Back to School and Charlie (7 months)

Ok, I know, I know, where are the pictures I promised like a month ago? They're coming, really they are! I've been working and running around like a crazy person (wow, two kids is something!), and my laptop at home is almost kaput, so...excuses, excuses! I really will work on this tonight.

My big boy started kindergarten this year. I can't believe he's old enough for that. I can't believe a lot of things. When we bought our house we were on the 5 year plan. "It's a great starter house, but we'll be out by the time our kids start elementary school." Famous last words. What we didn't expect when we bought our house at the height of the market was for it to crash as hard as it did. So, now we're on the new 5 year plan-the "before Charlie starts elementary school" plan. I have an adorable Pin.terest inspired picture of Jack on his first day of kindergarten to post here, but as usual, I'll have to post it when I'm not at work. We picked him up from his first day on Monday and asked him how his day was. His response, "It was MAGNIFICIENT!" He was so excited and everyday since when we pick him up, we're told his day was magnificient (with a little less enthusiasm). This is a very welcome change as he didn't seem to really like preschool as much as he's liking the "big school".

His teacher seems really nice, she also goes to our church (he goes to a private Christian school, and we're members of the church there as well). She does a good job of keeping us up to date on what they're doing, and we really like that since sometimes getting that kind of info from Jack is a little difficult. But if we want info on how many times they went outside to play, or who he played with, or which kid didn't earn a dollar at school today, then we're full of info! The earning a dollar thing is what our teacher does to encourage good behavior. The kids can earn fake dollars (one a day) for showing good behaviors. If they earn green or blue (Jack says blue is better than green and means you've had excellent behavior), they get $1 for the day. If you are on yellow or red, you don't. When you've earned $6, then you can "buy" something from the teacher's treasure box (which the parents have supplied the goodies for). Jack has $5 so far, and he's looking forward to going back to school on Tuesday to earn another. And one last thing-I thought I was going to hate that they have to wear uniforms. I LOVE it. First of all, he is just so darn cute in his uniform. Secondly, I don't have to worry about matching outfits together-I only have to worry about making sure he's got a clean, neat uniform to wear the next day. It doesn't get any better than that!

I miss having Jack at home, and being able to be spontaneous about what we do that day. Or being able to decide to skip a day at school and do something fun instead because it's "preschool" not "real school" and by real school I mean that his attendance counts, where at preschool it doesn't. I miss Jack being able to help me with Charlie when I need to go get something from the kitchen or from another room. I miss Jack just coming up to my room when I'm napping for work and snuggling into bed with me and deciding that he wants to nap with me without being asked or talked into it. That being said, I like feeling for a few hours each day that I only have one child to worry about. I drop Jack off, and Charlie and I will go to the grocery store and walk around, we lounge around the house, and the only time I have to worry about what time it is is when it gets close to 3pm and I have to worry about waking Charlie up from his nap to go get Jack. That part is nice.

In other news, Charlie is 7 months old. Actually I guess he's about 7.5 months old now. He began pulling to a stand on his own about a week before the 7 month mark. We heard him on the monitor, and Jack went to Charlie's room to see what he was doing and I heard a gasp and then, "Mommy! You better come here, quick!" Of course, the first thing going through my mind is "Oh no!" Well, maybe not no, but that's cleaner to say. So I hightail it to Charlie's room, and look in, and the child is standing up in his crib and smiling at me. I had to run back to my room to grab my phone because I didn't think Archie would believe me and of course, I had to get a picture. I'll post that later too. Charlie started crawling 3 days before his 7 month birthday. It was only a couple of "steps", but he was doing it. He started while we were on vacation at our friend's house. I think he was motivated by the "older" kids being able to get around and do what they want. Since then he's been more happy. I have video of him crawling to me from last week that I'll try to post.

In addition to pulling to a stand, and crawling, he is now trying to walk if you hold his hands. He can take a few steps this way. He also likes to show off by holding onto furniture while he's standing and letting go and just holding on with one hand and smiling at you. The big boy also has two teeth now, and I swear he's working on more. Between the crankiness, and the way he bites my finger or anything else he can shove in his mouth, there's no doubt that more are coming in.

