Still a kid at 4

Kaylee: I wish I was still 3 because now that I'm 4 I'm too big to do anything. I'm a grown up now and that's no fun. (Pouts for a minute, then does something silly.) Mommy, I'm a kid after all! Look!

Happy Birthday, Kaylee!

Our BIG girl is 4 today!! She had fun at her party yesterday (pics to come later in the week), and we gave her the present from us after we got home: Jamie and I are taking her to the Fresh Beat Band concert in a few weeks. She's very excited about that!

Our little patient

Andy's surgery was this past Tuesday (3/20) and we had to wake him just after 5am to get him in the car and all of us down to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite Surgical Center by 6am. We checked in at 5:50 am and after filling out a few forms basically waited around for about 45 minutes until we were called back to another area. Andy had his blood pressure and temperature taken - both fine - and we were taken to a pre-op room to change him into a gown and...wait more. At 7:10 he was given some Tylenol and right at 7:30 he and Jamie went with a nurse to the OR. Jamie held him for a couple minutes then put him on the operating table while they gave him the anesthesia, then Jamie went to the post-op room where I met him and we waited for Andy to arrive. At 8:20ish the surgeon (Andy's urologist) came to tell us how everything went (well), gave us a few care instructions and told us Andy was in the recovery room and would be along soon. Around 8:40/45, Andy was wheeled in and was not very happy. A nurse had told us he'd either be awake and very cranky or would fall asleep after coming back to the room with us. Luckily, he calmed down once Jamie held him and fell asleep shortly thereafter. He slept for about 30-40 minutes, then the nurse came in to check some things and wake him so he could have some juice. He drank 3 cups of diluted juice - thirsty!! He hadn't had anything to eat or drink since 7 the night before, so I don't blame him.

When he got home he had a little something to eat - some Cheerios and a Nutra Grain bar, I think - and I sat with him on the couch while Jamie went to fill his prescription (Tylenol with codeine). The sitting still did not last long, as Andy is a boy on the go, but during the surgery he had been given a caudal block which the doctor and nurse had told us to think of as a baby epidural - he was numbed from the waist down, and the effects would last 4-6 hours. As he had been waking at the hospital, he seemed confused as to why he couldn't effectively use his legs (Jamie was holding him and Andy would move a leg, then get a weird look and fuss/cry). It was probably around 11am when he wanted to get down and walk, but he just couldn't. He would take a wobbly, stumbling step or two then fall down (I would catch him - they had told us to expect this and not to let him fall). He was VERY frustrated not being able to get around on his own. After trying to help him walk for a couple minutes and trying to sit with him on the couch again, I ended up having to put him back in his high chair because he did not want to be still. When it finally did wear off, he was (with much supervision) crawling and walking around again, but still more stumbly than usual.

After his afternoon nap, he was much more fussy than usual, so he got to watch a lot of TV that afternoon - one of the only things that helped keep him still for any extended period of time. We gave him Tylenol every 4 hours and the Rx Tylenol with codeine before bedtime. So happy we have such good sleepers; Andy was in bed around 7:30pm and didn't wake up until after 6am. Even after that, he just made a few little noises and went back to sleep until we got him at 7:30. He had Tylenol every 4 hours again on Wed, and the Rx at bedtime again, repeated again on Thursday. Friday he only had one dose of Tylenol during the day and the Rx at bedtime and today (Saturday) he just had one dose of Tylenol late morning.

After the surgery on Tuesday, I really hadn't expected him to be acting so normal or being so active so soon, but really on Wed he was back to being his happy little self and walking all over the place. Of course we were being more cautious with activities (no climbing stairs for a few days, no straddling/riding toys for a week, no letting big sister knock him over if we could help it, etc...), but overall you never would have known he had just had surgery!

He still has a bandage covering his stitches. The doctor said it would fall off on its own, so we're still waiting to see what his incision site looks like. We're able to bathe him again (as of Thursday night), and the tape holding the bandage on seems to do its job very well - I don't think any water got in at all! His stitches should dissolve on their own, but if not, the doctor will remove them when we take Andy in for his post-op visit in a few weeks.

Praise God that his surgery went well and he's recovering so easily, and thanks to everyone who prayed about this!

12 teeth for Andy

I just noticed today that Andy's bottom right 1st molar has broken through, so he's up to 12 teeth now. 8 more (canines and 2nd molars) and he'll have his full set!

Photo Fun

I recently bought a bunch of fun editing actions for photoshop elements that have made editing pictures so much easier (not necessarily less time-consuming yet, since I have spent so much time playing around with the various actions to see which I like best for each photo, but at some point it'll become quicker, too!). Here are some photos I've taken of Kaylee, Andy and Erin over the past month through last week...

I've also realized that windy days make for good Kaylee-hair photos. The first and last photos of her below I remember thinking that she was not having a very good hair day, but she was in the mood to smile for the camera, so I took what I could get -- lo and behold, her hair looks great in the photos (and I did not edit her hair, hah!!). So apparently her crazy curls like the wind.

Also also I found out that Andy loves sidewalk chalk, but he seems to also consider it clothing and body chalk. The boy colored at least as much on himself - including on the back of his head - as he did on the sidewalk!

Head-banger

Andy has not had a good week as far as head-injuries go...a few days ago he fell into the corner or edge of a kitchen chair and got a little bruise under his right eye, which you can still see. Last night he fell down a step onto the wood floor and hit the left side of his face: his forehead above the eye and his cheek just below the eye; it was pretty red last night and he did NOT like me icing it, so we gave him some Tylenol before bed. You can see some bruising from that today, but not as bad as I'd have expected based on how it looked last night. Today we were at a friend's house and he was reaching down to get a toy from the floor when he slipped and fell into the edge of their kitchen island, resulting in a nice red mark straight down the middle of his forehead. Then shortly after we got home he and Kaylee were playing with a ball and somehow she ended up sort of landing on him and shoving his face into the floor (carpet, at least, and that fall/smush doesn't appear to have left any marks - and he didn't cry that time). The poor kid is going to be one huge bruise if he keeps this up!

