Little Dude - 14 Months

Age: 14 months

Weight and height: 19 pounds and 29.5" tall.


Wearing size: Size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes. 

Likes: Baths!  He learned how to splash in the bath right before his surgery in March and gets excited when I start getting the bathtub ready for him now.  He loves playing with the big kids and tries to follow them around.  He LOVES being outside and cries when the other kids go outside without him.  If they leave the door open, he'll hightail it over there to try to get outside.   

Dislikes: He begs for food now and hates it when we don't share what we're eating with him.  Because he still chokes easily and can't have dairy yet, we can't always share, but I try to find something on my plate that he can eat.  

Eating habits: His feeding skills have doubled in the last month!  Things he choked on a few weeks ago, he's able to handle just fine now.  He eats EVERYTHING by mouth, and the last time I tube fed him was March 28th!  He passed a swallow study with four different textures and thicknesses with flying colors last week so we have no concerns.  He hardly throws up anymore, and I think his reflux has improved.  He eats three meals and one snack a day and is even using a straw sippy cup!  He usually only drinks 1-2 ounces from it, but the other day, he drank all 5 ounces with no problem so we're on our way to phasing out the bottles.  He loves baby food pouches and I use them to supplement his diet after offering him table foods as he's not always able to eat enough of those in one sitting.
   
Last month, his GI and allergy specialists okayed him to eat gluten which has been great.  He loves crackers, bread, and pasta and the gluten free versions of those foods had a texture that he often choked on so being able to eat gluten has really opened up a lot of things for him.  We'll be introducing dairy to his diet too soon. 

Sleeping habits: He's been starting to phase out morning naps.  He still needs them about half the time, but I learned quickly that if he fights the morning nap at all, he won't take an afternoon nap so I've been watching his cues more closely to determine if he should lay down in the morning or not.  He hasn't been waking up quite as often at night and is down to 1-2 times.  That's not a big deal because all I have to do is give him back his pacifier. and he goes right back to sleep. 

Milestones: He learned how to army crawl up and over things such as the shelf on our end tables and is able to get up on his knees or into a sitting position when he's propped up a little bit.  Still not crawling on his hands and knees, but thanks to his protective belt and cloth G Tube pads, we've been able to avoid irriation on his tube site lately.  He's able to lean on something and stand for a few seconds at a time if I put him in that position.  He even was able to get himself in a partial standing position (leaning onto the seat of the chair with his legs straight) when he tried to climb up on our fisher price toddler rocker.  He's also turned into a little chatterbox which is adorable even though he doesn't say any actual words yet.  He says "mamama" when he's upset so I think maybe he's referring to me, but I haven't seen conclusive proof of that yet.
 

    
Miscellaneous: Around 7-8 months, Little Dude got 6 teeth in all at once and then didn't get any more for a long time.  Last month though, he finally started teething again-10 teeth all at once!  He now has a full mouth of teeth.  It was a little rough for a couple of weeks when he had so many teeth popping through the gums at the same time, but we survived and he's back to his happy self now :)  He has turned into a drool factory though!

Developmentally, Little Dude is still 4-5 months behind, but he's making amazing progress and his fine motor skills are right on track.  His therapists, his doctors, and I are all blown away by how fast he's progressing on some things.  I just have to keep reminding myself that although he's still not even close to walking, he'll get there in his own time.




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Little Dude - 11 Months

Age: 11 months

Weight and height: 16 pounds, 3 ounces and 28 inches long.  In January, he had pneumonia and RSV and wasn't able to handle his regular volumes of food so he lost some weight.  He was down to 15', 14", but thankfully he's starting to put some of that weight back on now.

Wearing size: Size 3 diapers and 9-12 month clothes. 

Likes: He loves attention and is total little flirt with the sweetest smile.  He loves army crawling around the house and bugging the big kids. 

Dislikes: He really hates it when I do his G Tube and skin care every morning-not because it hurts, but because he can't roll over and play when I'm doing it.  He also hates his skin care routine because he strongly dislikes having his hands, arms, and head touched and moved around.  To get him to lay still and stop fighting me, I play a Youtube video on my tablet for him to watch while I'm taking care of his tube (he's a big fan of Peter Hollens, Lindsey Stirling, and Baby Einstein). 

Eating habits: He gets four bottles a day with 5 ounces of water and 3 scoops of the Alimentum formula which is concentrated for lower volume.  I start each feeding by offering the bottle and whatever he doesn't eat is tube fed.  He drinks approximately 50% of his formula.  He eats pureed baby food 2 times a day which I add a teaspoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of rice cereal to for added calories.  He had been doing well with gluten free baby puffs, but in the last month, has been throwing up every time he has anything more than purees.  I'm attributing that to being sick which makes him even more gaggy than usual. 

Sleeping habits: He takes a morning nap from about 9:30 am to 10:30 and an afternoon nap from about 1 pm to 3 or 4 pm.  He sleeps okay at night, but does still wake up several times.  He usually goes right back to sleep when I give him his pacifier.

 
Milestones: He finally learned how to sit unsupported!!  This was a milestone that we've been working on for months and he finally got strong enough to be able to do it.
    
Miscellaneous: He was sick for ALL of January with pneumonia and RSV.  It was a very long, very difficult month for both of us.  He was hospitalized for one night, had three emergency room visits, and saw a doctor several times.  He also was on three different antibiotics.  I'm so glad he's finally feeling better from that, but his lungs are already sounding junky again so I know that something else is starting up. 
We have started taking him to a different health care system because we felt that it was time for some fresh eyes on him.  I really loved some of his doctors at Mayo and we're going to miss them, but it's much better for all of his care to be at one place to avoid confusion so he has all new specialists now.  The best part is that his new primary care doctor is a genetic specialist and is very good at caring for medically complex children. 




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Little Dude - 10 Months

Age: 10 months

Weight and height: 16 pounds, 11 ounces and 28 inches long.  He lost a little weight while he was sick this past month.

Wearing size: Size 3 diapers and 6-9 month clothes. 

Likes: He's very sociable and LOVES attention.  He loves being on the floor to play and army crawl around and he's obsessed with paper, which is not good because he eats it and then chokes on it. 

