Four Perfect Ears, Crazy Weather & ZOO

The boys saw Dr. H (the pedi) today for an ear checkup. They're both on Zyrtec and Truett has been to the chiropractor. We're also giving T a homeopathic something for his allergies. And guess what?? Something is working! Their ears are perfect! Dr. H has never been able to say that before. We were all thrilled.

For the record, Truett weighed exactly 19 lbs and Oliver weighed 32 lbs.

We celebrated with a trip to CM for groceries. Just as we were about to check out, an enormous storm hit and the lights went out. Everybody was freaking out, trash and debris were blowing horizontally across the parking lot and shopping carts were ramming into the glass doors. It was eerie. I called Mike to ask if there was a tornado or anything and he said no, just crazy winds (up to 70 mph!) and rain.

I had already decided we wouldn't leave when a customer who had just arrived warned me not to take the boys outside. So we went to the produce section to bide some time...you know, fruit samples for Truey. The powerful wind had blown the rubber mats around in that area and I ran into one with the shopping cart and Truett (who, despite being buckled in, had turned around backwards in his seat to face O in the cart) flew out of the front of the cart and landed face first in the back of the cart. So scary. His face hit a can of tomatoes. He cried a very hurt, sad cry and I was really concerned at first. Two employees saw it happen and before I knew it, they were filling out an incident report. Don't worry, we're not going to sue you, CM. They actually called this afternoon to check on T-Bird. And he's fine.

So after that eventful trip we came home and ate lunch. And then this happened:
Besides his name, this is the first word Oliver has spelled on his own. He kept saying, "Zoo! This is where the animals live." I wasn't really paying attention. Then I looked up and saw this! Wow.

Good job, O! Maybe we'll go there tomorrow to celebrate your spelling achievement. You'll have to help me watch out for Zoo Station on the train!

Chrys

So Momma's Not Crazy & An Allergy Update

The last week of parenting has kicked my rear. Seriously. I am so beat down.

Whining. Irrational crying. Disobedience. Irritability. Discipline, discipline, discipline.

Oliver, who typically goes right to sleep at night, has made bedtime a miserable event for everyone in our house. And probably for our neighbors as well. It has taken hours - HOURS??? - to get him down the last several nights. And you can forget potty training b/c he screams bloody murder when we mention it. (Thanks to the elimination diet he's on I can't use M&Ms for bribery anyway.) We had to leave the library without any books thanks to the fit he threw over not getting to do the puzzle he wanted to do. Approximately three-fourths of his excessive toy collection is in toy prison b/c he chose not to pick them up and Mommy had to. Are you getting the picture??

And Baby Truett must be held at all times or he will cry. Granted, he doesn't shed a tear after bloodying eight fingers by slamming them in a kitchen cabinet. But walk past him without picking him up? You'll break his heart.

So. I took both boys to the pediatrician this morning thinking there had to be an explanation for their behavior.

Ear infections all the way around. Yep. Again.

We hoped things would improve on the ear front when the weather warmed up. Hmmmmm. We'll return for a checkup in three weeks and will talk then about tubes for poor Truett.

The meds haven't helped the boys yet but somehow those two new antibiotic prescriptions have made me feel better: I'm not crazy! And perhaps we haven't really raised children who will intentionally act this way forever!

I'm rejoicing.

Allergy update: Oliver can't have his beloved milk but is intrigued by all the "new milks" in our fridge: goat, almond, rice, and soy. He requests a new one each time and hasn't missed a beat. The fact that I got a couple of chocolate versions of the new milk has definitely aided in the transition.

Thanks to those of you who emailed and commented with ideas. We got some Sunbutter as well as cashew and almond butter. He likes all three and has been sampling a little of each at mealtime. We're still adjusting and haven't seen a real improvement in his symptoms yet but I know it hasn't been long enough.

