Minty

Kaston doesn't like "minty" as we call the peppermint-flavored Zantac syrup. We both have to administer it to have enough hands. However, each time he resists less (still cries and makes us feel like heels), so we think he can tell it helps too. This evening Karston ate more spaghetti than I've ever seen him eat before. We had to coax him to eat, but once he got started, he really pushed in the spaghetti. After dinner, I asked him how his tummy felt. Karston said his tummy had said, Karston, eat more food, and now it said Yay! So his tummy is still talking to him (such imagination!), and now it says Yay! Yay, indeed. We like that tummy message.

Cale is working on being a champion eater. Or Cale might be normal in his desire to plow down baby food, and we just have no reference for normal baby eating habits from Karston. Normal can be such a slippery, subjective term.

Doctor's Office, again

The Nurse Line last night said a doctor needed to check Karston after the post-Prevacid hives. Allergic reactions are more dangerous when they happen with the first exposure. (It's possible that he reacted to the 3 chocolate malted milk balls, too. He may have had a malted once before. But Prevacid is strong medicine and I want to be cautious.) So Daddy called this morning when they opened at 8 am, and we got an appointment for 9:30 am. We rushed through breakfast, having slept in after feeding both boys at 4 am.

The doctor switched Karston to Zantac. As an antihistamine (specifically an H2 / histamine-2 blocker, primarily in the stomach), it's very unlikely to trigger an allergic reaction. And yes, he's just fine; the hives went away almost as soon as they showed up, and speaking from personal experience, that's quite a mild reaction.

We're convinced that these reflux treatments are helping. Karston generally ate more when he was taking Children's Maalox. Given the taste and dose difference, we didn't give him Tums as often, and his appetite dropped way down, back to his normal paltry level. For his one day on Prevacid, Karston woke up both at 4 am and again at 8 am saying he was hungry. I don't think we've ever heard "I'm hungry" as the first words out of his mouth before. Since these treatments have all had immediate effects on his appetite, we think we're on to something. So we'll see how Zantac goes. We'll help that little tummy feel better soon.

Hungry

*yawn* Both boys are hungry in the middle of the night. I assume Cale is on another growth spurt, since that's what you do at his age; I just hope I have enough milk to get us through the night. We're guessing that Karston's hungry because that proton pump inhibitor really is making his tummy feel better; that's encouraging. I hope we're allowed to go back to sleep soon, though.

Whoops!

There's no telling if this is actually related, but about half an hour after Karston had his first dose of Prevacid, he said his legs and tummy were itchy. I looked at his legs, and he had what looked to be half-a-dozen mosquito bites, without the bite mark. Small raised white blister on red scratched skin ... sounds an awful lot like hives! I called the Nurse Line, and we're almost in the clear now (be alert for signs of respiratory trouble, especially in the first two hours). However, the nurse wants him to be seen by a doctor first thing tomorrow morning, so once again we're going to start a long holiday weekend by camping out in the waiting room. Gah. His tummy has no end of trouble.

I had to circle with a pen the hives (uticaria) that I could still see. An allergic reaction that goes that rapidly doesn't sound serious, but Daddy will sleep with him tonight to be sure.

Now don't think I'm not taking this seriously, but I do have a funny story about Karston's tummy. This afternoon at the doctor's office, Karston told us his tummy talked to him. No, not gurgles like Daddy and Mommy tummies, no it said Hi Karston. Really. He said that again this evening too. Just so you know, Karston's tummy talks. But it won't see any more Prevacid.

Doctor's Office

We went to the doctor (the new pediatrician who is very thorough) this afternoon to follow up from Karston's 3 year appointment. She had suggested he might have reflux, and to try an antacid for a while and let her know in about a month. When we were consistent with the antacid, Karston was generally eating more food! However, when we switched from Children's Maalox to the much-easier-to-find Tums, the flavor change caused Karston to use less. In a nutshell, I told the doctor she was brilliant, and what next. She prescribed Prevacid, to use for a limited time to see if Karston can heal on his own with a little help from Prevacid for a few months.

Once again, Karston was scared to have his measurements taken while checking in to see the doctor. However, we used my tape measure to see that he is 34.5 inches tall now, and subtracting out Daddy's weight he is 25.2 pounds (fully dressed) now.

Off to the pharmacy!

Daddy mentioned possible reflux to the mom of the other very small child at Karston's preschool, and Meg said her son was on Prilosec for three months but doesn't need it anymore. I found that very encouraging! I hope for similar results.

Preschool

Karston went to his first day of preschool today, with the other 3 and 4 year old kids. Afterwards, at lunch with Mommy, Daddy, Opa, and Grammy, he said he enjoyed today best. So 3/4 it is! We're very excited, since this one has more education: letter of the week, paint day, show and tell (speaking to the class about an item starting with the letter of the week), and educational units!