Dislikes: He really hates it when I do his G Tube and skin care every morning-not because it hurts, but because he can't roll over and play when I'm doing it.  He also hates his skin care routine because he strongly dislikes having his hands, arms, and head touched and manipulated.  To get him to lay still and stop fighting me, I play a Youtube video on my tablet for him to watch while I'm taking care of his tube (he's a big fan of Peter Hollens, Lindsey Stirling, and Baby Einstein).  His sensitivity to the other kids had been disappearing, but being sick so much lately has set him back and he doesn't tolerate them being near him very well right now.

Eating habits: He gets five bottles a day with 5.5 ounces of water and 3 scoops of the Alimentum formula.  He drinks about 50% of his formula throughout the day, and the rest is tube fed.  He gets pureed baby food 1-2 times a day, and I just started giving him gluten free baby puffs which he seems to like.  
     

Sleeping habits: He takes a morning nap from about 9:30 am to 10:30 when I wake him up for his next feeding.  He's such a light sleeper that when I try to tube feed him so he can sleep longer, he wakes up anyways.  He stays up until after his 1:30 feeding and then sleeps until his 4:30 feeding.  He's dropped the third nap of the day and goes to bed around 8 pm at night after his 7:30 feeding.  
Milestones: He's getting better at sitting on his own and is able to do it for about 60 seconds now before tipping over.  He's really good at army crawling and leans to his right side to avoid putting pressure on his G Tube.  We're working on getting him up on his hands and knees, but he's not very interested in that.
    
Miscellaneous: January is a very busy month for Little Dude with MANY doctors' appointments at Mayo.  We will be at the clinic 1-3 times a week with him and he has multiple appointments on quite a few of those days.   




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Little Dude - 9 Months

Age: 9 months

 
Weight and height: 16 pounds, 13 ounces and 28 inches long which puts him at the seventh percentile for weight and the 32nd for height.  He didn't gain much weight last month since he spent most of the month sick.
For comparison here are the other kids' sizes at 9 months old:
Princess: 15 pounds, 12 ounces and 27 1/2" long
Little Man: 18 pounds, 4 ounces and 30" long
Star: 15 pounds and 27 3/4" long

Wearing size: Size 3 diapers and 6-9 month clothes. 

Likes: He's very sociable and LOVES attention.  He loves being on the floor to play and he's obsessed with paper, which is not good because he eats it and then chokes on it. 

Dislikes: He really hates it when I do his G Tube and skin care every morning-not because it hurts, but because he can't roll over and play when I'm doing it.  To get him to lay still and stop fighting me, I play a Youtube video on my tablet for him to watch while I'm taking care of his tube (he's a big fan of Peter Hollens and Baby Einstein).  He also is not a fan of his carseat. 

Eating habits: He gets five bottles a day with 5.5 ounces of water and 3 scoops of the Alimentum formula.  He drinks about 50% of his formula and the rest is tube fed.  Because he was sick last month and was having a hard time tolerating his formula, I backed off on the baby food and am just now starting to offer it once or twice a day again.  He tasted an orange and immediately had excema breakouts all over his body so we're assuming that citrus is off the table for now along with apples which he also seems to be sensitive to.        
     
Sleeping habits: He takes a morning nap from about 9:30 am to 10:30 when I wake him up for his next feeding.  He's such a light sleeper that when I try to tube feed him so he can sleep longer, he wakes up anyways.  He stays up until after his 1:30 feeding and then sleeps until his 4:30 feeding.  He's dropped the third nap of the day and goes to bed around 8 pm at night after his 7:30 feeding.  
Milestones: He still can't sit on his own, but we've been working on that skill.  He learned how to army crawl though and is all over the house now!  He also figured out how to hold two objects (during his OT session while we were discussing how to get him to do that!) and is saying "dada" a lot.  He's only mildly developmentally delayed at this point. 
    
Miscellaneous: Little Dude had his genetics appointment to discuss the results of his last round of genetic testing.  The results were as we expected...everything came back negative except for the MYBPC3 gene mutation which we'd already been informed of two months ago when the results came back.  The gene mutation causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy so we'll monitor his heart with echocardiograms every few years.  His last echo at the beginning of December was normal so there's no concern for his heart at this point.  We'll also probably be tested for the gene as it can be a familial thing.  Because Little Dude is doing well overall right now other than his respiratory issues, excema, and feeding tube, the geneticist will see him back in about a year for another evaluation and we'll decide at that point whether to pursue further DNA testing.   



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Little Dude - 8 Months

Yes, I know I skipped Little Dude's 7 month update. Oh well, I wasn't aiming for mother-of-the-year so I'm fine with it!   


Age: 8 months

Weight and height: 16 pounds, 4 ounces.  I'll find out his height at his 9 month checkup next month. 

Wearing size: Size 3 diapers and 6-9 month clothes.  He must have had a growth spurt because all of a sudden, his 3-6 month clothes were too short for him. 

Likes: He's very sociable and LOVES attention.  He loves blankets and snuggling.  His favorite toys are ones that play music.  He LOVES rolling over and has figured out that he can get places by doing so. 

Dislikes: Being where he can't see me.  He also really hates it when I do his G Tube care every morning-not because it hurts, but because he can't roll over and play when I'm doing it.  To get him to lay still and stop fighting me, I play a Youtube video on my tablet for him to watch while I'm taking care of his tube.  He's a big fan of Baby Einstein, Peter Hollens (his favorite is Ashland's Song-he smiles whenever I turn it on), and Lindsey Stirling. 

Eating habits:  He gets five 5.5 ounce bottles a day which means that I don't have to stay up late to do the last feeding of the day while he's asleep anymore.  He takes about 50% of his formula by mouth and the rest is tube fed.  He usually gets baby food three times a day-2 tablespoons of rice cereal in the morning and 2 tablespoons of baby food each for lunch and supper.  His excema flared up when I gave him applesauce so after trialing it again with the same results, apples are on his do-not-eat list.  He does seem to have some issues with staying full longer than he should.  He was able to eat a 4 ounce jar of baby food in a sitting and so we tried cutting back on his formula since he was eating so much food, but he ended up losing 11 ounces in 6 days when we did that so for now we're focusing on formula.  He also stays full a lot longer when he eats baby food and isn't able to handle taking formula for long periods of time after eating (longer than normal) so the most baby food I give him at a time is 2 ounces which is still pushing it a little.  He is developing the same eating habits for baby food as he has for formula-sometimes he eats it well and sometimes he doesn't.
     