I felt sorry for him at church on Sunday b/c he had to wear a huge, florescent sticker proclaiming his allergies. His teacher is a friend of mine and said he didn't even notice when the other kids were eating cheddar goldfish at snack time b/c he was too busy playing intently. So that's good.

On Sunday our thoughtful friend Jan surprised me with an orange cake, one of my favs, for an early birthday celebration. She even called my mom for the recipe, super sweet. It was delicious and I felt so sad for Oliver b/c he couldn't have any of it. He started to fuss but Mike ran to a vending machine and came back with Oreos, which we learned are vegan. Who knew? Oliver had never had Oreos before but he is understandably now a fan.

And finally, for the record, Oliver weighed 32 lbs today and Truett weighed 18 lbs, 9.5 oz.

Chrys

Nine Months Old!

Oh, Sweet T.

You are a DOLL BABY. What a joy you are to us!

You are 3/4 of a year old already. What in the world??

I thought you were really big b/c you are already wearing clothes that Oliver wore when he was a year old. But when we went to the pedi for you nine month checkup I found out that you're a tiny guy: You weigh 18 lbs, 1 oz (15%), you're 27.25 inches long (20%) and your head is 44.5 cm (30%). I think you're absolutely perfect!

You are on the move and are so close to walking. You can stand for a bit but then you drop to the floor to crawl b/c it's so much faster. You are so mobile. You climb the stairs and the furniture.

You are persistent. You have an unexplained attraction to the fireplace and I discipline you every single time. But you still try it. You also love cords and electronic equipment.

I'm still nursing you four or five times a day but they are very short sessions b/c you have other things to do. You want to go, go, go and can't be bothered with nourishment.

You're a great eater. You're eating a lot of table food and every time you hear the Magic Bullet you shriek with excitement b/c you know it means chow. Thanks to that handy gadget (how did we live without it?) you eat everything we eat--stir fry, steak and potatoes, lasagna, brisket, hamburgers, you name it. I blend up yogurt, fruit and cereal every morning for your breakfast.

You have two teeth on top and two on the bottom.

We're going to try taking you off of Prevacid. We'll see how that goes!

Your complexion is beautiful. You got some of that Jones Indian blood in you that tans easily. We haven't even been outside that much yet this summer but you already have color. Your big brother is jealous.

I'm not sure if your hair is going to be curly or straight. It is definitely getting more blonde as it grows. You're such a cutie!

You wave hi and bye and can say mama, dada, hi, bye, O, num num, ba (balloon) and bub bub for Brother.

I have to pin you down to change your diaper b/c you can't stand to be still for thirty seconds. You're dangerous in the bathtub b/c you are in constant motion. You are fearless and will dive straight into the sandbox or the wading pool without hesitation.

You've had tons of ear infections and I have a feeling that tubes are in your future. But your ears are clear right now so I'm not going to think about that!

You do not require nearly as much sleep as your big brother does. You go to bed around 8:00 and sleep until 7:00 in the morning. If we're home you'll take a morning nap from 9-11 or so but if we're out, forget about it. You are fairly unpredictable in the afternoons but usually sleep for about two hours. You still suck your thumb to fall asleep and it's so cute.

You're a cuddlebug and you give lots of wet kisses. Several times lately you have put your hands on my face and turned me towards you so that you could plant a big kiss right on my lips. It is so stinking cute. You love to be held and talked to.

You're going through a phase of tongue fascination. You can frequently be found like this:

You are our social butterfly and can't stand to be left out of anything. In fact, when you won't sleep I often get you up and show you that no one is having fun without you. I am usually convincing enough for you to give into a nap.

You are crazy about Oliver and he is seriously the center of your little world. When he is napping you play with his favorite toys but only do so as you wait impatiently for him to wake up. I'm so thankful you have one another.

We are grateful for you, little one. You are so loved by so many.

All my love, Sugar.

Momma

Allergy Update & "Bad, Mean Ants"

We got the results yesterday from Oliver's blood test. I'm not sure what any of this means yet but I'm not going to panic...at least not until we see a pediatric allergist! Hopefully that will be soon.

