Special K - Adventures of a little boy
APPOINTMENTS
born: 02/19/03
due: 03/30/04
Monday, December 06, 2004
Surprise!!!
After a 8 month hiatus I am back in blog land. So much has happened with our little man during my my time away.
Caleb is going to be 21 months old next weekend. The boy continues to amaze me everyday.
He is no longer walking. He is RUNNING. Keeping up with him is a challenge.
In August the company I work for was sold and we moved to a new location. The change also meant Caleb had to move to a new daycare center. I found a fabulous school only half a mile from my new office. The center just opened this past March and is so crisp and clean. Seriously, he has been there full time since mid-August and hasn't had so much as one cold. I wish I could say the same for myself.
The new daycare proved to be a positive change for us. At his old school he would still be in the toddler classroom where he would be the oldest child. At his new school he is in a room called 'Young 2's'. Basically all of the kids are already two. He is by far the youngest, but has no problem keeping up with them.
Here are just a few of his accomplishments since starting the new school:
- He can count to 10
- He can say the alphabet (with help)
- He is starting to talk in sentences
- He has gone pee pee on the potty at lease a half dozen times
I am so proud of his accomplishments. His vocabulary is growing every day. He is in a phase where he likes to tell me "I love you" which makes my heart melt everytime. He has also mastered using 'please' and 'thank you'. Next we will be working on 'excuse me'.
So far we have been lucky and Caleb hasn't shown signs of being a daredevil. We have had no attempts to escape from the crib yet. We haven't even begun to think about a toddler bed and hope we can avoid it for a while longer. I really like knowing he is confined to his crib staying out of trouble. I guess my restful sleep will come to an end as soon as he is in his big boy bed.
What else has he accomplished in the past 8 months? Hmmmm. Eating has never been a problem for my boy. He has shown a liking for spicy food and LOVES chorizo and eggs. He will eat just about anything we do and is not at all picky. He went through a long phase where he couldn't get enough salad. Lately he prefers to suck the salad dressing off the lettuce and spit it out.
Anyway, thats my update for now. My goal in the new year is to update my blog more often. I miss writing stories of the boys many adventures.
Monday, May 03, 2004
It's Been A While
I have been very bad about updating your journal lately and feel horrible about it. So much has happened I don't even know where to begin.
On April 15 you took your first steps on your own. You are now walking everywhere and seem to love being mobile. This past wee you have mastered getting yourself up to a standing position without holding on to a table or wall. You sure are getting strong.
This past weekend you learned a very important lesson about dogs and toys. You threw toys (stacking cups) over the baby gate into the dog's territory and he chewed 3 of them them up. He thought they were toys for him. I hope you don't miss them.
You are also 90% off of formula and the bottle. We still get one bottle of formula at bedtime (at least for a few more weeks). Daddy and I did a lot of research (Milks Sucks.com or Not Milk.com) and decided it would be best to give you soy milk instead of cow milk. You seem to be loving it thus far. You have mastered drinking out of a both a big boy cup and a sippy cup.
We went to the doctor last week (you had some icky diaper rash) and you weighed in at 24 pounds. You sure are growing fast. You have been talking up a storm and I noticed this weekend that you have started to understand cause & effect. You'll throw something on the floor out of sight and then you'll go retrieve it from where it fell. You sure are a smart cookie.
For your birthday Papa and Grandma Ruth bought you a cool sandbox for the backyard. I have to say you are loving that thing. On Saturday you discovered how to throw sand at the dog (not a good thing). You also LOVE playing catch (and you are good at it). You have a small ball in the yard and a beach ball in the house to play with. You sure are a little boy when it comes to playing. Bubbles are also still a favorite with you. Actually, 'bubble' was your second real word (after 'good').
Friday, March 12, 2004
Happy First Birthday Baby!!!
Your mommy loves you more than you can imagine and I am so proud to have you as my son.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
Signs
You are finally starting to understand sign language. You know the sign for 'more' and how to use it. I am so glad they are teaching you signs at school. We have been using them at home since you were born, but I haven't been as consistant as I should be. With the teachers and other kids doing it you'll be signing like a pro in no time.
Friday, February 20, 2004
My Poor Sick Baby
This has been a VERY long week for us, you have been so sick. On Sunday night I made your favorite matzoball soup for dinner and after your bath you threw up your dinner all over yourself, daddy, and your bedroom. On Monday we were home for the holiday (Presidents Day) and you just weren't yourself. Between 6am and noon you only ate 12 oz of formula. Around 2pm I offered you a bite of mashed potatoes and you proceeded to throw up all 12 oz of formula on the sofa...ick.
We went to the doctor on Monday night and she said the stomach bug runs its course quickly and since you didn't have a fever you were at the tail end. She said you should drink Pedialyte or Gatorade for a couple days then move on to a BRAT (bananas rice applesace toast) diet. Sounded good to me, except you refused to take any Pedialyte or Gatorade.
