May 2013

Oh May, what a month, what a month!

The month started with Cami and a fever.  She had to leave school early the 7th and that weekend she had full blown hand, foot and mouth.  She had a fever, a few blisters in her mouth, hands and knees and then her toes were COVERED in them.  The Dr. said she had the worst case on her feet he'd ever seen.

By the time Cami got better, Bryan got sick and missed a few days of work.

On Monday the 13th, Cameron has to leave school early AGAIN with a 103 fever.  I took her to the Dr. that day and he concluded she had another virus.  This one kept her home from school the rest of the week with a fever, cough, sore throat and runny nose.  Bryan managed to catch this virus as well and was home a few days with the same symptoms.

I didn't mention this last month, but we bought a new car at the end of April.  We traded in my CR-V for a 2013 Nissan Altima.  We wanted a car with exceptional gas mileage to use on a daily basis to commute to work and around town.  On Tuesday the 14th, Bryan was driving to work in the Altima and ended up in a 4 car accident (not his fault) on Colonial/Highway 50.  The car was towed from the scene with both front and rear damage along with the driver sides deployed airbag.

After the car was evaluated the repairs estimate came to almost $20,000 and insurance deemed it a total loss.  We owned it for 15 days and 568 miles.  Crazy.  Insurance moved fast and gave us fair compensation to replace the vehicle.  I bought a new one a week later over the phone.  Easiest purchase ever!  The sales man was great and got me EXACTLY what I wanted.  I got a great deal and was able to get an upgraded model with the insurance money.  We're hoping this one lasts a little bit longer.... ;)

Now onto the pictures!

Little Man hanging out while mommy gets ready

Sick girl watching TV in the bouncy seat.

Kentucky Derby Party

Stylin'

Hi Caleb!

Silly Girl

Evening walk with mommy

Playing in the fountains

Lil Bro

Staying entertained with mommy's wallet

Cameron insisting that Caleb take his binky

Hi!

 

Baby Caleb Smiles

Cameron enjoying the new patio funiture

More Smiles

Sibling Love

Cutie Pie

Playing together

Both our babies

Caleb is 8 Weeks Old!

8 Weeks

Caleb Patrick is 8 Weeks Old!

Age: 8 Weeks

Weight: 14 lbs 0 oz

Clothing Size:  All 0-3 months but I can tell it won't be long until we move up!

Diaper Size:  Pampers Swaddlers Size 1 - last package!

Feeding Schedule:  ~10 x's per day
Milestones:  Longest night of sleep: 5/25 - 9 hours 15 minutes

Oh little man....Saturday 5/25 was his last night of long sleep.  Caleb went back to his old habits and some nights it felt like he was a new born again.  There was one night he was up almost every hour.  Sometimes he was just crying in his sleep and I was able to rock him for a bit and he'd stop.  I believe he was suffering from some bad gas pain.

Two days in a row I had a significant amount of soybean oil in a salad dressing and then straight on a salad in the form of oil and vinegar.  That night was HORRIBLE.  This makes me believe he is intolerant to soy as well.  In research about 30% of babies that are milk protein intolerant are also soy protein intolerant...looks like Caleb may be one of the lucky ones.  Thankfully this is something most babies grow out of by their first birthday.

I had been avoiding dairy for a good week and a half and starting soy as well.  This is much harder than it sounds because soy is in EVERYTHING.  If it makes a difference in how Caleb feels, it's worth it.  I hate seeing him crying in pain from gas and stomach aches.  I have his two month appointment next Friday so hopefully the Dr. can offer some insight.

The 'symptoms' of MSPI (milk soy protein intolerance) that Caleb shows is extreme fussiness, extreme gas, thick mucous like poops and dry/blotchy skin that's spread from his face to his arms, belly and legs (eczema?).

Caleb is 7 Weeks Old!

7 Weeks

Caleb Patrick is 7 Weeks Old!

Age: 7 Weeks

Weight: 13 lbs 6 oz

Clothing Size:  All 0-3 months

Diaper Size:  Pampers Swaddlers Size 1

Feeding Schedule:  ~10 x's per day
Milestones:  Longest night of sleep: 5/21 - 9 hours

After I posted last week, Caleb went back to his 3.5 - 4.5 hour stretches.  He always seems to have SOO much gas when he wakes up in the middle of the night.  Finally on Tuesday night he went 9 hours.  It was amazing!  Then the next night he went back to 4.5 hours, he was very fussy and gassy.  On Thursday he did 8.5 hours so we will see what tonight brings.  If he starts to sleep through the night consistently, I will be one happy momma!

Last week I also posted about eliminating dairy from my diet in hopes of helping Caleb's fussiness and gassiness.  He went another 4 day stretch without pooping and when he did - I noticed it had mucous in it (TMI, I know, I'm sorry!).  This was a sign I had read about when babies have a dairy intolerance.  I felt bit validated and less crazy for trying the no dairy diet.  I decided to make Caleb a Dr.'s appointment just to see their thoughts and make sure it wasn't anything more.