The blood test indicates that Oliver has Class III allergies to eggs and wheat, Class II allergies to peanut and soy, and Class I allergies to milk and corn. Yeah, I don't really know what all of that means yet but it feels slightly overwhelming for this mom of a toddler who refuses to eat any fruits, vegetables or meats and survives on carbs and dairy. Yikes. I was told the allergen classes go all the way up to six so I'm assuming his aren't severe. But I've got tons to learn. If anyone wants to school me in food allergies, bring it on.

He also has at least one infection, probably two. (The nurse prac couldn't see one ear drum b/c of all the wax and didn't want to dig b/c she was already going to prescribe antibiotics for the other ear.) And, of course, it is probably due to his allergies. The poor guy is having a rough spring.

Oddly enough, Oliver only had one ear infection in his life until Truett came along. Maybe he is allergic to his baby brother??

After the doctor's appointment this morning we returned to the butterfly field to gather more milkweed for our hungry monarch caterpillars. They are growing like, well, (milk)weeds. I can't believe how fast it happens. Amazing. Mike has taken some incredible time lapse pics of our caterpillars hatching from and then eating their eggs, eating leaves, etc. Our main computer is still out of commission, though, so we'll have to post those at a later date. Stay tuned.

So we were in the butterfly field searching for milkweed today when Oliver started screaming. I mean SCREAMING. I was a few yards away and I flew to him and swooped him up as I heard him say, "The ants! Ants are getting me!" Bless his heart, the child was standing in a fire ant bed!

I threw off his shoes and slapped the ants off of him. With Truett under one arm, Oliver under the other and four milkweed bouquets in front I managed to fly through the field with superhuman power that only moms know about. Both boys were screaming (Truett was scared to death) and I was near tears myself. I got them to the van where I doused Oliver's legs in water to make sure all the ants were off. I got bit several times and was afraid Truett had been bitten as well by the way he was carrying on. (I never found any bites on him, though.) Fire ant bites sting so badly and I felt awful for poor O who was covered in them.

I panicked at first b/c I was concerned that our sensitive Oliver would violently react to several dozen fire ant bites. Last fall his face was swollen for days from a single mosquito bite. Thankfully that didn't happen.

We raced to my friend Rachel's house. She's a nurse and I knew she'd remain calm. We doctored O's feet, toes and legs then he proceeded to play happily with Rachel's boys like nothing ever happened. Owen and Noah were thrilled with what we brought them--two monarch eggs that we found on our milkweed!

I've given Oliver benadryl twice today and am keeping his feet coated in itch medicine. He's fussy but that is to be expected, especially considering his ear infection. He's talked all day about the "bad, mean ants" that "got him".

For the record, Oliver weighed 31 lbs today and Truett weighed nearly 18 lbs.

And Oliver requested a "pollylop" at the doctor's office. Sorry, bud.

Chrys

Sabertooth T, Evangelina & Out On The Town

I took Sweet T to the pedi this morning b/c I was confident he had another ear infection. You know, the one he's had since December? That one. We even ordered our own otoscope but now I need to go to medical school to be able to discern what I'm looking at. It's not as easy as it sounds, especially with wiggly boys and ear wax. That's a pretty picture now, isn't it?

Truett weighs 17 lbs and I am crazy about his roly poly thighs. Naturally he was as happy as a lark at the doctor's office. And does he have an ear infection? Nope. His ears don't look great, mind you, but they're not infected. What he does have, however, is his first two little teeth popping through. He announced the arrival of the aforementioned razors by biting me during his early morning breakfast. Nice.So no ear infections. Just a grouchy teether.

This afternoon we received the joyous news that we have a new cousin in the family! My dear cousin, Angi, gave birth to precious Evangelina Elise this afternoon. We can't wait to meet you, Eva! "Twit" has officially relinquished to you the honor of being the youngest Jones cousin.