Afterwards, Opa and Grammy came over with presents. Karston liked all of the presents very much. He made short work of a page of stickers. He was excited about more books and small hand-me-down toys that look perfect for travel. He also really liked the two outfits for Cale. I mean, he really liked them. So although these two outfits are very reasonably sized as the next size Cale will wear, Karston wanted to try it on. So my small three-year-old is wearing a one-piece outfit intended for my five-month-old. OK, he's small. But he's already interested in more education at preschool and he is so sweet.

Playschool

Last year, Karston was the smallest boy at his two-year-old playschool and his pal Grace was the smallest of all eight children. Karston and Grace were invited back to two-year-old playschool for the first half of this school year (the rest of this calendar year) so they could enjoy being big kids for a while. Well, this time Karston was the smallest child there because Grace looks like she grew four inches taller! So my three-year-old is smaller than a group of two-year-old. Wow.

Karston and Grace were invited to try the 3 and 4 year old preschool tomorrow to see if they like it.

Waaah!

Cale just woke up with a heart-broken, heart-rending wail. He was in his crib asleep for 20 minutes, and now he's awake again. (I'm in for a long night! He wants to comfort-nurse when he's sad.) We just gave him infant tylenol for his (presumably) teething pain, and I hope that gets me several hours of sleep tonight. He is my Cale-friend, and we'll get through this together. I just may take a nap with him tomorrow, that's all.

Technorati Tags: Baby

Friends

One nice thing about two children, or at least these two, is that they are such good friends. Karston kissed Cale when he was fussy this evening, and Cale immediately switched from fussing to laughing at Karston.

One of the bedtime stories Daddy read to Karston tonight was Curious George Goes To The Beach. When Curious George made friends with a crab, Daddy asked Karston if he would like a crab-friend. Karston said, No, I have a Daddy-friend. Then he pulled Daddy's arm around himself, snuggled in, and patted Daddy's arm. After his three stories, Karston came to kiss me good-night while Cale was nursing to sleep (extra drooling, extra fussing, extra chewing, and less sleeping: is the third tooth coming in?), and then went to bed easily. Usually Cale's the easy one to put to bed, but this evening Karston was in his bed shortly before Cale was in his crib.

Daddy-friend is a very lucky dad!

Technorati Tags: Baby, Toddler

Not What We Wanted To Hear

Karston didn't nap yesterday, unlike Cale who (as usual) napped like a champion. He fell asleep in the stroller during our after-dinner walk around the neighborhood, and was in bed by 8 PM (when Cale is usually in bed, but he was too hungry for that last night). Daddy had the dubious pleasure at 1:30 AM of hearing something you know we didn't want to hear:

Daddy, I'm not sleepy anymore!

His latest game is walking "Emma" on a leash. When Daddy was tired of playing Emma, Karston dragged around the inflatable flamingo "Mingo" until I remembered a toy from Fast Buck Freddie's: a small dog that walks and barks. Oh my, Doggie was a hit when we brought him out on Sunday! Last night, he showed Daddy that Doggie was under the covers with him (oh yeah, Karston sleeps under a light blanket now, after three years of kicking off the covers and snuggling for warmth). This morning, he shared his breakfast Pop Tart with Doggie. For a while, he was all about Piggy, but right now he's more interested in Doggie (and more interactive toys in general).

Five Months Old!

Cale is five months old today! He has grown up so much already, I'm just amazed. He has opinions (hold me!), he holds on and hugs (easy to do things while holding him), and he responds to facial expressions. He's a little person who can't walk instead of an infant who needs complete care.

He's been very hungry this past week, and it's been very difficult for my milk supply to keep up with his demand. And he bites when he doesn't get as much to eat as he wants! And he makes icky face for formula. So we're added the occasional meal of milk mixed with rice cereal to see if that helps, and he will lunge for the spoon! He's not great about swallowing, but he likes to try. So this evening we tried something new: baby food! Since he has tried to eat Karston's breakfast banana twice before and seemed to like it, we started with banana baby food. I can't say it was a success, but he did eat some. He opened his mouth for the spoon, but then scrunched up his face. Then he closed his eyes and shook his head with a big shudder. But when the spoon came back, he would start the process again. So he'll eat food, even if it's shudderingly icky! Wow. Still, we're getting calories into him that I didn't have to process first. Whew.

New Talents

This evening when I put a teether in Cale's hand, he was as disinterested as usual. It's good for chewing if I hold it in his mouth, but that's about it. I drank some water, and when I looked down again, Cale was holding it in his other hand! So now he can transfer a toy from one hand to the other, a great game in and of itself. He does seem more aware of his grip now. When we carry him, he doesn't just hold on, sometimes it's an outright hug. When he's tired, he'll hug you and put his head on your shoulder: delightful! Cale has also added new sounds, or at least a new louder volume to his squeal this week.

Last night just before bedtime stories, Cale was watching Karston from Daddy's lap. Apparently Karston rocking in his rocking chair is hilarious because Cale laughed until he got hiccoughs, and then kept laughing between major chest spasms. These boys really love each other, a pure joy to watch!

