they're expecting him to do, we're all set, because he can do almost all of this stuff!" (And the stuff he couldn't do, I wasn't worried about, since I think some of it is stuff that he'll be able to do when he is a little older, like taking steps to the side, and walking up and down stairs with no assistance.)
On the stairs thing, I mentioned to the OT that it was hard for him to do something like that with his short legs, and she said "Yeah, they all have short legs." I don't think she understood what I was saying, was that Gavin has quite short legs, being a couple inches short for his age according to growth charts. So he has an EXTRA hard time trying to do it. Guess she wasn't taking that into consideration. But I was still thrilled because he did do most of the stuff they wanted. (All but maybe 5 things that he couldn't do.) Now, he DIDN'T do some stuff for them, but I knew he COULD do it, like matching the pictures. He's been doing that for months, but when the kid sees anything with a wheel (in this case, a tricycle), he's going to point to that first, even if he knows that it's not what you asked for. I mean, everyone who knows anything about Gavin knows about his fascination with wheels. I will mention here, that I asked him where the phone was, and where the other phone was, and he immediately matched them. Maybe he just knew Mommy meant business! So some of the things, I know that if I had been able to ask the questions, he would have gotten. Maybe he's just used to the way I ask things.
On another note, (yeah, I know, just ONE more!), Gavin started speaking more last week. YAY! Not just typical words, but 2 word phrases too! He was playing with playdough and made a mold that came out well, and he said to himself "Good work", which is one of the phrases I repeat to him hundreds of times a day! He also said "Huggy" when he wanted to give Daddy a hug. He said "Careful Bud", another phrase I say to him hundreds of times per day, as in, when he's climbing into a chair and I'm not right next to him! He then said "Kick the ball". This one, I was most proud of. Because he was playing with the broom in the living room,and I was in the kitchen so couldn't see him right then. I was sure he said "kick the ball", but wasn't sure why he would have said it because the other things he's said seem to be in context with what he's doing at the time. So I looked, and sure enough, he was pushing a ball with the broom! So not only did he say "kick the ball", he said it clearly enough so that I understood it out of context! (Well, it was in context, but I didn't know that at the time.) AND I'm SOOOO proud of myself for understanding it! YAY!
All of a sudden, it feels like he's learning so much!
We went back to meet the dentist, and she had me sit down, with Gavin on my lap facing me, then layed him down on my legs to make a bridge with her legs, since she was sitting across from me. So his head was right on her lap, making it easier for her to see in his mouth. Somehow, she pried his mouth open and was able to keep it open (she's definitely experienced with dealing with kids!), and although Gavin wasn't thrilled about laying backwards, he was ok until she started poking at his molars. He then started crying, but by then she was almost done, and proceeded to smear cherry flavored fluoride on his teeth. This really upset him as he gagged and choked (guess we need to do more feeding therapy!), but it was time to sit him up by that time anyway, so I just held him, and he calmed right down. In all, the time it took for her to examine him and put fluoride on his teeth, took about a minute. He cried for only 20-30 seconds. YAY Gavin! He did look at her funny afterwards, like he wasn't happy with her, but I'm sure that's to be expected. The dentist said his teeth looked great, and she wants to see him in 6 months. She mentioned the big amount of skin between his 2 front top teeth and said we could have some of it removed so his permanent teeth can grow in closer together, possibly eliminating the need for braces. Possibly. So that's a good thing to know, so we can keep it in the back of our minds for when he's a bit older. All in all, dentist appointment went REALLY well! The assistant had him pick out out a toy before he left (he had a hard time choosing between a little koosh ball, and a little car. He eventually chose the car, and I stole the koosh ball for him too!)
In other news, Early Intervention came out last week to administer the Bayley test to Gavin. I thought he did EXCELLENT! There were a few things he couldn't do, and more that he just DIDN'T do for them, so I'm not sure what his score actually will be, but I was SO reassured after they left because I thought, "Wow, if this is the stuff they're expecting him to do, we're all set, because he can do almost all of this stuff!" (And the stuff he couldn't do, I wasn't worried about, since I think some of it is stuff that he'll be able to do when he is a little older, like taking steps to the side, and walking up and down stairs with no assistance.)
On the stairs thing, I mentioned to the OT that it was hard for him to do something like that with his short legs, and she said "Yeah, they all have short legs." I don't think she understood what I was saying, was that Gavin has quite short legs, being a couple inches short for his age according to growth charts. So he has an EXTRA hard time trying to do it. Guess she wasn't taking that into consideration. But I was still thrilled because he did do most of the stuff they wanted. (All but maybe 5 things that he couldn't do.) Now, he DIDN'T do some stuff for them, but I knew he COULD do it, like matching the pictures. He's been doing that for months, but when the kid sees anything with a wheel (in this case, a tricycle), he's going to point to that first, even if he knows that it's not what you asked for. I mean, everyone who knows anything about Gavin knows about his fascination with wheels. I will mention here, that I asked him where the phone was, and where the other phone was, and he immediately matched them. Maybe he just knew Mommy meant business! So some of the things, I know that if I had been able to ask the questions, he would have gotten. Maybe he's just used to the way I ask things.
On another note, (yeah, I know, just ONE more!), Gavin started speaking more last week. YAY! Not just typical words, but 2 word phrases too! He was playing with playdough and made a mold that came out well, and he said to himself "Good work", which is one of the phrases I repeat to him hundreds of times a day! He also said "Huggy" when he wanted to give Daddy a hug. He said "Careful Bud", another phrase I say to him hundreds of times per day, as in, when he's climbing into a chair and I'm not right next to him! He then said "Kick the ball". This one, I was most proud of. Because he was playing with the broom in the living room,and I was in the kitchen so couldn't see him right then. I was sure he said "kick the ball", but wasn't sure why he would have said it because the other things he's said seem to be in context with what he's doing at the time. So I looked, and sure enough, he was pushing a ball with the broom! So not only did he say "kick the ball", he said it clearly enough so that I understood it out of context! (Well, it was in context, but I didn't know that at the time.) AND I'm SOOOO proud of myself for understanding it! YAY!
All of a sudden, it feels like he's learning so much!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Light on, Light Off
That's the game Gavin and I have been playing for a few days. A couple weeks ago, Gavin discovered how to climb up on his toy box to flip the lightswitch on and off. The latest version, involves me holding him on my hip as he turns partway around to flip the switch on and then off. We've changed the location several times, this morning was in his bedroom, this afternoon was in the bathroom. The other day I set up a chair in the kitchen so he could turn the light on and off while I was washing the dishes just a few feet away. That seemed to be a pretty good set up, where he could see me, and I could get to him right away if he needed help. Yesterday, Terry made a huge mistake, and gave Gavin the (removable) lightswitch for the lights in the basement that he has set up to a remote light switch. I didn't think Gavin was EVER going to put that switch down! Kind of annoying having him turn the lights on and off that many times in a row, but he gets so much joy from simple actions like that, that I can't deny him doing something so fun!
This is my first blog (well, we had the caringbridge site when Gavin was in the hospital, but I figured since he hasn't been in the hospital for 20 months now, we should post on a different site.) I have a lot of stuff I want to go back and add, but I've been advised that the best thing is to start with current things, and THEN go back. So I'll try it.
This is my first blog (well, we had the caringbridge site when Gavin was in the hospital, but I figured since he hasn't been in the hospital for 20 months now, we should post on a different site.) I have a lot of stuff I want to go back and add, but I've been advised that the best thing is to start with current things, and THEN go back. So I'll try it.
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