After naps both boys had happy faces and were thrilled for our sweet friends Chase and Elizabeth to come over. They kept the boys while Mike and I had a fun night out on the town! I wore a hot little number that I got for $7 on the clearance rack at Forever 21. Yeah, I brag about my bargain shopping. And yeah, sometimes I just like to pretend I haven't outgrown the juniors section. We went to the wedding of a pledge sister from A&M, another Elizabeth. What a beautiful bride! It was an honor to be a part of her day and was a reunion of so many dear friends. From the Robert Louis Stevenson poem at the front of the wedding program to the Shakespearean Sonnet that her aunt read, there were so many little details about the ceremony and the reception that I took note of and smiled b/c it was all so Elizabeth.

Her bouquet is my favorite example of her sentimental heart:I love, love, love it and I can't even remember all the details. The gold pin in front belonged to her great, great, great, great grandmother (I think? Laura, correct me if I'm wrong!). Tucked away in the bouquet was a christening handkerchief that was a baby gift to her parents when she was born. And finally, the three roses in front were from her father's casket. Elizabeth's dad passed away when we were in college and she found so many ways to honor and remember him at her wedding today. There were definitely tears shed as so many of us recalled the relationship she had with her Daddy.

And, knowing Elizabeth, there's probably even more bouquet trivia that I didn't learn about.

I told Elizabeth that her wedding is seriously the fanciest, most elegant wedding I have ever attended. The Texas Boys Choir sang at the ceremony! They were amazing. The reception was downtown at The Adolphus Hotel and we drank wine and dined on fare such as Poached Pear And Field Greens Salad With Gorgonzola Cheese And Candied Pecans Served With A Lemon Dressing and an entree of Potato-Encrusted Sea Bass Paired With Petit Fillet Of Beef With A Sherry Cream And Natural Jus. I particularly enjoyed my Smashed Yukon Potatoes And Vegetables. (I'm no food critic, I just kept the menu.) The White Chocolate Mousse Wedding Cake and the Dark Chocolate Mousse Groom's Cake were, well, you can guess. Unbelievable.
Ahhhhhhhhhh, so much fun. What a fun night out with my honey. It was great to visit with two tables of college girlfriends that I haven't seen since before I was pregnant with Truett.

So, back to reality. Tomorrow we'll probably eat Wild Bugs Pasta With Hidden Sweet Potatoes In The Powdered Cheese Sauce for lunch. And we'll love it.

Chrys

7 Months Old

Sweet Truett,

I am so crazy about you. You are an absolute doll baby.You are babbling ma-ma-ma, da-da-da, bub-bub. You also say "hi". And you laugh all the time. I LOVE IT.

You are always on the move. You are drawn to cords, electric outlets, plants and anything dangerous. You open cabinets and can already almost climb the stairs. I can't believe how fast you're growing up. You just want to keep up with your brother!
We started you on solid foods this month and you've gained 2.5 lbs in only four weeks! You weighed in at 16 lbs, 7 oz at the doctor on Monday. You little piglet! Unlike your big brother, you will eat anything. You have even chowed on spinach. You think biter biscuits are the greatest invention since beboo milk. You crack us up.Your favorite thing to eat is my special avocado recipe that I made just for you. You can't get enough of it. It has given you a bit frog belly and lots of rolls on your cute thighs.I cannot keep you out of the Pothos Ivy so we had to move it. I found out today that it can be poisonous if you ingest a lot of it. That's scary! I don't think you ever swallowed any but you certainly tried.Yes, we were back at the doctor this week b/c you have yet another ear infection. You poor baby! I don't think it will be long before they recommend we see an ENT doc. You've just had so many problems with your little ears. I'm so sorry they hurt.

