Two Teeth and New Developments

Just some fun pictures so the post isn't too boring! These pictures were taken on April 4th so Simon was 6 months and 1 week old.




So Simon now has his 2 bottom teeth! I was SHOCKED when a few days after his first tooth was coming in that I saw the one right next to it breaking the surface. He sure can't keep things out of his mouth anymore, he drools a TON, and tries to bite if any part of your body is close enough to get his mouth on! The funniest thing is when he tries to eat my cheek! It started just within the last week. In my opinion, it is one of the funniest things ever to watch! The first time he did it I wasn't sure what he was really doing. Now, I can't help but laugh as soon as he starts. He turns his head, opens his mouth really wide, and goes back and forth towards my cheek. Usually it's when he's tired so most of the time his eyes are slightly closed and starting to roll back into his head. So he looks really funny when you put all of these things together!!! Too bad I start laughing at him because it usually wakes him up more.

Speaking of sleep...Simon is having a hard time falling asleep again. Once he gets to sleep he has been pretty good, even sleeping through the night occasionally. I don't know what happened a few weeks ago but I think it happens when he's overtired at bedtime. He won't go to sleep the past few days without his pacifier and then cries when it comes out. He has never been a pacifier baby so maybe it has to do with teething...I guess I'm back to helping him learn to fall asleep on his own. I just HATE letting him cry it out but I think we all need him to learn to sleep on his own.

Simon is learning new things every day! He can grab things with both hands now. It was amazing to watch the progression from one hand trying to pick up things to him trying two hands and now having pretty good coordination using both hands together. It sure has opened up a new world of things for him. He has also been able to sit up by himself for quite a while now. He loves sitting on the floor and just playing with toys.

He also likes to "talk" and make noises. Brian and I have been competing to see what he will say first, "momma" or "daddy". About a week and a half ago when Simon was crying himself to sleep, Brian and I were in the office next to his room and all of a sudden it sure sounded like he said "dada" in the middle of his crying. Brian got so excited but I refused to acknowledge that was what he said. Brian asked me to write it down so we would remember but of course I didn't so now I can't remember the exact date it happened but I think it was Saturday the 17th or Sunday the 18th. Luckily just a few days ago it sounded like he said "momma" so I'll take it. Who knows if he's really saying those words but the sounds he is making sound close enough to the proud parents! It's so fun to watch him learn and grow!!

Easter Pictures

I know you have all been waiting (patiently) for these adorable pictures from Easter. So here they are for your viewing pleasure. We did the Easter egg hunt inside since it had snowed that morning. Brian was bummed because he had been thinking of good hiding places outside. We did the hunt before dinner but it was getting close to Simon's bed time so he was getting tired and wasn't sure what was really going on most of the time.

Here he is so surprised that he found this egg.

He tried to grab the eggs as we found them but he couldn't quite master using both hands to hold on to it!

Look at all of that good stuff!

I just love the cute, excited expression he has on his face...priceless!

But when all is said and done...who needs treats when you can eat the "grass"...

Good thing mommy & daddy (mostly mommy) got to eat all the candy!!! We had a fun, low-key Easter celebration. After Simon went to bed we made a nice dinner together. We had lamb chops and many other wonderful sides to go with it. I'm so glad my husband loves to cook!!

Could it be??

So on Friday, April 2nd just before putting Simon down for bed, I thought I saw what could be the beginning of a tooth coming in. But upon further investigating I was not permitted to look at it any closer! So I put him to bed and decided I'd just try another time. (He slept fairly well this night and I was hopeful he was back on a good schedule now that he's feeling better.)

Saturday, I never was able to get a close enough look to see if I could get a better look in his mouth...he's a strong little guy! He let me feel it at least and I was pretty sure it felt like a tooth had broken the surface. (He slept well again this night so I was sure we were in for more sleep at night.)

Sunday, April 3rd I was able to finally get a really good look at his gums...and I confirmed my suspicions! Simon is getting his first tooth. It is his bottom left front tooth. I don't know how long it will take to fully come in because it is just barely, barely breaking the surface, but I am excited for him! I'm not so much looking forward to the biting that will obviously come along with it but we had a talk about that. I explained to him that he's not allowed to bite people, especially mommy, so we'll see if he was listening!! Cute Easter pictures to come soon!

