Peace of mind...Not priceless...That'll be $15 please

So we went back to the doctor again today. I think they may start working us up for Munchhausen by proxy if Jacky doesn't start getting better soon. Jackson started feeling warm on Sunday night so we gave him some Tylenol and put him to bed. Then I got a wake up call at 2:30 am. I tried putting him back to bed and even let him cry a little. But he just kept waking up. Finally at 5 am I got him up and realized that he was biting on his fingers and arms. When I looked in his mouth he had red gums and I could see two molars starting to poke out. No mother of the year award here. I felt like such a jerk for not figuring it out sooner and letting him suffer by himself. So all day Monday he was lethargic, fussy and wouldn't eat anything. He had to be held or be sleeping all day. His temps were 101.8-102 when he felt hot enough to take it and then he threw up all his milk all over Larry(my smart boy waited 'til daddy got home). This was the first time he has ever thrown up, he never even spit us as an infant, so it was a bit freaky for all of us. So of course he slept with me all night...I hope that makes up a little for the night before. He seemed a little better in the morning but then he started pulling at his ears, which he never does when he has an ear infection, and then the last straw was throwing up the applesauce I finally got him to eat. I talked to the nurse at the doctor's office and she decided that we should take him in. In the end he does not have and ear infection!!! But he does have 3 molars coming in at once mixed with a probable viral cold that should be passing soon. The doctor gave us a higher Motrin dose we could give him since he's gained weight that has really done wonders for Jack. I hope all this illness means he will have a really strong immunity later on in life, like people keep telling me (to keep me sane I think). I'm going to share a few videos that show him yesterday and then one of him on his higher Motrin dose. It's like two different boys.

Mother's Day Fun

What a nice day it has been. I woke up to a fabulous breakfast made by my two main men, then took a nap with Jackson, went to the park for a picnic and fun, got to watch the boys wash my car, and ended the day with a nice dinner out. I could get used to being pampered like this everyday! I can't believe it is already my second mother's day with Jackson. Last year he was only four months old and I never could have imagined what one year would bring. He is definitely the center of my world and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm not really sure what I did with myself before him and I can't wait to see what another year will bring for us.

Here is a video and a few pictures of our adventure to the park:



He really didn't want to ride it alone but he loved it when I got on. The things we do for our kids!


Hello up there.


Weeeeee!


Does this mirror make me look too thin?


This is Jack's new bike with a steering wheel and seat belt. We take it for walks and even through the grocery store.

All Better!

Today Jackson had his ear and weight check and everything went well. His ears look great and his weight was now 22 pounds with his clothes on. We asked the doctor what weight we were shooting for and he said 23 pounds but pointed out that Jack had his clothes on today and they could have accounted for about 1/2 a pound. I really think that he has gained almost that 2 pounds and that his clothes were not that heavy but whatever. He almost got out of his 15 month shots because the nurse didn't have the Varacilla but the doctor decided he wanted him to have the MMR so in the end he got his MMR and Hep A immunizations. He was not so happy about that but we premedicated with Tylenol so hopefully his reaction will not be too bad. These are his first live immunizations so he will probably not feel good for a few days. Oh joy. It seems like we just got our baby back and now he may get sick again. Poor baby. Our next appointment is at 18 months and hopefully we won't have to see the doctor again until then. Here are a few pictures of him recently and also another piece of daycare artwork.

Jack and Frank Round 3

Well, amidst all the ear and sinus infections around here (somehow I've (Larry) managed to dodge them) there is still some pretty hilarious antics from Jack. On Sunday we were trying to get some yard work done, and Jack was being really good about helping out. Well before too long he found a branch that we had pruned and decided it would make a fun toy to harass Frank with. Now, you may have already seen the 'Jack and Frank' and 'Jack and Frank round 2' videos, so without further ado I give you the third installment in the epic feud...'Jack and Frank round 3--Walk Softly and Carry A Big Stick.'

Sicko's Paraphernalia

I am now on antibiotics as well. I finally went to the doctor with the encouragement of Larry and my mom. I have been sick since Easter and apparently my cold turned into a sinus infection. Oh lovely. So now I too will be on 10 days of antibiotics and a nasal spray. The doctor put me on Augmentin and it's sort of funny because when I got it filled both Larry and I said, "Oh, it's a pill." We have been dealing with syringes and droppers for so long now, it seems that we forgot that not all meds come in liquid form. Anyway, we are hoping for healthier days ahead now that we are all examined and drugged!

