18 months

How is it possible that my baby is already 18 months old? The time has gone by so fast. My sweet cuddly little angel is now a walking talking angel who wears his halo on a tiny set of horns. We had his 18 months check up the other day. He's 33 inches long and 28 lbs, little chunker. He still had an elevated temp so we lucked out and didn't have to get any shots. Nick's still battling this sinus infection or whatever it is that he caught last week. He's been running a low grade temp, 100-100.5, for about a week now but it finally seems to be going away. He still has his cough but that seems to be improving too. He's slept through the night the last two nights so keep your fingers crossed that the streak continues. The best part is that he seems to be more like himself the past couple of days too so I'm thinking we've turned the corner, finally. The doctor told us to call if he isn't better in another week. She even took a little blood to check his white count to make sure that she didn't need to change his antibiotic. He did so good when they pricked his finger. He didn't cry about that at all except while I held him so they could collect the blood from his finger, he was mad about being restrained, not that it hurt. Collin was really worried when he heard they were going to take blood from his brother but I told him not to be afraid and explained what was going to happen. I told him that he had to be brave for his brother and give him a big hug when it was all over and tell Nick what a brave little boy he was. Collin did great. He sat still and out of the way while we took care of Nick and then gave his brother a big hug and told him he would be OK. Have I mentioned that I hate this time of year? It seems like someone is always sick. I think I was in the doctor's office or hospital 6 times in the last week or two. I've filled my quota for the winter now so my boys are going to be perfectly healthy from here on out. Yeah, right. A mom can hope though right?

Nick

Friday Nicholas went for his well-visit (for those of you counting this does make 4 doctors visits in 7 days). He is growing like a little weed. He's already 25lbs and 32 inches tall! He had to get 4 more shots but he took them like a champ and wasn't even particularly fussy the rest of the day. The doctor says he's doing great developmentally as well so, all in all, this was a great visit.

Check-Ups

The boys went for their yearly check-ups today. As usual they are doing just fine. They've both exceeded all the milestones they need to be meeting by this point in time and got clean bills of health from the doctor. Nick was 23.5 pounds and Collin was just 10 pounds heavier making them both good sized kids. I have no idea how tall they are because I missed that part of the appointment. Collin was so good while the doctor examined him, he wanted to use the stethoscope to listen to his heart. When I asked him if the doctor was going to find anything in his ears or nose he told there were worms there. Fortunately, there were not. Nick was not as happy about being examined but did well. He's not as lucky as his brother, he needed 3 vaccinations this time around (better than the 5 I thought he was going to get). Of course, they've changed the guidelines and no longer give 2 of the shots in the thigh. They must be given in the arm, oh and by the way, it can't be the same arm. Poor little guy got a shot in each arm and one in the leg. Tim waited with Collin in the waiting room while I held Nick down for those. It was a miserable experience for both of us. Next time I'm sitting in the waiting room and watching Buzz Lightyear with Collin. The shots don't seem to be bothering Nick any. He was right back to his usual sunny disposition as soon as we left the doctor's office. What a trooper!

6 Month Check Up

Nick is 6 months old today! How did this happen? How did 6 months go by so quickly? It seems like just yesterday that I was bringing home this tiny little baby who was so fragile and dependant on me. 6 short months later he's learned so many new things. He can sit by himself for about 30-45 seconds, he'll say mama (usually when he's crying), he's starting to hold his own bottle and loves to play with a spoon. He laughs and smiles at things he thinks are funny and he adores his big brother. I love to watch them interact. Collin is so good with Nick and Nick watches every single thing Collin does with such interest. You can tell he just can't wait till he's able to run around and play with his brother. Today he weighed in at 16 pounds and 12 ounces and measured 27 and a half inches long. I think he's actually a little shorter than that because she used the stick thing to measure him. When she started she put the top at the top of his head and went to stretch his legs out, but when she finished there was a gap between his head and the top of the measuring stick. Whatever. The doctor says he's doing fantastic and he can have solid foods now. We just have to grind it up or cut it into really small chunks. Did I mention he has 2 teeth? He's still drooling everywhere so I think more are on the way. He's growing so fast!

Nick's 4 Month Check Up

Nick weighed in today at 14.5 lbs and he's now 24.5 inches long. His doctor said he's doing great and we can start giving him rice cereal and applesauce. At his next visit in 2 months, he'll tell us when to begin fruits and veggies. I couldn't wait to get home tonight and try Nick's new foods. Overall, it went pretty well. I don't think he was all that hungry when I gave it to him because he didn't eat a whole lot. He seemed to like the rice cereal better than the applesauce but that may be because I didn't have the applesauce ready right away and he got mad waiting for me to get it. I can't wait to try again tomorrow.

I took pictures of Nick trying his first real foods and my stupid computer locked up while loading them and of course managed to wipe them from the card. I am so very angry right now I could just scream! I guess I'll have to take more pictures tomorrow but it won't be the same.

2 Month Check Up

Nicholas had his 2 month check up this morning and he is doing very well. He is now 12 pounds 1 ounce and 22.5 inches long. The doctor is very pleased with his development. He did have to get 4 shots but the good news is that the rotavirus vaccine is oral. That's changed since Collin was his age, he never got any oral vaccines. I was very proud of how he did with shots. He cried a little with the first one and the stopped, a little with the second one and stopped, by the time he got the third one he was pissed and screamed through the fourth. As soon as I picked him up, he settled right down and he was pleasant all day long. I was afraid he would be cranky but I didn't even have to give him any Tylenol. Nick has spent the day eating and sleeping and when he's been awake, he's been playful and done lots of smiling. I'll post a picture as soon as I manage to get his beautiful smile on film.

Another Trip to the Doctor

We went to the doctor again today for Nicholas' two week check up. He's now 9lbs 1oz and 20.5 inches long. They said he's doing great and they'll see us in 2 weeks for his 1 month check up. I can't wait until he's past his 18 month check up because then we'll be done with going to the doctor all the time and all the immunizations until he's 5! In the meantime, I'm just grateful that he's healthy and growing normally.