I saw Dr. Lim on Tuesday and she agreed that everything I described (fussiness after eating, gassiness, mucous in poop) was most likely a dairy intolerance and to keep on eliminating it from my diet like I have been.  Towards the end of the week I definitely noticed a difference in the amount of gas Caleb has, and he's starting to sleep so maybe the gas pains are what were waking him up?  He's still fussy during the day sometimes, but I think a bit less so?  For now, I'll keep with it and see how it goes.

Baby Caleb Smiles

Cameron is 19 Months Old!

19 Months

Cameron Leigh is 19 Months Old!
Age: 19 Months
Weight: ~33 lbs - 99%
Clothing Size: Mostly 2T and 3T.
Diaper Size: Pampers Cruisers size 4 - on our last pack before we start the 5's!
Number of Teeth: 14 total - Two new canines month
Favorite Foods: Pasta, Applesauce Variety Pouches, Bananas
Favorite Toys: Stuffed Animals; Blocks; Push/Ride On Car; Books
New Words: Help Please, Up Please, Woof Woof

It's been a rough month for Cameron!  At the beginning of May she got a high fever and was sent home from school early on a Friday.  The fever continued on Saturday along with a few bumps/blisters on her knees and around her mouth.  On Sunday, Cami's toes were red, crusty and COVERED in blisters.  On Monday she was officially diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth.  Cameron stayed home Monday and Tuesday but went back to school on Wednesday.

Last weekend she got another fever on Sunday and was sent home from school Monday with a fever.  When I got her home she was reading 103.6 so off to the Dr. we went...again.  Cami managed to catch another virus that kept her out of school the rest of the week with a fever, cough and severe congestion.  It's always something!

Cutie Pie

Modeling her new shoes

Caleb is 6 Weeks Old!

6 Weeks Old

Caleb Patrick is 6 Weeks Old!

Age: 6 Weeks

Weight: 12 lbs 12 oz

Clothing Size:  All 0-3 months

Diaper Size:  Pampers Swaddlers Size 1

Feeding Schedule:  ~10 x's per day

Caleb had a couple of good night sleeps this week!  Three nights in a row he started with a long stretch of sleep - 5 hours, 6 hours then 7 hours!

While Caleb is sleeping well, he is quite fussy during the day.  Almost every time he eats he is fussy and screaming for 30 minutes after it seems.  He acts like he has some sort of stomach pains on top of being extremely gassy.  Caleb also went from pooping everyday to not going for FOUR days.  After lots of online googling I'm experimenting with removing dairy (cheese, butter, yogurt, creamy sauces, etc.) from my diet to see if that helps.

Caleb is 5 Weeks Old!

5 Weeks Old

Caleb Patrick is 5 Weeks Old!

Age: 5 Weeks

Weight: 11 lbs 14.7 oz

Clothing Size:  All 0-3 months

Diaper Size:  Pampers Swaddlers Size 1

Feeding Schedule:  ~10 x's per day

Not too much has changed around here. Caleb had a good stretch of sleep one night going for 4 hours and 40 minutes.  He seems to have some trouble falling asleep for a nap while at home.  If we're in the car or out on a walk, it's not a problem, but at home he seems to do 20 minute cat naps and startles easily.

Caleb has gained two pounds since we started the reflux medication.  I know the dosage is very weight sensitive and he was starting to get fussy after feedings so I googled the dosage amount and upped it a bit.  I'm still under what everything online says he can have.  Caleb definitely screams WAY more than Cami ever did.

Caleb's baby acne is in full swing.  His face is covered and it's spread to his arms, chest and back.  I remember Cami went through this stage for a week or two so hopefully it will clear up soon!

Caleb is 1 Month Old!

1 Month Old

Caleb Patrick is 1 Month Old!
Age: 1 Month
Weight: 11 lbs 5 oz, 81%
Clothing Size: Mostly 0-3 month clothes
Diaper Size: Pampers Swaddlers size 1

Caleb is 4 Weeks Old!

4 Weeks Old

Caleb Patrick is 4 Weeks Old!

Age: 4 Weeks

Weight: 10 lbs 14.1 oz

Clothing Size:  Mostly 0-3 months

Diaper Size:  Pampers Swaddlers Size 1

Feeding Schedule:  ~10 x's per day

Caleb's sleep is becoming a little more consistent.  He goes down for the night around 9 pm or so and then is up 2-3x's to nurse.  We have a good night time routine going - when he wakes, I get him up and nurse him.  Halfway through I burp him, change his diaper and reswaddle him then finish feeding him.  The break in between kind of wakes him back up and helps me make sure he gets enough to eat to so he'll sleep as long as possible.  He had one night that he went 5 hours between feedings but typically he has one stretch of 4 hours and then the rest are 2-3 hours apart.  Most mornings he sleeps till 7 or 8 but I've had a few early 6 am days.

Caleb is definitely eating enough as shown by his weight - he gained almost a pound last week!