Charlie goes to bed at about 7:30 most nights, and for me, he usually wakes up between 3 and 4:30 wanting to nurse, and then sleeps until about 6:30 or 7. That said, he has nights where he sleeps straight through until 5:30am. He seems to sleep better at his grandmom's or for his dad. My suspicion is that if I put him to sleep, he knows that if he wakes up and wants milk and screams loud enough and long enough I will come and I will feed him. God love him, breastfeeding was the one thing I wanted to go right this time, and it has, but he thinks he owns these things! He cries any time that I leave his sight. The only time I can get away with it is if he's interested in something before I sneak away. And usually by the time I get down to the basement and start to load the washing machine, I can hear him crying for me. He's been more clingy the last few days and I'm not sure why. Maybe teething, maybe because Jack's back in school and it's disrupted the routine, maybe he just wants to know his boobs aren't far away, I don't know!

He does still spit up, but usually that's all it is, not throwing up. I did test the waters while we were on vacation and have some forbidden things, and initially he tolerated it ok, but the night before we left to come back home he had a bout of diarrhea, and then the night that we got back, he was up frequently during the night and screaming high pitched like someone was trying to kill him. And the other day I don't think I ate anything bad for him, but I must have because he was throwing up quite a bit for my mom. So, back to restricting my diet. We meet with the allergist again in October, and I'm interested in picking her brain about what to feed him yogurt-wise. At this point we were giving Jack that Yo-baby yogurt and he loved it, but I'm just not sure with Charlie. I eat coconut milk yogurt (only the mango flavored, or I'll get plain and cut up strawberries to mix in and that's good too), but I think coconut can be pretty allergenic so I didn't want to go there until we have an ok. Someone at work suggested goat's milk yogurt. I can't say I've seen that, but I wasn't really looking for it either at the place we usually go to get my "special" butter, yogurt, etc. We see the GI doc again in November or December.

I feel so much pressure this year. I don't know what it is. Jack had talked briefly about playing a sport this fall. He either wanted "real" football (he played flag football this past Spring and loved it, but now wants to play "real" football-yikes!) or baseball. I hate to say it because I think that it would be great for him to do, but I just feel like I can't handle it. Charlie's a handful-he's very busy, much more active than Jack was at this age, and he wants to be into EVERYTHING. Jack has school all day, and 2-3 weeknights I have to work which means we get Jack from school then we're making dinner/getting ready for work, and I'm rushing around to get stuff ready for work and for them to go to their grandmom's house, and that's chaotic enough but to add in a sport at least one night a week and maybe a day on the weekend? I just feel like that's too much right now. Not that it will be better when Charlie is actually walking and I've got to chase him around when Jack's trying to play a game and I want to be watching him. Do any other parents feel this pressure or is it just me? Either way, I haven't signed him up for anything. I just don't have the energy to try to keep up with all of that right now.

That's my update for now. Hope all is well with my bloggy friends out there!

Just Call Me Slacker

Just call me "Slacker".  I just looked at my last post and Charlie was almost 4 months old, I was going to post after his 4 month pediatrician appointment and here it is 2 months later!  Sorry!

When I last left you, Charlie wasn't measuring up well enough for the GI doc, I was eliminating egg (in addition to the previously eliminated dairy, soy and crab), and we were thickening his bottle feeds when I was at work.  The following week we had his 4 month pediatrician appointment and go figure, I was right with his weight as luck would have it.  The GI doc's scale needed to be recalibrated.  The boy weighed 17 pounds and was 26.5 inches long which is 88th percentile for weight and 92nd for height.  The child doesn't have any problems with weight gain people!  We've stopped thickening his bottle feeds, and started feeding him baby food.  Eliminating egg has helped, though he still spits up from time to time, sometimes small amounts, sometimes larger, but oh well.  His first food (besides rice cereal) was avocado which he liked fine.  He's also had yellow squash, zucchini, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and banana.  His favorite of these is banana!  He started the rice cereal on June 3, so about 4.5 months old.  The GI doc would like us to wait at least a week to 10 days between introducing new foods.  We're waiting about a week.  His next new food will be peas this weekend sometime. 