Sleeping habits: His sleeping habits have seriously improved.  It kind of happened overnight (pun intended) when I moved Star out of the crib and moved him in about a month ago.  That night, I laid him down awake and he fell asleep.  ON HIS OWN!!!!  Ever since then, I've been able to lay him down awake in the crib (he won't do it anywhere else) most of the time for naps and bedtime and he will fall asleep, usually without crying too much.  Every once in a while, I still have to rock him to sleep, but I find that I can appreciate that a lot more now that I'm not spending literally half my day rocking him.

That smile kills me with cuteness

Milestones: He has SIX teeth already!  They didn't seem to bother him much when they came in so I didn't really notice until they had already popped through.  He has two on the bottom and four on the top.  He's also rolling over like crazy in both directions (right and left although he still prefers rolling to the left), and I saw him push himself up on his arms the other day.  We've been practicing sitting unassisted a LOT (I sit behind him with my hands close enough to catch him without touching him).  He's not ready to sit on his own, but at he's getting better at keeping his balance for short periods of time.    
    
Miscellaneous: He's gotten sick twice in the last month and a half which, obviously, is bad, but, he managed to stay out of the hospital both times so that's awesome!  His G Tube site looks great right now, thanks to the Granulotion and thankfully his Strep has not come back again so no infections lately.  We're watching it closely though and if there's any change in his stoma, we'll be taking action immediately because it worsens so quickly. 



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Little Dude-6 Months

Age: 6 months 

Weight and height: 14 pounds, 12 ounces and 25 1/4 inches long which puts him in the 6th percentile for weight and the 4th percentile for height.
Here are the other kids' weights at 6 months of age for comparison:
Princess: 13 pounds, 9 ounces
Little Man: 17 pounds, 4 ounces
Star: 14 pounds 4 ounces

Wearing size: Size 2 diapers and size 3-6 month clothes.  I've been putting him in some 6-9 month clothes just because we don't have a lot of 3-6 sized clothes that are compatible with tube feeding, but they're still pretty big on him. 

Likes: He's very sociable and LOVES attention.  He loves blankets and snuggling.  His favorite toys are ones that play music.  He also loves playing with his pacifiers and paper (which for obvious reasons, isn't a baby-approved toy).

Dislikes: Not being entertained constantly.  He fights sleep like it's the worst thing in the world, but occasionally will fall asleep in his swing or without crying while being held.  He's also not a fan of physical therapy.

I can't get enough of this little face!

Eating habits:  He's still getting six 5 ounce bottles in a 24 hour period.  He eats about 50% by mouth overall and I tube feed him the rest.  His feedings vary-sometimes he won't touch it the bottle and other times, he'll drink the whole thing.  We're about to add rice cereal to his diet.  His GI doctor recommended not giving him gluten or oats for the time being.  We'll be introducing fruits and vegetables within the next month, but will be taking it slow to make sure he tolerates the new foods. 

Sleeping habits: He's taking longer, better naps now.  He still has a couple of days a week where he can't seem to fall asleep or stay asleep, but at least those days are fewer.   He goes to sleep for the night between 8 and 9 and usually sleeps until 7 am. 

My little Supertubie!

Milestones: He rolled over from his back to his stomach for the first time on August 31st and has done it several times since then!  Yesterday, during his G Tube change at the clinic, he started chewing on my finger and I realized that both of his bottom teeth have popped through already.  I'd just checked for teeth on Monday and didn't feel anything so was surprised to feel two.    
    

Miscellaneous: Around 5 1/2 months, I noticed that he wasn't able to hold his head up as well as before and that he often tilted it to the left as if he couldn't keep it straight.  You can see this in the pictures in this post.  This was concerning since just a few weeks before, he'd been doing so well with his neck control.  It was decided to increase his therapy to biweekly home visits instead of monthly and I have a list of exercises to do with him at home.  His physical therapist diagnosed him with mild torticollis.  He isn't even close to sitting up, but we're working with him to strengthen his muscles.  His fine motor skills and social skills are awesome though!

The pictures throughout this post are from Little Dude's 6 month photo shoot at Portrait Innovations yesterday.  That morning, he had a G Tube change, silver nitrate treatment on some granulation tissue and in the afternoon, he had his 6 month checkup and 3 shots.  He only napped for about 45 minutes all day, so when it came time for his pictures after both of his medical appointments, I was pretty sure he would be crying the whole time and wouldn't cooperate.  I was completely amazed that he smiled the WHOLE time we were there and the sweetest baby ever.  He charmed the socks off the photographer.  :)

 

Little Dude - 5 Months

Age: 5 months

Sorry for the bad picture.  No camera cord yet so I had to use my tablet for his picture.

Weight and height: Little Dude 13 pounds, 0.5 ounces.  Not sure how long he is since we do weight checks once a week, but height checks are only during his regular checkups :)  I'm guessing between 24 and 25 inches long.

Wearing size: Size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes.  He must have had a growth spurt because one day the 0-3 month clothes fit him fine and the next day, they were all too short on him.  A lot of the 3-6 month stuff is still baggy, but if he keeps growing the way he has been, they'll fit him soon!

Likes: He's not a fan of being swaddled anymore, but still loves having his blanket around him and near his face (don't worry, I move it when he falls asleep!) when he's going to sleep.  He loves playing with and chewing on blankets too so they make a great toy too.  He likes sitting in the walker and jumperoo with a blanket tucked around him for support as he gets tired pretty easily.   He loves the standing position and has very strong legs.  He absolutely loves when people talk to him and smiles pretty easily now.

Dislikes: Not being entertained or held constantly.  He still HATES going to sleep and will scream and fight like no other baby I've ever seen. 

Eating habits:  Because his weight gain was plateauing, we increased his feeds to 5 ounces every 3 hours  (6 bottles total in a 24 hour period).  He'll eat a few ounces at a time and will sometimes finish a whole bottle, but usually he loses interest and refuses to drink the whole thing.  Whatever he doesn't take by mouth gets fed through his G Tube.  I tube feed his last feeding of the day so I don't have to wake him up since it's late at night after he's gone to bed.