On Tuesday morning I HAD to go to work, but you were running a fever of 101.4, being a bad mommy I gave you Advil and sent you to daycare so I could take care of some stuff at work in the morning. Sure enough at 10:40am your teacher called and said you had a fever of 101 and just were not yourself. Since the Advil didn't help your fever I immediately made an appointment with your doctor for that afternoon.
I picked you up around 11am and you were the sadest sight ever. You clearly did not feel well and when we got home all you did was sit on the floor and moan. I finally got frustrated and took you to your appointment a half hour early. You doctor is great and said that though you appeared to not be dehydrated she would run blood work just to be sure. It's a good thing because your sodium level turned out to be low (it was 133, normal is 135-145). The doctor ordered you be put on an IV for fluids and gave us a couple bottles of Enfalyte (the ONLY thing you would drink).
Seeing you on that IV for 5 hours was painful for me. When we started all you would do was scream and cry. As you began to feel better you perked up, but were still hooked up to a machine. Daddy came and brought me dinner about 4 hours into your treatment. After the IV and 24 oz of Enfalyte you were just about back to your old self. The doctor re-ran your blood work and your sodium was up to 141. She let us go home and said you could drink watered down formula if you wanted it. I made you a bottle that night and you were very thirsty. After you finished it Daddy picked you up. Burp..burp..barf...UGH! I guess you weren't quite ready for it yet.
Wednesday you were up and down. You seemed to be feeling better until the late afternoon. Around 5pm you spiked a fever of 102. I called your doctor and she said that if it was still up in the morning to bring you back in. Thursday morning we ran out of Enfalyte (they sent us home with 2 bottles) and more was enroute (the kind folks at Enfamil sent me a courtesy case because we can not buy it in our area) but had not arrived. You also woke up with the most awful sounding chest congestion so I made an appointment with your doctor for 3:45pm. At 10:45am you fell and bumped your head on the wall (not unusual for a pre-walker), you started crying at 11am and did not stop until 2pm when I put you in the car. It was just so so sad to watch you suffering.
We got to the doctor you had a 101 fever and she took one look and said "double ear infection". She had blood work done to see if you were hydrated (since you were not drinking much) and had a chest X-ray done to look at the congestion. Turns out you were hydrated...yay no more IV, but had bronchitis. They gave you two shots of Amoxicillan and a breathing treatment before we left. The two combined really made you feel better and perked you right up. We also took a bunch of medicines to take at home.
In the end you had blood drawn three times, one X-ray, one IV, two shots, and a breathing treatment all within four days. That's quite a load for anyone especially an 11 month old. You were a trooper though and are now feeling much much better. I'll admit it was scary and sad to see you so sick. I hope this was a one time event and that you stay healthy for a long long time.
Oh and by the way you tipped the scales at 23lbs. You sure are getting big.
Thursday, February 12, 2004
11 Months
Where has the time gone? One month from today you are going to be a year old. I can't believe how much you have changed in that short time. You have mastered pulling yourself up, crawling, and climbing stairs in the past couple weeks. You now only hold on with one hand when you stand up. I know walking is just around the corner....yikes!
You still have only 7 teeth, but I know more are on the way. You have been teething like a mad man lately. You're pretty much done with jarred baby food. You eat whatever we eat. You especially love pasta or any type and crackers. You figured out the sippy cup and drink like a big boy too.
We just had your 11 month portrait taken and I was comparing it to your 1 month portrait. It is amazing how you have grown into a little boy. Just thinking about you getting older makes Mommy sad. I want you to stay my baby forever.
If anyone would like to see some current pictures of please email me at lilspecialk2003@yahoo.com.
Shameless Plug
Since some people have asked I have updated our baby registry at Babies R Us / Toys R Us to include items Caleb may want for his first birthday. Also, for clothes he'll be needing 18 month summer items. When in doubt you can never go wrong with a gift card (Toys R Us, Costco, Mervyn's, Target or Kohls). Thanks so much!
Sickness
There are 6 kids in your class at daycare. Today 4 of them were out sick...yikes!!! All of them were out for different reasons ranging from RSV to vomitting. According to the teachers they have never had so many kids from one class out at the same time before. Super!!! Ahh the joys of daycare.
I hope you don't get sick too. You are supposed to spend the night at Grandma & Grandpa's house on Saturday.
I Say It's About Time
The state of California is proposing a bill that would allow pregnant women to park in in handicap parking spots. I wish this was available when I was pregnant, though I do think there should be conditions on it.
When I was pregnant I swelled up at 20 weeks and eventually had trouble driving and walking 1/2 a mile to my office. When I would go to my routine doctor visits I had to park over a block away and walk to my appointment only to be exhausted and uncomfortable by the time I finally got there.
Currently OB/GYN's can not give handicap placards to pregnant women (I asked). Under the new proposal I think that instead of making the spots available to ALL pregnant women, maybe they should be just for the ones under doctors orders.
I agree with the article in that pregnancy is not a disability in itself, but I do think the side effects (swelling, back pain, hip pain, etc) can be a disability. Given that I hope this passes and pregnant women who NEED the access will be allowed to park in handicap spots.