Earlier this week, Daddy asked Karston if he wanted to use the potty when he woke up. He did want to, and he went right away. The remarkable part was that his diaper was completely dry! Yes, the toddler who finishes a juice sippy during his bedtime stories stayed dry all night! I thought the order of potty training stages was awareness, #1, #2, then overnight. With motivation somewhere in there. Karston recognizes the urge for #1 but doesn't seem tuned in to #2 (yes, it happens). Motivation is weak, but if asked he'll tell you if he has to go, and sometimes he'll ask; sometimes he just wants to keep playing. This overnight dryness seems like we're still moving along the (slow) potty training trail.

Yum Yum!

Cale seems like he's always hungry, so this evening when he wouldn't fall asleep because he said he was hungry, we decided to try rice cereal. The Internet suggested that we feed him from a bowl with a soft spoon so he knows it's different so he doesn't take in more calories per ounce while still expecting the same volume for a meal from the bottle. We started with 1 Tablespoon of rice cereal powder to 1.5 Tbs breast milk, and that seemed too watery. We liked 1:1 better for the second Tablespoon-of-each bowl.

The first spoonful dribbled out of Cale. The second spoonful went in for the most part. Cale opened his mouth and leaned forward for the third spoonful! He even lunged for the spoon when he thought we were too slow bringing the spoon to him!

Yeah, I'd say it was time to introduce "solid" food to his diet. Maybe he'll sleep better (longer) with more calories in his tummy. He's been very hungry all night for a while now. I wouldn't mind a break of a good night's sleep.

Rub a Dub Dub

Karston and Daddy played repairmen outside this afternoon. Well, it was play for one of them! despite the hot and humid weather. About the time they came in, Mommy experienced dual Wardrobe Malfunctions. First I noticed Cale's diaper had let more poop shoot out the back than it caught. Then, as I put the non-poop side on my shoulder to head to the changing station, he spit up on me. Two boys soaked with sweat, me and one boy needing a full change of clothes ... We decided this meant family bath time, so we all hopped in the garden tub. I think this was the most pleasant bathing for Cale so far. He sat in his Daddy's lap, chewed his hands, looked around with great interest, and had big smiles whenever he made eye contact with Karston. Cale really looks up to Karston!

After everyone else was clean, Karston stayed in the tub another hour playing "duck boat." Currently, Cale's usual bath tub is an inflatable duck-shaped kiddy tub for travel that quacks if you press its beak. It's a good size for Cale, and cushioned. And Karston finds it irresistable. So Karston sat in this duck boat in the tub, and paddled around happily for an hour!

Pediatrician Call

I'm really impressed with our new pediatrician. She called me twice with Karston's lab results. Yes, the doctor called me! I called her back this afternoon. Karston's blood work was all normal enough, but we may want to re-test thyroid in a month. She asked if reflux might explain Karston's poor appetite and consequent small size, and that really started me going. She said to start with children's Maalox, so we will. Before I told her that he often eats only one food at a time, sometimes only one food per meal (and rarely snacks between meals), she said that reflux children often do not like texture changes. That describes Karston perfectly, and then I was really on a roll. Karston won't eat egg yolks when he eats hard-boiled eggs because it's too much of a texture change. I've been thinking about it all day, and I can only come up with two foods that he eats with more than one texture. He will eat chocolate-coated doughnuts and bread with jelly. I think he'll eat the starch just to get the sweet treat. So that reflux guess of hers just sounded as reasonable as possible, especially with her suggesting a dietary characteristic before I mentioned Karston does that. (So thank goodness for the first pediatrician being on vacation; I'm keeping this one!)

Since I was talking to her, I complimented her on the allergic colitis diagnosis for Cale. After two days dairy-free (meaning I didn't eat dairy products to transfer to Cale), he was a differently pooping baby, and happy about it too. It's hard to avoid dairy; I ate a small amount of cheese yesterday for lunch (and had to pick some cheese off my lunch today, but hopefully I removed enough). Guess what? Cale was a lot more uncomfortable today after I ate dairy yesterday, and he reverted back to the old poop pattern. It wasn't much cheese, I'm surprised it set him off, so I need to be much more vigilant. This is going to wreak havoc on my lactase levels since I barely produce enough for as much as I love cheese and yogurt. If I eat zero of those foods for as long as Cale's nursing and he nurses over two years like Karston, I may never be able to eat dairy after that either. It's worth it for Cale to be more comfortable, though. It's also possible that Cale has more than one allergy. I had had a lot of soy the day before one very fussy day, and I had had a lot of eggs before two other fussy days. I wouldn't rule those out entirely either. But before this pediatrician suggested that I eliminate dairy from my diet, I had some every day. So perhaps I should have be surprised he had good days!

Anyway, she suggested a followup visit in a month, and I think I'm a convert. She's sharp and caring.