Sleeping habits: He's napping a little better during the day.  I got a sound machine which seems to help him sleep a little longer.  He usually takes 3 naps a day-a shorter one in the morning and in the late afternoon and a longer one in the middle of the day.  He's been sleeping through the night (cue the hallelujah chorus!) for the last few weeks and is asleep for the night between 8 and 9 pm and sleeps for 10-12 hours.  He gets his last feeding of the day around 11ish and I tube feed that one so I don't have to wake him up.  It's amazing how everything doesn't seem quite so bad when you're getting decent sleep!

Milestones: He loves playing with toys and reaches for things as soon as he sees them.  He can roll over from his stomach to his back and Princess swears she saw him roll over from his back to his stomach too.  I haven't seen him do that yet, but he does barrel rolls.  He seems to be basically caught up developmentally!     


Miscellaneous: He's doing so much better than he was!  He has longer periods of time now when he'll be happy if I set him down and walk away.

Little Dude - 4 Months

I finally decided to go ahead and publish Little Dude's 4 month update without his official picture since I'll be published his 5 month update soon.  I've had this written since he was 4 months old and took his picture at the same time.  I'll put the picture in when I get a new cord for my camera.

Age: 4 months

Weight and height: Little Dude is a hefty 12 pounds, 5 ounces and 24" long!  He's in the third percentile for weight (yay, he's finally back on the chart!) and the eighteenth percentile for height.  I'm loving his chubby little legs :)
For comparison, here are the other kids' stats at 4 months:
Princess: 11 lbs, 5.5 oz and 24" long
Little Man: 14 lbs, 11 oz and 25.75" long
Star: 12 lbs, 4 oz and 24.5" long

Wearing size: Size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes which finally fit him pretty well.  

Likes: Being swaddled in his new Aden and Anais muslin swaddles.  His flannel swaddle blankets are still his special blankets, but he gets overheated very easily and so I had to switch to something lighter for swaddling him this summer.  He loves the standing position and has very strong legs.  He enjoys being in the jumperoo for short periods of time with a blanket tucked around him to keep him upright.  He's a very sociable little guy and, if he's in the right mood, will give you the biggest smiles if you talk to him.

Dislikes: Not being held all the time (I've tried different baby carriers for him with no luck), going to sleep.

Eating habits:  His eating habits have improved over the last few weeks, although I'm hesitant to say he's "getting better" since we know from experience that his eating fluctuates a lot.  It has been encouraging to see him actually show hunger cues and want to eat sometimes, even if he still doesn't take enough by mouth for proper growth.  He gets 4 ounces of formula every 3 hours during the day for a total of 6 bottles.  Whatever he doesn't take by mouth gets fed through the G Tube. 

Sleeping habits: He doesn't usually nap well during the day.  If I set him down, he wakes up almost immediately.  He'll stay asleep longer if I hold him, but still doesn't nap as long as he needs to.  Sometimes, he'll have a good nap where he'll stay sleeping for over an hour after I lay him down, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen everyday.  He usually is asleep for the night by 8-9 pm.  Since he's 4 months old and has been gaining weight so well, the pediatrician okayed him to sleep through the night without a feeding.  He usually still wakes up between 1 and 3, but instead of feeding him, I put him back to sleep.  When he wakes up around 4:30 am, I feed him and then we both go back to sleep until between 6:30 and 7:30.

Milestones: He's smiling and "talking" and loves interaction.  He clasps his hands together and brings them to his mouth and will also grab things and try to get them in his mouth too.  He's just started purposely reaching for things whereas before he would only grab them if they happened to touch his hands.  He holds his head up pretty well during tummy time.  He has very strong legs and loves being in a standing position.  Developmentally, he's at about the level of a 3 month old and seems to be making good progress towards catching up.  He will be evaluated for occupational therapy to see if that would be useful to help him achieve the goal of being developmentally on track. 

Miscellaneous:  He can be a sweet little guy, but still a very challenging baby to care for because he cries so much and needs to be held.  After confirming tracheomalacia during a bronchoscopy, the pulmonologist instructed us to "spoil" Little Dude because he has a hard time breathing and often chokes when he's crying.  



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Little Dude - 3 Months

Age: 3 months

His sunburn hadn't healed all the way yet when I took this picture.

Weight and height: 10 pounds, 3 ounces and 26" long.  He's below the first percentile for weight on the growth charts and at 7 percent for height.

Wearing size: Size 1 diapers and 0-3 month clothes.  He's finally fitting into 0-3 month clothes better although it'll be a little while before he outgrows them.
 
Likes: Being swaddled and toasty warm.  Being sang to.  He loves being snuggled and takes a pacifier really well.  He loves ceiling fans and will smile at them when they're moving.  

Dislikes: Not being held all the time (I've tried different baby carriers for him with no luck), going to sleep.

Eating habits: Thanks to the G Tube, he's gaining weight well now.  He still won't take much formula by mouth, approximately 1 ounce per feeding, but at least he doesn't scream when I put the bottle in his mouth like he used to.  He gets 3 1/2 ounces of formula every 3 hours and then once during the night when he wakes up.  I start each feeding by offering the bottle and then whatever he doesn't drink gets fed through the G Tube.  Because of his fussiness, feedings can take up to 1 1/2 hours which means that I spend a lot of my time feeding Little Dude.
   

Sleeping habits: He doesn't usually nap well during the day.  If I set him down, he wakes up almost immediately.  He'll stay asleep longer if I hold him, but still doesn't nap as long as he needs to.  Sometimes, he'll have a good nap where he'll stay sleeping for over an hour after I lay him down, but unfortunately, that doesn't happen everyday.  He usually is asleep for the night by 9-10 pm and then wakes up between 1 and 3 am to eat.  He's up for the day between 6:30 and 7 am. 

Milestones: He's smiling and "talking" and loves interaction.  He clasps his hands together and brings them to his mouth and will also grab things and try to get them in his mouth too.  He's just started purposely reaching for things whereas before he would only grab them if they happened to touch his hands.  He holds his head up pretty well during tummy time. 