6 Months & Solid Foods

I know, 3 posts in one day...can anyone believe it?!? Sorry to bombard all at once...ENJOY!

Simon had his 6 month check up on his 6 month birthday. He weighs 19 lbs 6 oz (80th percentile) and is 26 1/2 inches tall (70th percentile). The doctor gave us the go ahead to start him on solid foods. So he got his first taste of rice cereal and carrots. He wasn't so sure about it at first and then he started getting tired so he didn't eat much but it will get better with time. Daycare started feeding him this week too so they said he's getting better at eating. Here's to hoping we don't have a picky eater and it helps him sleep better at night!

Too busy watching Daddy take pictures to realize there is food in front of his face.

Priceless look...not quite sure what to think of it yet.

I think he might like it...

Well, if not, he at least had fun getting messy!!

We do fun things too!

My dad came to visit us again (mainly Simon)! 2/20

He treated us to Arctic Circle for dinner and Simon had so much fun with Aunt Maria, Grandpa, Mom & Dad

Caught red-handed! Simon learned a new way to play with his toy. 3/16

This is what you get when Simon doesn't go to sleep and Mommy is tired.
Eventually everyone sleeps! 3/18

Look at our little executive! 3/22

Simon and I drove around with Brian delivering some literature for some of his candidates. Simon wasn't happy in his carseat so we stopped off at a playground to let him get out for a few minutes. It was still kinda chilly but we kept him bundled up.

Simon's first playground experience. 3/22

Simon's first time on a slide. He wasn't sure what to think. 3/22

So we do try to get out and do fun things when we're healthy. Other than the snow today, I have been enjoying the warm weather. I took Simon out for walks in his stroller last weekend to get him to sleep while he wasn't feeling well. I can't wait until warmer weather is here to stay!

The Medical Month

Well, it looks like March came and went without a post since Valentine's. Don't worry, I have "good" reason for my long break. (Beware…really long post but some cute pictures too!)

Friday, March 5 - Picked up Simon from daycare where they told me he had been more congested and kind of sad (mind you he’s been congested off and on since he started daycare in January). Being sad is not typical of my little guy so after calling Brian on the way home, we decided it would be best to see if we could get him in to see the doctor that evening. Luckily they have later hours for pediatrics so we got in at 6:40pm. After a long wait, then a few short minutes with the doctor, Simon was given two breathing treatments and diagnosed with RSV. After the treatment, the doctor came back and so I asked him how serious his RSV was. He said RSV is very serious but he didn't understand that I was asking how serious Simon's condition was. He then told me he was breathing fine and wouldn't need to go to the hospital. THEN he checked Simon's oxygen levels and changed his mind! His oxygen was kind of low so he told us we needed to head over to the hospital to get his levels back up but made it sound like it would be a simple thing.

I started crying after the doctor told us to pack up and go to the hospital. I called Brian on the way home to inform him of our Friday night change of plans. Of course I was bawling the whole way home not knowing what to really expect. We packed a few things, mainly for Simon and arrived at the hospital around 9pm. The doctor’s office called ahead to admit us so they were expecting us. After another long wait, the resident doctor came in to give a diagnosis. We were taken to a room around 10:30 and Simon was put in a little mini hospital gown and hooked up to a bunch of monitors. (He liked to play with these and succeeded in pulling some of them off several times.)
The respiratory therapist came in shortly thereafter to suction him and help with all his congestion. They decided not to put him on oxygen yet since his levels weren't too low but would keep a close eye on it. For those who don't know what suctioning entails, they basically put a catheter down the nose and suck out all the mucus or secretions. Needless to say, Simon HATED this!! Luckily the nurse or assistant held him down so we didn't have to be the bad guys.

Finally falling asleep

Finally we were able to try and get Simon to sleep but it was after midnight when he finally gave in to his exhaustion. An hour or two later his monitors kept beeping while Brian and I were trying to get settled in for our uncomfortable overnight stay. Brian went out to ask if there was a way to stop the noise and they realized it was beeping because his oxygen levels were low. So they put him on oxygen.

He was still cute as ever.

Saturday, March 6 - Same routine every 3-4 hours: Check vitals (usually while sleeping and the trick was to keep him asleep), wake up hungry, wait for Respiratory Therapist (RT) to come suction him, then I could feed him. He slept most of this day and was pretty melancholy. We finally got his diagnosis 24 hours after some mucus was sent for testing. He had MPV (metaphenumal virus) that is one of the different strains of Bronchiolitis (very similar to RSV but apparently there are 7 different strains).