Pre-Op Appointment

Andy has a hydrocele, a fluid-filled sack in the scrotum - a quick search led me to this description, and inguinal hernia - quick search results for that, and will be having surgery to correct them next week. His pediatrician noticed it at an early well visit (maybe his 4 month one?) and we took him to a urologist when he was around 5 months old. The urologist confirmed it and said they often correct themselves by the child's first birthday. We took Andy in again at 1 year old and it had decreased in size, but was definitely still there, so surgery was recommended.

Late yesterday afternoon I started feeling run down and cold - I had a slight fever and just had zero energy. I took some Tylenol and went to bed at 6:30! Tossed and turned some, got up for a couple potty breaks, but mostly slept until after 7 this morning. Andy's pre-op appointment was this morning, but I was just not up to doing anything, so Jamie took him. It was an uneventful appointment, so I didn't miss much, but he brought home some paperwork that we have to take to the hospital with us next week. I looked over it a little while ago and found it funny that they gave us the discharge paperwork to bring, as well...already completed! So Andy's surgery, that is a week from now, went well and he was in good condition upon discharge. Nice. They did make it sound like a pretty easy/minor/routine surgery as far as things go, but still...

Andy has 11 teeth!

On Saturday I noticed that Andy had another molar broken through - then this morning I felt another on the other side! Today's is barely through yet, and I had thought it felt like Saturday's tooth came through sometime that day, but now I'm thinking it had been a few days. In any case, he's now up to 11 teeth broken through and one more that I can feel under his gums, so likely soon. The two recent ones are the top left then top right 1st molars. I'm just happy that he's having such an easy time with teething! Somehow we lucked out with both Kaylee and Andy on this front!!

My Little Brusher

Andy must pay attention when Kaylee brushes her teeth, as he knew just what to do the other day when I got his toothbrush out for the first time. After 3 days of it, he's already an old pro.

Soaring temps

Poor little Andy came down with a fever early Thursday afternoon - highest I saw on our ear thermometer was 102.9. I gave him some Tylenol and after 1/2 hour he was acting pretty fussy so I put him down for an early nap. He slept nearly 3 1/2 hours!! (I did hear him moan a couple times, then I checked on him once at about 3 hours in to make sure he was okay - he was.) When he finally woke and I got him his shirt and sleep sack were soaked in sweat. I was hoping his fever had broken, but within an hour his temperature was back up to nearly 101. So we gave him more Tylenol before bed and hoped he'd sleep well.

He didn't wake up overnight, so that was good, but in the morning he was burning up again - fever back up to 102.6 - more Tylenol. I was already scheduled to go to Kaylee's school at 9 to be a Mystery Reader again, so Baba came to stay with Andy while I did that. She put him down for nap while I was gone and he woke around 10:30. The Tylenol was still helping, but he was still warm and not his usual happy self, so I called the pediatrician's office and left a message for a nurse to call back. She told us that since he had no other symptoms, it was likely a reaction to the MMR vaccine he had gotten the week before. I was not even thinking about that, since his appointment was a week before on Tuesday, but she said reactions often don't present until 7-10 days after vaccination - Thursday when his fever started was 9 days later. Seems so weird!! She said unless other symptoms did show up we should just keep giving him Tylenol as the fever persisted, and even if his temperature got up to 104-105 to just switch to ibuprofen and give him lukewarm baths to help cool him down.

Luckily his fever never got very high again - I think after we talked with the nurse, the highest it got was about 101.5. So he took Tylenol before bed last night and again this morning (temp was right around 100), but after his morning nap and then the rest of today (Saturday), his temperature was back to normal and he was acting pretty happy again and has seemed fine. I'm thankful it didn't last longer! It's definitely no fun seeing your baby miserable and not being able to fix it.

More words & signs for Andy

In the past week or so (since I posted the last updates about his talking and signing), Andy has added some new words. He now signs (his version of the signs) sleep and I love you.

A couple new favorite words have formed, too. One is drop; mostly used when he's in his high chair and is done eating or drinking - he holds a fist full of food over the edge of the tray, says, "drop!" (sort of sounds like wop or ooh-wop) then either watches it fall or looks at me with a mischievous grin before dropping it (or if I'm lucky I get it before he can drop it). He also says "up" when he wants to be picked up. This is usually followed by him grunting and pointing at something that he wants you to take him over to. This "up" is not to be confused with the "up" or "hup" that means help, so you have to pay attention. :) When I push him in the little ride-in car we have, I say go, stop, fast and slow as I do those things. I think he also tries to say "fast" now - that seems to be his favorite part of the car rides!

On a non-communication note, he likes to ride in his car with one or both feet kicked way up by the steering wheel, which is funny to see - basically his hands and feet are all at the same level.

Little Walking Andy!

Since a little before his birthday, Andy's been taking a few steps here and there. On 2/17 and 2/18 he would take 4-5 or so steps before falling forward into someone's arms or plopping down onto the floor. A few days later he walked 8-10 steps at a time, and once that day did about 20, but still was mostly just walking a few steps at a time here and there. Yesterday I took Andy, Kaylee and Erin to Catch Air and I guess Andy decided it was time to walk - maybe it's boring at home and he liked all the new things and bright colors at Catch Air? Who knows? Anyway, he walked for over 30 seconds (I know because the video I took is just over 30 seconds :) ) and did so again at home later that day. Something finally clicked! Though he still mostly crawls - it is still much faster!!