You are still on Prevacid and that seems to help a lot.
You make hilarious faces and people always laugh if they've never seen you do it before. When you're hungry you start signing for milk while you snort and scrunch your nose. You get your point across.It is hard for me to believe that you're already standing up in your crib and pulling up on everything. You even turn the music on in your crib. You're supposed to be a baby!It's a good thing you're so tough b/c your brother likes to wrestle with you. You rarely cry when you get hurt. You love baths and have never once cried in the bathtub. You do, however, cry if I walk by you and don't pick you up. It's like I have broken your little heart. So sad. You are definitely momma's boy.You have been sleeping better since you started solids. You're still unpredictable and don't seem to require as much sleep as other babies your age. We tried to put you and brother in the same room but you kept waking him up. So we'll try again later.

You are a joy, baby boy. I can see you growing before my very eyes. I dreamed last night that you were already walking. It probably won't be long. Slow down!

I love you.

Momma

Yep.

No big surprises today. Oliver has a sore throat (not strep), an ear infection and infections in both eyes. And Truett has a sore throat and a double ear infection. These infections are clearly not responding to Augmentin so we're calling in the big guns. So big, in fact, that I had to go to three pharmacies and almost had to take out a loan just to get the prescriptions. So Suprax it is. We'll see how it works.

Piper told us that this is the worst sick season they've seen in years. She assured us that it's nothing we're doing wrong and it's not b/c they've got poor immune systems. We just haven't been able to get rid of the congestion so they keep getting ear infections. It's wild b/c, prior to the past month, Oliver has had one ear infection in his entire life. Strangely his ear infections seem to show up in his eyes, too, which I had never heard of before.

Truett also got another Nystatin ointment prescription for his vicious diaper rash. They recommended letting him go without his diaper but that's easy for them to say, right?

Baby T had his six month "well baby" check and he's doing well in spite of being sick. The nurses and the nurse practitioner oooohed over how well he gets around and one predicted he'll be walking by seven months. Yikes. I am so not ready for that. They also laughed at him when he animatedly signed for milk as though I hadn't nursed him all day.

Truett is a skinny guy. He weighs 15 lbs, 3 oz which puts him between the 5th and 10th percentile. His brother weighed just a little more at this age so I'm not concerned, especially since we've recently started solids and he's sure to gain quickly. Also he's been sick for the past month which couldn't have helped. He is average in his height (26.25 inches, 50th percentile) and head circumference (43.4 cm, 45th percentile). I realize that breastfed babies are usually smaller at this point so I'm much more relaxed about it this time around. No science fair projects for me!

Aside from putting on weight his development is all normal or ahead of schedule. He crawls all over the place, tries to climb, jabbers (mostly using consonants like m and b), squeals and recognizes his own name. He shows sharp mood changes and acts as though his feelings are hurt if you walk by him and don't pick him up. He kisses his image in the mirror and can sit alone for a bit without falling over. He "stands on his head", which we think is hilarious. I need to get a picture of it. He loves his big brother and no one can entertain or distract him the way Oliver can.

Yesterday Mike heard a noise and then a hurt cry coming from Truett's room during his nap. He went into the nursery and deduced that True had pulled himself up to standing in his crib, fallen down and hit his head on the other side of the crib. He's out of control! He keeps getting caught in between his bumper pads and the crib slats or stuck with a leg or arm hanging out of the crib. It's crazy how different they are b/c we never saw any of these antics with his brother.

I am hopeful that we'll be feeling much better soon. Here's to Suprax!

Chrys

WAY Better!

We are a thousand times better, thank God. No one has gotten sick in the past 24 hours and we're so relieved. We took both boys to the pedi this morning and the doc said it sounded like we all had the rotavirus, which is going around.

Truett weighed 15 lbs, 5 oz and Oliver weighed 28 lbs, 4 oz.

T is either just getting over an ear infection or could be getting one soon so we are going to keep an eye on that.

Must finish the laundry!

Chrys

Just Right.