I'm enjoying making his baby food.  I can't believe how many things they put milk in.  I had started off making Jack's baby food as well, but after the first two things, I gave up.  This is better for Charlie because I know that there aren't any big allergens in them, just what I put into it.  I bought the Baby Bullet steaming system and blender and it couldn't be easier. 

Charlie still has his cranky times EVERY DAY.  It doesn't seem to be as bad when I'm around, maybe because I just hook him up and feed him and that works for us, but for Archie and my mom he can really be a handful.  Archie and my mom have both made comments that they think it's me, that he gets upset and wants to be comforted, but I'm not there (not that they don't try to comfort him, but for whatever reason it's a me issue). 

At 5 months old, I had both boys in the pediatricians office for different looking rashes, but was concerned.  I'd had Charlie on avocado for 3 days and he started breaking out on his face in an eczema-like rash which was concerning as this had been Jack's MO with his food allergies.  Turns out avocado is a low-risk food for allergies, so that was good news, he was just reacting to something else or having a flare up.  Jack had pityriasis rosea AGAIN (he had this last summer too).  It's a wierd looking rash that looked kind of like white heads all over his trunk and back-caused by a low load viral infection and clears up on it's own in about 3 weeks and sun seems to help it.  It's pretty much gone now but man are my boys some rashy kids.  Rashes really bother me.  Growing up I had a thing about bumps, they just grossed me out, so you can imagine what it's like when my kids are bumpy and I have to figure out what it is, and how to get rid of it.  Anyway, at that appointment we saw one of the pediatricians we haven't seen in a couple of years (we have one we like to stick with, but for urgent appointments, we'll see any of the 3 that are in the practice).  She was watching Charlie roll back and forth, standing up with assistance, and she asked how old he was, and Jack told her 5 months.  She said if we hadn't told her, based on what she was watching him do and his size, she'd have guessed 7-8 months.  He's a tank!  Charlie weighed 19 pounds at that appointment!  19 pounds, at 5 months old!!!  Seriously?!?!?  I looked back at Jack's baby book and he weighed 19 pounds at 9 months old!!!  He's a beast of a boy! 

Size is just one of the differences between my boys.  Charlie will likely have the height from my side of the family, but be built more like his dad.  Jack will have more of the height from his dad's side, and be built more like our side.  As an infant, Jack was happy to play in his jumper or just be cuddled for an episode of the Backyardigans.  NOT Charlie!  Charlie is entertained by his jumper for all of about 10 minutes maybe?  He doesn't jump, he just has stiff legs and stands which is fine and he does this ALL THE TIME, but I think he'd find it more fun if he'd jump.  I don't know how to make him realize that.  He wants to be held sometimes, but mostly he just wants to stand, or roll from one end of the room to the other.  He's gotten up onto his knees a couple of times, but Lord, I think when he figures out how to crawl that we're in big trouble!  He is going to be an active little boy where Jack really wasn't until about 2 years ago and even then, he still will sit and do things quietly for a while.  Charlie likes to talk or scream VERY loudly, where Jack was more quiet.  He's much more fussy than Jack was.  And has an annoying cry which Jack didn't.  Just as sweet as Jack was, but definitely more of a challenge especially when I have things I need to get done.

I'll have to get it on video to show you guys, but the other comical thing about Charlie would be what calms him down when he's throwing a fit.  By accident really, we found out he likes the song Assassin's Tango from the Mr. and Mrs. Smith movie.  Archie was asking me if one day we could take Tango classes and I told him sure, that sounded fun.  Jack asked him to play some tango music and Charlie was fussing and Archie put that song on and complete silence from Charlie is what we got.  Other tango songs don't have that effect.  The other two things that will make him stop crying we discovered thanks to Jack.  He sings "Little Bunny Foo Foo" or "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister (we watch the Betty White show and that's the song for it) and Charlie stops screaming and just looks at him.  I've found that the Little Bunny song also works for me if I sing it.  Not sure what it is about those songs, but I'm not going to argue with what works either!

Today is Jack's last day of camp for the summer.  He seems to have had fun, and his swimming has improved a ton since last year.  We're looking forward to taking some day trips this summer, going to the pool, and at the end of August, going to the beach! 

I WILL update after Charlie's 6 month appointment next week, and hopefully if I do it from home, I'll be able to post a couple of pictures and maybe a video!