One of Little Dude's half smiles :)

Miscellaneous:  He still cries a lot, but less then a month ago.  Still way more than the average baby though.  He has appointments coming up with his geneticist and with pulmonology for a cough and wheezing he's had since he was 3 weeks old.  He had his first G Tube change and barely cried at all.  His stoma (the hole that the G Tube goes into in his stomach) has healed well.
He got his first sunburn from being out in the sun 15-20 minutes one day (that time was spread out throughout the day and wasn't all at once).  We were at a picnic and I was really careful to keep him out of the sun, but all it took for him to get badly burned was walking from one shaded spot to another during the day.  The next day, his forehead and nose were bright red, blistered, and weeping pus.  The poor little guy was miserable.  Once the sunburn healed, he was in the sun for less than a minute while I walked from the porch to a shaded spot in our yard and back.  By the time, I got back inside, his forehead and nose had already started to burn.  We're extremely careful not to expose him to any sunlight at all now since he burns so quickly.  When he's in the stroller, I cover it with a blanket and when he's in the carseat, I put a sunshade over it that covers the whole thing. 

Little Dude-2 Months

We've been home from the hospital since Friday evening, but this is the first chance I've had to sit down and update the blog.  I'm going to make this Little Dude's 2 month update since it's all about him anyways. 

We're still waiting for results from the genetic testing, but Little Dude's MRI of his brain looked good which was good news.  Last Wednesday, he had surgery to have a G Tube placed in his stomach for feeding.  It was a decision that we didn't make lightly, but ultimately it was the best choice for him and for us.  I'm still dealing with guilt over it because I keep thinking that maybe I didn't try hard enough to get him to eat or maybe I'm just not a good enough mom because I can't feed my baby, but then he refuses the bottle for the 4th feeding in a row and I know that we did the right thing.

Because Little Dude has some catching up to do, we're feeding him 83 Ml of formula every 3 hours around the clock at the direction of his dietician.  He gets his weight checked twice a week and we'll re-evaluate his feedings as his weight changes.  As of yesterday, he was up to 9 pounds, 3 ounces which is an amazing weight gain for him.  I start each feeding by offering him the bottle and work with him for 20-30 minutes before feeding him the rest via G Tube.  Usually he'll take under an ounce by mouth and then refuse any more, but every once in a great while, he'll finish almost the whole bottle.   

Little Dude actually cries harder and more frequently now that he did when he was starving.  I keep reminding myself that it's a good sign because it means that he's thriving and has plenty of energy and strength.  But, at the same time, it makes everything so much harder.  He cries for hours every day and cries almost every time I set him down.  Unfortunately, I have to lay him down to connect the tube extension to his G Tube to feed him and if he's crying and kicking, it makes it tricky to get it in.  I spend a lot of time walking around the house with him because that's one of few ways to calm him down and keep him calm. 

I've had quite a few people ask how I can handle all this.  Honestly, I'm not handling it.  I lose my temper with the kids more than I'd like to admit because I'm so stressed and exhausted.  Somedays, I just want to quit or leave for a while, but I can't.  I don't have a choice about all this and that's how I'm handling it.  I have no choice, but to keep going even when I've only slept for 5 hours in the last two days, haven't eaten or gone to the bathroom in 9 hours, and Little Dude has been crying for 6 hours straight. 

I do have a lot of help though.  My wonderful family and friends have helped so much with the other kids, unpacking boxes at our new house, bringing meals over, etc.  I've had to re-read my blog post I wrote about accepting help gracefully because it's hard to come to terms with the fact that I need so much help right now.  My sister and her four kids came to stay this week with us, and while Hubby had his doubts about four extra kids in the house when things are already so hard, it's been such a relief and blessing to have her here.  She's able to take care of meals for the other kids and entertain them while I focus on Little Dude.  And, the best part is that, thanks to an old job she used to have, she's had a lot of experience with G Tubes and is able to feed Little Dude for me sometimes.  No one else in our family knows how to tube feed him (Hubby and his mom are planning to learn, but haven't had the chance to yet) and I get so exhausted being the only one who can take care of him so it's a huge relief to have one other person who I know can do it too.  

My sister reading a story to all the kids except Little Dude.

And to finish off this post, how about some 2 month stats on Little Dude...

Weight and height: As of yesterday (May 12th), he weighed 9 pounds, 3 ounces.

Wearing size: He's still in newborn and 0-3 month clothes.  Most 0-3 month clothes is a little too big for him.   He wears size 1 diapers. 

Likes: Being swaddled and toasty warm.  I got him some of these SwaddleMe blankets which are great because I can keep his arms wrapped up tight while still having access to his G Tube for feedings.  He loves being sang to, snuggling, and his pacifier.  While Little Dude was in the hospital, I got him this elephant that vibrates and plays lullabyes which seems to help him relax sometimes.  

Dislikes: Being put down, having his diaper or clothes changed, eating, being in his carseat.  

Little Dude - 1 Month

Age: 1 month

Weight and height: At 3 1/2 weeks of age, he weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces.

Wearing size: He's still in newborn diapers and wearing newborn and 0-3 month clothes.  Most 0-3 month clothes is a little too big for him.

A more realistic picture of Little Dude

Likes: Being swaddled and toasty warm.  Being sang to.  He loves being snuggled and takes a pacifier really well.

Dislikes: Being put down, having his diaper or clothes changed, eating, his carseat.  

Eating habits: He ate well for the first week and a half, but then something changed and now he's a terrible eater.  He'll start drinking and then a few seconds later, I can hear his tummy gurgling and rumbling, at which point he'll pull away crying.  He has to be calmed down (not an easy job!) before trying the bottle again.  He usually repeats this 3-6 times before finally settling down to finish the bottle.  We've tried 5 different bottles, 2 different formulas, gas drops, peppermint, and everything else we can think of and nothing helps.  He burps well and hardly ever spits up.  Right now, I have to fight to get him to take five 2-3 ounce bottles in a 24 hour period.

Sleeping habits: He doesn't usually stay asleep very long if I'm not holding him.  He will sometimes sleep from about 10 or 11 pm until 3 am and then wake up to eat.  After that though, he won't stay asleep unless I'm holding him.  Many nights, he's up pretty much all night crying.  To say that I'm sleep deprived at this point is an understatement.