Here we go again...part two

Jackson had been seeming to be getting better during the week. Then on Friday night he was feeling warm so we gave him some Tylenol before bed. He woke up okay but then throughout the day Saturday was a bit fussy and warm so Larry was keeping him medicated. Before he went to bed that night his temp was 99.6 so we went ahead and gave him something for that and put him to bed. At 12:30am he woke up screaming and his temp was 103.2. We gave him some Motrin and called the on-call nurse from our pediatricians office. She put us through to the doctor on call (Dr. Soble) but by the time she got back to us we had taken his temp again and his temp was down to 102.5. She advised us to keep him home and take him to the pediatric urgent care in the morning as long as he was drinking and "acting like himself." Well after his Motrin really kicked in he was giggling, clapping and literally running around the house. Larry finally got him back down to bed about 3:00am. He then woke up at 6:45am crying while laying on his belly and turing his head back and forth. Usually he is standing up and more yelling for us so I was already concerned. I went in there and he started screaming, really hot and his whole body was shaking. I initially thought he was having a seizure and started freaking out a bit. I layed him down and said "look at mommy" and he looked me right in the eye so I knew that he was just shivering. We took his temp and it was 98.1 (all temps were rectal...sorry Jack). We decided it was time to go to the ER so I was running around getting dressed while Larry called the on call nurse again. She again put us through to the doctor who told us that this is normal for a breaking of fever so as long as everything else was the same she was going to make an appointment for us at the clinic so we could get the first spot which I thought was really nice of her. We all went to sleep again and then when 9am rolled around we also tried to call the clinic to make sure we got an appointment. Now this is just like trying to register for classes by phone (anyone from UW will remember waking at 5am-ish to start calling and the hitting redial until you had to go to class!) or like getting good seats for a show, everyone is calling at the same time. After about 10 minutes of calling we finally got through but the doctor had already made the appointment so we were set to go at 10:10am.

Finally at the clinic, the nurse took his temp and it was 101.2. Then the doctor (Dr. Colombo) looked in his ears and both ears now are red and full of pus. He thinks that the Amoxicillian worked for a few days and then the bug that Jack has may have mutated and became resistant. Now Jack is on a new antibiotic called Omnicef "a bigger gun." He said we should now make our appointment for another week out so it has time to work. I asked him if we should continue giving him his Tylenol and Motrin alternating and he told us that doing that is hard on the kidneys so to only give the Motrin since it is better for pain control. You learn something new everyday...just one more thing to feel guilty about.

While we were at the office the nurse weighed Jackson and his weight was 20 lbs, 8 oz. (20 lbs last Monday) Now I know that it was a different scale and that this would be a big jump for him but it made me feel like our efforts are working. Not that we are really freaking out about his weight because we aren't, too much. I have talked with many people since our appointment that made me feel better about Jackson's weight. Dietitians, lactation consultants, friends and family. The dietitians from my work, and from Larry's clinic basically said not to stop breastfeeding if he wanted to (one of them telling me that since breastmilk is human made it digests and is absorbed easier and that cows milk is not anymore nutritious.), keep feeding him with extra fats and proteins but not "garbage food" and that we should chart him out on the W.H.O. breastfed baby scale. On the W.H.O. scale Jackson is almost in the 15th percentile. They also said that it is normal for breastfed babies to be big at first and then for their weight gain to slow down especially compared to formula fed babies and that they generally have more lean mass and not as much fat. So for now we are going to keep doing the pediasure and diet changes but also keep breastfeeding and let him wean himself when he is ready...or when I'm ready, whichever comes first.

Here are some recent pictures:

This is him today at about 6pm acting so cute and like nothing ever happened.

Sick & sad baby. "I want up."

Laundry bin fun. He came out of his room with his bin and kept getting into it and walking around with it on his head.

Frank rolled around in the chalk rainbow and then had a rainbow on his fur.

Chalk is fun!

Here we go again...

Poor Jackson has an ear infection again. He has not been too fussy or showing any obvious signs but has had a mild cold and he started getting a fever on Saturday. We had his 15 month pediatrician appt. today anyway so we just gave him Tylenol until then. When the doctor checked his ears as a normal part of his check-up he noticed that his right ear was infected. The doctor thinks that Jackson has a high pain tolerance and so that's why he doesn't show any outward signs until it ruptures like last time. Thank goodness we got him in before that happened this time. We now have a plan with the doctor that if he has a temp. for three days we need to get him to the doctor for an ear check. So now we have to do 10 days of antibiotics and another appt. in 2 weeks where he will also get his immuniations that we held off on today.

Other news with this appt. was that Jackson is in the 50th percentile for height (31 inches) and head circumference but in the 5th percentile for weight. He has been heading down in the weight chart for a while now but the doctor finally made a plan for turning it around. I don't think anyone was really concerned about it until now, including us. So the plan now is to plaster his food with butter, olive oil and also to add pediasure into his diet. The pediasure is higher in calories than the cows milk and has lots more nutrients. Jackson has been weaning from breastfeeding but the doctor says that we should stop cold turkey after the ear infection is gone since the breastmilk is not enough calories for him. He also suggests stopping the pacifier cold turkey as well soon. I'm not sure how all this is going to go but I'm sure we'll keep you posted.