I think Cale was testing his teeth this afternoon, getting to know them. Tooth #3 came in two weeks ago, and #4 late last week, so he just barely has two upper teeth to match the two lower teeth he's had for two months. Well, I heard him grinding his teeth this afternoon. I told Cale that he didn't want to do that. I think that made him grind harder! So I dropped the subject.
Apparently the right answer was distration, not information, and not ignoring. Five minutes later, Cale was a scary sight with his chin covered with bloody drool. His mouth looked like his lower teeth, several millimeters longer than the new teeth on top, had gouged just inside his upper dental ridge. I can't do that because I have teeth in the way, but Cale doesn't. Hoo boy did he cry about this too!
It's always traumatic to see blood on your baby, so I really hope Cale learned not to grind his teeth.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Cale: Six Month Checkup
This afternoon, we went to Cale's six month well-child-checkup. He is now 27" tall (75th percentile), 18 pounds 3.4 ounces (60th percentile), 17.75" head circumference (85th percentile), and up-to-date on his vaccinations (polio in the US in 2005: it should be history!). So although his weight at 6 months is Karston's weight at 15 months (other measures more like Karston at 10 to 11 months old), he's following Karston's pattern of higher percentiles for height and head circumference than for weight but overall fairly proportional.
Following the doctor's advice at Cale's 4-month wcc, I learned that I could eliminate his 5-times-a-day dark green poops (in exchange for once daily typical yellow ones) by eliminating dairy from my diet. This time, as a followup, I told Dr Starnes that Cale seems to sleep better at night when I also don't eat soy. She said that 60% of children with this milk protein allergy also have the soy protein allergy, so that fits. I was going to follow the scientific method and have some soy to see what happens, but I don't want to lose sleep just to prove what's already likely. Now that I have children, sleep is more precious than ever!
Cale didn't like getting his shots, but that could have been lying down (he wants to be held upright so he can look around) without being cuddled. He stopped within a minute of being picked up! So he's a real trooper about his shots too.
Following the doctor's advice at Cale's 4-month wcc, I learned that I could eliminate his 5-times-a-day dark green poops (in exchange for once daily typical yellow ones) by eliminating dairy from my diet. This time, as a followup, I told Dr Starnes that Cale seems to sleep better at night when I also don't eat soy. She said that 60% of children with this milk protein allergy also have the soy protein allergy, so that fits. I was going to follow the scientific method and have some soy to see what happens, but I don't want to lose sleep just to prove what's already likely. Now that I have children, sleep is more precious than ever!
Cale didn't like getting his shots, but that could have been lying down (he wants to be held upright so he can look around) without being cuddled. He stopped within a minute of being picked up! So he's a real trooper about his shots too.
Technorati Tags: Baby
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Cale's Cold
Karston had a cold (runny nose, cough) this weekend, and now Cale has a runny nose. Cale was acting very upset, although I suspect that frustration trying to work out his poop. Of course, with the runny nose, he's not eating or sleeping as well as usual either. Since there was an acute care appointment available when I called late this afternoon and I drive by on my way home, I took Cale to the doctor this evening. Dr Goldbach agreed with me: he'll be fine. His ears and his throat look very healthy, so it really is just a runny nose (and nasal drain cough). The doctor said for this weight he gets 1.5 droppers (1.2 mL) of infant tylenol, but for this condition and this close to the recommended 6 months of age, baby motrin is a good choice too. Cale weighed 18 pounds 6.7 ounces fully dressed at the doctor's office, and he weighed 18.7 pounds (that's 18 pounds 11.2 ounces!) dressed this weekend, so he's clearly off his feed. Get well soon, little buddy!
Super Mommy
This morning Karston asked if I wanted to be a Super Mommy. I wasn't sure what he meant, but I knew the answer. As it turns out, all it takes to be a Super Dad or a Super Mommy is to carry Cale and pick up Karston. In other words, it means he wants the parent carrying Cale to carry him as well!
I think I started it last week, when I saw Daddy balancing both children and finishing up in the garage. I think I said, "Oh, Super Dad! Can I help you?" Karston didn't want to transfer, so I carried Cale instead so Daddy could have one hand free at least. Daddy says while he was carrying both this weekend, Karston tapped his chest, "are you a Super Dad?"
It's a pretty effective way to ask to be picked up!
I think I started it last week, when I saw Daddy balancing both children and finishing up in the garage. I think I said, "Oh, Super Dad! Can I help you?" Karston didn't want to transfer, so I carried Cale instead so Daddy could have one hand free at least. Daddy says while he was carrying both this weekend, Karston tapped his chest, "are you a Super Dad?"
It's a pretty effective way to ask to be picked up!
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Parent's Lexicon
As a parent, you find yourself saying and doing things that your child-less self just could not have imagined. We first started laughing about Things You Would Never Hear Without Children about 2 years ago while Daddy was watching Curious George with Karston. The improbable phrase was, Thank you window monkey. This week's addition to the must-be-a-parent lexicon is Magic Poop Shoes. Cale has a very nice pair of grippy Geox shoes. When he's really pushing his legs to work out a poop, I put him in his walker with his Geox. It's the only time he doesn't move his walker all across the kitchen, even though the shoes should make that easier. Works like a charm to soil that diaper, though. Hence the phrase, magic poop shoes.