Milestones: His umbilical cord fell off at 12 days old, but took over a week to finish healing.

Miscellaneous:  He had to be admitted to the hospital at 3 weeks old for breathing problems due to a cold he caught from Star.
Little Dude easily fits in the guidelines for colic-at least 3 hours of crying a day for at least 3 days a week for at least 3 weeks.  He's pretty much either crying or sleeping, and since he doesn't sleep well, that means that he's crying a LOT.  

Star - 18 Months

Age: 18 months

I just realized that she's wearing the same outfit she wore for her 16 month update post :)  What can I say...it's one of our favorites!

Weight and height:  At her weight check a few weeks ago, she weighed 18 pounds, 10 ounces so she's finally gaining weight!

Wearing: Size 3 diapers and 12-18 month clothes.  She wears size 4 shoes.

Likes: "Reading" books, "writing" especially with pens, LOVES her special owl blanket, dancing to music.  She's also pretty attached to the doll that Princess gave her for her birthday and is such a good little "mommy" to it.  She loves to carry purses and bags around with her.  She also enjoys pushing things around such as Little Man's toy dump truck, an ice cream bucket, and her little pink wagon.

Dislikes:
Water on her face, not getting her way.

Eating habits:
She eats 3 meals a day and 1-2 snacks.  Her favorite food is still green beans and she also loves peas, toast and waffles.

Sleeping habits:
She wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning.  She takes a nap after lunch and is ready for bed between 6 and 7 at night.  When we brought Little Dude home, we moved Star into the crib in the kids' room.  I was nervous about how she would sleep once we transitioned her, but other than staying up a little later than before to talk to her siblings, she is doing really well.  

Milestones/Accomplishments:
She knows the following words in sign language and uses them correctly:
More
Milk
All done
Blanket
Eat
Please
Star's favorite phrase right now is "Where doe?"  (Where'd it go?).  She answers every question with "yeah" or "yes, ma'am."

Miscellaneous:
Star has done really well with the new baby.  Absolutely no jealousy issues although I noticed that every time I put the baby down, she comes running to me and asks to be held.  She's very gentle with Little Dude and always makes sure he has a blanket.
She's hit the "into-everything" toddler stage where she literally runs from one thing to the next getting into trouble.  She's constantly running off with Little Dude's bottles and pacifiers, playing on my computer, stealing my phone, etc.  She keeps me running all day long! 

Star-16 Months

Age: 16 months

Weight and height:  At her 15 month checkup 2 weeks ago, she weighed 17 pounds, 5 ounces and was 29.5" tall.  She's in the 0.67% percentile for weight and 17.64% for height which means that she's very tiny.  The doctor is a bit concerned that Star's growth has slowed down so much (she's gone from the 30% percentile for weight to dropping off the chart) so we're trying to "fatten" her up and will be bringing her back for another weight check in a few weeks.  For comparison, at 15 months, Princess was 19 pounds, 3 ounces and 30.5" tall, and Little Man was 20 pounds, 10 ounces and 32" tall.

Wearing: Size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes.  She wears size 4 shoes although they're still a little big for her.

Likes: "Reading" books, "writing" especially with pens, LOVES her special owl blanket, dancing to music.  She's also pretty attached to the doll that Princess gave her for her birthday and is such a good little "mommy" to it.  She loves to carry purses and bags around with her.  She also enjoys pushing things around such as Little Man's toy dump truck, an ice cream bucket, and her little pink wagon.

Dislikes: Water on her face, being bugged by bigger kids (she's very independent!)

Eating habits: She eats 3 meals a day and 1 snack in the afternoon.  Her favorite food is still green beans and she also loves peas, toast and waffles.

Sleeping habits: She wakes up between 6:30 and 7:30 in the morning and usually needs a nap around 9am although she's in the process of transitioning out of morning naps.  She naps again after lunch and is ready for bed by 6 pm.  She still wakes up occasionally at night, but is getting better at falling back asleep on her own.  Her self-soothing technique that she's been doing for the last few months is rocking back and forth while hitting her head on something soft.  She does this while sitting on the couch when she's tired and she also does it while sitting up in the pack n' play before she falls asleep.   

Milestones/Accomplishments: She knows the following words in sign language and uses them correctly:
More
Milk
All done
Blanket
Eat
Please
Her favorite phrases to say are "Good job!" and "hi!" to anyone she sees. 
She just learned how to climb up on the couch by herself. 

Miscellaneous: Do you remember how I said I was considering letting Star keep her pacifier a while longer due to the sleeping arrangements around here?  I had just unapologetically made my decision public to the "pacifier police" when Star came down with a nasty cold (as did Little Man and I...it was the week from you-know-what with no sleep for anyone).  During her cold, she was too stuffy to suck on her pacifier and lost interest in it completely.  So she's officially pacifier free  :)
 

I put her hair in 2 pigtails for the first time the other day and it was just too cute for words!

 

Star - 15 Months

Age: 15 months

Terrible picture, but the photographing an active 15 month old with a cheap camera isn't easy!

This is what most of the pictures ended up looking like.

Weight and height:  Probably around 19 pounds.  Her 15 month checkup got pushed back to later this month so I'll update her weight and height in her 16 month update.

Wearing: Size 3 diapers and 12 month clothes.

Likes: "Reading" books, "writing" especially with pens, LOVES her special owl blanket, dancing to music, her pacifier (more on that below).

Dislikes: Water on her face, getting out of the bathtub, being told no.

Eating habits: She eats 3 meals and 1 snack in the afternoon.  Her favorite food is still green beans and she also loves peas, toast and waffles.

Sleeping habits: She wakes up between 7 and 7:30 in the morning and needs a nap around 9am.  She naps again after lunch and is ready for bed by 6 pm.  She's been napping a little better this month which I'm so thankful for!  She is still not the greatest sleeper at night and usually wakes up 1-2 times a night.  Generally, all I have to do is pick her up, give her her blanket and pacifier, and lay her back down, but sometimes she'll have a hard time falling back asleep. 