This was the expression on Truett's face for most of the night last night. Be glad I'm not including sound effects.
I was convinced that he had another ear infection but I took him to the doctor today and his ears are fine. His throat was red (probably from screaming, I'd guess) and it appears that his bottom teeth are about to break through the skin. You can see them if you look carefully at the picture above.

He weighed 15 lbs, 1 oz today. He's got cute little rolls on his legs and arms. I love it.

We had a very sweet moment during the night. I was rocking him in the glider (which I love, by the way - thanks, Mom!) and I just hugged him tight and thought, "This moment is perfect. Everyone else is sound asleep and I'm awake with this precious baby boy." I decided right then to be grateful for that time. Thank you, Lord, for Truett.

I also decided in the wee hours of the morning that Truett is exactly the perfect size. I wish he'd stay just like he is. He fits perfectly against me w/ his head nestled under my chin and his legs all curled up under him. I inhaled deeply and smelled his sweet baby breath. All you mommas know what I'm talking about.

I wish I could freeze moments like that in time.

Chrys

Ear Today, Gone???

Truett seriously gets cuter every day. I could just gobble him up.
You can't tell it from these smiley pics but T has been sick for a couple of weeks now. He has been up every three to four hours each night since the week before Christmas. I'm losing my mind. He is fussy 90% of the time and happy as a lark the rest of the time. He screamed--not cried, screamed--for over two solid hours on our way back from Abilene last night and we all thought we were going to go crazy. Even Oliver kept saying, "Please be quiet, Truett!"

Poor guy. I thought he'd be happier in his own crib but he slept very little last night. So, back to the pediatrician we went.

And, yes, it's another ear infection. Stink! Just a week ago he finished his antibiotics from the first ear infection. And then he got croup. He's been such a grouch. I knew something had to be up.
What are the chances that the doctor we saw today (Dr. W) did his pediatric residency w/ the pedi we saw last week in Abilene?? Small world.

True weighed 14 lbs, 8 oz today. He is already pushing up on his arms and will be crawling before we know it. Hard to believe.So now we've got a new antibiotic and renewed hopes that our littlest boy will feel remarkably better very soon. (And some sleep would be nice, too!)

Chrys

Sickly

The boys have been congested for a couple of weeks and their coughs have gotten much worse. We finally took them today to a pediatrician here in Abilene who took care of me when I was a little kid.

Poor Baby Truett is the sickest. He has croup and had to get a cortisone shot. We have to watch him really carefully b/c his breathing is wheezy. Mike's folks got a humidifier to put in his bathroom so hopefully that will help. T's ears are well from his ear infection and he weighed 14 lbs, 11 oz so that's all good news. He has a rash on his face that the doctor said is just a teething rash.

Oliver has been on antibiotics for an ingrown toenail that was infected. It wasn't looking better and it turns out he's got a staph infection. So he got more oral antibiotics and ointment for that plus medicine for his terrible cough b/c he has an upper respiratory infection, too. He weighed in at 30.5 lbs.

Since they're both contagious and sick we're staying put in Abilene for now. I've been up much of each night with Truett since we arrived so we need all the help we can get. It is so nice to have family around!

Chrys

Poor T

No wonder poor Baby Truett has been a grump...
He has a double ear infection! Poor little guy. That would explain being up every three hours the last two nights.

We started him on antibiotics tonight so hopefully he'll feel much better very soon. He was a happy guy when he discovered the cute baby in the mirror today: For the record, he weighed 14 lbs today at the doctor.

Chrys

Funny Goose

Yes, yes, we are here. Just laying low. I am sick with a sore throat, headache and sinus junk. I have felt miserable today.

Oliver has had a rash all over him since late last week and we finally took him to the doctor this afternoon to get it checked out. As we suspected, it's just contact dermatitis from getting into something he's allergic to. We don't know what that "something" is, but Dr. W suspects grass. It should be gone by the end of the week. (Then he'll be left with scabs all over him from scratching the rash.)