All About Mommy
Cale decided he was all about Mommy after I had lunch today. He wanted to touch me all the time; I finally put him in his backpack so I could walk around with both hands free. (I did such interesting things as laundry and toy pick-up.) He kept waking up within 2 minutes after I would set this sleeping baby in his crib. I put him in his walker so I could put some dinner on my plate. When I walked past Cale, he changed his cry, and then reached out for me with both arms! (It worked, of course. I was ravenous but it doesn't compare to my baby reaching for me!) Cale's really developing personality and opinions like that. After dinner that I ate on the couch so Cale could nurse while I ate, Daddy held Cale for a little while. This time, he could touch me when he reached for me with both arms, and he pulled my arm in for a great hug.
Cale is learning so many skills. He has been hugging us when we carry him for a while. He's been holding his head up for several months, with better trunk control shortly after. That one's nice because then we can carry him with one arm, and he will hug on and hold himself upright. He's got a good sense of his body too; his feet bounce with each step when I take the stairs, and when I bend over, he adjusts his head and neck while still clinging on with hands and body. Cale has discovered toys, too: some make noise, and he tries to put them all in his mouth. This morning's tummy time was an obvious demonstration of infant swimming, that motion before crawling, so I expect him to start crawling soon too. He has recognized bottles of milk happily for several months, and now he'll get calmer and happier when he sees baby food headed to his high chair. And if it's not baby food that he wants, he's learned how to pull down the neck of my shirt too. Like I said, he's really developing into his own person with a big smile.
Just before lunch, I picked Karston up from preschool. The children were called up, one by one or in small groups, to pick up a treat (looked like watermelon Starburst) and then to return to their seat (on convenient carpet squares). The task was to hold the treat until everyone had one. Karston was one of the first children to pick up his treat as the teacher went around the circle, and of course he had to be reminded that he couldn't eat his treat yet. He minded very quickly! At the end, however, another teacher had to step in quickly to prevent him from having a fit. You see, he had totally forgotten he had a treat! She made him look at his hands, then open his hands, then oh boy a treat! I got to watch that routine without being to hear what his teacher said but I could read his face easily. Daddy said That's my boy! because he also forgets when he has food all too easily.
Oh, and Karston's Zantac is starting to work, we think. He still doesn't snack much, but he kept eating dinner. He started with half of a blueberry Pop Tart, then veered into M&Ms before I could intervene, agreeably switched gears to eat 2 oz of sausage, passed near fried okra, lit into potato chips, and finished off with more M&Ms. If you know Karston, you know that's a remarkable amount of food with a surprising variety. So he seems to be eating better. He still complains about Minty and tries to get out of it, but he also takes it with a lot less fighting now.
Cale is learning so many skills. He has been hugging us when we carry him for a while. He's been holding his head up for several months, with better trunk control shortly after. That one's nice because then we can carry him with one arm, and he will hug on and hold himself upright. He's got a good sense of his body too; his feet bounce with each step when I take the stairs, and when I bend over, he adjusts his head and neck while still clinging on with hands and body. Cale has discovered toys, too: some make noise, and he tries to put them all in his mouth. This morning's tummy time was an obvious demonstration of infant swimming, that motion before crawling, so I expect him to start crawling soon too. He has recognized bottles of milk happily for several months, and now he'll get calmer and happier when he sees baby food headed to his high chair. And if it's not baby food that he wants, he's learned how to pull down the neck of my shirt too. Like I said, he's really developing into his own person with a big smile.
Just before lunch, I picked Karston up from preschool. The children were called up, one by one or in small groups, to pick up a treat (looked like watermelon Starburst) and then to return to their seat (on convenient carpet squares). The task was to hold the treat until everyone had one. Karston was one of the first children to pick up his treat as the teacher went around the circle, and of course he had to be reminded that he couldn't eat his treat yet. He minded very quickly! At the end, however, another teacher had to step in quickly to prevent him from having a fit. You see, he had totally forgotten he had a treat! She made him look at his hands, then open his hands, then oh boy a treat! I got to watch that routine without being to hear what his teacher said but I could read his face easily. Daddy said That's my boy! because he also forgets when he has food all too easily.
Oh, and Karston's Zantac is starting to work, we think. He still doesn't snack much, but he kept eating dinner. He started with half of a blueberry Pop Tart, then veered into M&Ms before I could intervene, agreeably switched gears to eat 2 oz of sausage, passed near fried okra, lit into potato chips, and finished off with more M&Ms. If you know Karston, you know that's a remarkable amount of food with a surprising variety. So he seems to be eating better. He still complains about Minty and tries to get out of it, but he also takes it with a lot less fighting now.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Zantac, Day 2
Luckily, we had another family, conveniently experienced with Zantac, over for lunch today. I had researched online that you should take it 30 to 60 minutes before eating, so it's first thing in the morning, and when we start to prepare dinner. I wanted to know how long to give it to work, though. Zantac doesn't cause the immediate improvement in appetite that we saw with Prevacid, so we're still trying to decide if it really helps. However, the encouraging signs are that Karston said his tummy felt good after lunch and after dinner, and Jen said it took about 10 days for her to see a real improvement in Tasha as an infant. The flip side is that Karston grabbed a juice box of Apple & Eve Very Berry at breakfast, started drinking, and then said the juice hurt his tummy. So Zantac isn't protecting him from juice, at least not yet. We're trying to keep him on diluted apple juice as the mild choice. Karston doesn't like plain water (yet) or milk (and dairy can be an irritant itself, just ask Cale). So I'll give Zantac two to three weeks.
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