Milestones/Accomplishments: She knows the following words in sign language and uses them correctly:
More
Milk
All done
Blanket
Eat
Please

Miscellaneous: Unfortunately, we STILL don't have a house of our own so she's going to have to move into the big kids' bedroom before the baby comes in 2 months.  That will mean even less sleep for all 3 of the kids (which results in a very grumpy Mommy!).  I was planning to take away her pacifier before the switch since it isn't going to work very well afterwards, but she's already not that great of a sleeper, and I'm pretty desperate for sleep right now so I'm thinking I'll just let her keep it for now and deal with the pacifier issue when she's a little older.  Any thoughts on that?


 

Star-14 Months

Age: 14 months

 
Weight and height:  Probably around 18 pounds.  She's slimmed down a little since she started walking. 

Wearing: Size 3 diapers and 9-12 month clothes.  She's also wearing some 12 month clothes, but they're still a little big on her.

Likes: "Reading" books, "writing" especially with pens, LOVES her special owl blanket, dancing to music, Christmas lights and decorations. 

Dislikes: Water on her face, getting out of the bathtub, being told no, not being allowed to do something she's already been told no for. 

Eating habits: She eats 3 meals and 1 snack in the afternoon.  Her favorite food is still green beans and she also really likes sweet potatoes and string cheese.  Her favorite thing for breakfast is her siblings' toast.  If they leave it unattended for 2 seconds, she drops her toast to run over and steals theirs (yes, breakfast is a pretty casual meal around here...between me being half-dead in the morning and getting Princess ready for school, I let the kids eat in the living room.) 

Sleeping habits: She wakes up between 6:30 and 7 in the morning and needs a nap between 8:30 and 9.  She naps again after lunch and is ready for bed by 6 pm.  She's been napping a little better this month which I'm so thankful for!  She still wakes up at night a few hours after going to bed, but if I just pick her up and rock her for a few seconds, she'll fall right back asleep when I lay her down.  We tried letting her cry it out, but then she gets hysterical and takes a few hours to calm back down.  

Milestones/Accomplishments: She's walking!!  She started around 13 1/2 months and hasn't stopped since.  She's so tiny that people are amazed when they see her walking around :) 
All 4 molars are in!

Miscellaneous: She has been a lot more easy going in the last month or so.  Before that, she spent several months being very clingy and whiny so this is a nice change. 
She loves giving kisses which is super cute.
She loves being pretty...if I tell her she looks pretty, she absolutely beams.   


 

Star-13 Months

Age: 13 months

I've given up on her ever wearing 2 socks at the same time for more than 4 minutes.  :)

 
Weight and height:  Around 17 pounds.  She recently had a cold for about 2 weeks that cut down her appetite quite a bit. 

Wearing: Size 3 diapers and 6-9 month or 9-12 month clothes.  The 6-9 months clothes fit her perfectly and the 9-12 month ones are still too big for her, but she's wearing them already because she doesn't have much in the 6-9 month size. 

Likes: "Reading" books, LOVES her special owl blanket, dancing to music.  She stands up in the middle of the room when there's music on and dances-it's really cute and probably good practice for balance :)

Dislikes: Being told "no", taking naps (she's a really light sleeper and has been having a hard time sleeping for more than 15-20 minutes at a time), being buckled into her carseat, wearing clothes.  She's into the "taking everything off that she can" stage just in time for winter.  The other day, when I got to the store, she had taken off her hat, mittens, shoes, and socks and had thrown them all in between the 2 bucket seats in the van where I can't reach them.

Eating habits: She eats 3 meals and 1-2 snacks a day.  I've never done morning snacks for my kids-once they got on a regular eating schedule, they dropped the mid-morning feeding on their own.  Star, however, still sometimes gets hungry between breakfast and lunch so I give her a snack to tide her over.  She's drinking exclusively from a sippy cup now and wasn't very happy about giving up her morning bottle for the first 2 weeks or so, but she seems to be adjusting now.

Sleeping habits: She wakes up around 7 in the morning and needs a nap between 8:30 and 9.  However, she usually doesn't fall asleep or if she does, it's only for a few minutes before she wakes up.  I feed her lunch early so she can be in bed for her afternoon nap by noon since she's usually really tired by then.  However, she doesn't usually nap well for that either so by 6:30 pm, she's ready for bed! 

Milestones/Accomplishments: She's been practicing taking steps independently, 
She has 3 of 4 molars in!  I noticed it the other day when she was hanging upside down in my arms (one of her favorite positions).
She copies people a lot and loves to use the word "more" (she signs it and says it at the same time) when she wants food.
She takes a few steps by herself and will be walking soon. 

Miscellaneous: She doesn't scream as much as she did last month, thank goodness!
She knows what "no" means, but has started testing limits.  Hopefully it won't take her too long to figure out that Mama is serious about boundaries!
She absolutely LOVES green beans!  If she sees them, she gets very excited and starts signing and saying "more" over and over.  She can eat about a cup of them in one sitting.

Star - 12 Months

Age: 12 months

Weight and height:  17 pounds and 29" long.  She is in the 47th percentile for height and 2nd percentile for weight.  She's become a little bit of a picky eater, but still eats pretty well overall.  She will eat a lot at one meal and then barely anything at the next, but that's pretty standard for toddlers.  For comparison, at 12 months, Princess was 17 pounds, 13 ounces and 29" long and Little Man was 20 pounds and 31 1/4" long.  I didn't think I would ever have a baby smaller than Princess, but I was wrong!  

Wearing: Size 3 diapers and 6-9 Month clothes.  However, her cousin (who is 6 months younger!) is also wearing 6-9 month clothes so I'm going to have to split that size with my sister which will mean shopping for new clothes for Star.
    

Star's UNO themed birthday cake

Likes:  Cruising around furniture, "reading" books, LOVES her special owl blanket, splashing in the bathtub (she discovered how much fun that is around 11 months).

Dislikes: When people don't share their food with her.  Being bothered by the big kids when she just wants to move around and explore.

The birthday girl with her cake

Eating habits: She eats 3 meals and 2 snacks a day.  I've never done morning snacks for my kids-once they got on a regular eating schedule, they dropped the mid-morning feeding on their own.  Star, however, still gets hungry between breakfast and lunch so I give her a snack to tide her over.