Here are some recent pics of our littlest baby boy, who is smiling and cooing at us a lot now. He is doing better, taking a full Prevacid solutab each evening. The last few days he has really only cried when he's hungry or tired. He's slept 9-10 hour stretches the past three nights. Way to go, Truey! (Mommy really appreciates that, especially when she's sick.)

For the record, today at the doctor Oliver weighed 28 lbs, 2 oz and Truett weighed 12 lbs, 6 oz.O has been cracking us up and I don't want to forget the things he says and does:

* Oliver says "funny goose" instead of "silly goose".

* Yesterday we were playing with a tiny stuffed Velveteen Rabbit. Oliver said, "It's a bunny." Then he pointed to the long ears and said, "His antennae."

* He is crazy about the movie Cars. I nearly fell over laughing a few weeks ago when, from his high chair, he looked at me and said in all seriousness, "Speed. I am speed." Now he says it all the time. I've got to get this on video and post it.

* His favorite part of Cars is at the end when Mater gets to ride in the helicopter. He talks about this scene all the time.

* As we walked into the grocery store one day last week Oliver announced, "I love food." (Yeah right, this is coming from the pickiest eater in the world.) All throughout the store he announced to anyone and everyone, "I love food." I wish.

* O always says, "bad cough" after he coughs. (BTW, he has yet to have a truly bad cough.) Several weeks ago Sundee sat down next to Oliver and said to me with a puzzled face, "Did he just tell me to back off?" Careful, Oliver. "Bad cough" has the potential to make you sound like a rude little toddler.

* One of his Crocs was missing when we got home from church on Sunday afternoon. We looked all over the van and couldn't find it. I realized that we made a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home and that perhaps it had fallen out of the car when we opened the door there. (He is famous for taking his shoes off wherever we go.) We drove back to the grocery store parking lot, hoping to find that lost, lone Croc. I prayed we would. Sure enough, there it was! Mike got out and grabbed it, then handed it to Oliver in the back seat. I said, "Oh, thank you God! I prayed we'd find it." So, Oliver held up his Crocs in the air and said, "Thank you God! Thank you God!"

* He keeps singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "Happy Birthday". He does his own variation of these songs where he holds out particular notes at random times and it cracks us up. It could be a sketch on Saturday Night Live.

* He counts all the time. Yesterday he counted one through thirteen, then continued on with "fourteen, sixteen, eighteen, space shuttle, twenty!"

* I took both boys to the dentist with me last week. They did great. Oliver sat in a chair by my feet for about 30 minutes. I was so proud of him! He entertained us the entire time with a running commentary of what was happening in the parking lot as he watched through the window: "One red car going fast. Two trucks. Yellow car. Blue car. Count them. One, two, three..." He had the dentist laughing when he kept tickling my feet and saying, "I'm going to get you, Mommy." ("I na git chu, Mommy.")

* Oliver is our Barnabas, the encourager. He regularly says, "Good job, Mommy!" and "Good job, Daddoo!" for things as simple as putting him in his car seat or pouring his milk.

* He still pretends to be a baby. He does a great impression of Truett's cry (T-bird has a very distinct cry--lots of "hic hic" sounds, everyone comments how "unusual" it is) and then asks himself, "Why, what's wrong baby? What's the matter, baby?" Then he diagnoses the problem: "Baby needs milk."

* Yesterday at lunch he was counting. He told Mike to count then ordered me to count. We did as instructed, then he said, "Paw Paw do it." We told him PawPaw was in Abilene and we'd have to call him on the telephone. "Let's call him. PawPaw count." So we called and PawPaw answered the phone. He quickly received his instructions and counted just as he was told. He even counted in Spanish. After that, Jammie and Aunt Melissa were instructed to count as well as to sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star".

* Oliver looked at the pediatrician today and randomly started listing states. "Texas...Florida..." Dr. W didn't seem impressed b/c Oliver didn't mention Oklahoma.