Trying to play but not much energy.

Sunday, March 7 - Doctor from our clinic comes in early in the morning to check Simon. He wants to take him off oxygen, stop suctioning, and get him going home as soon as possible. The nurse and RT came in just as the doctor was saying this but after checking Simon they did not agree and went ahead and suctioned him. That afternoon they took him off oxygen for a trial and he lasted 2 hours before his levels dropped again so they turned it back on.

He started to get bored so we surrounded him with pillows
so he could sit up without too much effort and play.

Monday, March 8 - Yep, we're still in the hospital. Simon's actual Pediatrician finally saw him for the first time during this whole ordeal. I just really like this doctor the best. I think it's mainly because of his good bedside manner. Still not ready to go home yet. One more "room air" trial in the middle of the night and he only lasts 1 1/2 hours. So it's not looking too promising from my standpoint. He's looking and acting more himself and wanting to play. The assistant brought in some toys he could play with and she gave him a sponge bath and he loved it!

My smiling, happy baby came back!!
He does so well sitting up on his own now.

Tuesday, March 9 – His oxygen was turned off at 2am for his 3rd trial. He wasn’t getting suctioned as often either. Our doctor came in to check on him around 9am and said he had done well without his oxygen and he was ready to send us home. I was so happy to hear those words!! After all was said and done, we finally left the hospital around 11am. Our nurse kept checking to see if we were packed and ready to leave. It was almost like he was very anxious for us to leave for some reason. I know we were excited to get to leave but it takes some time to get dressed, pack up everything after a 4 day stay, and get Simon fed before leaving. Finally we were home!!

Sleeping peacefully once the oxygen was taken off

Don’t think this was it and he was miraculously better. We were given a prescription to the Outpatient Suction Clinic, which is basically back up to the Pediatric floor of the hospital for the same suctioning but it’s outpatient. We went once a day for about 3 days and then went periodically for a total of 6 visits when we were told he didn’t need to come anymore as long as we used the bulb to suction him at home.

During the 4 day hospitalization I left Simon twice to walk over to the cafeteria with Brian for dinner on Sunday and Monday. By Monday afternoon I was starting to go crazy cooped up in there. Brian had meetings Saturday morning and was gone until the afternoon. Then Monday he worked on his laptop out in the little waiting room around the corner from Simon’s room. Tuesday morning he had someone meet him in the waiting room for a meeting. He kept busy but I was very grateful that he was able to be there for most of the time for support. It wasn’t easy seeing my baby in the hospital hooked up to oxygen and other wires, but I’m glad it wasn’t more serious.

Luckily we were able to fly Brian’s mom out to help with Simon so he didn’t have to go back to daycare so soon. She was here for a week and a half and it was so nice to have her help!

Our next adventure:
On Friday, March 26th Simon was kind of fussy. In the middle of the night he was really warm and when we checked his temperature, he had a fever of about 100 degrees. Saturday morning he was burning up and his temperature just kept getting higher and higher. At 2pm after he woke from his nap he was close to 103 degrees. We called the doctor’s office hoping they were still taking appointments and went in at 2:40pm. His temperature was 103.8 degrees when the nurse checked him. The doctor thought it was probably just another virus he caught but decided to do some blood work to double check. After two attempts, one in each arm, they finally got his vein and drew blood. After a long wait the doctor came in to tell us Simon’s white blood cell count was very high so it was bacterial. He then wanted to do chest x-rays. This showed the onset of pneumonia in Simon’s lungs. The doctor prescribed some antibiotic, Motrin, and Benadryl to help with the pneumonia, fever, and sleeping. Simon was one tired and hungry little guy after this 2 hour doctor’s appointment.

Total time at the doctor’s office March 5th: 1 1/2 hours
Total time at the doctor’s office March 26th: 2 hours
Total time in the hospital: 4 days
Total time out of daycare: 2 weeks, 2 days
Holding my baby boy and grateful for all our blessings (and trials): PRICELESS

So even though we’ve had a very rough (and very expensive) month, I am so grateful for our many blessings and for all those who have helped our family. I know family and friends were praying for all of us, especially Simon, during these times. Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to document this for my records.