Updates on Charlie

Charlie is doing fabulously!  He is a "fluffy" little guy with juicy little legs and cheeks!  He laughed out loud for the first time a week before he hit his 3 month mark.  He did it for my mom while I was at work.  She called me and said, "You didn't tell me he laughs now!!!"  I said, "He hadn't."  :(  It's ok though, I know I won't be able to be around for all of his firsts, but I sure would like to be!  He laughed for us for the first time at home on his 3 month birthday.  I had been blowing raspberries on his belly with diaper changes for weeks trying to elicit a laugh, and I finally got quite a few that day.  He's not big on laughing and doesn't do it often, but he will make a little half chuckle from time to time when he thinks you're being funny. 

Charlie is also rolling over.  He had rolled from his belly to his back twice about a week apart immediately after I would put him down for tummy time.  Neither time could I get him to do it again, so I'm not sure if I was just laying him down and positioning him just right initially (without even trying), and he was able to do it or what.  But as of Mother's Day (this past Sunday, and for my records-6 days before his 4 month birthday) he can roll from back to belly!!  He will do this over and over again, and then he gets on his belly and gets mad because he can't quite get the coordination to flip himself back over. 

He saw the allergist a few weeks ago for skin testing.  If you remember, his RAST blood test came up negative to everything.  His skin testing came up positive for crab (his histamine wheel was 10mm, and so was his crab wheel), and dust mites.  I'd been eating crab at least every other week.  So now I've eliminated diary, soy and crab from my diet.  He continues with spitting up or vomiting, but it is definitely better than it had been.  Where he was a really irritable baby, he's now more pleasant, and instead of throwing up pretty large amounts every feed and in between, it seems that some days he is spitting just little bits here and there, where others, he'll throw up 5 times in 30 minutes.  There's no rhyme or reason to it.  He'd been on zantac, but he had to be off for 6 days prior to his skin testing for the allergist.  We didn't notice much of a difference in his temperment, the frequency or amount of the vomiting, so we didn't put him back on it after the testing. 

We saw the GI specialist last Friday.  I was telling her how he is so much more happy, and the spitting is definitely less than it had been, and it's pretty random now, etc.  She looked at his growth and go figure, according to their scale he dropped from 75th percentile in weight 6 weeks prior to between 25-50th now.  I had weighed him a week or two before with me at home and swear he was about 16.5 pounds, but at the doctors we weighed him another 3 times and we couldn't get anything but 14.5 pounds.  I tried to argue that in that 6 weeks, he'd gained almost an inch in length since the previous appointment.  She agreed that he didn't look malnourished at all, but that she couldn't ignore the weight.  So she wants me to now avoid egg for three weeks, and if the vomiting and runny stools don't improve, she wants to also eliminate nuts.  In the meantime, she gave us some "Simply Thick" to thicken any breastmilk bottles he gets.  The Simply Thick seems to be working-his stools aren't as liquidy, they are more soft, and the vomiting isn't as much in amount when he does do it.  The problem is that since we started using it over the weekend, he is much more fussy (crying like someone is hurting him and then sobbing), and his sleep is all messed up.  I can't help but notice that it started when we started thickening his feeds.  I'm going to call the GI doc in the morning and let her know that this has been a change, and let her know that I'm going to stop thickening the feeds just for a few days to see if his irritability and sleep habits change again.  I will reintroduce the thickener, and if it starts back up I'll know it's the thickener and not a growth spurt or something else more common and benign going on. 

Charlie has his 4 month pediatrician appointment next Wednesday and I'm very interested to see what his weight will be at their office.  If his growth curve has stayed the same then I will feel more comfortable, and I will assume the GI doc's scale needs to be recalibrated.  We shall see.

Jack and Charlie are like two peas in a pod.  We will pick Jack up from school and he will start talking to Charlie in baby talk in the back seat making a big fuss over him.  It's adorable.  And Charlie just LOVES Jack.  If Jack is in the area, he watches him so intently.  I can just see the gears turning, if only I knew what Charlie was thinking!

So, that's it in my neck of the woods.  Next week I'll post after his 4 month appointment, and I'll include some pictures of the cute monkey.