* Tonight at supper O was having a pep rally for all the food on his plate: "Yay Cheerios! Yay peanut butter toast! Yay green juice! Yay pasta!"

He then turned to his favorite things: "Yay tricycle! Yay airplanes! Yay trains!"

Then he said, "Yay Mommy! Yay Daddy!"

Mike said, "Yay Jammie!" Interestingly enough, Oliver completed the pair by saying, "Yay PawPaw!"

So Mike said, "Yay Honey!" Oliver replied, "Yay Ro-Daddy!"

I laughed to myself and said, "Yay Jordan!"

I fully expected this but I had to call my sister while laughing hysterically when I heard his response: "Yay Teddy Bear!"

She saw it coming and had a good laugh, too.

Funny goose.

Chrys

Skeeter Shiner

This is what Oliver's face looked like when he awoke this morning:
We were baffled until we saw a huge, swollen welt behind his knee. Apparently he was bitten by a mosquito yesterday evening while we were at a birthday party. (I sprayed him with bug repellent but apparently didn't do a very thorough job.) We looked very closely and could make out where he appeared to have a bite by the corner of his eye. (We are not positive it was a mosquito but that's most likely.) We watched it throughout the morning and the swelling got worse. O said it was hurting. The area around his eye started to bruise and look like a shiner, so I called the advice nurse at his pediatrician's office. She said to give him some Benedryl and that the doctor needed to see us since it was changing color.

That was one mean skeeter!

Just as we figured, Dr. Y said it was probably a severe reaction to a mosquito bite. He said it's important to keep an eye on it (no pun intended) since it's in a very delicate location. If there are any signs of infection we need to put O on antibiotics immediately. He instructed us to keep giving him Benedryl.
I wish I could say it was getting better but these pics were taken earlier the day and it already looks much worse. His eye is nearly swollen shut tonight. Poor guy. I sure hope it's better in the morning.

The doctor said to expect Oliver to have a black eye once the swelling goes down. We'll have to think of a better story than a mosquito bite.He weighed 28 lbs, 8 oz today...over a pound more than he did at his two-year check up less than a week ago.

Chrys

Two Year/Two Month Checkups

Oliver and Truett had their two year/two month checkups with Dr. H the Pedi today. Daddoo & Mom got flu shots while we were there so all of us got stuck.
Oliver fussed during the exam but didn't cry when he got his immunization and flu shot. Mom & Dad didn't cry, either. Poor Truey cried a lot, though, b/c it was a big day of shots for him. He had four band-aids on his little thighs and also got an oral immunization for Rotavirus.

Dr. H was pleased with the improvement we've seen since putting Truett on Prevacid. Truett is also gaining weight well. He's in the 90th percentile for his length (24 1/4 inches) and 50th percentile for head circumference and weight (11 lbs, 14 oz). He's wearing 3-6 month clothes for the length but they're all very baggy on our little string bean.

We talked a lot about Oliver's diet. He is such a picky eater and it's beyond frustrating to get fruits, vegetables, and meats in him. All he wants is bread and carbs. While the food he does eat is very healthy, he needs nutrients from other foods in his diet. Dr. H said to remain diligent about offering him a variety of healthy foods, and that this is the point that lots of parents get exasperated and give into a diet of chicken nuggets and hot dogs for their toddler.

We are also switching him from whole milk to low fat milk. He was born a chunker then tapered off w/ his weight. He is finally moving back up the weight chart and is about average at 27 lbs, 8 oz. He is still tall - 35.5 inches (76th percentile). And he has a huge head underneath all that hair.

Oliver is doing great developmentally. He loves to be read to and also likes to read to others...Chrys

Weight! There's More!

Our little boy is thriving! This chunky monkey weighed 11 lbs, 2 oz today, which puts him in the 85th percentile for weight. I had milk supply issues with Oliver so I'm so encouraged to know Truett is getting plenty from me. He certainly eats all the time. Nursing has been so much easier this time around, thank the Lord!
Chrys