Sleeping habits: My alarm clock goes off at 6:45 and she's adjusted by waking up at 6:30.  Ugh.  She goes to bed between 6:30 and 7.  She dropped her third nap of the day and is down to a morning nap and an afternoon nap.  I had to make her bedtime earlier because missing that third nap of the day leaves her exhausted by 6:30.

Star LOVED her cake!

 
Milestones/Accomplishments: She's cruising!  She'll let go and stand by herself for a few seconds and I don't think walking is too far away.  She finally got her 7th and 8th teeth in.  She says "Mama", "Dada", "hi", and "da" for dog.  She also says "mmmmm" when she wants food or wants someone to share what they're eating.  She signs "more" and "all done." 

Miscellaneous: She's definitely a screamer.  If she doesn't like something, she lets out an ear-piercing scream that makes your brain rattle inside your head.  Thanksfully, she's been doing it a little less lately so I'm hoping that she's outgrowing it.
She knows what "no" means and will listen most of the time when I tell her no. 
She makes car noises when she drives a vehicle around the floor.  When she picks up a baby doll, she hugs it and rocks it gently while humming.

12 Months

Here's the 1 year picture lineup.  Even though I never got around to writing an 11 month post, I did take a picture and that's included.

Star-10 Months

Age: 10 months

Weight and height: Probably around 15 1/2 pounds.  She's kind of turning into a picky eater so her eating has been a bit off, but I'm hoping that she's getting enough in her tummy at mealtimes to start putting on some weight.  She had pneumonia this month and barely ate for almost 2 weeks which obviously didn't help her gain any weight.    

Wearing: Size 3 diapers and 6-9 Month clothes.     

Likes:  Following me around the house, eating, playing with the big kid toys instead of baby toys, turning pages in books, saying "uh oh!", and waving bye bye.  

Dislikes: Being left behind by her bigger siblings, especially when they go outside.  Being buckled into her carseat although she's usually fine when we get going.

Eating habits: Star is doing much better with chewing and not choking.  She eats a lot of table foods now although I still give her baby food as well to make sure that she gets enough to eat.  She discovered french fries at Grandma's house and loves them.  She's a big fan of fruit, but not crazy about vegetables.  She apparently has some sensory issues as there are some messier foods that she won't pick up with her hands.  She likes to eat with a fork although she isn't very good at getting the food on it, so I usually poke the food onto the tines for her and then she picks the fork up and eats it.  She figured out how to drink out of a sippy cup this month and does a great job with them.

Sleeping habits:She sleeps from 7 pm to 7:30 am.  She's still taking 3 naps a day and sometimes 4 if her afternoon nap wasn't as long as it was supposed to be. 
 
Milestones/Accomplishments: She tries so hard to pull up to standing and gets very frustrated when she isn't able to do it without help. 

Miscellaneous: She's been a little clingy and whiny this month.  She doesn't seem to be getting any new teeth in so I don't know what her deal is, but I figure it's just a phase and she'll get over it eventually.  She did get both of her bottom teeth and both incisors earlier this month and went through a brief phase where she would grind her teeth.  *shudder*

Comparison pictures from 9 months to 10 months:

9 Months

10 Months

Star-9 Months

I know this post is a few weeks overdue, but I was waiting for Star's 9 month checkup so I could put her weight and height in the post.  First, the appointment was rescheduled by the doctor's office and then, thanks to Hubby leaving for the farm with the girls' carseats still in his truck instead of the van where they're supposed to be, I was late for the rescheduled appointment and had to reschedule AGAIN.  Anyways, I finally got her to the doctor for her checkup!  

Age: 9 months

Weight and height: 15 pounds and 27 3/4" long.  The doctor is concerned since she's gained less than a pound in the last 3 months and dropped from the 17th percentile to 1.3% on the growth charts.  I'm starting to give her Pediasure everyday to help her put on some weight just like we did with Little Man when he was losing weight.  I'm really surprised that my best eater is my skinniest baby!  We knew that the older two didn't eat well and that was the reason for their slow weight gain/weight loss, but Star eats great and always has so I assumed that we wouldn't have any issues with her weight gain.  For comparison, at 9 months, Princess was 15 pounds, 12 ounces and 27 1/2" long and Little Man was 18 pounds, 4 ounces and 30" long.   

Wearing: Size 3 diapers and 3-6 / 6-9 month clothes.  A lot of the 3-6 month clothes are too small for her (lengthwise-if I could add an inch to the bottom of her pants and onesies, they'd fit great!) so I just need to get my act together and pack them up so I can give them to my sister for her baby girl.  I did bring the 6-9 month clothes home, but it turns out that there's isn't much there for summer clothes since Princess wore that size during the winter months.  Another excuse to go shopping for cute baby clothes, right?  :)     

Likes:  Following me around the house, eating, playing with the big kid toys instead of baby toys.  

Dislikes: Being left behind by her bigger siblings, especially when they go outside.

Eating habits:  Star eats about 6 ounces of formula and 4 ounces of baby food in the morning when she gets up.  Around 10:30, she takes another bottle followed by another 4 ounces of baby food.  1:30 is another bottle and then she has one more bottle and 4 ounces of baby food at 5:30.  She has a strong gag reflex so I've been taking the table foods slowly, but I do usually share my food with her and give her Gerber Puffs and yogurt melts to snack on.  Her favorite food is string cheese which I break up into small pieces.  She prefers table food to baby food, but until she learns to eat better without choking so much, the table food she gets is mostly for practice.  She looks hilarious when she eats because she chews so widely and exaggerated that food often falls out of her mouth. 


Sleeping habits:She sleeps from 7 pm to 7:30 am.  She's still taking 3 naps a day and sometimes 4 if her afternoon nap wasn't as long as it was supposed to be. 
 
Milestones/Accomplishments: She's crawling!!  You can see a video of when she just learned how to crawl here.

Miscellaneous: She has 2 top teeth now!  She's also starting to talk already (earlier than the older two kids did!).  She says "Mama" and "Dada" and uses them in the right context.  For instance, when Hubby walks into the room, she'll get excited and exclaim, "Dada!" or when she's in her crib crying to get out, she'll cry, "Mama, mama" until I come get her.  

Comparison pictures from 8 months to 9 months:

Are we done with pictures yet?  Because there are toys that need to be played with.

Her "Stinker" face

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