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Superstar
You had your first job today. You did a special ad for Target that is going to be published in 'O' Magazine, Parents Magazine, and the Sunday Target ad sometime within the next 6-8 weeks.
We had a lot of fun at the shoot. You went to wardrobe and they dressed you in a white cloth diaper (over your regular diaper) with yellow pins. Then we went to hair & makeup to get your hair styled. The stylist thought you had a "Our Gang" look about you and gave you piece sticking up on the back of your head. Next we went to the holding area where they had a mat full of toys for you to play with. There were a few other babies playing there too and you really seemed to like a half deflatted blue balloon.
After about 15 minutes it was your turn to get your pictures taken. You did fabulous not crying at all. You really liked the baby wranglers and kept giggling at everything they did. The photographer snaped a ton of pictures of you sitting on the floor and sitting on a slope.
I am so proud of what a good boy you were when they were taking your picture.
We were there towards the end of the day and they had seen over 40 babies pass though, but everyone kept commenting on how cute you were. I enjoyed that a lot. After they finished your pictures I got you dressed, picked up your voucher (you got paid nicely for this job) and we were off to go home. In all it took an hour and what a great experience it was. I can't wait for your next job.
Saturday, January 17, 2004
Monkey Boy
The day has finally come...you can now pull yourself up. Daddy took the cushions off the couch today which seemed to really inspire you. You pulled yourself up on the base of the couch several times. Then tonight I sat you down in your crib for a few minutes and came back to find you standing there. You not only can pull yourself up in the crib, but you seem to like jumping up and down. How cute are you?
Friday, January 16, 2004
Quite A Display
Tonight we went to Red Lobster for dinner. It was a lovely evening until about halfway through our meal. At that point you decided you had a need to vomit the entire contents of your stomach right at the table. I swear it looked like something straight out of a movie. I had no idea that your little body could expel that much material. Fortunately we were seated directly next to the bathroom. I scooped you up and took you in a for a cleanup (removed your gunky pants) while Daddy cleaned the table and floor with help from the waitress.
When we returned the nice couple sitting at the table next to us (on a night away from their kids) said "That is what we call projectile". At least they weren't mortified by what they had seen. Needless to say it is going to be a bland weekend for you. I hope you aren't getting sick.
Lucky Daddy
You stayed home with Daddy this morning and he is going to bring you here a little later. He just called to tell me he had you all dressed and then you had what we call an 'Exploding Diaper'. He said you pooped and the diaper just couldn't contain it. According to Daddy it went all the way up to your neck.
Daddy even had to give you a bath (his first without my help) and redress you. Of course I am the lucky on with a bag of dirty poop clothes wating for me tonight...woo hooo!
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Doctor Visit...Getting Big
I had to take you to the doctor last night. On Sunday morning when you were taking a bath I noticed that you had a blister in your groin. That night there were two and Monday morning there were three. I made an appointment and straight after work we went to the clinic. The doctor said it could be one of two things. Impetigo (a strep or staph infection) or Chicken Pox. Since you hadn't had any other blisters appear on your body we are leaning towards Impetigo. She gave you an antibiotic ointment which seems to be helping.
I was not aware that there is now a Chicken Pox vaccine available. They don't give it to you until you are 12 months old though so you are still at risk for another couple months. I was thrilled to learn of the vaccine though, you'll never have to know the itching and scarring that come with the disease. Of course I bought Benedryl and Calamine to keep in the house "just in case".
The most exciting part of your visit yesterday was we got you weighed. Fully clothed you tipped the scale at 22lb 10oz. Daddy and I call that an even 22lbs of baby. It seems that your weight gain has started to taper off since you are mobile now.
Our latest battle with you is over food. You have discovered table food and have begun to refuse jarred baby food. We're still keeping you away from fried food, refined sugar, and as much dairy as possible (with the exception of cheese every so often). You really enjoy Spanish rice, chicken, potatoes, crackers, and bread...lots of carbs. You have 7 teeth which have made eating table food easier for you.
You still aren't crawling yet. I really think you are going to skip it entirely. You have mastered the military crawl and can successfully get to whereever you want to be. You are also trying to pull yourself up (to a standing position), but at 22lbs I understand why it is a struggle to get that little body up. We do keep trying though. Daddy has put you on the stairs a few times, but you have no clue how to go up. I did see you go down a couple stairs backwards, but I'm not sure if it was intentional.
Otherwise your only other fascinations are your Daddy (you can't seem to get enough of him), your doggy piano, your Rock-A-Stacker, and your Theodore Tugboat book. You made Daddy read that book to you three times on Sunday night and this morning at school you were playing with it again (they have the same book).
You continue to amaze me and I can't believe in six short days you will be 10 months old. Your first birthday is only two months away. What will we do to celebrate?
Thursday, January 01, 2004
Happy New Year
You can now officially tell people you were born last year. We had a quiet evening celebrating. We had dinner and games with friends then came home early (before midnight) and rang in the new year privately just the three of us. It was perfect.
